Being a mom can sometimes be challenging but in lots of ways very rewarding as well.?? We sometimes have to wear many hats and have to go beyond the call of duty in order to get things done.? As with many things in life, we have our challenges yet we always seem to overcome them.? Why? Because ?We?re Moms? and that?s what we do.
Aquafresh recognizes the job we do as ? Moms? and has just introduced an exciting new campaign to ?celebrate and honor moms that Go Beyond the call of duty. ?Aquafresh?is committed to lending moms a hand by supplying them with products, such as the amazing iso-active Whitening toothpaste, that achieves 33% better whitening compared to a non-whitening toothpaste.
Now it?s your turn to share what makes you work beyond as Aquafresh wants to hear about these moments and celebrate you as mom through their Mom Goes Beyond campaign.
Participating is easy.? Just leave a comment below about an inspiring or memorable moment you?ve endured by being a mom and by sharing your story, you have the chance to win some great prizes from Aquafresh!?? Two of my lucky readers will have a chance to win.?
One lucky commenter, will win coupons for Aquafresh Iso-Active Whitening Toothpaste and Aquafresh Whitening Trays plus be nominated by me and entered into the grand prize drawing held by Aquafresh?where you have a chance to win one year?s worth of free Aquafresh product, a $500 Walmart shopping spree, and have your story featured on the Aquafresh Facebook fan page!???The Aquafresh creative team will choose the grand prize winner by July 7th.
A second commenter will win 2 coupons for Aquafresh iso-active Whitening toothpaste and 2 coupons for Aquafresh White Trays.
Enter to win!
To enter leave a comment about an inspiring or memorable ?Mom? moment where you have endured and gone beyond the call of duty.
I will choose at random the most compelling story to be entered in the Grand Prize Drawing so share with us your best story.
Contest will end on June 8th ant 11:59 pm.
MORE CHANCES TO WIN:
Feel free to stop by some of my blogging friends?who are running similar contests?for?even more chances of?winning.? Good luck!
- Surbanman Mom
- Its All Free Online
- Blessings Abound Mommy
- Yellow Tennessee
- Saving Dollars and Sense
- ?Disclosure: ?I was contacted by M80 on ?behalf of Aquafresh. ?I will be receiving Aquafresh products and a $50 Walmart giftcard for my readers prizes and myself as an Aquafresh Ambassador. All opinions expressed are my own.
I have 3 children and I’ve never had anyone take care of them (other than their daddy) a day in their lives. Our families live out of state so we’ve never had any outside help. I pride myself on having been able to raise them and guide them on our own.
The biggest event as a mom that I’ve ever faced is when my daughter was born 13 weeks too early. I had a 2 year old son at home who needed his mom and a critically ill daughter who was in a hospital an hour away. I was torn daily on where I should be. I also had to learn how to give my son some sort of normalcy. Of course, soon I learned that what I was going through was nothing compared to what I had to deal with when our daughter died at 6 weeks old. It would have been so easy to just go to bed and stay there. Definitely was not an option for me. Our families were both far away and my husband had to work. I had to learn to put on a happy face for my son and keep living. There were plenty of times that he saw me cry but I really tried to save all my tears for after he went to bed. I struggled so much but was determined to keep living while also keeping my daughter’s memory alive. I did all the hard work necessary to get through that time. I have also been able to use my experience to help other moms. I will never understand why our daughter was taken from us, but I have learned to cherish the short time we had with her and to love every single moment I have with our children.
So far the biggest challenge I’ve faced as a mom was when my daughter was born. Since we don’t have family in the area, we didn’t know who would care for her, if both my husband & I worked. But, after thousands of dollars of hospital bills (I had a very difficult pregnancy) on top of college loans, we were not sure that we could afford to live on one income. However, we made the decision that I would be a stay at home mom, no matter how financially difficult it would be. So, over the last two years, I’ve had to figure out unique ways to supplement our income (i.e. mystery shopping, etc) that I could do, even when my husband was traveling. The Lord has definitely provided along the way, and our daughter has never starved or been watched by anyone besides my husband & I. ;)
And, I’ve been blessed to be there for every milestone in my daughter’s life. My most memorable moment was having her spontaneously give me a kiss and say “I love you” for the first time! It made the sleepless nights worth it. :)
Since my husband lost his job in 2008, (thankfully he is back to work now), I have had to work and we still need the income from what I make to help pay the bills. Balancing a large family, homeschooling and working at home has been more challenging than anything I have faced so far besides my pregnancy losses. But I am learning to rest in the fact that life (or Providence) has sent this situation to us and nothing ever happens without reason so this experience must be good for all of us in some way.
.-= Theresa ´s last blog ..bebe-O Prenatal Vitamins Review =-.
my daughter had GERD as a baby and used to throw up all the time LOL One specific time landed all over my face, mouth, hair- everywhere, and instead of freaking out I calmly took care of her while trying not to think of the coating all over me…. my husband however- stood there and laughed- I didn’t kill him so that has to stand for something!
.-= eve´s last blog ..It’s Friday…. =-.
Sometimes being a mom to a boy is difficult, especially a single mom. When my first husband left my son was 6 years old. We always had a close relationship, but as he got older he became more private. One day he came to me very concerned. He was 8 years old. Wetting the bed was never a problem for him when he was little, but he said he had been wetting the bed occasionally over the past couple weeks. He wondered if he should go to the doctor because his “pee” wasn’t normal. Of course I was concerned…but after asking him more questions I found out that he wasn’t wetting the bed at all. He was experience a normal nocturnal male phenomenon that required me to have one of the most difficult discussions ever. It’s funny now, but way not funny at the time. Being a mom requires stepping outside of our comfort zone sometimes to make sure our children fully understand what is happening to their little growing bodies.
.-= Lisa from Life With Lisa´s last blog ..Meatloaf For People Who Hate Meatloaf Recipe =-.
Children are a joy, I have 5,2 of my own and 3 step chilren never a dull moment challenging,but rewarding!! I had the privilage to see my oldest son graduate from boot camp in Febraury how inspiring!! I was so proud!! Then in March took him to the airport to hop a plane to Korea for a year!! I am so proud of that boy, I miss him everyday, but am glad to say he is serving our country!! I pray daily for all our troops to return home safely!!! From babies to adults you always worry as a Mom but that’s our job,you try and teach the lessons in life that were learnt from your parents,you give them choices and expect them to chose the right way, but not always do they!! You stand behind them and Love them anyways!!My Mom would be proud of her grandson, That was her Little Man!! she passed away 4 years ago of Cancer and I miss her, but learned alot from her and will pass it on to my childern.
I am a Mom of two sons ages 17 and 21. I grew up in a household of all girls, so boys were something new to me! I decided early on that I was going to do what the boys did, so that I could be really involved in their lives. I have volunteered at each of their schools, as room mom, PTA board member, I planned a 5th grade award breakfast, I was a Cub Scout leader and a Boy Scout leader. I have been on Boy Scout campouts, I have even been to Boys Scout Summer camp for a week at a time, 3 times! I have recently volunteered to head up Project Graduation for my son’s class, who will graduate next year. We are already planning and fundraising for the party. We will host a drug-free, alcohol-free celebration for 400 seniors next May. It is my most ambitious volunteering commitment yet! I will spend hours and hours making this party a success!
My husband and I had two boys biologically and later adopted two more (not babies but ages 9 and 11). A few years later along came a fifth son. While this situation brought MANY challenges we coped and adapted. I worked with the Cub Scout program while my husband was a Scoutmaster for Boy Scouts. (two of our sons are Eagle Scouts!) As a fulltime SAHM I had time to do a lot of other volunteer work in the schools, too.
However, our family suffered a major loss when one of the boys was struck down at home. I found myself in the unenviable position of having to apply CPR and mouth-to-mouth on my own son. Tragically, he did not survive and the hardest thing we had to ever face as parents was to plan his funeral. Coping with that, comforting the other four boys, and just learning to live with the knowledge of the loss of our fourteen year old son was something no parent should ever have to face. Still, we managed to do so learning how to begin life again without Shawn. Since that time I have learned so much about grief to the point that I was able to begin helping other parents. I chatted in grief support groups online, helped others with their groups and started my own after awhile at http://www.LiveToRemember.com. Now, years after losing our son, I have returned to college to obtain a degree in psychology with grief counseling as my ultimate goal.
People say I am strong. I guess, in a way, I am but mostly you just don’t have a choice. When your child dies, you either go on or you don’t. I had four more children depending on me and so that necessitated forcing myself to get through the days after Shawn died. Sometimes it went just hour by hour but I plugged away. One of my goals is to educate others about the loss of a child. People say cruel things like, “you should be over it by now.” You never quit loving your child so you never quit missing them. Grief is not the flu – you NEVER get over it. You simply learn to cope and move on. Faith is a good thing as I truly believe I will be with my son again one day.
For now I live for my other children. I enjoy their triumphs and successes in their adult lives and try to help them through the tough times. My one prayer is that they never have to deal with the loss of one of THEIR children. And now I have two grandchildren so I can experience the wonder of childhood once more. Life is still good.
I have been a stay at home mother for 15 years. Married to a military man and have moved three times over 15 years. I never had any family to help me all of the times he was deployed and never had any babysitters. Basically I have been around my children 24/7 and only time I was away from them was when I was in the hospital giving birth to the other child. My most memorable moment was when my last two walked into the school for kindergarten. It was bitter sweet and heart wretching at the same time. Holding each other’s hand is a memory I will never forget.
tamben7996(at)aol(dot)com
As a mom, I’ve certainly had my challenges to face and overcome. However, it is those challenges that have shaped my life, made me a better person and inspired me to do more than I ever thought I could. My husband has a chronic disease that affects his day to day abilities to work and function, so it leaves a lot more responsibility on me to provide financially for our family as well as be a mom to two young boys ages 7 and 3. My youngest was born with a rare brain disorder and so he has a lot of medical and therapy appointments and various services and supports that need to be arranged, so that also keeps me very busy and presents challenges in trying to balance work and my child’s needs . I am fortunate in that I have worked in the Social Services field for many years and have a lot of experience specifically working with people with developmental disabilities. This experience has benefited my son in terms of me understanding how the medical system works and the other agencies and organizations that provide some services for my son. This means that I’ve been able to be a very effective and strong advocate for my son which I will never stop doing this for him. He has given me such a strong sense of what kind of life and opportunities people with developmental disabilities should have. My son will most likely never be able to live on his own and will always need to be cared for. A lot of people I’ve known with a loved one with Developmental Disabilities that need 24/7 care, see this as a guilt laden burden on them. Many choose to place their loved one in a care home. My intention here is not to be critical, but to state the facts as I’ve experienced. I’ve never felt that my son was a burden. In fact, I feel that he is a blessing. When he was first Diagnosed, the doctors told me he would never hold his head up, sit up, crawl, walk, grasp objects and that he would be on a feeding tube and die young. Well, fortunately for my son, he has proven those doctors wrong. My son can now do all of those things and he eats and drinks fine and is very healthy. Instead of thinking about what my son cannot do or the care that he requires, I see him as a beautiful and happy boy who has worked hard and overcome many challenges and defied the expectations that others put on him. I am proud to be his mother and he will live with me till the day I die. As his mother, he has truly inspired me to be a better person and stronger person.
I went beyond just getting my children into this world. I was sick the whole time I was pregnant. I swell up like a balloon from fluid retention. I suffer from gestational diabetes. My body just wasn’t made for bearing children.
And having made so much effort bringing them into the world, I don’t let any one else take care of them. No day care, and babysitters have been only Grandma & Grandpa on very rare occasions. There has only been 3 times I’ve missed reading the bedtime stories & tucking them into bed, and each of those involved a hospital visit.
My most inspiring moments as a mom was holding each of my children for the first time & realizing I’d made a human being. A real little person who was depending on me for everything in life. Not just the tangible things like food & clothes & shelter, but also things like love & direction & attention. That knowledge makes you at least try to be a better person.
When My 1st was born 6 weeks early, he was under a light at home for Jandice and apnea monitor. I was on my own, never had babysitted before, and husband miles away at work. I was so scared and nerves falling to pieces.
Every time the machine would sound off as loud or louder than smoke alarms. I would wake my baby, usually panic him in the process, but I was so thankful for that machine. It saved his life on numberous times.
The sad part is the doctors thought I was overprotective and I had to beg for the machine. I had mom sense, I knew as it runs heavy in the family.
I knew I had to have that machine and I’d been 3 days with no sleep before I had it. He had colic too. This was one of the hardest times I’d ever faced, but I made it and he did too.
My mom is awesome. She takes great care of our family. She is under quite a bit of stress, but her work always shines through. Would love it if I could win something like this for her.
For years I have/do struggle with depression and bipolar. I made a vow that I try my hardest to be the best mom I could be under these circumstances. I am glad to say that my kids have grown up to be responsible wonderful people
My husband is in the air force and was deployed frequently. It is hard to be left behind as a single parent when you have no family around to help. Thankfully we made it through, and he is now in the reserve so we have him home with us much more often!
Yeah, it’s good, very useful, thanks :)
I think every mom goes beyond. We are all tasked to do so much from working outside the home, teaching our children, caring for our husbands and our home and volunteering in our kids schools or other activities, while still trying to eek out a little something for ourselves.
I have recently volunteered to lead my local moms group for a second time ofter taking a year off. In this group we focus on giving to the women who have given so much. Although it can be a lot of work it is so worth it when you hear the stories from the women about how the group has helped them feel like women again and not just a multi-tasker.
My biggest challenge that required me to go above and beyond was my middle daughter being dyslexic. I realized she would be overlooked in the schools, since they wait until a child is two years behind before intervening, which is 2 wasted years. So I brought her home and spent 3 years doing every reading intervention I could find. After a lot of hard work on her part and lots of frustration on my part she finally became a fluent reader at 11. She still has some issues and can’t spell at all, but she is an honor roll student in 8th grade now. Just this weekend I had to scold her for reading a book when she was supposed to be doing chores. I made her put the book down and do her chores, but secretly I was glad to see her so involved in a book.
.-= Anne´s last blog ..Whole Golden Flax Seed – Review & Giveaway =-.
As a single young women I discovered I was pregnant. I was shocked and scared and not sure what to do! I quickly learned that the best thing for this unborn child would be to be placed for adoption and I found THE most wonderful family in the world to raise him! The adoption has been very open and I see him on occasion. It is amazing to me to have been a mother for the 2 days I spent with him in the hospital and my time carrying him for all I was able to learn and grow from him. I will be forever grateful for that life changing experience and that beautiful little boy who changed my life!! I am now happily married and with 2 little boys of my own and pregnant with number 3. I love my boys and my life very much but I’ll be forever grateful for that first special child that made such a difference to who I am today!
.-= Janel C´s last blog ..YoBaby – Review and {Giveaway} =-.
Well, I guess I’m already disqualified…I’m not a mother…not by choice, but for unknown reasons according to several drs. Although we’d love to have children, we’ve chosen to invest in other children’s lives. We’ve served as youth advisers at our local children…that’s going from no children to be “parents” to 85 teenagers immediately! :-) What fun they are! Also, we enjoy babysitting and helping our friends out with their children. :-)
~eunice b
rsmile2u @dejazzd .com