After a recent interaction with someone who accused me of 'emotionally abusing' my daughter because I was expressing my hurt and frustration I started wondering something... Why do moms get treated like we are no longer people? Why are we supposed to keep our feelings, emotions, anger, frustrations etc all bottled up? When we need to go out to let off steam, why are we judged? If we breakdown because we are so tired and emotionally drained, out parenting abilities are questioned. Or when we let ...
May 27, 2019•44 min
I quit smoking 8 years ago, and after I did I gained a lot of weight. What started out as 10 additional pounds grew into 50. I have been trying for YEARS to find the motivation & commitment to lose all those extra pounds. I have tried various diets, Nutrisystem, Weight Watchers, and other fad diets I found online. I joined a couple different gyms – and barely went. I tried working out with Beach Body videos at home. I gained it all right back! I finally found something that worked for me - t...
May 18, 2019•42 min
For single moms, Mother's Day can often end up being just like every other day. We don't always have someone to take over for us - allowing us to sleep in, taking over our daily responsibilities and obligations, etc. So for some of us Mother's Day really isn't any different that yesterday or the day before that or the day before that. But it SHOULD be different. Even if there isn't another adult to help you feel that you are amazing for all you do, your kids likely do! And YOU should do somethin...
May 08, 2019•38 min
Today's podcast is all about parenting agreements and why you should ABSOLUTELY have one. Making sure that all the details of your co-parenting arrangement with your ex are all laid out and legal is so very important. Having a parenting agreement helps keep all the rules and guidelines of how you will raise your child will actually help to keep things civil with your ex. Well, hopefully. There are so many different things to consider when creating a parenting agreement and today I will cover sev...
Apr 29, 2019•45 min
Too often we as single moms will undervalue ourselves. We may not do it on purpose, or even realize we are doing it but it happens more often than not. I recently came to this conclusion after having someone try to use the fact that I am a single mom as some form of insult. This of course does not work on me - because I am happily single. But it does make me realize that there are people who think that all of us single moms are just miserable and looking for a man. Which is often times not true....
Apr 19, 2019•38 min
Self-contentment... remember what that feels like? Do you remember who you were before you had kids? Do you remember what you loved to do and the things that brought you joy? As a single mom I know that for many years I felt like there was nothing more to me than just being Mom. It was a feeling that is hard to nail down sometimes. The best way I can describe it is a sort of hollow feeling inside. Like there is a part of you that just isn't there anymore. All those things that I used to do, that...
Jan 22, 2019•30 min
For many couples with children it has been typical that the woman would be the primary care giver. Often times staying at home to care for the kids while her husband worked. However, over the years this dynamic has changed a bit. A 2013 Pew study revealed that 40% of women were the main breadwinners in their homes. It is likely that number has risen over the years. So what happens when a mother, who has always been the primary breadwinner, becomes a single mom? When you haven't been the primary ...
Jan 14, 2019•1 hr 7 min
If you know me, or have listened to some of my podcasts, you know that one of the things I dislike more than most anything is stereotypes. I do not like it when people put other people into a certain box, or judge them based on preconceived notions. Assuming they know a person's situation before actually getting to know them. This happens all to often to single mothers. I know that personally I have been stereotyped in the following ways: - a slut - a whore - a welfare queen or scammer - just lo...
Jan 07, 2019•31 min
It is almost the end of 2018 and I don't know about you but I am ready to kick last year to the curb! Last year seemed to be the most BLAH year I have experienced thus far. Now, it may be due to the political BS that has been going on ALL YEAR LONG. It could be my struggles with depression. It could be any number of things. Whatever the cause, I know that I am ready to close it out and bring in a bright new shiny year. I don't know about you, but I personally have routines and rituals that I go ...
Dec 31, 2018•34 min
It's CHRISTMAS TIME!!!!! I don't know about you, but this is my favorite time of year! However, this is also the time of year where I tend to drive myself a little bit crazy and drive myself into the ground. I also used to deal with an overabundance of guilt because of my need to compare myself to other moms or families. In this episode I talk about why you shouldn't try to live up to the idea of a 'perfect' Christmas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 18, 2018•32 min
The holidays are here again! With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I keep seeing people posting on social media all the things that they are thankful for. And while I think that expressing gratitude is always a good thing; I always wonder why people only seem to do it around a specific holiday? Why only think about what you are thankful for around Thanksgiving? Why not do it all year round, every day? Today's podcast talks about why remembering to be thankful every single day is so important...
Nov 15, 2018•36 min
A few days ago I was scrolling through my Twitter feed trying, and failing, to ignore the political nonsense that has overtaken literally all social media platforms. I posted some pithy comments and re-tweeted some of the dumbest things that I came across. Realizing that by doing so I was totally contributing to the din, but apparently unable to stop myself. When I came across a post by a father Twitter handle: @daddyfiles, that caught my attention and made me stop in my tracks. It was a post ab...
Oct 30, 2018•34 min
The Pros & Cons of Working From Home As a single mom I struggled for years trying to support my family while working full time. I had to apply for government assistance to afford the child care I needed. I knew that the only way I was going to get out the struggle I was in was if I didn't have to pay for child care. The only way I would be able to do that was to work from home. I had no idea what I was going to do or how I was going to do it but I dove right in. I made a lot of mistakes and ...
Oct 22, 2018•36 min
As single moms we are more often than not running in 5 different directions, going a million miles an hour with our hair on fire! We take on so much every day just to keep our small humans alive and kicking. But when we do this it can take its toll on us. Hell, who am I kidding, it kicks our asses most days. We spend so much time taking on all the things that need to be done that we often neglect to take care of ourselves. We put ourselves last. And by the time we finally have time to MAYBE do s...
Oct 10, 2018•36 min
As parents we have so many different things that we have to worry about and deal with on a daily basis. Making sure that these little humans grow up safe and secure and turn into hopefully productive members of society! But let's be honest - they can REALLY test our patience and our sanity! Who among us hasn't ended up in a battle royale with their kid over something completely ridiculous? I know I have! We all struggle with it, and we all know that in the end it leaves us feeling emotionally an...
Sep 11, 2018•39 min•Ep. 57
There was a recent story about an actor who used to work on The Cosby Show who is now bagging groceries at a Trader Joes. Fox News posted this "story" with a picture of the man carrying grocery bags with a dirty shirt on. The backlash that they received from this story was epic. Because the story was positioned in a way that made it seem they were slamming the man in a sort of "look how far they have fallen" piece. People from all walks of life came out in defense of this man. Railing against Fo...
Sep 03, 2018•36 min
Many of you have heard me talk about my son and his traumatic brain injury but I have never fully shared the story of how he was hurt. My son is a shaken baby survivor, both my boys are. I am returning to my podcast after taking a break to manage my life with the story of how Gage was hurt, what followed and a new issue that has come from his brain injury. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 28, 2018•36 min
The newest 'challenge' that is on social media is out there for our kids to be subjected to. The Tide Pod challenge is trending right now because kids are ACTUALLY recording themselves EATING Tide Pods and posting it online. As parents we seem to have new things every day that we need to protect our kids from. Now we need to protect them from themselves and reinforce the need for basic common sense. This weeks podcast covers social media challenges and the absolute ridiculousness of children har...
Jan 18, 2018•35 min
If you are not sure who Mayim Bialik is, you may not have been a young girl growing up in the 90’s watching Blossom dancing on your TV screen listening to her on screen brother Joey say “Whoa!” You are more than likely familiar with her role as Sheldon’s love interest Amy on the Big Bang Theory. What you MAY not know however is that she is a scientist in real life. Like a really real scientist with a B.S. in neuroscience. She also created a site called GrokNation which caters to women and includ...
May 22, 2017•32 min
Who you allow into your life, mind & heart are among the most important decisions you will ever make. It took me some time to fully understand this and how important it was in my life. I am one of those people who will always try to see the good in people. I usually end up ignoring the bad when I do though. Quite often I would ignore or disregard bad qualities or behavior because I thought that the person was a 'good person underneath it all'. With my boys' father I chose to look past all of...
Mar 27, 2017•31 min
The most recent controversial decision by the Trump administration (because there have been quite a few to choose from) is taking aim as transgender youth in our schools. In May of 2016 the Obama administration stated that Title IX protects the right of transgender students to use the restroom and locker rooms that coincide with the gender they identify with. However, recently the current administration has decided that they didn't really like that idea. Stating that they believe that it should ...
Feb 27, 2017•44 min
Valentine's Day. A day that, for some, brings more misery than happiness. Those who are single and long to have someone to share their life with may find this day to be horribly depressing. I however, am not one of those people. Valentine's Day is just another day for me. Nothing special about it. I don't feel better or worse about myself on this day. Nor do I long for something that I am 'missing' in my life. I realized that for many this day is not so simple. For many, they feel lonely or like...
Feb 13, 2017•38 min
HAPPY 2017!!!! I hope that the first few weeks of the new year have been good for you. I know that this has been a scary couple of weeks for me. As many of you listening know I am not a huge Trump fan. To be honest he scares the hell out of me and I find him kind of childish. However, like it or not, he is the new President of the United States. That being said I decided that this would make for a good topic for this podcast. Not Trump per say BUT my ability to manage how I feel about Trump. Wha...
Jan 13, 2017•37 min
ARE HATCHIMALS EVEN WORTH IT?! It seems like every few years or so there is a toy that comes out around Christmas time that sends parents into a consumer frenzy. A toy that their child simply HAS to have. Like I will totally DIE if you don’t get that for me Mom! When I was a child it was Cabbage Patch Dolls. Those were the must have toys for that year back in 19- cough cough! I realize I just totally dated myself because I remember when Cabbage Patch Dolls were new and special. That is the very ...
Dec 08, 2016•52 min
The fallout from the election last week has been an interesting one to say the least. There have been protests for the last few days by those who are genuinely fearful of a Donald Trump presidency and there are those who say the should just get over it. The only thing that can be agreed upon at this point is that we are all just hoping that this won't screw up the country. We hope that after every election though don't we? The biggest concern though for many is the hate and fear based campaign r...
Nov 14, 2016•50 min
In this podcast I will be discussing my feelings on the 2016 Presidential election and how I am talking about it with my children. There is no doubt that this election has been the most divisive and ugly election that I and most every one else have ever experienced. There wasn't just mud slinging and scandal - those happen in every election sadly. No in this election it was much worse. Because in this election we had Donald Trump. Not only was this man completely unqualified to run for President...
Nov 10, 2016•45 min
In this podcast I discuss the upcoming election, perspective and how our perspective of things can cause us to be blind to how other people view things. Going through life with blinders on and never trying to see things from another perspective can cause so much dysfunction and so many problems. As parents, as people - it is so critical, especially now, to be able to at least TRY to view things from another perspective. Currently in this election season - having been one of the worst that I pers...
Oct 21, 2016•51 min
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT KAEPERKICK NOT STANDING? Unless you have been living under a rock somewhere you know about the recent to-do involving San Francisco 49er’s Quarterback Colin Kaepernick not standing during the National Anthem. Kaepernick stated in an interview later his reasons for not standing – https://youtu.be/laG1y6FpAhc&vq=1080 Since his decision to sit during the National Anthem there have been many who have spoken out both for and against his decision. Those who are against his ...
Sep 08, 2016•48 min
Ahhhh, it’s that time of year again. The time that children and teachers alike dread but parents celebrate. Back to school! The time of year when as a stay at home mom I finally take back my house! After spending two and a half months with two teenagers and a 9-year old who THINKS she is a teenager I finally get to have the house all to myself! And not a moment too soon to be quite honest with you! You see, summer vacation is one of those grand ideas that is fabulous in theory but not always so ...
Aug 15, 2016•37 min
After taking a month off from The Single Mom Success Podcast I guess I should explain why I went MIA for a bit. There were many things that I was struggling with - lack of motivation, lack of focus, lack of interest and just a general BLAH feeling. I brushed it off for quite some time thinking that if I just powered through everything would be ok and I would get back to 'normal'. I mean, I'm a single mom and a strong independent woman I can totally make myself better right? Well that didn't happ...
Jul 06, 2016•44 min
