Single Moms Raising G.I.R.L.s: Go-getters, Innovators, Risk-takers, and Leaders

Single Moms Raising G.I.R.L.s: Go-getters, Innovators, Risk-takers, and Leaders

by | Sep 17, 2020

As single moms or even just as a parent we sometimes forget the dreams we had as girls. Life has gotten in the way and our days are filled with diapers, making lunches, helping with homework, and trying to balance the budget. If you have daughters you have extra concerns as she grows into a young lady. Puberty, periods, and processing what it means to be (or not be) part of the “in” crowd.

What Being a Girl is Go-getters, Innovators, Risk-takers, and Leaders

For my daughter, I wanted her to be a go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, and leader. I am all these things so I wanted her to be those things as well. I made sure she was involved in activities that matched her interests including acting classes, modeling classes, flight school, and a social media apprenticeship. These activities along with her school extra-curricular activities helped her get into an Ivy-league university, become a student advisor, co-found a magazine, and serve on boards. She truly embodies the vision of the Girl Scouts’ G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, and Leader) initiative.

I bring Girl Scouts up because I recently became aware of that acronym. Even though my daughter wasn’t a Girl Scout I believe it could have rounded out her girlhood experience. I’m thinking about all those badges she could have gotten from all the activities she was in and the skills she learned.

 

Helping Girls Reach Their Goals

 

A couple of years ago I went to an Atlanta Area Girl Scout event where I was a guest speaker. I got to see the organization up close and personal. I was there for the Camp Leadership career preparation session where I showed the girls how to create a LinkedIn profile.
I was impressed the Girl Scouts of Atlanta had the foresight to begin preparing their scouts for career life.

Being a Girl is More than Looks or Relationship Status

Being a girl is not just about looking pretty and being in a relationship, marriage and babies. It is growing into a woman with options to be whatever they want to be.

For all the things a girl can learn in the Girl Scouts, one of the most valuable things to learn is how to think critically and make decisions.

Being a Girl and Completing What You Start

Going through the LinkedIn profile building exercise helped the girls learn how to think about their future, their accomplishments, and the value of networking.

By the time the session was complete, most of the young ladies had their profile setup. It would take a few more weeks or months to complete it because they were just getting started. The average adult with a profile has only 50% of their profile complete. I am confident these girls will have their profiles completed by the time they finish high school and certainly before they finish college.

The Value of Being a Part of an Organization Like Girl Scouts

For younger girls still in elementary and middle school, the Girl Scouts continues to build their entrepreneurial skills with the annual Girl Scout Cookie campaign. They learn marketing, location scouting, accounting, and customer service.

As a parent who wants to make sure her daughter has the best advantage in life I encourage you to consider Girl Scouts. The friendships, the skills, and the entire experience will make all the difference in their lives.

If you live in the Atlanta area, the Greater Atlanta Girl Scouts’ enrollment campaign is open now. JoinGirlScoutsATL.com. When she’s a Girl Scout, she’s also a G.I.R.L.: Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader.

 

 

How to Find Affordable Holiday Attractions

How to Find Affordable Holiday Attractions

by | Nov 25, 2014

Its the holiday season and guess what? Its time to start planning your spring break and summer vacation. This is the time to get affordable (meaning cheap) entertainment tickets and memberships.

During this time of year you can grab memberships and season passes pretty cheaply. How? (more…)

Help Your Georgia Schools Win $10k with #TrueBlueSchools

Help Your Georgia Schools Win $10k with #TrueBlueSchools

by | Sep 26, 2013

image

Over the last few years I’ve seen the trend of school budget cuts for everything from art, music, and physical education. Schools are being shut down while prisons are being built in Pennsylvania and other urban cities around the country.

How Do Schools Survive Budget Cuts?

The school districts that remain struggle year after year with over-crowding, lack of parent engagement, and Ritalin overload. At the beginning of every school year parents are spending more and more money for school supplies. The things school used to supply in years past are now being passed on to parents despite paying high property taxes.

Sometimes public schools feel like private schools because the price tag keeps getting bigger and bigger due to budget cuts. There has definitely been a shift in priorities so I’m partnering with True Blue Schools to help you cope with these costs. It’s still important to contribute but it doesn’t have to put such a strain on your budget, especially when you can get help.

How  Can You Give Without Breaking the Budget?

web banner 2_300x250How can your school benefit from the power of many small (less than $10) monthly contributions?

The answer is as simple and as close as your natural gas bill. TrueBlue Schools program helps schools raise money in a simple, yet effective way.

TrueBlue Schools Win, So Can Your Child’s School

Some schools have earned $5,000 in a matter of months, $10,000 in a year and more than $40,000 over the life of the program.

Your school could earn just as much or more when parent and friends switch natural gas providers. Get more details below. You can also enter to win a prize pack it includes there are many ways to enter to win.

Background on TrueBlue Schools 

TrueBlue  Schools is a fast and easy way to help your  school raise money just by using Georgia Natural Gas. When you become a GNG  Customer, sign up for TrueBlue Schools and we donate $5/month to the school of your choice. Plus, you get  a discount on your bill (it’s a win for your school and a win  for you!) The $5 is not added to your bill, TrueBlue Schools is no cost to you.

Signing up is easy:

Customers switching from another provider:

· Visit http://trueblueschools.com

· Select a school to donations once your new gas service begins.

· Enter some basic information, and use our secure online website to switch your service to Georgia Natural Gas.

· Don’t forget to provide promotion code TRUEBLUE to receive up to a 15¢ per therm discount on your gas service, in addition a monthly $5 donation to your school.

· Remember, you can always call 1.866.ONLYGNG to sign up by phone, too.

If ALREADY a Georgia Natural Gas customer:

· Visit TrueBlueSchools.com

· Select your school to receive donations.

· Enter some basic information and you’re done.

TrueBlue Schools has donated almost $2M to-­‐date. Spread the word!

Enter the Fall Family Giveaway

Enter to win a Fall Family Pack brought to you by Georgia Natural Gas. You have multiple ways to win but don’t forget to sign up for TrueBlue Schools to get money donated to your kid’s school too!

The pack includes:

1  Fall Family Giveaway including 1 insulated picnic tote, 1 stadium blanket,  2 chip  clips, 2 lip balms,  2 mini first aid kits,  2 hand sanitizers,  2 insulated lunch boxes, 2 cell phone anti-­‐slip pads, 2 Chap Sticks, 1 kitchen apple timer, and $50 in Target Gift Cards

Five ways to enter the Fall Family Giveaway (readers can enter five times for five chances  to win):

  • Leave a comment: “What would your school do with $10,000?”
  • Share  post on Facebook
  • Share  post to Pinterest
  • Tweet “I’m entering to win the Georgia Natural Gas #TrueBlueSchools Family Prize Pack from @richsinglemomma, you should, too! [LINK to this post]”
  • Tweet “#TrueBlueSchools is an easy way to donate $5/month to your local  school [LINK to this post]”

Disclosure: TrueBlue Schools sponsored this post.

Get Social to Kill Isolation and Depression

Get Social to Kill Isolation and Depression

by | Jun 2, 2013

image

One of the best things you can do as a solo mom is get out and have fun. I don’t mean the clubbing, get down and dirty drunk, kind of fun but clean fun that energizes you. There is a big difference.

I had that kind of fun this weekend at a Masquerade Ball sponsored by my church’s social committee. It was not the standard stale and boring banquet you see in typical churches. Nope it was a party with a band, costumes, and lots of dancing!

My life is blessed because it is filled with supportive people from my church as well as family. I can be me and feel 100% accepted. Isn’t that what we all want deep down?

If you can find a place or group of people like that then you have an awesome head start. It kills the isolation that is very present in the single mom life. It also puts a dent in your depression.

I used to think I couldn’t go to parties if I didn’t have a date so I wouldn’t go. Not any more. I go because I want the fellowship and fun. So far I’ve had no regrets, plus I get to meet and dance with all the single guys there.

Here are a few pictures from the event. While you are looking through them why not find a party or other social event to attend. You really need it.

image

image

 

image

Fun at Snow Mountain at Stone Mountain Atlanta, Ga

Fun at Snow Mountain at Stone Mountain Atlanta, Ga

by | Dec 3, 2012

The kids and I went to check out Stone Mountain’s Snow Mountain here in Atlanta this weekend. It is part of the Stone Mountain Christmas that runs from November 10, 2012 to January 1, 2013. I heard about it last year and thought it would be cool to check it out but we didn’t make it. I got invited to go this year and am so glad I went. I haven’t had that much fun in a long time.

We got in and took a family picture in front of the Christmas scene then moved on to find Snow Mountain. We didn’t know what to expect as we walked through the village that was all decked out in Christmas lights. We saw signs for the shows for the little kids to The Polar Express Experience. I’ll get to that later.

Fun on Snow Mountain 6x’s

Then we spotted the entrance to Snow Mountain. We could not start the fun just yet because they didn’t allow extras like scarves, purses, video camera, etc. We had to turn around and put our stuff in the lockers. Fortunately it was only a dollar to store our things. Now we could ride. And boy did we ride. Six times in fact. Three times on the solo slide and three times on the family/group slide.

I was one tired lady after all that. When you are at the top of the slide they run through the rules like; hold the grey handles, don’t get out, stay in your lane, and if you lose something they will get it for you. Glad I remembered that last part because the second time we went down the family slide I lost my cell phone. I took it to take all the lovely pictures you see here.

Lost and Found Cell Phone, Whewwww!!!

I noticed it was missing when I wanted to take a picture of the kid’s Snow Zone. The phone was gone so we headed back up the hill to get ask if they found it. They sent up to the top of mountain to get it…I was really tired. We got there and they said they had it at the bottom of hill and we needed to go back down…GRRRRRR!!!! Fortunately they let us go to the front of the line and ride back down. So that made the third time on the family slide for us. I got my phone back once they verified it was mine and we were on our way to other adventures.

Funnel Cakes and Forever Christmas Show

We stopped for a Funnel Cake and something to drink after the Snow Mountain Adventure. I convinced my son to taste the cake that he looked at with his nose scrunched up. He tasted it and loved it. I think he is pretty much won over, LOL!

We checked the schedule and made our way to the Forever Christmas show. It was basically a Christmas music review. The website describes it this way:

“Come enjoy the sounds of the season, from Doo-Wop to current Pop! “Yule” love remembering the songs from yesterday and making new memories for today!”

It was better than I expected and the singers were really good. There was a surprise for the little kids in the show. My kids are older so they weren’t impressed, in fact my daughter didn’t like it at all. I suspect it’s just her personality though. But little kids will really like that part.

The Polar Express 4-D Experience

The next thing we did was go see The Polar Express Experience. It was a 4-D show that “engaged your senses”. Here is how the website describes it:

“When a doubting young boy takes an extraordinary train ride to the North Pole, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery that shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe.

THE POLAR EXPRESS 4-D EXPERIENCE is a 20-minute show based on the inspiring and beloved Caldecott Medal children’s book by Chris Van Allsburg.”

It was a fun experience though it seemed too short. It felt like we were a part of the excitement in the movie.

Christmas Parade and Friends

After the show we waited around for the Christmas parade. We ran into Amy from Atlanta with Kid and The Q Family Adventures, along with her husband and kids. We chatted with them for a bit until the parade started. Her husband Ron had his video camera all ready to capture the show, but it went by too fast for him to get anything, LOL! He has a video creation and production company if you ever need a great videographer.

Cookie Decorating for the Little (or not so little) Artists

My daughter wanted to decorate a cookie so we headed to Memorial Hall so she could express her artistic talents. My son declined because his growling stomach made it hard to have a good attitude. So he sat and waited although he was very grumpy :-p.

We ran into Raisa Lefe (Macaroni Kid Sandy Springs-Dunwoody) and her family on the way to eat dinner. It was fun watching her little boys talk about everything they did at the park that day. They are too cute.

Plenty of Exercise, Plenty of Fun at Stone Mountain

It was a fun afternoon and I definitely got my exercise. The steep hills of Stone Mountain are not to be taken lightly but the park is beautiful throughout the year. We left before the laser light show and fireworks but I’m sure it was great.

I hope you enjoyed reading about our snow day at Stone Mountain park. If you live in Atlanta go check it out before January 2. If you plan to visit Atlanta during the Holidays I hope you check it out as well.

Check out the rest of the pictures on Facebook and like the RichSingleMomma page while you are there.

My Book No More Crumbs is Almost Here!

My Book No More Crumbs is Almost Here!

by | Oct 10, 2012

Samantha Gregory Author of "No More Crumbs"I’m very exctited to tell you that I’ve finished my new book, No More Crumbs. I got the proof copy yesterday to review and as soon as I approve it you will be able to buy a copy on Amazon.com.

I wrote the book because I wanted to address the issue so many smart, beautiful women, like you and me, face when it comes to relationships. We are notorious for picking guys that make us cry, make us angry, and make us depressed. We are single moms because we choose the wrong guy. But this book will show you how to become a relationship genius!

I was on a cycle for years where I chose one crummy guy after another. I was making myself crazy until I jumped off the merry-go-round and decided my sanity was more important than keeping my bed warm at night.

So No More Crumbs: How to Stop Dating (and Mating) for Crumbs and Get the Cake You Deserve in 10 Crucial Steps, was born. Yep it’s a long title but women need answers right now. You want to know the signs of a potentially crummy relationship and you want the skills to choose quality men.

I’m not going to blab on about the book because you can’t get until next week. In the meantime, you can like my page on Facebook and like me on Twitter. My website is SamanthaGregory.com. Go on over and grab the free ebook featured there.