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
Shara: Owner of Mommy Perks and Personal Child Stories
I have so much to be thankful for this year, as I’m sure you do, also (*see my list at the bottom, if wanted).
Has the economy hit us? In many ways, yes. Just as it’s hit so many of you. While it can be easy to focus on what’s missing, I believe that when we focus on what’s present, we are able to embrace a true sense of gratitude. It’s really a matter of putting your thought process in check. Scripture calls it “a renewing of your mind.” Spiritualists may call it “increased awareness” or “increased consciousness.”
Whatever your liking, it looks something like this, when walked out:
Tendency:
“I am tired. My kids are driving me nuts. They exhaust me 24/7 and some days I wish I’d never had kids. Life would be so much easier without them.”
Renewing of the mind says:
“My kids tire me out so often. All the same, at the end of the day, I know my kids mean the world to me. I’d rather have them, annoyances and all, than not have them at all. They are a blessing and a joy. Never have I laughed so hard until I had kids. Some days, tears stream from my eyes because I laugh so hard at the ridiculous or hilarious things they say. I am blessed more than I deserve.”
Tendency:
“We don’t have much money right now. I see all of these beautiful things at the mall and I want to buy them. I want a new sweater, a new pair of shoes and a new handbag. But we don’t make enough money for me to spend like that. This sucks. I work too hard NOT to buy what I want. Maybe I’ll just charge it. I deserve these things and no one should stop me from buying them.”
Renewing of the mind says:
“We work hard but that doesn’t guarantee we’ll be able to buy anything we want. Very few people ever get to that point. And that’s okay. Struggling through hard times builds character, kindness and empathy. Those who never struggle typically lack in these character traits. We are better people because we DO struggle. Our kids see us struggle, work hard, and pull through. That’s a life lesson you just can’t put a price tag on. I am blessed.”
Tendency:
“I run an at home business. I don’t get much support from friends, family or strangers. That hurts and it makes me angry. I keep hoping for more support…but it doesn’t come. I’m tired of this. I’m tired of waiting for others to support me and I just want to give up.”
Renewing of the mind says:
“I don’t need to wait for others to support me. I can support THEM. It starts with me. I have a choice – I can choose to be angry or I can choose to be supportive of them and to show them a better example. If they follow it, great. If not, I am a better person for it; my heart is in the right place, regardless of what they do. Even if they do not end up supporting me in the long run, I realize that when I bless others, I am blessed in return. Maybe not from THAT person…but from someone or something else. It will come back to me – eventually. If I don’t give up. I am blessed with the ability to make this choice and I choose to do ______.”
Tendency:
“We lost our home this year. We had to live in our car for 2 months before we found a small apartment. I hate my life. Everything sucks and I just want to give up.”
Renewing of the mind says:
“It really stinks that our family lost our house. It sucks that we lived in the car. It sucks that we have a much smaller living space now. But – no one ever guaranteed that life would be easy or simple. I can choose to dwell on the negative or I can choose to look to the future. My kids have witnessed hard times and I am determined they will all witness us pulling through, as a team. We’ll get work again, we’ll remove our names from the food stamp list when the time comes and we’ll build our credit back up. We won’t give up and because of this experience – we now have a much deeper empathy for people in need. When we are back on our feet, we’ll sign up to start volunteering at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter. We know what it’s like now to live that way. To have nothing. We’ll work hard to make a difference in other lives, knowing how much they need it. We’ll appreciate the things we do have and the awareness that we can live with so much less stuff! We are blessed to have come to this point in our lives.”
Everything can be seen as a teaching experience if we allow for that.
So, I ask you – What do YOU have to be thankful for? You may need to dig deep for an answer but it’s there. It’s always there.
*Here is my own list:
1. I am thankful for my family. I never thought I’d have so much. I lived through a great deal over the years – things that REALLY sucked and that no one, my age, should go through. But it made me a better person and got me ready to be who I am today. I am thankful for everything I went through that brought me to this place.
2. I am thankful for food. I lived on food stamps back when I was a single mom. I hated that. I hated taking money from tax dollars to buy food. But it was there when we needed it and my child never went hungry. It deepened my appreciation for food and for those in need of it. This year I was able to send a $100 food card to a family on the food stamp waiting list. I was able to bless them and in return, God has blessed me with more business.
3. I am thankful for books. I love to read and my parents always had thousands of books all around us, when I was growing up. I try to model that love for my own kids, allowing them to see me reading (when I have time!) and telling them how wonderful books are and how they deserve our respect. I love watching my kids pick up a book, flip through the pages, giggle, engage and connect on deeper levels with the words. I am blessed to have a husband who loves books as much (if not more) as me.
4. I am thankful for our car. We only have one – we share it. It runs, the heater works, the AC works and it’s safe. I’d love to have a new car but…I’m glad we have ANY car at all. I am blessed.
5. I am thankful for my computer. Without it, I would not be able to run either one of my businesses. I can be at home with my kids when I work. I am blessed!
6. I am thankful to own two businesses that I love and that I am passionate about. So many people head to work, to a job they despise. I never have to say that (not right now, anyway!). I get to do what I love, helping others. I LOVE helping children and I love helping small businesses. Some of them have helped me in return while others have not. That’s okay. It’s not about what they can do for me – it’s about what I can do for them. With an attitude of giving, I’ve morphed into a person who no longer notices if someone else helps me or not…my priorities and goals have changed and I’m a better person for it – regardless of what other people do, or do not do, for me. To be in this mental place now is amazing. I am blessed!
7. I am thankful for no closet. Huh? Yep. I have no closet. Our bedroom is small and we can’t afford to remodel the house yet. So my clothing goes into one dresser and hangs on one free-standing clothing rack. This means I don’t have room for much. In turn, I rarely shop. When I do find something on sale and bring it home, I pull something from my collection and donate it. When something comes in…something else goes out. Someone else is then blessed with an item of clothing. I am blessed by being a blessing to them.
8. I am thankful for my parents for exposing me to people in need. When I was growing up, it frustrated me that we had so little. Very little money, clothing, extras, etc. A few times, people from our church left money or food on our doorstep, knowing we were in need. My father ran a homeless shelter for a few years. We all volunteered at the shelter numerous times and that experience really affected me. I remember one year, on Thanksgiving, we volunteered at the shelter. A young woman came through the line dressed in a princess dress. It was dirty and torn. She had tried to do her hair for the occasion. She was clearly excited that she had taken the time to get ‘done up’ for the meal. She asked me to help her in the bathroom – fixing herself up a bit more. The idea that this was such a big day for her has been seared into my memory. She was thankful for a free meal, for fellowship and for the chance to feel pretty…if only for one day. Her grace, in the midst of so little, is something I have never forgotten. I am blessed to have been graced by her presence all those years ago.
Today and always – let’s GIVE THANKS.
admin 
Love your comment. Thank you, friend!
Great post though I am not crying, I will walk around sniffing for a bit.
I am so GLAD to have friends like you and Rick. People who share my belief in being thankful for what we have, dedicated to helping others that have less and sharing the occasional wealth that comes our way.
Have a blessed day!