12 Ways to Thrive as a Single Mom

42-17095685Step 1: Love yourself 
 
Self love is not about being selfish and arrogant. It’s not about entitlement or thinking the world owes you something because you are all that. Self love is about recognizing your unique contribution to this world and embracing it with a heart filled with love.
 
For single moms this can be challenging. If you have heard many negative things about you your entire life it’s hard to see anything good about yourself, much less see your unique contribution to the world. If that has been your challenge, I encourage you to take a closer look at your heart, body, and mind.
 
See yourself from a different perspective; especially without the false lens that you or others have placed over your eyes. When you begin to see the real you take the time to embrace every part, even the “bad” parts.
 
Recognize that there is nobody else in the world like you. There is no one who looks like you or behaves like you. There is no one else that has the mix of talents and skills that you have. Some things about you are yet to be discovered and it is a journey, but it’s worth it to take the time to look, then love yourself.
 
When I was a young girl I had been told so many times that my nose was too big and that my skin was too dark. I thought I was ugly and could not find anything good about me. I was told I was mean and hateful so I felt ashamed and shunned.
 
I became quiet and reserved because I didn’t’ want to make people angry with me or reject me. These little rejections left a deep scar in my heart and there was no one to counteract what I had been told.
 
It was much later that I realized that all the negative things people said about me weren’t true. My nose is not too big and my skin is not too dark. I am not ugly, mean, or hateful but I am beautiful, kind, and loving.
 
It took a lot of processing and seeing me through the lens of God’s love to begin to accept and love myself. There are still some things that I could change about myself but I will do them because I want to and not because others can’t accept these things about me. 
 
Watch this space for the next steps.

A Few FREE Things for Single Moms

Join Pssst! And get free samples in the mail

A couple days ago I got a full-sized sample of a new healthy snack from nature valley. They are Granola bits, the nut lovers flavor. They are a bite-sized half-round granola and nut chunks. The flavor is not bad but I’m not crazy about the texture. I received about 7 or 8 $1.00 off coupons to give away to family and friends. If you’d like one just send me and email to samantha (at) richsinglemomma.com. The coupons will go to the first 7 people. To get free samples in the mail join Pssst!

The Netflix Alternative

If you love movies like my kids and I do then you’ll love Netflix. To me it’s a cheap alternative to cable. I’ve recently cut my cable service way back. Most of the time the TV wasn’t on or I just wouldn’t allow the kids to watch most of it. I had a bundled service including a home phone so since I rarely used the home phone I had the service disconnected, cut back to basic cable, but kept the high speed internet.

Netflix is my cheap alternative to cable in addition to having access to TV shows online through Hulu.com and Fancast.com. With Netfix I get one dvd in the mail which doesn’t have late fees. I also get instant movie viewing online. In addition to movies there are a lot of kid shows, TV series, and documentaries. The $10 monthly fee is worth it compared to the $50-60 cable fee I was paying every month.

Right now Netflix is offering a free trial for one month. Normally the trial period is 2 weeks but they are extending it for select people. If you want to give it a try send me an email and I’ll forward you the 1 month trial special invitation.

 As a bonus and to see if you’d really like the Netflix instant viewing experience you can see The Wizard of Oz for free October 3. You do not have to be a member and you’ll have 24 hours to view the movie.

 Escape to a National Park….For Free!

I just learned that all 391 National Parks will have free admission on September 26, 2009. That day is a day of service and celebration. It’s a time to visit the park and lend a hand to make improvements or simply enjoy it’s beauty. More details are at the National Parks Service website. To find a park near you click on your state at the NPS website.

Be sure to send me an email (samantha (at) richsinglemomma.com) if you want coupons for the Nature Valley Granola snack or a free 1 month trial of Netflix (expires October 31, 2009).