Single Moms Dating - Getting Back Into the Dating Scene

Single moms often find it hard getting back into the dating scene. Dating when you have the responsibilities of children has a number of challenges: in addition to working all day, there is the transporting or arranging transportation for children's activities, supervising homework, household chores and shopping for groceries to name just a few of these. You probably wonder how or when you could actually have a date. Below are some ideas that may help you ease into dating again.

Think about what you are looking for in a date. An adult to spend time with may be all you are interested in at this time. You may want to go to a movie that doesn't have talking animals in it or simply meet occasionally for a cup of coffee in a place that doesn't serve a happy meal. All adults need the company of other adults. On the other hand you may want to find someone to form a long lasting relationship with. Whatever you want the next step will be to meet men you are compatible with. Unless you happen to work in a place filled with single men meeting available men may be difficult.

A very popular and safe way for single moms to meet single men is through online dating sites. In case you aren't familiar with these the process for using them is very simple: In the comfort of your home choose a site, write and post a profile that includes a recent photograph. In your profile include that you have children and tell something about them. But be sure to write enough about yourself to let prospects know that you are a woman as well as a mom.

Some men may be turned off by the fact you have children, but you probably wouldn't want to date them anyway. There are men out there who would love to find a great woman with children because they love family as much as you do. When browsing through male profiles look for those who are single dads or say that family is important to them.

Since your children and their safety are of prime importance online dating may be the perfect solution for your way to meet men. You will not meet a man in person until you know him very well. When you have a match or matches you will then begin what can become a lengthy period during which you get to know each other through emails. You may go through a number of these matches before you find the perfect one. But remember, this is all happening at your leisure from home. You don't have to provide for childcare or go through agonizing dinners with someone you can't wait to get away from.

When you are ready to meet for a real live date you will not have those first date jitters because you will already know so much about him.

There are numerous single men in your area who have posted personal ads on dating sites. They, like you, are looking for someone to connect with on some level-whether it be someone to have a cup of coffee with or one for a long term loving relationship.

By Abby P. Munroe

Being a single mom doesn't have to be the end of your social life. Single moms need to go out on dates to relax and unwind from their tiring role as a single parent. You need adult company and eating an occasional meal in a place that doesn't serve happy meals. Learn about Single Mom's dating Visit my site http://singlesmomsdating.com/

How to Be a Happy Stay at Home Mom - 5 Tips to Enjoying Full Time Motherhood

For a lot of us moms, being a stay at home mom is our dream come true but it can be a struggle to enjoy it to its fullest. Often we feel unappreciated, unloved and like we are loosing who we are, or used to be anyways. How to be a happy stay at home mom is not something we are taught, we must figure out what works for us. Here are five tips that can help the stay at home mom enjoy her job more.

How to be a happy stay at home mom tip # 1 is to be proud of what you do. There is that stigma attached to stay at home moms that we spend our days getting coffee with friends or at the mall; or maybe that we spend all day in front of the TV in our pyjamas, never shower and never comb our hair. Yeah right, we know what it is really like. Don't let other peoples opinions ruin how you feel about being a stay at home mom. Be proud of what you have chosen to do and know that many, many moms would love to have the opportunity to be with their children full time.

How to be a happy stay at home mom tip # 2 is not to dwell on your past life. Yes it was great when you could come and go when you pleased without the need for a babysitter. It was great to have money, sleep in once in a while and spend a rainy day on the coach watching movies. But that was then and this is now. Lots of moms, especially new ones, compare their current life to the one they had before children. This is a useless behaviour since you can't go back, and honestly would you trade your kids for that former life? Didn't think so! Count your blessings for your beautiful family.

How to be a happy stay at home mom tip #3 is to make time for your spouse. This is so important an often the first thing to go out the window once kids come into the picture. Date nights are great, but you don't always need to go through so much trouble. Find ways to connect at home with face-to-face interaction; it doesn't have to be a romantic getaway soap opera style to benefit from time alone together.

How to be a happy stay at home mom tip #4 is having grown up time. This is not the same as time with your spouse. This is time to interact with other adults besides your spouse. Being a full time mom means having minimal adult conversations on a daily basis, so get together with a girlfriend or two once or twice a month. This gives you something to look forward to and gets you talking in full sentences again!

How to be a happy stay at home mom tip #5 is to work on your own personal development. Many stay at home moms feel like they loose themselves and their self-esteem once they leave the workforce. Find ways to continue to build your self esteem and confidence. You can volunteer with a local charity which will help keep your skills such as time management, organization and service up to date. You can take a night or online course to update your educational credentials. Some moms take a self defence or martial arts class to build self-assurance in themselves. It is increasingly popular today for many moms to start their own small online business to build their independence, improve their skills and help with the family finances.

Being a happy stay at home mom is important for you and your children. When you are happy you will interact differently with your children. Using the tips above will help foster a great synergy between the you before you had kids and the you now as a full time mom. Be proud to hold the title of stay at home mom.

Start Your Personal Development Now

To get more information on what many stay at home moms are doing online with small business to build their skills, independence and finances go to http://www.ImagineYourselfFree.com Fill out the form on the first page and then watch the video in step #3 on the second page.

Katrina Cole is a mother and Internet Marketer with one of the Largest Internet Marketing & Mentoring programs. She is dedicated to coaching other moms who want to experience a Legitimate Internet Opportunity that will teach Top Online Marketing Techniques. For more information on how to create a successful Online Home Business or transform your existing one into a more profitable opportunity, please visit http://www.KatrinaCole.com.

Stop Looking at Me and My Child with the Temper Tantrum!

"Okay, I'm guilty as charged! I brought the little boy into this world who knocked over your items in the store, interrupted your meal with all his crying while you tried to talk to your friend in peace, and snatched a book away from your child at the library. So for all of these things, I'm sorry! But must you give me that evil eye as if your child, niece, nephew or cousin never had a tantrum, crying spell, and/or whining episode in public!?"

If there is anything I hate, that's right I said hate, is a self-righteous, annal retentive observer who stares you down, because your child is having a bad day! I know what some of these folks are thinking, "I would never...she should spank him...what is wrong with him...what is wrong with her..."

It was one bad day and the sky is falling chicken little! What about all the other times my child was good, huh? No one said anything about those times, well yeah a few did-- God bless you for your encouragement! But for those others with their noses in the air, they have a lot of nerve! It's funny, because sometimes just when they are looking at me, their little angels start acting up too--I love it, sweet justice!

Nicholl McGuire

Fake Support System, Fake Friendships

Being a mother is difficult and finding a support system you can trust can be just as challenging. How many mothers out there have been burned by mothers’ groups, churches, business associations, and civic organizations? Now when I say burned, I am referring to someone who posed as your friend to get you to join the group and then when problems began to occur, he or she started acting distant, couldn’t be contacted, suddenly didn’t have any time for you, and what he or she promised was never delivered.

You see, being a mother means a “gold mine” to some deceptive individuals and groups. It means there is the potential to make money off of you especially if you drive a nice car, have children in private school and your husband makes a lot of money. The so-called friend may have been that nice young woman with the two children you met on the street who introduced herself as, “a Christian and I would just love for you and your children to come to our church!” or the nice gentleman who patted your children on their heads and said, “We have a place at our location for the children to play, so please do come to the meeting.” You may be affiliated with groups who helped you with something, offered their ears when you needed to vent, or gave you money. So you felt like you owed them and they took advantage. You may have been meeting with them for days, weeks, months or even years, but these days you are disgruntled with this person and the organization he or she represents.

I think sometimes we, mothers, are easy targets because we are so wrapped up with our children. People assume we don’t pay their tactics too much attention. For once, we just want to believe that the opportunity will help us and our families. However, what usually happens is we are used to recruit who we know, fork over money and service for cheap products, and if we are “real good” we get pennies back for our efforts.

Meanwhile, your associates are tapping you on the shoulder about their opportunities and before long everyone is going around and around in the same circles spending up cash that ought to be saved for a rainy day. One popular cosmetic company has been the talk of many for years, but how many mothers have came out millionaires from selling their products? Do you know any?

It hurts, doesn’t it? I mean all we wanted was a nice, friendly group of folks we could trust, but something just had to go wrong--“He say, she say” gossip, too many hands out asking for money, lies, and jealous women after whatever they can get! Most problems start because of false promises. Then you quickly learn that the words people say are nothing more than lip service with a dollar sign behind them. We pay these greedy people and then with eyes glazed over, they look for someone else. I mention “eyes glazed over” because if you look real close a money hungry person doesn’t have any real compassion behind their eyes. They talk as if reading from a script. They move their hands almost mechanical. Their laugh is an act. They are so busy moving paper and pens around, you find yourself focusing more on what they are doing then what they are saying. These fake friends are shaking hands with this one or that one, there seems to be no soul behind their eyes. People like this have what I like to call “a one track mind” all they see is what can you do for them, “Will she give me that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?” When all is said and done, you are lucky to get a “thank you” from them.

As a mother, you should be careful associating yourself with these people who suddenly call you “friend.” We often warn our children about their friends, but we need a reminder ourselves. Not every woman who extends her hand out and says, “Nice to meet you, I would love to know more about you…” is our friend. Not every man who says, “I would love to help you and your family…” is a friend.

As I write, I recall a storeowner who calls me “friend.” I earned that title because I am a repeat customer to her not because we sit back and drink lattes together. We aren’t friends. We are business people, but a nice term she chooses to use when she can’t remember my name. She’s not a friend.

There is a woman I know who suddenly becomes “friends” with everyone when she wants family and friends to support her children’s fund-raising events. After they are over, you don’t hear from her until they start up again.

I met another woman who wasn’t interested in getting to know me, but more concerned about my religious affiliation so that she could get me to attend her church. The long-term plan would have been to get me to work in her church. I was her “friend” too. Mind you, she never referred to me by my name.

There are those so-called online friends who seek you out because they have some perverted agenda. It doesn’t matter that you are a mother. Some of these mothers are interested in more than just a girlfriend to talk on the phone. However, in all fairness, I have met some women who I would call on-line acquaintances who periodically talk about their lives. Still, I wouldn’t consider them my friends.

Lastly, there are those fake friends who just want to be a friend, because you have connections. “Doesn’t your husband work at…” or “Do you think you can help me with such and such since you know so and so…”- definitely not my friend.

Children Look Forward to Things, Adults Don't

This summer I learned a thing or two from my active four sons. What I noticed is that they look forward to life experiences from the smallest to the largest, but I, not so much--too busy looking backward.

When my sons awoke each morning during their school vacation, they looked forward to getting ready to go outside, because they had some idea of what was ahead and even if they didn't, they fantasized about the positive. One son imagined more games for his gaming system, another assumed he was going to get more shoes to add to his collection, and the others figured they would get more play cars and trucks to push around. They had some great memories and they wanted to create more! On the other hand, I looked backward to days of scolding, arguing, spending money that I didn't have, and standing in lines I rather not with one of my sons whining about "I want that..."

Each day, almost like clockwork, the children looked forward to going to the mailbox, answering the door, saying "hi" to a man in costume shaking a pizza sign, and running through the park. As for me, I had anxiety issues about the mailbox, didn't want to stop and talk to a costume, and rather avoid the park with all those annoying insects!

I had an internal war between the negative me and the positive me. I didn't look forward to another day with four at times hyperactive boys much less want to open my eyes. You see, I was overwhelmed! I had the perfect plan for everyone and everything at the start of my summer and I was running out of steam trying to keep up with it all! (I was like Martha in the kitchen while Jesus was visiting. She was getting angry at Mary for not helping!)

In my world, what use to look bright and happy was dismal and gray! I was resenting the good and evil was blurring the lines.

Somehow through all of the glee I had saw with my children, I did recall moments with God, so much in fact, I stepped out on faith one day and found a better church to attend. It was that kind of peace (I know some of you know about it) where you are in a storm that others would rather run far away. You know this, when these so-called well-meaning advisers say, "I wouldn't put up with that...the father needs to do more...you need to do something for yourself and forget about those children for awhile..." This time I had to stay. There was no vacation or personal time. No babysitter or person who I could lean on and talk away the blues--I was a big girl now and I had to look beyond my circumstances, right? What's funny? My circumstance was my children so looking beyond them couldn't be done. Rather, I had to re-learn how to look forward to things, not run away from them and they were teaching me how.

Nicholl McGuire