Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's day Mommas!!

On this very special day where we demonstrate love for those around us... 

remember to do something special for yourself too...

even if it's just sitting back a second and taking your life in!

Love is a choice...it's an act of the will, it's what is left when you are exhausted, the feelings have faded, your child throws up on you in the middle of the night, or decides to throw everything at you, or spill tomato soup on the carpet, or draw with permanent marker on all the furniture in the living room....

Love is the choice that you make to keep doing what you NEED to do everyday without breaks, without timeouts, without vacations, (yes complaining...but still doing it).....all for the love you have for your family. Love is the choice we make to watch our babies sleep, spend endless hours looking at baby pictures, and allow yourself to be a living jungle gym!

 I'm so happy to know what it feels like to truly put someone else's happiness and well-being in front of my own. Unconditional Love is what Motherhood has gifted us with!

Happy Unconditional Love day!

The Journey to 26.2 Miles Started this WEEK!

I've run on open fields in the middle of Arkansas, along the ocean on both coasts, along the beaches of the Mediterranean Sea, from the Eiffel Tower to the Louvre Museum along the Champs Elysee...( going under the Arc de Triumph, around the crazy city streets of NEW YORK, the winding country roads in Wine Country, the isolated virgin beaches on islands in the Caribbean, on mountains trails in the states, or slippery snowy paths on the Alps, around historic monuments like the Coliseum in Rome to the drowning city of Venice... among milllions of miles in other places.

I've used my legs to tour every city I've ever visited....created unforgetable memories with friends all over...

In 2009 I ran my FIRST Half Marathon....NOW, this January, I will use my legs to tour 26.2 miles of the city that I grew up in, MIAMI; The Miami ING Marathon; January 29,2012.

As I'm writing this, I'm nervous...because it will mean that i'm committing to racing in 16 weeks...2x the furthest distance I've ever raced. I will be racing for one mile for every year of my life. I'll be 26.1 years old on RACE DAY =)

I have my training plan printed from Runner's World (SMART COACH)...and only the coming weeks will tell how prepared I will be for this race. The reason i'm sharing this is not only because I need to SHARE IT...to force me to COMMIT, but because I know that setting fitness goals for ourselves as moms is often difficult...since we have SO MANY VIABLE and REASONABLE excuses to NOT be able to get out for a run or get a 30-45min workout in, let alone a 10-15mile run. But I do think that Nico is at a place where he is ready to take on this challenge with ME, in the stroller of course...he's start training next year...=)

However...there are times when you have to JUST DO IT!

If any of you have been teeter tottering with the IDEA of doing a Half or FULL Marathon and want to join me...LET ME KNOW!! I can email you some great sources for training tips and training planning. It would be great to know of someone else who's in this process as well!

If you are in the process of training for a race, or have already completed a Marathon...please share your tips! I'd love to hear how you did it...and how you got over the straight up FEAR of committing to 26.2 miles!

Like with everything in life...no matter how long, big, or difficult an objective/goal/situation may seem, you'll get through it ONE STEP at a time....So TAKE THE FIRST STEP (STRIDE)!

Happy Training!

Difficult times...with no explination

Like I've said before, Motherhood is a complex state, it's one that tests your courage, your trust in the greater plan, and in life itself.There are days when it's ups and downs get to you, but on those days I try to think of how this role I have is a special gift....a gift that some moms wait years to experience.

Some people stumble upon motherhood at around 18 weeks (me)...and by God's grace completely....since I'd been doing everything from extreme manual labor to lack of good nutrition during those first couple weeks of my pregnancy(while serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Panama). However, there are other mothers that will themselves through many painful experiences, time and time again, all in hopes that they can hold a baby...their own miracle, in their hands one day.

Yesterday my sister called me to tell me that her co-worker and friend who was 3 1/2 months pregnant had suffered a miscarriage. She called to ask me what she should say to her...I didn't have an answer for her. All I know is that everyday that goes by, you fall in love even more with your baby and it must be such a difficult time for her friend right now. My sister told me that she called my mom for advice....and my mom just started crying.

You see the thing is....My mother was one of those moms--those moms that had to wait, and pray, and wait some more to finally be OUR MAMMA. She and my father lived through 1 still born (full-term), and 4 miscarriages (the first 2 in the last trimester and the last 2 in the second trimester). That's 5 painful losses in a 12 year time-span. They did everything in their power to become parents, like so many couples who try millions of things, that in the end lead them to feeling even more helpless, and empty.

Fortunately a doctor in Miami from UM, Mary J. O’Sullivan, M.D., took my moms case and promised to help her have a baby. With a 2 year treatment, daily stomach injections each costing ($$$$$) big bucks, and bed-rest, my mother was able to finally hold me in her arms...a baby she thought she would never get to have, and one that took her a while to believe was really hers. Because they did have a two year window, my parents tried for #2, my sister and were again able to witness a miracle.To this day, doctors aren't sure why my mom had so much trouble having children, but I honestly think that God's mysterious ways just don't have explanations or reason sometimes. (This caused my mom a lot of stress towards the end of my pregnancy because she didn't want me to suffer any losses, like she endured.)

Both my sister and I have grown up, reaping that love that they started storing 12 years before we were even conceived. To some we may be sheltered, or babied, or "consentidas" , but to those that know my parents' story, they understand that for my parents...wanting to enjoy and be a part of our lives as much as possible was a dream that they thought they might never get to live out. I've always been thankful for the relationship that we have, their love for us, and all the sacrifices they've made for us to be a family....but now that I have my own little family, I am beginning to catch a glimpse of how difficult it must have been for them all those years of loss...and the choices that we are so inclined to make once we start thinking like a mamma and a papa.

Mommy and Daddy, I'm sorry for all the suffering you lived through but THANK YOU for being patient and enduring everything you did...still holding on to the hope of making us all a FAMILY one day.

Mommy y daddy, Perdon por todo el sufrimiento que les toco vivir pero GRACIAS por ser pacientes, y superar todo lo que superaron...aguantadose a la esperaza de convertirnos en UNA FAMILIA un dia!

Here are some excerpts from a poem that my dad wrote years before I was born...for "me" while he was waiting to get his chance to become a daddy.

Ya veras……/                            You'll see

Lo felices que seremos/             How happy we'll be

Al lograr combatir/                  As we are able to combat

Lo que al final venceremos/     That which we'll in the end overcome

.......

No son notas de nostalgia/             These are nostalgic notes

Que escribo para ti/                       That I write for you

Son tal vez  cánticos mensajeros/  They are maybe little song messengers

Que pudiesen reposarse en ti./       That could rest in you.

Pero en esta noche solitaria/          But on this solitary  night

Silenciosa….                                    Silent...

En las que nos hace falta/                In which we miss

Tú presencia./                                   Your presence. 

 .......

Entonces, que placenteras/  Then, Enjoyable

Serán aquellas mañanas/      Will be those mornings

En que tus manitas/              In which your little hands

Estrechen las nuestras./        Will stretch on ours.

Jan 3, 1982, 3 years before I was born

So, Manuela, I still don't really know what you should tell your friend, besides be there. My heart goes out to her.  I hope she can feel the love and support that she needs right now to get through this very difficult time. 

We can't all have perfect families

I love my sister. She is getting her Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy at NOVA and I know she is going to be a great therapist. I turn to her when I have fights with my husband or questions about marriage. She hardly ever just takes my side, which makes me mad at first, but then I understand that she is training to do just that....be objective and neutral. She sent me a quote that she read this morning that I thought I would share....

"Its something about risking imperfection to keep growing..we can't all have perfect families and its being ok that maybe life is not perfect...no super mom or dad...no super child...we live in a society that preches perfection yet what we need to do more is take risks and knowing you it might not turn out perfect! Love your child, love your parents, and partner for who they are...find the meaning of who your family was, is, and wants to be in the future...Therapy is not to point out what is it that your doing bad but showing you that what you have done is what you have considered "right" for youself and your family....."

Sometimes, I do let life's imperfections get to me...and they affect life in the family nucleus. I confess that I have given in to the philosophy that couples that go to counseling are "in trouble" or in too bad a shape to solve their own problems. No one even talks about counseling openly because it's almost TABOO...but the truth is, sometimes you do need a neutral 3rd party to help out. As I learn more about their role and the help they can provide, I see that Marriage Counselors are like Nutritionists. You can go to them when your doctor says EITHER YOU CHANGE YOUR EATING HABITS OR YOU'LL DIE, or you can go as you notice that you need to get a better nutrition program into your daily routine to be able to enjoy a BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE. Nutritionists can fine tune your diet....and in combo with a good exercise plan, you are on your way to a HAPPY and HEALTHY way of life>>Isn't that what we all want from our marriages?

I don't have a perfect family...But I love my family with ALL MY HEART. Thanks Manuela for sharing this quote with me today and for wanting to go into a profession where you will be CHANGING the lives of so many Families! Your patients will be LUCKY to have you!

Happy Friday!!!

Top 100 Moms Changing the WORLD!

The other day my Facebook status read: 

"I keep looking around facebook like if Im going to find something that justifies me wasting all this time on Facebook....BUT NOPE...i'm just gonna have to click the X and walk away....why I just shared this...beyond me"

But I a couple days later I did find something WORTHWHILE!!! I came across a link on a friend's wall to this website: BABBLE.com. The link took me to a list of Mominees who have been nominated by friends and family to applaud their efforts at making a difference in the WORLD... TOP 100 Moms Who are Changing the World! How cool is that?!?!?!

The list of Mominees contains women of all walks of life and they are changing the world through their POSTIVE and inspiring actions EVERYDAY!

"Here’s a funny thing we at Babble have noted with increasing alarm: The most visible mothers in our society right now are the ones on tabloids. Deserving or not, women who have babies and can pose two weeks later in a bikini have become our role models, our focal point through the strange, amazing and occasionally hilarious territory of motherhood.What if, we asked ourselves, we could do one small thing to change that? What if we could shine a light on some of the most fascinating, influential moms in the world, real women who can show us how empowering being a mom can be?"             --Read more...

Looking through the list of Mominees, my heart was crushed with some of the stories that these women have told about their motivation to DO what they do...the loss of a child at an early age, diseases that have plagued their lives, handicaps, suffering turned to inspiration, and so much more! There are so many tear-jearking, stop-and-hug your baby stories that prove that there are MOMS that are making HEADLINES...just because of their LOVE they have for those little people that gave them the coveted title.

Check out the top 10 Mominees:

1. Courtney Rot-Inspirational
2. Shanna Marsh-Charity
3. Maya Thompson- Charity
4. Brenda Barberena-Charity
5. Shannon Becker-Inspirational
6. Sarah Erwin-Charity

7. Kristine McCormick-Activism

8. Molly Stapelman-Activism

9. Gretchen Holt Witt- Inspirational

10. Celeste Goodwin- Education

    
    

There is a current list of 100 Moms Changing the World. On the list are familiar names of women you see on TV making you laugh like Tina Fay or discussing politics like HillaryClinton to other's that you (I) probably would never have heard about otherwise (if you've been busy changing diapers, updating your status on FB, and making dinner),  like Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, who works with the UN as a special envoy for climate change.

Mominations are your chance to give a shout out to a great mom doing good things in the world – and for her to have a chance to win one of ten prizes of $5,000 toward her favorite charity!  If you nominated the mom you think most deserving in one of these ten categories – education, executive, entrepreneurial, charity, creative, politics, green, activism, inspirational, health/science – and she is entered to win.

Is there a DABBLER category being considered in the future??

It's encouraging that Babble.com is taking this initiative to recognize moms that are making a positive difference in the world! 

But it's important to remember that these women have had the opportunity to do extra-ordinary things under sometimes extraordinary-circumstances...

but being the number 1 mom who is changing the World in your child's eyes happens in the ordinary things and ordinary circumstances in your everyday life!

There are so many moms all round me that I TIP MY HAT TO... Austin Baby Momas, MDR Baby Momas, Running Mommas Friends, UF Friend Mommas, all those Momas of MULTIPLES (wink wink), Family Friend Baby momas, Cousin Momas,  and those ones sprinkled randomly around the world who make me laugh and cry with your stories, posts, and friendships throughout this amazing JOURNEY....

You ladies are on my list of TOP 100 MOMS Changing My WORLD!

Our World. oil on canvas:One of my painting for an exhibit in Miami a couple years ago.

Continue being the best version of yourselves!!! And as for the MOMS on THE LIST and the Mominees, CONGRATULATIONS and thank you for being such an inspiration.

Why I started this BLOG...

Mommy-hood is a complex state in which us women have to all of a sudden become experts in all areas of life from Art's and Crafts to Accounting. The second we are "with Child" we start morphing into this SUPER BEING--educator, manner's enforcer, nurse, sanitation engineer, savings specialist, Rachel Ray Prodigies, mom-prenuers, artists, musicians, magicians, referees, bankers, interpreters, and SOO MANY MORE THINGS that are TIED into the STATE of MOMMY-HOOD!

With this blog, I hope to look for things that make mommy-hood easier; helpful sites, creative people, and other tools out there in one helpful place so that we can use them to make our MOMMY-HOOD journey a little easier.

I will try and divide my articles into the following Sub-TOPICS:

• Health/Fitness- Articles and posts in this topic will include nutrition tips to how to find the right bootcamp or exercise class for you and everything in between. This will be one of my personal favorites since I already write for examiner.com about LA women's Fitness and LA Motherhood as well as teach a BootCamp4Moms Class here in the Marina.
• Child Development- This Topic will attempt to organize and located some of those parenting sites that help you FREAK OUT about what your child should be doing at what age.
• Home Improvement- This will be a wide range of articles that all deal with things of the home, whether it's figuring out what cleaning products are best for the home to how to turn articles of clothing into other useful things.
• Technology- These articles will discuss those NEW TECHNOLOGY things that might infact not be too complicated for us and CAN HELP us Multitask MORE than we already do.
• Working Mom- Articles that pertain to those moms who work outside the home or have created their own businesses.
• SAHM (Stay-at-home-Mom)- Articles that relate to those moms who work from HOME taking care of their littles ones.
• Arts & Crafts- This will be a list of all the FUN and CREATIVE crafts that I find that you might enjoy too, from sewing to simple ways to transform things into OTHER things!
• Mommy Break- articles and posts related to those things that give mommy a 5 minute time-out.
• Enrichment- Posts that relate to books, intellectually stimulating things, and cultural activities that can enrich us as moms, our kids or our whole family.
• Family- anything related to our families whether it's how to deal with overly-opinionated family members to keeping the family nucleus at PEACE..which is sometimes easier said than done!
• Local Events- Things that are happening in this neck of the woods. If you would be interested in sharing what is happening in your area, just let me know, and I'll hook you up!
• FREE STUFF- Enough said eyy?!?

If you have any ideas for articles, want to share your opinion on a particular topic, or questions you would like answered, please email me at valeria.rodez@gmail.com with the MMHE in the Subject line. (MMHE stands for Making Mother-Hood Easier).

I look forward to sharing my findings with you as we all keep learning how to adapt and change with our new roles as they are thrown our way....but we must admit, WE WOULDN'T HAVE IT ANY OTHER WAY!