Why Returning to College Today As a Mother is a Great Idea

Are you curious about the school grants for single mothers? Fortunately today there are grants and scholarships available to virtually everyone, including moms. Traditionally financial aid for students was limited to candidates who have exceptional academic ability or who have exceptional talent at sports. This has changed. Today, various government and state organizations provide grants to anyone who is willing - especially if you have financial difficulty.

Different types of financial aid have been offered in the past, but it was generally available to those with exceptional athletic abilities or those who have achieved a high grade point average through high school. Fortunately though, there are grants and scholarships available to practically everyone who meets the criteria. Did you know that there are back to school grants for moms available today, for example? All you need is a strong desire to succeed. If you are in a lower economic class, you probably even have a better chance of receiving a grant. Some grants in fact, you will never have to repay.

Many grants are being offered today for women and mothers specifically because they have proven to be a great asset in the workplace. In 2009, many women in the United States became interested in college when the president gave notice that there would be increased funding and college scholarships for single mothers.

Perhaps you are interested in returning to school to learn a trade. There are many opportunities today that will provide you with an excellent future economically such as culinary school. There are also many opportunities in nursing and healthcare. Maybe you have considered a career in hotel management.

There are a number of grants that can help you pay for extra expenses once you are enrolled in college. The Pell grant, for example, is an excellent resource because the money it provides can help you pay for things like books or supplies that you might need if you go to school. There are lab supplies or art supplies to consider. You might not even consider the extra cost of lab coats or paints, brushes, paper, or even a laptop computer. These things will require quite a bit of money.

Mothers in America today have a better chance of getting ahead through education today than ever before. All you need is the desire to better yourself though education and the proper focus. There are scholarships and grants that will never need to be repaid. Whatever your circumstance financially, it is up to you to take the first step and start researching the various opportunities that await you, be it from private companies or colleges.

Scholarships for moms are out there and waiting for you. After it is all said and done, if you have the determination, the drive and are ready to get started, you will have everything you need to find the proper financing to get that education to better your life.

By Sabrina West

Single mothers looking for scholarships - get more information right now at: http://informationfinancialaid.com

The Hidden Opposition in Video Games, Music & Movies

You walk into a room and see your children playing a game that appears harmless. You noticed that later the same day they are watching a show that seems to be educational. By night fall, they are listening to music in their room that doesn't sound insulting. However, stick around for awhile. Watch the show a little longer, play the video game with them for almost as long as they play it, and listen to not just one artist but all their favorite artists and READ THE LYRICS. Chances are your beloved child has been entertaining a living, breathing negative spirit in your home that is wrecking havoc somewhere in his or her mind, body, or spirit.

When I was a child my parents had no idea I was listening to NWA. They didn't know about the rated R movies that was forbidden to watch in their home, but okay to watch in other relatives' homes. They thought they had everything all figured out even when they selected games for us to play. I don't believe they gave one thought to the sexy songs they played around us and how they would later impact us. You see, when you are a know-it-all parent, you only see what is on the surface, you don't allow yourself enough time to delve deep into what the message your child may be bombarded with and how it will influence them. Heck, all you want is them out your hair. "Here take your CD and go in your room. Why don't you play one of your video games I bought you? Isn't your favorite show on, turn on the TV?" Meanwhile, he or she is seeing images they don't quite understand. They are noticing their favorite musicians and actors walking the red carpet in outfits that do more than just decorate one's body. Your daughter or son sees the rockers, rappers, and others making hand signs they have no clue what they represent. They can't comprehend the deeper meanings behind the symbols and gestures and how they are designed to manipulate the way they think. Why should they? When we as parents say, "It's okay."

There are some serious agendas that are being promoted in plain view. Have you heard of the Freemasons, Illuminati, and organizations promoting a one world government? Do you know of groups that promote hate, satanic worship, and homosexuality? Some of America's most popular rap artists are involved in some heavy devil worship, but you wouldn't suspect it since many will talk about "how god blessed them, I thank god..." The truth of the matter is they believe they are god.

Make some time to conduct research on your children's favorite musicians. Find out what some of those hand signs and symbols represent tattooed on their necks, backs, faces, and hands. You will find that many artists have admitted to selling their souls to the devil. If you are a Christian, then you definitely need to be concerned especially if you desire not to raise a hypocrite.

I was appalled at what I learned. I didn't know that some of the things that I thought was harmless were actually harmful. As soon as I got rid of certain movies, games, and music from my four little sponges (sons), their personalities became noticeabley different. They were less aggressive and seemed to be more interested in their other toys once we got rid of the Playstation 3. They were also asking me more questions about family history, my thoughts on their school related issues, and were willing to perform household tasks without being bribed, paid, or asked a million times.

I believe that there is definitely something in some of this media that we buy our children to make them lose their minds and eventually lose their souls. Its only a matter of time that more and more people in the entertainment industry will come out with some shocking truths that will make the hair on the back of any mother's neck stand up. Stay tuned.

Nicholl McGuire

My Four Boys & I: When Things Are Good, There Good

When things are good in my household, they are good, but when they are bad, they are baaaddd! Four active boys can keep you on your toes! Now that the new year has begun, the accidents, the tantrums, the time-outs, the threats, the anger outbursts, you name it we have done it all and we aren't even a month old in the new year!

I personally think that children don't need school vacations throughout the year (just pick a seasn and a couple of weeks and be done!LOL) especially if they are not doing well. For example, I asked one of my sons who isn't doing so well in school, why isn't he stepping up, completing his lessons, focusing, etc. He said, "I don't know." So I attempt to dig deeper and he blames other people. Well we spent Winter Break hitting books! From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays with a couple shortbreaks in between, my two oldest sons were completing workbooks and worksheets as well as arts and crafts. My youngest two were being taught using flashcards, games, and videos. We all helped the little ones.

Needless to say, there were times when I had to step out the room and take a timeout myself! The questions, bickering, disruptions, and loud noises at times made me feel like I was in over my head! How much do I have to do to keep these boys busy!? When 5 p.m. shows on the clock at my house, things get loud quickly. The TV is turned up, the children are running from room to room and someone eventually yells or cries, "I'm tellin'" The next thing I know, from the smallest (who is now 2) to the oldest (who is now 10,) there is a question, concern, or complaint for me. "He hit me...He took my toy...He broke my toy...When is dinner ready?" I don't know what happens to me by 5 p.m. but I think some ugly devil of sorts mounts on my shoulders and I am ready to breathe fire on someone, "If you don't get out my face...don't you see I'm cooking? Give your brother his toy back. Stop running. Pick that stuff up. Did you take out the trash? What's that smell? Did anyone think about helping your little brother who obviously can't get that on his own? Who was in my stuff?"

In case you didn't know, I am not a single mom, but almost 9 sometimes 10 hours a day with these four, I feel like one! Thank God Winter Break is almost over! Two down and what do I do with the other two with no money for daycare and no family nearby? UGH!


Nicholl McGuire
http://www.nichollmcguire.blogspot.com/

Can We Talk?

Sometimes that's all a mother wants to do is talk. Not the kind of talk like, "Hi baby. Yes mommy knows. I love you too." She may have been talking to her own children all day like this. What a stay-at-home mother may want by hour nine is just a little adult conversation. However, what usually happens is her spouse comes through the door having had his fill of adult conversation and just wants to sit in front of the television. What does she do? How annoyed she must feel?

It hurts when you attempt to reach out to those around you to converse and your conversation is returned with a, "Hmm. Um. Okay. Alright. Hello. Have a nice day." It can be a lonely world for a woman who stays at home with children, a single mother in between jobs, or someone who happens to have children in their care with no other adult support.

Although the world may brag about being family friendly, it really isn't most of the time. A mother toting her small babies around town isn't always welcomed with a smile and a hello. Her children may receive a little smile and a touch from a stranger, but when strangers look at her their smile may fade even if she is attempting to be friendly and make small talk.

Conversation is healing for many mothers who feel alone, but when the world is busily rushing from one event to the next, passing by her in search of the next best thing to buy, they miss an opportunity to receive or be a blessing to her. They miss a bit of wisdom or possibly a great employee because they are just too consumed with what they need and want.

Sometimes we have to just take the time to stroll through our neighborhoods with the intention of talking to someone. Rather than being the one who is speaking when spoken to, maybe we should be the one speaking first. From our partners to strangers on the street, whether we or they need to talk, we should pause for a moment. Who knows what we might discover. "Can we talk?"

Nicholl McGuire
http://nichollmcguire.blogspot.com

Opting Out of Mommy Invites

The invitations have come to me over the years to attend playgroups with mothers, to go to someone’s child’s birthday party, to sit with a parent watching children at home, to watch a school performance, or to walk through a children’s museum with another parent. Do you already see what is wrong with this picture? If you don’t see by now what I am getting at then you are most likely the parent asking everyone to attend various kid functions. You probably have wondered why your friend or even your sister keeps opting out. I will tell you in the coming paragraphs why. However, if you are not the parent always asking another parent to attend a children’s event but are usually the one being invited, but you don’t go, I’m not mad at you, if anything, I support you.

I am a mother of four so the last place I want to be invited to is yet another children’s event. If anything, I want someone to invite me to a place that has no children! When I have what little free time I can get, I try to stay away from family restaurants, family events, family functions and anything else where there might be a child present. I see absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to go somewhere anywhere where there is no children present even if it means running a hot bath while no one is at home or sitting alone in a room by candlelight saying the words as one health nutritionist, Rose Carter, suggests, “Positivity in, negativity out…”

I don’t understand why a mother would be insulted by another mother not wanting to attend children’s events. I don’t get it, a mother runs herself ragged trying to keep up with every little activity her children participate in and then wants you to tag along!? She then becomes offended because others just aren’t interested in what her little itty bitty boo boo is doing. I personally think that some women have forsaken being a woman altogether for being a mother. Here’s a quick test you can do on yourself or someone else to see if you have forsaken who you are as a woman. Try spending some time alone without thinking or doing something for your family. This means “no” doing the following: talking about your man or children, doing laundry, creating a shopping list, putting your children’s toys away or ironing their clothes, doing things around the house to help your partner, shopping for things for the house, or anything else for that matter that have nothing to do with finding your sense of self. I bet you most women will fail! That valuable time of peace could have been best used to do the following: your hair, shave your legs, put some make up on, take a long walk, watch a movie you have been putting off, call a girlfriend, make appointments to see a doctor, a friend, or anything else you have been procrastinating about, or answer all those emails you have been ignoring from family and friends (I’m sure some of them are insulted by now and are talking about how you never respond to your emails.)

There are those women who love the children’s events because they get the opportunity to meet like-minded mothers and for that I understand, because I don’t mind attending them within reason. But once I have met a mother at one of those gatherings, I am not interested in going places with her with her children or mine in tote all the time. I don’t want to talk about what great thing her child did, so that she can question me about what great thing my child did then later she is comparing her child to mine. To be quite honest, I could care less about what anyone’s child is or isn’t doing. It’s hard enough just raising my own to be concerned about other people’s children. When a parent starts bragging or venting about their child to me, I personally give the child’s name to God and leave it there. I don’t say too much if anything about my own usually I change the subject and talk about anything but my man and children.

There are plenty of mothers in this world, actually more than enough, but where are the women? Where are those youthful spirits who use to say, “Hey why don’t we go to the mall and just try on stuff? What about joining this group and having fun meeting new people? How about we create something that will make others come out the house and live a little? What about doing something that will take our minds off the man and the children? I’ll be over to pick you up, you better be ready!” As I write I think of limo rides, flea markets, vacations, bed and breakfasts, bowling, skating, laughing while walking through a sexy novelty shop, and a whole slew of other fun, crazy, and downright money-making ways to get women together not mothers! If you are this kind of WOMAN, I praise you for it!


Nicholl McGuire