Single Mom Raising Kids

I was having a conversation with a friend the other day about my custody situation, when I made a shocking realization. If I didn't drive my girls to and from their Dad's house, he probably wouldn't see them. Ouch. I don't like to make generalizations about him, but given his past behavior, it's not hard to see that it's likely. But I hadn't thought of it before so it literally took my breath away. How could anyone not want to see my girls as often as possible? Yet, here we are in a situation where he sees them once every other weekend. It wasn't always this way. He used to have them more and he made the decision not to by missing out. Ugh. So here I am towing the line. I'm six years into this parenting gig and it's quite a challenge. Everyone around me says things noting how hard it must be. I just chide in agreement. Yes it's hard, but it's also really good work. I see my girls grow and learn and thrive all the time. I didn't...

I've been in a few positions where I needed to make new friends. I moved a couple times as a kid, I changed jobs, I became a stay-at-home mom, moved into new towns, and now I find myself in a new town again. I'm making acquaintances at church and work, but it wasn't enough. A lot of people know I was in a close-knit group of single moms back when I lived in Pennsylvania. They were my rocks through a very hard time and I still chime in from a distance since we're virtually connected. How do I find friends as an adult?  It's the age-old question. What makes two people click and carry on a friendship? Befriending one another as single moms is both easy and tremendously hard. I feel like once we meet, we can become fast friends, but it takes an act of God to get together in the first place. Multiple schedules need to align. It does happen though, and when it does it's really special. We are the ears that console one another and the eyes that see the light w...

This is a guest post by Mallory Ciliberti. Wednesday night, I had the honor and pleasure of being invited to Hyundai Hope on Wheels' Celebration of Life Dinner and Check Presentation at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. This event was not only a beautiful venue with fun activities and entertainment, it was also touching and extremely moving and MOTIVATING! Hyundai has been sponsoring this foundation for 19 years. Yes, NINETEEN years and it is an incredible commitment to helping to find a cure for childhood cancer. Hyundai Hope on Wheels was launched in 1998 and provides grants to eligible institutions nationwide that are pursuing life-saving research and innovative treatments for childhood cancers. They focus solely on pediatric cancer, and because of that, this is one of the largest non-profit funders of pediatric cancer research IN THE COUNTRY!!  The buyers of Hyundai vehicles are the ones who are contributing to this awesome foundation! More than 835 United States...