With items starting around .79 cents, it wasn't hard for mom to fill our stockings on a budget.
Barbie has been a long time advertiser on Mommy Perks...gosh, for as long as I can recall! From Pampered Chef to 
What 
Today I am reviewing one of my favorite clients: 
Mommy Perks is proud to feature 
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How did your company start and WHY?
The why is simple - when I had first begun the business, I was a single mom and I wanted hours that are more flexible so I could be home when I needed or wanted to. I actually started working in this industry when I became pregnant. I worked from my house conducting interviews. After my daughter was born, I continued working at home conducting research. As my daughter grew older, it became more difficult to work from home so I started working part time for a research company located in an area mall. After my separation and divorce, I went to work full time. Each day I loved the industry more and more. The only issue I had was that working full time gave me no flexibility with the things I wanted to do at home and with my daughter. Being a single mom I also needed more job security than I was given.
I was lucky enough to have someone come through my office and see my talents , and, having worked with me, also become willing to invest in me. I also wanted to prove to myself that I could do this. It was very important to my self-esteem and important to show my children that with hard work and a little luck, you can accomplish big things.
What words of advice can you offer to other moms in business?
Having loving children helps a great deal. You should also have a strong support system. In my case, it was my husband who I married just 10 months after I started my business. He took care of most of the home chores so that I could concentrate on running and expanding my business.
Are you giving anything away today? If so, what is it?
Yes! We are providing one lucky winner with a goody bag of promotional items – including a gym-style bag, a reusable shopping bag, a key chain, two bendable Frisbees, and several hyper-color pens!
Your contact info:
Barbara Bridge or Michelle Finzel
President
Maryland Marketing Source, Inc.
9936 Liberty Road
Randallstown, MD 21133
410-922-6600
Sadly, the day has come for me to write my first true ‘rant’ post. I know I joke about ranting in other posts but that has really just been in fun. *This time, a true rant is in order.
Actually, it’s more of a call to honor, as you’ll see.
I have made no secret of the fact that I am a pro-life advocate. Between facebook posts and twitter links, it’s not hard to see that I support life and a pre-born child’s right to be born.
While I was once a pro-choice supporter, after much reading, research and weighing of the facts, I changed my position. In all honesty, I was only ever pro-choice because I thought it made me seem cool and hip. In my conservative circles, I was always seen as one of the trouble makers – one of those “equal rights in marriage” types rather than the passive “submit to your husband” types. That has certainly caused me some grief (and even the loss of friends) over the years. I make no apologies for this, however, because I firmly believe that I am who God created me to be – strong, independent and loyal to my husband – all at the same time. And I’m quite all-right with that; and so is he! 
Long story short, after high school, I came to the conclusion that a beating heart is a beating heart. Period.
It also makes perfect sense to me that abortion is not in the best interest of a woman: from the high stats of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to higher divorce rates, suicide rates/attempts and depression stats (including the use of anti-depressants). Since changing my stand, I have volunteered with pro-life organizations for numerous years. I was the editor of a pro-life newsletter for three years and wrote a college paper on the negative effects of abortion on women (I interviewed numerous post abortive women for that paper, to obtain first-hand data. One woman had had THREE abortions in the 70’s and simply could not sleep at night without weeping into her pillow over the loss she felt).
I’ve volunteered at state fairs talking with pregnant women, post abortive women and Planned Parenthood employees. When I was involved in a pageant (many moons ago) my platform was…”Adoption as an alternative to abortion.”
Another organization that I have supported, tweeted about, posted about and backed is the AbortionBreastCancer.com organization. It makes perfect sense to me that if an abortion leaves a woman with twice the number of cancer causing cells (as the research indicates), it’s logical to say that abortion increases the risk of breast cancer.
This is not rocket science. Of all the studies that point to this result, I figure: truth is truth. End of discussion. So I have posted and tweeted their press releases numerous times over the last several months.
I recently decided that with my larger audience base now (over 2,200 newsletter members *growing daily* and close to 4,000 twitter followers), I would use my powers for good (smile); to help spread the word a little more.
After receiving an AbortionBreastCancer.com newsletter a few weeks ago I hit reply and wrote a quick note, asking to send over some questions for an interview.
No response.
Two weeks past and I wrote again.
No response.
I figured that perhaps my email had gone to their JUNK file so I went to their website, found an alternative email and wrote again.
NO RESPONSE.
At this point, I became angry. These are the same people who send out notes, asking for my support..and my money. Yet they don’t have enough respect to answer the emails of a supporter?
I’ve worked as a freelance writer for years now, with over 100 published articles. Many of my published pieces have been profile articles and interview pieces. Never have I had to beg someone for an interview if and when they feel compelled to tell their story…to share their insights…to prove their claims. In fact, most people in this case BEG to have articles written about them. They want nothing more than to share what they know with anyone and everyone who will listen.
So what am I left to assume in this situation?
All I can assume is that there is something to hide, right? Something they don’t want to share or questions they do not wish to answer. Or…they have decided that only big name media outlets have enough of a following to generate buzz for them – I am not big enough to grab their attention so therefore – not even worthy of a response.
For fun, I am going to post the questions I would have asked them, had they been willing to engage. In my opinion, the best way to clear up doubts is to answer questions openly and honestly, right? To give all of the details so no one has to wonder any longer. To me, that’s the responsibility of any organization making large claims: they have a responsibility to answer the questions of those they want support from.
So here is what I would have asked them:
- I have shared your link and info with countless people. Non Christians say, “Pro life is just for Christians. No one else.” What would you say to them?
- Being pro-choice is seen as hip, cool and ‘now.’ It’s the side that people (and feminists) stand on when they wish to be seen as the empathetic, understanding and kind crowd. I would consider myself a feminist in many regards yet I am pro-life and not pro-choice. What would you say about women like me who do not fit the norm of the feminist model?
- I’ve interviewed many post abortive women. When talking about what they did they typically cry, weep and even sob. They wish they had the choice to make over again – that they had been brave enough to keep their babies and fight through the difficulty of financial struggles and self esteem attacks. While they once thought an abortion would empower them, all it really did was break their hearts, leaving them longing for the child they thought they didn’t want. Have you found this to be true, also, when talking to post abortive women, or were my experiences with this reaction isolated incidents?
- When I researched the subject of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder back in college, I found that the #1 group suffering from this was war veterans. The #2 was post abortive women. Most medical journals will not disclose this information. What are your thoughts on this?
- It seems logical to me that if a breast is left with twice the number of cancer causing cells after an abortion (as the studies indicate), that the link would be easily proven. Why are doctors working so hard to cover up this link?
- One person actually told me that they would never believe anything on your site because it appeared that some of your main support comes from Catholic organizations. In other words – you are not to be trusted because it must be some cooky religious push. My response was to say: “If Planned Parenthood is shown for what they really are, they will lose billions of dollars each year. The people backing this research have nothing to lose if the truth comes out. They are doing this because they believe in the cause – no money is lost for them if the truth comes out. So who do you think is telling the truth? Who has more to lose if a link is proven and publicized in the media?” What would you have said to this person?
So – there you have it. The questions I would have liked answered by AbortionBreastCancer.com.
Sadly, as stated, I have received no response from them, after sending THREE notes. In my opinion, that is the epitome of unprofessionalism. I have since unsubscribed from their newsletter list and will no longer be promoting their materials.
And with a philosophy of ignorance toward their own network, I’m sure they will lose other supporters, also, even if the studies are true.
(Please note: comments on this post will not be approved. This post was not put up in order to spur debate on the topics of life and abortion. This post was put up simply to express my concerns about the AbortionBreastCancer.com organization and their refusal to respond to my inquiries. If they choose to answer my questions here, that post will be put through so the public can read their responses.)
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