"What I Realized After My Kids Said “Mom” 159 Times in 6 Hours" Posted by Mot at TNT

TNT:

Mot:  What I Realized After My Kids Said “Mom” 159 Times in 6 Hours

Let me start by saying that I love my children. More than anything in this world. More than shopping alone at Target. More than Ben & Jerry’s Truffle Kerfuffle.

BUT.

If I hear the word “Mom” just one more time today, I am going to lose my ever-lovin’ mind. In fact, I just googled “how many questions do kids ask in a day” because I know I’m not alone here.

Are you ready for this? According to a UK study, moms field nearly 300 questions a day from their offspring, making them the most quizzed people around, above even teachers, doctors, and nurses.

Fun fact: Girls aged four are the most curious, averaging a question every one minute, 56 seconds of their waking day.

No wonder emails go unanswered, laundry piles up, library books expire before they are read, we scramble at the last minute for that birthday gift (please don’t ever leave me, Amazon Prime).

We are constantly interrupted during any given task.

As an experiment, I decided to make a list of all the times I heard the word “Mom” followed by a question or comment.

I grabbed a small notebook like Harriet the Spy and lasted exactly six hours before my hand cramped from all the writing.

In those six hours, I was beckoned ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-NINE times. While I won’t torture you with reading all 159 questions and comments posed to me, here’s a small sampling below:

9-year-old daughter

“Mom, who are you?” (Like, in an existential way?)

“Mom, has any human ever had 26 children?” (Yes. And they all have a reality TV show.)

“Mom, guess how many butt cheeks are in our house?” (Um…does the dog count?)

“Mom, this kid at school said that one middle finger equals 20 BAD WORDS. How is that possible?” (Oh, it’s possible.)

“Mom, I just found a HUMONGOUS house in California and it only costs $14 million dollars.” (Okay, I’ll get right on that purchase, sweetie.)

“Mom, can I put a ghost detector app on your phone?” (I’d kind of rather not know when there’s a ghost near me sooo…no.)

“Mom, I have a super duper secret.” (There should be no secrets from your mother. Ever.)

“Mom, do you want to play catch with me?” (Can’t, because I need a free hand to write down the 29 questions you will ask me while playing.)

“Mom, I can run down the hall and back 10 times in 37 seconds. Do you want to try?” (I’m good, thanks.)

“Mom, I need a band-aid.” (x3)

“Mom, what are we doing today?” (Apparently I am spending my day answering questions)

“Mom, can I invite a friend over?” (Will they ask me any questions?)

“Mom, can I have candy?” (If a mouthful of candy keeps you quiet for 2 minutes, then yes.)

“Mom, I changed my mind about my Halloween costume.” (AGAIN??)

“Mom, can you tell the dog to move?” (Because I speak dog and you don’t?)

“Mom, can I see heaven but not die first?” (Ok, I am officially not qualified to answer any more questions.)

“Mom (watching me write), why do you keep writing stuff down?”

15-year-old son

“Mom, we have nothing to eat.” (Staring into the overflowing refrigerator)

“Mom, have you seen my phone?” (x3)

“Mom, I can’t find my phone.”

“Mom, can I borrow your phone?”

“Mom, can you buy some posterboard?”

“Mom, what are you writing?”

“An article.”

“On what?”

“How many questions I’m asked in a day.”

“Why? Is it a lot?”

“Seriously?? I’m adding that one.”

18-year-old daughter (away at college)

“Mom…did you change the Netflix password?” (Of course I did, you haven’t called me in two days)

Mind you, I did this experiment on a Sunday, and my husband was home the whole time. He is a great, very involved, hands-on dad.

But do you know how many questions I heard them ask him during that time? ONE.

When I said no to playing catch with my daughter, she asked him to play. He immediately said yes, probably because he wasn’t exhausted from 158 prior questions.

When I sat down to write this post, I stared at the list for each of my three kids. And something hit me like a ton of bricks.

The older they get, the WAY less questions they ask. The less thoughts and feelings they share.

Those big kids have their friends and their smarter-than-a-mom phones.

My older kids would never ask me what the population of China is, they would simply Google it.

But to my little one, I’m still the go-to…the one with all the answers.

And I guess that’s a pretty great thing to be.

It’s hard to face the fact that, though my older kids still need me, it’s just not in the same way my younger child does.

Someday all too soon my 9-year-old will be an 18-year-old. And one morning, I’ll wake up and there won’t be anyone left to pepper me with questions all day long.

And as much as they drive me crazy, I’m not quite ready for that yet.

So for as long as they’re asking, I’ll be right here answering. ❤

Janene

"The Old Farmer" Posted by Mot at TNT

Mot:  THE OLD FARMER~ Moral Story Of The Day.

There was a successful old farmer who grew tomatoes for many years. One day, his grandson told him.

"Grandfather, I want to achieve great things in life and make all of my dreams come true. What are the things I should avoid?"

The farmer paused for a moment and said.

"First of all, you should avoid procrastination. Secondly, you should never be afraid to fall. Thirdly, don't ever fool yourself. But the most important of them all, I won't tell you yet"

The boy asked.

"Why grandfather?"

The farmer responded.

"I will tell you at the appropriate time"

One week later, the farmer took his grandson to his tomato field for the first time. He showed him a large portion of land where he grew some of his tomatoes. When the farmer saw how amazed the little boy was, he asked him.

"How do you see them?"

The boy replied.

"They look very healthy. Their stems are solid, their leaves are green and their fruits are smooth and red"

The farmer smiled. Then he took him to a separate small portion of his tomato plants, and said to him.

"How about these ones? Can you compare them to the others?"

The boy shook his head and said.

"They don't look healthy. Their stems are weak, their leaves are yellow and they haven't developed any fruit yet. What do you think is the reason?"

The farmer uttered.

"That's because they are surrounded by unwanted plants called weeds. These weeds compete with the main plants for nutrients in the soil, leading to stunted growth for the plants"

 Then the farmer tapped his grandson on his shoulders, looked at him in the eye, and said.

"Now is the appropriate time to answer your question completely. The most important thing you should avoid to become successful in life are negative people. These people are like the weeds and they would stunt your development and stop you from reaching your dreams. They have nothing to offer as they wallow in their problems and fail to focus on solutions.

They are energy suckers and you will feel drained being around them. So you shouldn't surround yourself with such kind of people. Be around people who bring a smile to your face, fill your heart with joy and push you toward greatness. Choose your friends wisely and they will never put you down.

Author: Chima_****son Official

Three Presidents Die on July 4th: Just a Coincidence?

Three Presidents Die on July 4th: Just a Coincidence?

July 4, 2022 | by NCC Staff

It is a fact of American history that three of the five Founding Father Presidents died on the Independence Day anniversary. But was it just a coincidence?

It is a fact of American history that three Founding Father Presidents—John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe—died on July 4, the Independence Day anniversary. But was it just a coincidence?

On July 4, 1831, James Monroe, the fifth President, died at the age of 73 at his son-in-law’s home in New York City. Monroe had been ill for some time and newspapers had reported on Monroe’s illness before his passing.

Local and national newspapers were also quick to report after Monroe’s death that they thought his July 4 passing was a “remarkable” coincidence, at the least, since Thomas Jefferson and John Adams had both also died on July 4, 1826 – the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

The oddness of the events wasn’t lost on the New York Evening Post in 1831, when the newspaper founded by Alexander Hamilton called it a “coincidence that has no parallel”:  “Three of the four presidents who have left the scene of their usefulness and glory expired on the anniversary of the national birthday, a day which of all others, had it been permitted them to choose [they] would probably had selected for the termination of their careers,” the Post reported on July 5, 1831.

The New York Commercial Advertiser wrote on July 5, 1831:  “It would be difficult to find a parallel in history, three of them have been called away in a good all age, on the same proud anniversary."

And then the Boston Traveler wondered about the coincidence on July 8. “Again our national anniversary has been marked by one of those events, which it may be scarcely permitted to ascribe the chance.”

Then the Frederick, Maryland Town Herald marked Monroe’s passing on July 9, 1831 by also noting the “presidential coincidence”:  “This have three of our revolutionary presidents departed this life on the anniversary of our independence; presenting the most remarkable tissue of coincidences that have marked the history of nations,” the newspaper said.

The death of these three presidents on the same day of the year was a long shot. There is an interesting blog post at the Boston University’s History Society that excerpts Margaret P. Battin’s research on the coincidental deaths of Adams and Jefferson.

“Given the insufficient historical evidence available, we can’t know the truth about why Adams and Jefferson died on the same day,” Battin said. (She didn’t include Monroe in her study.) Battin evaluated the circumstances under six different criteria, ranging from mere coincidence and divine intervention, to the men’s willingness or desire to die on the anniversary day.

To continue reading, please go to the original article here:

https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/three-presidents-die-on-july-4th-just-a-coincidence

​Happy 4th of July

​Happy 4th of July

The Dinar Recaps Team wishes everyone a happy and safe 4th of July.

Due to the holiday, we will NOT have a 10pm (ET) email Newsletter Tuesday night.

Please check our BLOG page for any new postings throughout the day and evening.

10 Fascinating Facts About The Declaration Of Independence

10 Fascinating Facts About The Declaration Of Independence

July 4, 2022 by NCC Staff

July 4th marks the annual holiday that celebrates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. So how much do you know about this famous document?

1. Is Independence Day really July 2?

Officially, the Continental Congress declared its freedom from Britain on July 2, 1776, when it approved a resolution and delegates from New York were permitted to make it a unanimous vote. John Adams thought July 2 would be marked as a national holiday for generations to come.

2. July 4 is when the Declaration was adopted

After voting on independence, the Continental Congress needed to finalize a document explaining the move to the public. It had been proposed in draft form by the Committee of Five (John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson) and it took two days for the Congress to agree on the edits.

3. Six people signed the Declaration and also the Constitution

Franklin was among a handful of people who signed both historical documents. The others were George Read, Roger Sherman, Robert Morris, George Clymer and James Wilson.

4. But they didn’t sign the Declaration on July 4th!

Once the Congress approved the actual Declaration of Independence document on July 4, it ordered that it be sent to a printer named John Dunlap. About 200 copies of the Dunlap Broadside were printed, with John Hancock’s name printed at the bottom. Today, 26 copies remain.

5. So what if I stumble upon a lost version of the Dunlap Broadside at a flea market?

That’s what happened in 1989 in Adamstown, Pa. It was tucked behind an old picture in a frame and it cost the buyer $4. That version of the Declaration was eventually acquired by TV producer Norman Lear for $8.1 million.

6. OK – when was the Declaration actually signed?

Most of the members of the Continental Congress signed a version of the Declaration in early August 1776 in Philadelphia. The names of the signers were released publicly in early 1777. So that famous painting showing the signing of the Declaration on July 4, 1776, is a bit of an exaggeration.

To continue reading, please go to the original article here:

https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/10-fascinating-facts-about-the-declaration-of-independence

The Awesome Dad Cheat Sheet

The Awesome Dad Cheat Sheet: 18 Fatherhood Tips They Should’ve Handed Out at the Delivery Room

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Leo Babauta of Zen Habits, a father of six children.

Being a father can be a wonderful thing, once you get past all the gross stuff, all the stressful events, the loss of privacy, and the bewildering numbers of ways you can screw it up. But other than those few things, fatherhood is wonderful. Every dad has fears that he won’t be a great dad, that he’ll mess up, that he’ll be a failure. It comes with the job.

Unfortunately, what doesn’t come with the job is a simple set of instructions. As guys, we often will skip the manual, figuring we can wing it … but when things go wrong, it’s nice to have that manual to go back to. Fatherhood needs that manual.

And while, as the father of six children, you might say that I’m qualified to write such a manual, it’s not true — I’m winging it like everyone else. However, I’ve been a father for more than 15 years, and with six kids I’ve learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t, what’s important and what you can safely ignore (unlike that odd grating sound coming from your engine).

What follows are the fatherhood tips I wish they’d passed out to me upon the delivery of my first child. It would have helped a ton. I hope they’ll help you become an even more awesome dad than you already are — feel free to refer back to them as a cheat sheet, anytime you need some help.

Cherish your time with them. One thing that will amaze you is how quickly the years will fly. My oldest daughter is 15, which means I have three short years with her before she leaves the nest.

That’s not enough time! The time you have with them is short and precious — make the most of it. Spend as much time as you can with them, and make it quality, loving time. Try to be present as much as possible while you’re with them too — don’t let your mind drift away, as they can sense that.

It gets easier. Others may have different experiences, but I’ve always found the first couple of months the most difficult, when the baby is brand new and wants to feed at all hours of the night and you often have sleepless nights and walk around all day like zombies. It gets easier, as they get a regular sleeping pattern.

The first couple of years are also a lot more demanding than later years, and as they hit middle school they become almost functioning, independent adults. It gets easier, trust me.

Don’t look at anything as “mom” duties — share responsibilities. While there are a lot of good things from our grandparents’ day that we should bring back, the traditional dad/mom split of parenting duties isn’t one of them. Some men still look at certain duties as “mom” duties, but don’t be one of those dads.

 To continue reading, please go to the original article here:

https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/18-tips-for-being-a-great-dad/

Happy National Flag Day

TNT:

Mot:  ... and Today is National ""Flag Day"" ~~~~~

Flag Day, also called National Flag Day, in the United States, a day honouring the national flag, observed on June 14. The holiday commemorates the date in 1777 when the United States approved the design for its first national flag.

The idea to set aside a day to honour the national flag came from several sources. Bernard J. Cigrand, a Wisconsin schoolteacher, in 1885 urged his students to observe June 14 as “Flag Birthday.”

He later wrote an essay published in a Chicago newspaper that urged Americans to proclaim this date as the day to celebrate the flag. In 1888 William T. Kerr of Pennsylvania founded the American Flag Day Association of Western Pennsylvania, an organization to which he dedicated his life.

A lesser-known claim is that of George Morris of Connecticut, who is said to have organized the first formal celebration of the day in Hartford in 1861.

In 1916 Pres. Woodrow Wilson proclaimed June 14 as the official date for Flag Day, and in 1949 the U.S. Congress permanently established the date as National Flag Day.

Although Flag Day is not an official federal holiday, Pennsylvania celebrates the day as a state holiday. Each year the U.S. president delivers an address that proclaims the week of June 14 as National Flag Week, and all Americans are encouraged to fly U.S. flags during that week.

Home Free - God Bless the U.S.A. (featuring Lee Greenwood and The United States Air Force Band)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrMftm6Km3g

Gene Simmons salute to our troops  

 http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=5MtdIO23MKM

Memorial Day Tribute

Memorial Day Tribute

Posted by JDTolle at KTFA From Dinar Recaps Archives

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in service of the United States of America.  Over two dozen cities and towns claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it’s difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day.

Regardless of the exact date or location of its origins, one thing is clear – Memorial Day was borne out of the Civil War and a desire to honor our dead.

It was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11. “The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land,” he proclaimed.

The date of Decoration Day, as he called it, was chosen because it wasn’t the anniversary of any particular battle.  On the first Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, and 5,000 participants decorated the graves of the 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried there.

The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war).

It is now observed in almost every state on the last Monday in May with Congressional passage of the National Holiday Act of 1971 (P.L. 90 – 363). This helped ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays, though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19th in Texas; April 26th in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10th in South Carolina; and June 3rd (Jefferson Davis’ birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee.

Red Poppies

In 1915, inspired by the poem “In Flanders Fields,” Moina Michael replied with her own poem:

We cherish too, the Poppy red

That grows on fields where valor led,

It seems to signal to the skies

That blood of heroes never dies.

She then conceived of an idea to wear red poppies on Memorial day in honor of those who died serving the nation during war. She was the first to wear one, and sold poppies to her friends and co-workers with the money going to benefit servicemen in need.

Later a Madam Guerin from France was visiting the United States and learned of this new custom started by Ms. Michael. When she returned to France she made artificial red poppies to raise money for war orphaned children and widowed women.

This tradition spread to other countries. In 1921, the Franco-American Children’s League sold poppies nationally to benefit war orphans of France and Belgium. The League disbanded a year later and Madam Guerin approached the VFW for help.

Shortly before Memorial Day in 1922 the VFW became the first veterans’ organization to nationally sell poppies. Two years later their “Buddy” Poppy program was selling artificial poppies made by disabled veterans. In 1948 the US Post Office honored Ms. Michael for her role in founding the National Poppy movement by issuing a red 3 cent postage stamp with her likeness on it.

National Moment of Remembrance

The “National Moment of Remembrance” resolution was passed on Dec 2000 which asks that at 3 p.m. local time, for all Americans “To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to ‘Taps.”

Here are the number of casualties in each U.S. war:

Civil War: Approximately 620,000 Americans died. The Union lost almost 365,000 troops and the Confederacy about 260,000. More than half of these deaths were caused by disease.

World War I: 116,516 Americans died, more than half from disease.

World War II: 405,399 Americans died.

Korean War: 36,574 Americans died.

Vietnam Conflict: 58,220 Americans died. More than 47,000 Americans were killed in action and nearly 11,000 died of other causes.

Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm: 148 U.S. battle deaths and 145 non-battle deaths.

Operation Iraqi Freedom: 4,422 U.S. service members died.

Operation New Dawn: 66 U.S. service members died.

Operation Enduring Freedom: 2,318 U.S. service members have died as of May 12, 2014.

In remembrance of all those who gave the last full measure of devotion for this great nation and the freedoms we all enjoy today.

Red Skelton Explains "The Pledge of Allegiance"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDnXcw6euIE

"So, Just What Do You Want For Mother's Day!!!???" From Mot At TNT

TNT

Mot:  So just What Do You Want for Mothers Day!!!???

#1 EXACTLY!

 Family: What do you want to do for Mother’s Day?

All Moms: Not have to decide what we are doing for Mother’s Day, for starters. — DonutHawk (@StruggleDisplay) May 12, 2023

 #2 A mom can dream…

 I don’t know what my husband is planning on doing for me for Mother's Day but I hope it's the laundry. — Sarcastic Mommy (@sarcasticmommy4) May 4, 2019

#3 Sounds about right!

 I went to my Mom's house for Mother's Day with a gift and a pie, I left my Mom's house with some junk mail, JCPenney coupons and a different pie. — Dan Regan (@Social_Mime) May 10, 2021

 #4 We definitely didn’t sleep through that…

 Thanks for always acting surprised by breakfast in bed like you slept right through the great pots and pans avalanche of 6:45 AM.Happy Mother’s Day  — Simon Holland (@simoncholland) May 13, 2018

 #5 Exactly…

 Telling a mom to relax while her family does everything on Mother’s Day is like telling a pilot to relax while the passengers fly the plane.  — SpacedMom (@copymama) May 14, 2017

 #6 I’ll have what she’s having…

 This Mother’s Day I would like a very cold hotel room, black out curtains, an Ambien, and no other human being present. Thank you in advance. — Lady Lawya (@Parkerlawyer) April 30, 2021

 #7 And they’re all huddled in the card aisle…

 Lots of men at Target today discovering that the store layout has changed since last Mother’s Day. — Amy Dillon (@amydillon) May 11, 2019

#8 Seriously…

 "What did you get my mom for Mother's Day?" — husbands — Julie Burton (@ksujulie) April 30, 2021

 #9 Wonder if this guy is still alive LOL…

 Letting my wife sleep in a little longer for Mother’s Day before I wake her up to ask what’s for breakfast — Rodney Lacroix (@RodLacroix) May 12, 2019

 #10 Kid’s got a point…

 4-year-old: Can I have some of your candy?
Wife: I got this for Mother's Day.
4: You're only a mom because of me. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) May 13, 2017

 #11 Gotta love toddlers…

 Yesterday I explained Mother’s Day to our toddler and this morning he burst into our room singing happy birthday and gave her a cup of cat treats. — The Dad (@thedad) May 9, 2021

 #12 Nothing beats buying your own Mother’s Day card…

 10 proudly showed me the Mother’s Day greeting card she “bought” my wife and when I asked her how she purchased it she said she slipped it to the grocery cashier while my wife was checking out, winked, told the cashier not to tell her about it and then “Mommy paid for it.” — NicholasG (@Dad_At_Law) May 5, 2022

 #13 So true – washers and dryers are working overtime the day before Mother’s Day…

 Shout-out to all the moms who went on a Rage Cleaning spree on the day before Mother’s Day, just so you could try to take a day off. You’re my people. — Goldfish and Chicken Nuggets (@gfishandnuggets) May 12, 2019

 #14 Thank you, now please let me sleep…

 If you’re not awakened by small children lovingly shoving handmade gifts in your face at 6am, is it even Mother’s Day? — Sara Says Stop (@PetrickSara) May 13, 2018

 #15 You had me at 9 straight hours…

 All I want for Mother’s Day is to sleep for 9 straight hours, wake up to the sound of coffee brewing and then have my husband say things like, “I’m gonna entertain the kids all day so you can sit on the couch in your pjs and buy your Mother’s Day gift in peace!” — Mommy Owl (@Lhlodder) May 2, 2020

 #16 Exactly…

 Young mom: I hope he plans something nice for Mother’s Day. Experienced mom: I booked my hotel room for Saturday night and will be back late Sunday. — Ramblin Mama (@ramblinma) April 23, 2022

 #17 Ah, the classic macaroni necklace…

 Mother's Day is a special day when I get to do the dishes and yell at people to stop making siren noises while I wear a macaroni necklace.— Walking Outside in Slippers (@WalkingOutside) May 8, 2016

 #18 That sounds perfect…

 for mothers day i would love to be left in bed with a bag of reeses cups and the remote — That Mom Tho (@mom_tho) May 5, 2022

 #19 Yessss!!

 Dads on father's day: let's go do something as a family!
Moms on mother's day: Can everyone just not talk to me today or touch me. — Meredith (@PerfectPending) May 9, 2016

 #20 LOL…she wants to make sure she looks GOOD on Facebook, folks!

 My mom said if we are gonna post her then POST HER 😂 pic.twitter.com/TBQnTx1fy1 — Jordan💭 (@jaytheghostt) May 9, 2021

**************

Mot: ..... Hay Mum... Beeee Careful How Ya answers!!! ~~~~

The Best Advice My Mom Ever Gave Me

The Best Advice My Mom Ever Gave Me

By Jamie Friedlander  

I’m currently pregnant with my first child. I’m an anxious person and I’ve been worried about countless things: Will our baby be healthy? Do we have everything we need for the nursery? Is the crib we’re looking to buy safe? Will I be a good mom? That last worry is the one that has been dominating my mind as of late. Parenting is a tricky, complex task, and no parent is perfect. But I want to prime myself to be the best possible mom I can be. So I did some research.

In honor of Mother’s Day, I asked different people to share the best piece of advice they ever received from their mom or the motherly figure in their life.

 ** “One of my favorite pieces of advice that my mom ever gave me is: Listen to the person’s advice who has nothing to lose or gain from your decision.”—Charlene Bazarian; attorney; Reading, Massachusetts

** “Always prepare early. Give yourself enough time so you have peace of mind and don’t have to rush.”  —Heather Watkins; disability rights advocate; Boston

** “The best advice my mom ever gave me is to never look back because life only moves forward. As a person with anxiety disorders, I often get stuck in the past. Whenever I get stuck in a rut, I think of what my mom always told me, and I’m able to keep moving forward and not dwell on the past.”  —Tsvetty Kolarova; social work student; Toronto

** “The one thing my mom drilled into me was to have good posture. She constantly told me to sit up straight at the dining table and not slouch while standing. As a teen, it was very annoying. But since then, I have thanked my mother countless times for this lesson.

 “It seems like such a small thing, but it isn’t. I’ve read that good posture makes you more confident and more attractive, and it gives non-verbal clues to others that you are self-assured and powerful.”  —Kathleen Owens; financial advisor; Hilton Head, South Carolina

** “With this being her first Mother’s Day as a new mom, I have to give credit to my beautiful wife, Lauren, for her constant reassurance that, in our journey of parenthood, it’s OK that we don’t have all the answers and mistakes are inevitable.

“As she’ll say, ‘We don’t even know what we don’t know.’ Being reminded of that regularly brings me so much relief, because I tend to put pressure on myself to do everything perfectly when it comes to our 3-month-old little girl.

“She keeps me balanced and remembering that this is a marathon, not a sprint, and the most important thing is to be loving and patient, not only with our daughter, but with ourselves.”  —Josh Ellis; SUCCESS editor in chief; Dallas

** “The best piece of advice my mom ever gave me was that there is no reason to be jealous of anyone. She said, ‘You have two hands and a brain. If you want something someone else has, go out and get it on your own.’ That is how I live my life.”—Ilena Di Toro; small business owner; Philadelphia

** “When I was a kid, we had a swimming pool in our backyard. One day, I got hurt doing a trick in the water. It was only a bruise, but I decided I was done for the day. My mom stopped me. She told me to do it again. ‘I’m too scared,’ I told her. ‘I’ll do it tomorrow.’

“‘No,’ my mom said, ‘you need to do it today because you’re scared. If you wait until tomorrow or some other day, the feeling of being scared will get bigger. And once it gets bigger, it will get harder for you to do it again.’

“I’ll never forget that advice. The more we hesitate over something, the bigger it becomes. But that’s exactly why you should do it again. Do it right away, and don’t give your brain the opportunity to turn a stumble into a setback.”—Jandra Sutton; author; Nashville, Tennessee

To continue reading, please go to the original article here:

https://www.success.com/the-best-advice-my-mom-ever-gave-me/

The Origin of Mother’s Day: 5 Surprising Facts About the Holiday

The Origin of Mother’s Day: 5 Surprising Facts About the Holiday

Good Housekeeping        April 13, 2020

These days, Mother's Day is all about greeting cards and flowers — but the history is more complex than you might know. For many people, Mother’s Day is simply a joyous occasion each May, a time to spend with our children and our mothers — marked by flowers, cards, and maybe some mimosas over brunch. So you might be surprised to learn that its cheerful greeting card messages belie a much darker, more complicated origin story. In fact, Mother’s Day traces its roots back to wartime traumas, and includes plenty of controversy.

Here are five surprising facts you may not have known about Mother’s Day and its complex origins. 

1) Mother’s Day officially began as a tribute to one woman.

Anna Reeves Jarvis is most often credited with founding Mother’s Day. After her mother Ann (pictured here) died on May 9, 1905, Jarvis set out to create a day that would honor her and moms as a group.

 She began the movement in West Virginia, which prides itself on hosting the first official Mother's Day celebration three years later at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church, according to CNN. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill recognizing Jarvis' idea as a national holiday to be celebrated each second Sunday in May.

2) But before that, Mother’s Day started as an anti-war movement.

Although Jarvis is widely credited as the holiday’s founder, others had floated the idea earlier — with a different agenda in mind, according to National Geographic. The poet and author Julia Ward Howe (pictured here) had aimed to promote a Mothers’ Peace Day decades before.

For her and the antiwar activists who agreed with her position — including Jarvis’ own mother — the idea of Mother’s Day should spread unity across the globe in the wake of so much trauma following the Civil War in America and Franco-Prussian War in Europe.

“Howe called for women to gather once a year in parlors, churches, or social halls, to listen to sermons, present essays, sing hymns or pray if they wished — all in the name of promoting peace,” West Virginia Wesleyan College historian Katharine Antolini noted, as cited by National Geographic.

These early attempts to create a cohesive peace-focused Mother’s Day eventually receded when the other concept took hold.

3) Mother’s Day is a $25 billion commercial holiday.

These days, Mother’s Day is a $25 billion holiday in America, with those who celebrate spending about $200 on mom, according to National Retail Federation data published in 2019.

More people buy flowers for Mother’s Day than any other time of year except during the Christmas and Hanukkah season. Gift givers spend more than $5 billion on jewelry alone, and nearly another $5 billion on that special outing. Then there’s $843 million on cards, and $2.6 billion each on flowers and gift certificates, according to the data.

4) Jarvis died regretting her idea for this very reason.

To continue reading, please go to the original article here:

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/origin-mother-day-5-surprising-175800960/photo-p-many-people-href-https-175800684.html