"What makes you a great mom?"

Last week I asked this question on my FB page:

"I want each of you to tell me what makes *YOU* a great mom! If you're not a mom then tell me what your mom or caretaker did that was great!"

I loved the comments so much! Read below to see what all the fun, good listening, silly, unconditional loving, smart, caring and tough love mommies have to say from all around the world! ♥

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Chantel Gray What makes me a great mom is my ability to see what makes me a not so great mom and the desire to change it. Sunland, Ca. Mom of 5. age 34

Joni Oehlerking Lightner I am silly. Super silly. Loving. I care naught for the "normal" routine. Whatever works. I only have one & he is unbelievably easy, smart, funny, willing, and loving. He hugs everyone. He thinks. He Is funny. His hugs & kisses & his, "I love you, Mommy's," will (hopefully) last forever. He's 4. I'm 41. I am so grateful for him. He is seriously the best. Argyle, TX.

Arin Lynn what makes me a great mom is even though we dont have much i make sure we go on at least one adventure a week so my son grows up appreciateing quality time instead of material things. Lucerne Valley, CA age 25

Lisa Larson Myers I guess what makes me a great Mom is ... my kids say " I am the meanest Mom in the world" so I've done my job :) I'm from Council Bluffs,Iowa. age 49 & I have 4 kids (9-32) & 8 Grandkids who think I am the nicest Nana in the world :)

BreAnn Bowdish My ability to "pick my battles" with the youngsters and read creatively. :-) Phoenix AZ. Mom of 3, age 22.

DysFUNction Junction What makes me a great mom? My attitude. I cherish every single moment I have with my son. I try to show him love and teach him to laugh. I want him to know that life is more fun if you laugh

Justine Theresa Ladato age 34 daytona beach, fl mom of 3 beautiful boys! i think what makes me a great mom is that i do it all on my own and even though i may not have much i still make sure my kids never want for anything and i shower them with love and lots of hugs and kisses every single day :)

Brandie Driver I think what makes me a great mom is that I've suffered the loss of twins, and it helped me realize that I wanna spend as much time with my son as I possibly can before he goes into school, he's becoming an amazing, smart little guy and I'd like to think I had a very large part in that :) I'm 24 next week and my son is 2.5.

Jeanna Wright Pagel i paint toes and buy tutu's. lol. they are 5 and almost 3. I just turned 25 and i raise my girls north of houston texas.
 
Tiffany Hucek Ritchey The ability to look at my 2 1/2 year old son from across the room and know what he wants or needs since he was little....drink, food, blankie, potty....

Jolene Gaspard Wheelock I'm not a great mom but my kids might think so. I leave them alone until I need them or they need me. I have 4 boys in the house, 2 are not mine but could be (ages 10, 13,16,18). I'm 35 from South Louisiana. Of course, as teens, they handle themselves pretty well.

 Suni Allfie I think what makes me a good mom, is patience!!! I use to have a very short fuse, until I had my first child almost 8 years ago! I'm a mommy to 4, ( 6 mo, 23mo, 5 and 7) Auburn, Wa

Becke Barfield I'm 38, from south Louisiana, and I have three kids, 15, 8, and 4. What makes me a great mom? That I have my kids' backs no matter what they do. They're required to own up and pay their own consequences, but I'm right there holding their hand while they do it.

Cherie Albright I think what makes me a good mom is my ability to know I'm not perfect and that as long as I try I'm good enough. I think she has taught me more then I have taught her. I'm 21 and she is 3. We are from Salem, OR

Jackie Schultz ‎29yrs old from Long island NY. I have 3 girls ages 3yrs, 23months and 3months. I m just trying to make it out alive most of the days ;) LOL. But I try my best to LIVE*LAUGH*LOVE

 
Amber Boucher I am a great mom because I hung up my super mom cape nearly 10 years ago:). I am a 37-year-old mom to four awesome kids(3, 5, 7 & 9). I listen to them. I encourage them to be who they want to be (my boys get their toenails painted if they want and my daughter pretend shaves her face with daddy). They are little humans that like us, want acceptance, love and comfort. We dance in the rain. We sing like no ones watching. We just live and have fun. I let myself learn from them and try my hardest, to be a good role model for them (working on my profanity. Lol). I am from Ontario, Canada. Eh! :)

Meghan Spencer Age 44 mom to 4 a son with hemophillia, his twin sister is bipolar, the middle girl is a mom now and my three yo was a gift. What makes me a good or great mom is Iove them all. I will fight the battles that need to be fought to help them out. And I am one of the geekiest moms around. Have had more indepth and heartfelt conversations and bonding over rounds of firefight in Halo.

Megan Shurley Wright I am a mother, not their friend. I'm raising boys who have rules and chores and consequences. They may not always like it, but i'm fair and consistent and i think it is a good thing that they can count on that. I think that is what helped my 2 oldest get through my divorce from their father.
I have 3 boys, 11, 7, and 18 months outside if jacksonville florida.

Claire Buckley They come first (but they're not spolit); I'm their friend, their displinarian, their educator, their playmate, their cook and I love them with all of my heart and soul. I want better for them and I make it so ..... :)  I'm 39 from manchester uk and my girls are almost 8 and almost 2 x

Charlotte Hall I think what makes me a great mom is patience and choosing my battles. I also try to stay happy and do silly things with my kiddos but they are disciplined even at their age. I always get told what great kids they are and how well behaved they are. I am a mom of 3 (almost 4 yr old and 2 year old twins) and I'm 24 from Arizona. =)

Samantha Sullivan Cohn This question is actually really introspective. I am not only their mother but their friend when needed. I believe my children need both of both worlds, but THEY know where to draw the line between friend and mom. I have tried to teach them patience with others, always try to find the good in others, have discussed social issues with them and have allowed them to learn how to think-not tell them how to think. Some of these are really hard to do since i am heavily bi-polar and will be on meds for the rest of my life. I also believe in taking that deep breath and count to 10 before reacting to a behaviour that is inappropriate. I would choose my children over anything. Absolutely over myself. I believe I am doing a fairly decent job since my daughter is 18 and just finished her first year in college and my son just turned 14. I am 39 and am from Southern NJ. (NOT the Jersey Shore Area!!!!)

Shelly Pehlman-Reeter This is a hard question! I make sure that they are relatively clean(they are boys), stay healthy, I make them do chores, mind their manners, sign them up for any activity they want to partake in & then go to every practice and game :), I make sure they do their homework (& understand it!), kiss boo boos, read to them, kiss & hug them every night, and tell them I love them every day... But this is all part of just being a mom! Them being so smart, talented, and caring makes me FEEL like a great mom :)
I'm from Sherman, Illinois and 39 years old.

Lynn Kenyon I think bein a great mum is not thinkin u alwayz no best n we r alwayz on a learnin kerb because life has as a mum teaches us sumat new everyday I have 4 fab kidz n each one ov them r very different people n av been taught so much from them as they av from me xxxx

Elizabeth Hanson Stephens Gulfport ms 28 mom of 1 /9yr old I listen and love her no matter what she's awesome smart loving and has my sensitive caring heart.. She's rotten to the core but loved in every single way makes me smile everyday and she ALWAYS comes first

Heather Sanders I am from Texas, just east of Dallas. I am 34 with a 14 year old son with Duchenne Muscukar Dystrophy. I have raised my son by myself until this last year. He does not go without and is very respectful. I have learned to pick my battles because teenagers aren't easy. I always make sure to give him a hug, kiss, and tell him that I love him even though he doesn't want it sometimes. He knows I love him. I don't think I am a great mom, but God chose me to raise this inspirational young man for a reason. I always carry hope and have faith that there will be a cure for DMD. The one thing my son loves is to ride horses. I promised him that when he gets to where he can't sit on his horse by himself that I will find a way for him to still ride. I know I have one amazing kiddo!

More Than a Cupcake Mom of 4 boys, ages 22, 18, 6 and 3....I'm 40 from NC. My unconditional love for them makes me a great mom. However, being a mom is the hardest job I've ever had. Most rewarding....but hard. Esp. when the first one flew the nest:(

Sara Ribordy Mom of 6 kids. 2 girls 10 & 2, and 4 boys 9,7,6,4. I'm not a great mom but I am a good one. Im almost 28 will be on Tuesday we live in Lees Summit, MO. I have a ton of patience, I also make sure my kids are always respectful and use their manners, and we discipline our children for bad behavior. I do not really have to discipline my oldest 4 my youngest two on the other hand are still learning.

Rosie Frank Spencer McCoombe ‎48 years old from St. Louis, MO - I am the mom I wish I would have had!

Tracy Hills Edwards The ability to know what each of my 4 kids require/need, like dislike, etc. What makes them individuals and what keeps them happy. And not get it confused, unlike their names. LOL. One has down syndrome one a hyper activity disorder, 1 drama queen, and a terrible 2's toddler. 9, 7, 5, 2- Athens, Alabama

Barbara Rose I am the mom of 2 grown daughters age 38 and 46...between them they have given me 5 of the most awesome grandkids ages 18-24!! Also I have a 20 month old great-granddaughter...All of them are very productive successful, caring, loving adults so with that said, I guess I must be a great mom! I'm age 63 from Tampa fl -  And another thing I love it when my girls sometimes calls me mommy and tells me I'm the best:))

Let's Vent I have two girls, but I am raising them to be tough. I have also equipped them both with an amazing sense of humor. ♥ :)

Stellar Junk My Mom would almost never get in the water when we were swimming as kids. If she did, we couldn't splash her or get her hair wet. So I promised myself that when I became a Mom, I will ALWAYS get in the water. I won't worry about how cold it is, or getting my hair wet. So that's just one of the things I do - I splash and play. :)

"Shredding My Losses" Make the change! 1 year and 100lbs lighter!!

Guest blog by: Jennifer Seville. She's a full time mom and wife who within ONE YEAR lost 100lbs!! Read  all about her amazing journey in her book "Shredding My Losses" Make the change!

I was given the chance to read her book and I'm SO glad I did. She's truly an inspiration that even at 275lbs you can still achieve your weight loss goals.  

 

"When people hear I lost over 100 lbs, I get the inevitable question of HOW DID YOU DO IT?!  I know what they wanna hear, which pill, fad diet, dvd set, or surgery did I complete?  The conversation ends shortly after when I say all I did was eat healthy and exercise.  If you stick around long enough to hear my whole story, you will come to find out that I do have some interesting things to say…

I wasn’t always overweight.  I was super athletic; a gymnast for over  10 years.  I turned 19, met my soul mate, I got pregnant, and began doing what I was told to do, eating for two!  First mistake, because I totally abused that statement, and it showed with the 90 lbs I put on during that pregnancy.  The two years following that child we managed to get married, buy a house, and have another child.  Little to no “time” in between to go back to my athletic build. 

Two more years go by and I have my third and final child, and weighing in at a whopping 275 pounds! 275 pounds found me at a completely different person.  I went from athletic and attractive to depressed and overweight with a huge chip on my shoulder.  In my eyes, the world was out to get me.  Little did I know, I WAS OUT TO GET ME!  With every bite I took, and every pair of baggy pants and shirts I wore to hide the real problem.  I hid for a few years and told myself that my weight issues were all due to my pregnancies and it was normal.

 

It’s not normal to weight 275 pounds.  It’s not normal to hate yourself when you look in the mirror.  It’s not normal to wear sweatpants and sweatshirts every single day because jeans do not fit you.  I was far from acting normal.

 

My eldest daughter turned 5 in February of 2011 and it hit me.  I was a stay at home mom and she was going to be starting Kindergarten in the fall.  I wanted to be that active stay at home mom that goes to all the PTA meetings and attends field trips and has play dates with all the other stay at home moms.  Who would wanna hang out with some depressed overweight mom??

Something clicked, and my journey began.  My husband’s family all were members of the local YMCA and encouraged me to join and attend classes.  TOTALLY out of my comfort zone but I went, and fell in love.  That athletic person came out in me, little did I know it was just in hiding.  I was attending all diff. kinds of group fitness classes and desperately trying to watch what I was eating at home and the pounds were actually shedding off of me.  My dedication was showing when I dropped over 20 lbs in the first month.  Cutting soda and teas and all the sugary snacks I was known to eat I’m sure helped with that 20 pound weight loss.  I wanted more, and kept going…

I found a love for “running”  Let’s not call it running at first, let’s call it completely dying and probably looking like a fool but I did it so don’t laugh me kinda running!  I even completed a 5K race at 200 lbs in 34 minutes!  I was beginning to feel proud of myself again and feeling accomplished and goal driven in my new lifestyle.  9 months later, I had dropped over 100 pounds, 10 pant sizes, and 3 shirt sizes!!  I was a completely different person inside and out. 

 

I can’t stress to people how important health wise it is to be at a healthy weight but more importantly for your heart and soul.  I hate knowing that there are still people out there feeling the way I used to feel about themselves.  It is no way to live your life living it hating yourself and being depressed.  Hiding from society solves nothing!  Once I opened up and admitted to people I needed help, was when I started to get positive results in my life. 

 

I kept a journal during the whole process that I would write about my workouts and foods as well as my personal thoughts and frustrations along the way.  It was a handy tool to stay accountable and on track on a daily basis.  Once I hit the 100 lb mark and was re-evaluating my goals I decided to publish my personal journal into a book.  It’s called “Shredding My Losses” and its available on amazon.com as an e-book as well as paperback.  It has my private thoughts during this tremendously hard weight loss journey but also illustrates how extremely rewarding it can be at the end.  It’s been said to be a must read for anyone seeking for extra motivation or wanting to read about a “real person”.  I’m not a celebrity, I did not take the easy way out, I’m just an ordinary person who made a change for the better and really wants to help others get to feel what I feel.  Proud!

 

I started a facebook page called “Change One Thing” to pay it forward to others and open myself up to them about my journey and give them somewhere to open up to me about theirs.  I still journal/blog for people to read on my website at www.changeonething.info and will continue to try and help society with the horrible epidemic of obesity.

Just remember, you are not alone!  We are all in this together!"