Maternity Fashion 21 to 25 Weeks

I truly believe that if you look good, you feel good.  This does not mean I need to be wearing the most expensive clothes but simply being pulled together provides me with a lifted mood and added confidence.  It has been challenging to put outfits together as my body is constantly changing, one large component of me feeling good in my clothes, is wearing clothes that are comfortable.  Here are some of my favourite outfits from the last few weeks and lucky for me, more than half of these pieces are from my regular wardrobe.

One Spark

I am proud to be a member of the One Spark Board of Directors, an organization that works to provide barrier free opportunities for women experiencing violence to generate their own income through entrepreneurship.

This week, myself and the Executive Director of One Spark, Corrie Schneider, had the opportunity to share One Spark with a potential community partner.

One Spark provides women with an opportunity to generate their own income through starting their own business.  We provide resources to the program participants, removing finical and resource barriers that may be stopping them from exploring entrepreneurial paths, to living violence free.  You see, statistics show that women who leave a partner to raise children on their own, are more than 5 times likely to be poor than if they had stayed.

We do not want any woman to have to choose between living in violence or being poor.  We want to provide options for her to potentially generate income through a skill or ability she may already posses and provide her with flexibility when considering childcare options.

The specifics of the programs and services can be found on the One Spark website http://one-spark.ca/ as well as, ways you can support our efforts.

In addition to sharing the details of the program and its need in many communities across Canada, I also got to share with the group, why I believe in this cause and have chosen to be a part of this organization.

I have never experienced violence.  I have experienced the positive impact that working at a career that I am passionate about can have on all areas of my life.  While generating income is essential to living, being proud of the work you do can be empowering and fill you with an additional sense of purpose and importance. I believe that One Spark has the capacity to positively affect the women that go through our program on so many levels.

After sharing our information with our gracious audience, I was feeling additionally excited about the work of One Spark and simply wanted to share it with more people which is the purpose for my post today.  One Spark is fairly young but so far the reception of the program and its work is being well received.  It just takes one spark to create a bright burning flame.  If you are interested in helping us shine some light in the darkness of violence against women, please visit One Spark and learn a little about our work and how you may be able to get involved.

As always, thanks for reading!

A Mothers Unconditional Love

I was thinking today about what I appreciate most about my mom and the point I continued to come back to is, unconditional love.  The greatest gift my mom has given me is unconditional love.  I always knew, no matter what I did, she would love me.  This was a freeing feeling, it allowed me to dream big and not worry about what others thought.

As I wait to become a mother myself, I know I will love my child unconditionally but I want them to know that and feel it, as I did from my mom.

I also think this unconditional love from mothers is a gift from God, to give us, God's children, an idea of how big His love is for us.

Happy Mothers day to all you moms and thanks for your unconditional love!