By Estelle Sobel Erasmus of Musings on Motherhood and Midlife; re-posted from 5 Minutes for Mom.
Looking to make an impact on the lives of moms, everywhere? Feel you’re a mother but so much more? Are you dealing with the never ending struggle to balance your family budget and find some money (and time) just for yourself, and are aching to write about it?
Then find the power in your pen and participate in the Power of a Purse campaign from Mothers & More.
The national non-profit organization Mothers & More (which provides support, education and advocacy for mothers) has been dedicated to helping financially disadvantaged mothers through its Power of a Purse campaign (now in its fifth year), where members donate purses and personal items to shelters and other non-profit organizations, as well as educational resources to help them increase their financial awareness, confidence and control. A purse symbolizes a woman’s economic power, and many families rely on a mother’s income.
For the month of April, Mothers & More is running a writing contest in celebration of Power of a Purse that is open to members and non-members. Simply write in 300 words or less, how the mission of Power of a Purse resonates for you on a “purse-onal” level. Email your entry (full name, address, phone number and if you belong to a chapter, chapter number) to powerofapurse@mothersandmore.org by April 30 and Mothers & More will publish the top five stories on their blog, Mothers’ Voices. Prizes will also include publication on Brain, Child magazine’s website, a beautiful bag from Layla Grayce and a consultation with a writing/publishing coach.Mothers & More will announce additional prizes on their national FB page and on Twitter.
Mothers & More is honored to have wonderful judges like Susan Carraretto of this website and community for the writing contest, as well as:
• Patty Chang Anker, author of the upcoming book Some Nerve: Lessons Learned While Becoming Brave, to be published by Riverhead Books (Penguin) in the fall, who blogs at Facing Forty Upside Down
• Jessica Rubin Cohen of the social good blog, Found the Marbles
• Ciaran Blumenfeld of Momfluential
• Lori Botterman, Senior Editor for Tribune Media Group, who blogs at Who Has More Fun Than People?
To join Mothers & More and benefit from all its offerings fill out this form. All through April Mothers & More is running a new member special with $5 off a one-year membership, if you put in the special code savvy4mom. Benefits of joining Mothers & More include:
• Becoming part of a network of national chapters and online networking forums by and for mothers encompassing non-judgmental communication and peer support
• Webinars that give members exposure to authors, women in business, and financial and workplace tools and tactics, that support the organization’s mission
• Belonging to an organization that advocates for public policies that value the work of caregiving
Looking forward to getting fiscal with you this month.
I’m passionate about many things in life, and near the top of my list is breastfeeding. It’s natural (for most), it’s milk that is tailor-made for your baby, and it’s your baby’s nourishment ready to go at a moments notice. Now, this isn’t going to be a debate about formula v.s. breast milk, so don’t run away yet! I’m all for supporting moms no matter how you feed your baby! But this IS about breast milk. I read an interesting article on Parenting.com about a man who created a blog about surviving on only his wife’s breast milk. The story is that his wife had pumped so much milk while her babies were in the NICU to keep her supply going, she ended up with a massive amount of milk that she couldn’t use. So, her husband decided he was going to drink the milk and nothing else and of course, blog about it! My first thought was, why not donate the milk to a milk bank or send it to a country where there is a great need? Apparently, they have tried (not sure on how hard or how often) and have been unsuccessful. The husband is only a few days into his new meal routine and he seems satisfied, even feeling better than he was on solid food.
I’ve been following this story a bit, just trying to range the reactions of people reading the blog and of course as I suspected there are people for and those very against this idea. My thoughts?? Well…I’m not grossed out by it. I will be honest and say I have tasted my own breast milk, and I think it’s sweet, like vanilla rice milk. I suspect he’ll have some, um, digestive issues in the future because breastfed baby poo is pretty runny at times!
But honestly, I think this is all for show. I mean, I’m glad he is not wasting it, if anything it’s giving attention to people who have to work hard and pump for their babies. My own son was in the NICU, and I had to pump. it’s not enjoyable, and I bow down to any mother who exclusively pumps! But I think this is not the attention breastfeeding and pumping moms want.
I think if this couple tried really hard, they could use this blog find a person or a place to donate this milk to. How about a terminally ill patient? I had a friend in need of pumped breast milk for a dear friend of hers, and her supply had dried up due to pregnancy, so I reached out and offered what little stash I had left. The man and his doctor had researched the benefits of breast milk for cancer patients and when drinking breast milk he was feeling energized (I believe he mixed it with his oatmeal!) despite his treatments that left him tired and weak. I’m not saying breast milk is a cancer cure, but I wanted to share another avenue, and to show them that if they want to be an example of how not to waste this liquid gold there is another way to go. The milk is not really going to waste, but they could be better utilizing their attention and breast milk in a more positive way.
The blog, Don’t Have A Cow, Man is no longer available but you can read more about the story at ABC News and The Huffington Post.
Want to read more from Heather, check out her personal blog Life with the Stevens.
Mothers & More • P.O. Box 31 • Elmhurst, Illinois 60126

(630) 941-3553 • Fax (630) 941-3551 • info@mothersandmore.org
Copyright ©2012 Mothers & More. Mothers & More is a registered trademark.


