About a month ago I sat thinking about what I would do for my daughter for her 17th birthday. She said she just wanted to go to her favorite sushi restaurant but I wanted to do something more. Then I remembered that she has said she wants to go to NYC so I decided that would be her birthday gift.
NYC Trip Planning
I begin researching plane tickets and hotels to see what the prices were. I felt they were kind of high so I decided to wait. Big mistake! I should have bought the tickets when I first saw them instead of trying to wait until they went down. I learned the hard way that the changes in the airline industry have affected how prices change.
The Airline Industry Almost Changed My Plans
A few years ago plane ticket prices would drop kind of dramatically the closer you get to the trip. These days…not so much… The price went up, but it could be because of the time I planned to go; during July 4th week. Other financial obligations made it seem impossible to pull this trip off but I maintained a positive attitude and dreamed of this trip for her.
A Positive Mental Attitude Turned Things Around
My faith and positive attitude paid off because not too long after it seemed the trip would not happen, I received a check in the mail that covered the cost of the tickets and the hotel stay. Wooohooo!!! I believe in the power of positive thinking. It’s too hard to fail when your mind is in the right place.
Going to NYC to Celebrate a Teen Girl’s Birthday
We are going to NYC this week to celebrate my daughter’s birthday. I’m so happy for this experience. I’ll share where we stay and the activities we plan to do. There will be lots of pictures posted on my Instagram account as well as status updates on Facebook and tweets on Twitter.
Samantha A. Gregory is an author, consultant, and speaker. She’s a single-mom lifestyle, money, and parenting expert featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Essence Magazine, HuffPost, ABC News, and Mint.com.
Samantha founded the award-winning RichSingleMomma.com™, the first online magazine featuring personal finance, parenting, and personal development content and courses for single moms.
She aims to inspire women who are ready to thrive and not just survive in their single motherhood journey. Connect with her on Instagram @richsinglemomma.
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.
Samantha A. Gregory is an author, consultant, and speaker. She’s a single-mom lifestyle, money, and parenting expert featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Essence Magazine, HuffPost, ABC News, and Mint.com.
Samantha founded the award-winning RichSingleMomma.com™, the first online magazine featuring personal finance, parenting, and personal development content and courses for single moms.
She aims to inspire women who are ready to thrive and not just survive in their single motherhood journey. Connect with her on Instagram @richsinglemomma.
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.
Samantha A. Gregory is an author, consultant, and speaker. She’s a single-mom lifestyle, money, and parenting expert featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Essence Magazine, HuffPost, ABC News, and Mint.com.
Samantha founded the award-winning RichSingleMomma.com™, the first online magazine featuring personal finance, parenting, and personal development content and courses for single moms.
She aims to inspire women who are ready to thrive and not just survive in their single motherhood journey. Connect with her on Instagram @richsinglemomma.
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.
Samantha A. Gregory is an author, consultant, and speaker. She’s a single-mom lifestyle, money, and parenting expert featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Essence Magazine, HuffPost, ABC News, and Mint.com.
Samantha founded the award-winning RichSingleMomma.com™, the first online magazine featuring personal finance, parenting, and personal development content and courses for single moms.
She aims to inspire women who are ready to thrive and not just survive in their single motherhood journey. Connect with her on Instagram @richsinglemomma.
I had an amazing weekend! I went to visit my parents and see the young people in their church get in front of a large group of people to give a speech. These young men are only twelve years old, but they were courageous enough to stand in front of an audience and share a message of hope and the power the youth have to change the world.
Later I got to hang out with some really great people at a costume party and watch the kids have fun playing games. We had a bonfire (sorry no marshmallows this time), lots of laughs and good food.
I returned home early to attend the Annual Challenge to Change Brunch benefiting Chayil (pronounced Ky-ill). Chayil is an Atlanta Women’s Transformation Program that helps women who have experienced domestic violence and are now moving out of a shelter into the real world on their own.
Chayil bridges the gap through providing 24-hour counseling, financial education, and self-esteem coaching. Women who leave an abusive relationship often do not have a place to turn, no resources, and no one to really understand what they are going through.
The brunch was a celebration of the work Chayil does and recognition for community leaders who support the organization and makes a difference in other ways.
Among the recipients of the Challenge to Change award was Jasmine Guy. Yes, the Jasmine Guy, she played the socialite southern belle Whitney Gilbert and kept us in stitches laughing at her antics and southern drawl on A Different World.
For those of you who have never seen that show, it was a spinoff from The Cosby Show.
Ms. Guy has gone on to many other projects in music, dance, and theater productions.
She is an Atlanta native and advocate for change. She was gracious and spoke on the need for a change of mind.
Without a mindset change, a woman that lives in a world of abuse and violence can never hope to really be set free. How often do we hear about women who go back to their abusers? It’s mostly because they do not believe they can make it on their own or their abuser has wounded their mind so much they believe he (or she) actually loves her.
A mental shift cannot happen in a toxic environment. Programs like Chayil makes a way for women to permanently change not just their location, but their minds as well. This powerful shift gives them hope.
Ms. Guy is so right about a need to change your mindset. Even if we are not in an violently abusive situation, it’s important to recognize when we are mentally bound by other types of abuse. It could be verbal, mental, sexual, or financial abuse. They are no better, and no less harmful than physical abuse.
Another thing to remember is abusive relationships are not just from a significant other. It can be from friends (you know, those frenemies you have), family members (that aunt who is always badgering you or just out right mean), a manager, and even a church leader.
The face of abuse comes in many shapes and sizes so we have to recognize when it’s happening to us.
Three sure signs you are being abused are:
Put downs meant to demean you
Name Calling
Using manipulation, guilt, and shame to get you to do something you don’t want to do
If this is happening to you, it’s up to you to stop it. It may seem scary at first, but it is necessary to stay safe both physically and emotionally. No one has a right to abuse you. We teach our kids safety so it’s time we learned how to keep ourselves safe too. This is called learning boundaries.
Here are a few books I read to break the cycle of abuse in my own life:
Samantha A. Gregory is an author, consultant, and speaker. She’s a single-mom lifestyle, money, and parenting expert featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Essence Magazine, HuffPost, ABC News, and Mint.com.
Samantha founded the award-winning RichSingleMomma.com™, the first online magazine featuring personal finance, parenting, and personal development content and courses for single moms.
She aims to inspire women who are ready to thrive and not just survive in their single motherhood journey. Connect with her on Instagram @richsinglemomma.
Yesterday the kids and I travelled with the church youth group about an hour north of Atlanta to visit Amnicola Falls State Park in Georgia. It was a beautiful day with crisp clear skies and changing leaves.
The intention was to go hiking up to the falls but it was getting too late and by the time we started out it would have been dark on the way back.
So we ate, had fun playing around and talking. The boys tossed the ball around and we finally headed back.
The MoonShine Festival
On the way we ran into what looked like a fair in the town of Dawsonville. We had to detour several miles to get to the falls. The traffic was horrible because of the event happening in that town. Turns out it was the annual Moonshine Festival. Yep, it is apparently very popular in that neck of the woods.
The question of the day was, “Do people still make moonshine?”. Could be true. I do know there are people who make beer in their homes. It’s quite a hobby for some people. Definitely a good way to save money on beer if you drink it often
It looked like one of the highlights of the festival was classic cars. We saw some really beautiful ones as we took our detour and went past the festival. There were hundreds of them, from old Packards, T-Models, and convertibles.
Daylight Savings Time Ending Soon
In my neck of the woods it feels like winter has already arrived. It’s been in the 30s these last couple of nights and frost was on the ground in the morning.
I’m not ready for this and hopefully the schizophrenic Georgia weather will kick in and we will be back to the upper 70s and low 80s.
Daylight savings time will be over in early November this year. I have mixed feelings about DST and the change to lengthen it. It just drags things out and my body’s clock gets all confused.
Daylight savings time end on November 6, 2011.
How do you prepare for the time change? Does it take you a long time to get used to it?
Samantha A. Gregory is an author, consultant, and speaker. She’s a single-mom lifestyle, money, and parenting expert featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Essence Magazine, HuffPost, ABC News, and Mint.com.
Samantha founded the award-winning RichSingleMomma.com™, the first online magazine featuring personal finance, parenting, and personal development content and courses for single moms.
She aims to inspire women who are ready to thrive and not just survive in their single motherhood journey. Connect with her on Instagram @richsinglemomma.
Hi! Welcome to RichSingleMomma.com. I started this website almost a decade ago because I couldn't find any blogs back then that helped single moms with money. I was having some success in that area so I decided to share what I knew about side hustles, making extra money, and managing money. Read more...
