MP Story by Amy Rinsema (Pittsburgh, PA)

Stay-at-Home Mom * Mother of 1

By 5:30 AM, I was soaked to the bone with the exception of an area just big enough to hide a cell phone. The time change guaranteed an extra hour of dark peace, but an hour wasn’t enough to finish a Sunday morning in blissful anonymity.

Two and a half years ago, the mention of me greeting the dawn every day would have brought howls of laughter from everyone from my students, to my college roommates, to my nieces and nephews, but today it’s become a morning ritual of a year and counting. Forget the rain, snow, sleet and hail braved by the postal service; they get vacation and benefits. Read more »

MP Story by Stacey Rex (Saginaw, MI)

Writer / Editor * Mother of 3

It had definitely been “one of those days.” My four-month-old twin boys had been up all night – low-grade fevers and upset stomachs kept them from sleeping through the night. I stumbled out of the shower in just enough time to get them bundled up for day care and make their big sister’s lunch.

The four of us raced out the door. After dropping the babies off at day care and getting our eight-year-old to school, I was five minutes late for work. I was greeted with grief from my supervisor and an impossible stack of paperwork on my desk.

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MP Story by Jessica Barker (Beeville, TX)

Stay-at-Home Mom * Mother of 2 (plus 1 more on the way)

Being a mother is a powerful thing. It can transform a scared little girl into a confident woman. Although I was 24 when I discovered I was pregnant with my daughter I was still a child in many ways. I had just recently finished college and even though I was married having children was the last thing I was thinking about. I wanted my life to be free and uncomplicated. I was ready to focus on my career. However, god had different plans for me. I was going to be a mother. What had initially devastated me and brought me to tears quickly became the biggest blessing I had ever known.

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MP Story by Nikki Estridge (Myrtle Beach, SC)

Stay-at-Home Mom * Mother of 3

I peeled open an eye and listened. It was fairly silent with only a few faint sounds of birds whistling. It was a little too early for my taste. Birds really need a snooze button or an occasional cup of coffee before heralding the dawn. All that to the side, the point is my home was quiet. Not a single child was yelling my name or moaning over any bodily need or issue. I did it. I thought; I finally did it. I woke up before all three of them. I’ve often craved the preemptive strike approach to children; however, mine have always been extremely early risers. I’ve read so many articles and life coaching books referring to day management or discipline, but for me, the fives just don’t come easily. Read more »

MP Story by Tracy Gruen (Deerfield, IL)

Stay-at-Home Mom * Mother of One

I read all the baby books. I watched TLC’s Baby Story over and over. I talked with my friends who were already moms. But it was really true; what they said. Nothing prepares you for being a mom and the worries that go along with it. Before I was discharged from the hospital a nurse came in to take my beautiful little girl away to perform a hearing test on her. When she came back 20 minutes later I could tell by the look on her face the results of the test were far from good. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. The nurse said she failed the hearing test twice. How could this be? What does this mean? Does it mean she can’t hear at all? Read more »

MP Story by Bailey Vincent Clark (Staunton, VA)

Stay-at-Home Mom / Writer / Teacher * Mother of 1 * Make Over Mamma

I didn’t know that I had any Mommy Power inside of myself (or ever could) until my very first day of motherhood. After spending my entire life torturing my own mother (as the baby of five) and thinking I would do everything differently from her… I have now realized that my greatest goal in life would be to give my own children even a portion of the childhood and foundation that she gave us.

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MP Story by Stephanie Fredrickson (Howell, MI)

Web Designer * Mother of 3 (minus 1) * Sweet Boutique Design

My Mommy Power story: I have 3 children, 1 very special little boy who passed away from Neuroblastoma in 2000 at the age of 2 1/2. The other two girls that I have are thankfully healthy are 7 and 2 and are everything to me. I’ve had many bad things happen in my life. Quite a few good things too. I was lucky enough to be able to start my own business a couple of years ago that I had always dreamed of. Not really the way I wanted to though, it made me really sad and I should have been happy. The reason I was able to do that was my father passed away (he was my best friend) and left me a small inheritance. I decided to be the best I could at everything at that point. Read more »

MP Story by Nicole Stebnitz (Delavan, WI)

Mommy Power. I have 5 children. One is about to go to college, the other 4 are all ages 9 and under. I recieved a call to go out of town for 4 days for business. Normally this would not seem to be a big except that I had to leave the day after I was told. As all mothers know we are used to being in charge of all aspects of our childrens lives. So, I had all of their clothes laid out for each day. Notified teachers, schools and daycare that I would not be in town and my husband was in charge. (That is scary in itself). I wrote out doctors numbers, emergency contact numbers, and schedules of where each child had to be and at what time. Read more »