S
|
 This week on Mama’s Little Helper we are featuring Joey Fortman as our Mom of the Week. She is the mom behind the website Real Mom Media and a co-founder of the website Moms On The Spot. When she isn’t online posting, or out interviewing someone for Moms On The Spot, you might just find her on on TV’s WPHL hosting Better Philly, or hear her on 92.5 XTU radio or as an iVoice on iVillage. And when she isn’t working outside her home she is mom to her adorable only son, Boston, who at 2 and half years old keeps her very busy!
As mentioned, Joey is the mom to one cute little boy! She said, “He’s a rotten 2 1/2 year old named Boston. I know. We moved here from Chicago-live in Philly, named our kid Boston? Yeah. It’s cool now though. My husband always says ‘All great athletes go by one name! Jordan, Tiger, BOSTON!’ Ok dear.” One of Boston’s favorite things to do is throw a ball. He is a lefty and throws hard! He also loves attending Makin’ Music classes and having Mr. David come to school to sing songs. I asked Joey about what she enjoys the most about being a parent to Boston. She had a wonderfully honest reply with which I think many new moms can relate. She said, “I have to be totally honest and tell you that it was VERY VERY VERY hard for me to crossover from being super successful and super hard worker….to talking about poop all day. I went through some awful post partum depression over it. But now? I’m very happy. (Drugs work wonders!! ha) I love every second. I’m so blessed with such a laid back kid. He listens well…plays well…….and laughs well! I really love watching him sleep. And many ‘little things’. Like when he touches my cheeks and said ‘nice’! (He was starting to slap as a baby and I taught him to be gentle…be NICE..and he still does it!) I really never thought I could love him any more when he was an infant-but now? He says some of the FUNNIEST things! I’m constantly laughing at him. He’s the best.”
Every mom has challenges in regards to parenting. Joey was able to make the most out of some difficult situations and turn those challenges into quite a success story. She mentioned that she had a very difficult time transitioning into her role as mother after being a professional for so long. In one year she got married, moved to Philadelphia from Chicago, got a new dog, both her and her husband got new jobs, she got pregnant, dealt with the death of a friend, bought a new house, had her baby and then was laid off from her job in radio when the station switched formats to no on-air personalities. That is a lot of stress and newness for anyone! As a result of all that, Joey reports that she and her husband are much stronger now. Joey’s current parenting challenge involves getting Boston to stay in his own bed all night. She finds it so hard to say no to him when he comes into her room in the middle of the night, taps her cheeks and says “Hold you Mommy!”
For fun, Joey likes to visit the Little Treehouse in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia with her son. They also enjoy visits to the Morris Arboretum, especially to see the train displays. The Smith Playground is another fun spot that Joey and Boston enjoy for play time. She shared that her absolute favorite thing to do with Boston is to rock him and sing to him. She knows that that special time will end someday, but for now it makes her feel loved when he stares into her eyes while she sings to him.
When asked what tip would she give to new parents about what she wish she knew before she was a parent, Joey stated that “in the beginning I wished the days away. I was so depressed about gaining weight, not working, my husband never home….I wished the days away. I hate that I did that. Now that I’ve ‘accepted the things I can not change’ I embrace every second. Except for when he poops in his diapers. Lord help me when I decide to potty train!! I won’t be surprised if he’s still wearing diapers at 14!”
After her son was born, Joey began blogging to stay creative. Her blogging led to some great money-making opportunities for her. Her witty personality shines through in her writing on her blog, making it even more interesting to read. On her Moms On The Spot blog, Joey teams up with blogger and mom Tara Bucci featuring all sorts of events, opportunities, and adventures for parents in the Delaware Valley. They frequently post video blogs (vlogs) with interviews of their feature topics. Joey and Tara have a great rapport with each other and seem to laugh and have so much fun. It makes reading their blog even more interesting!
Joey is on Facebook for Real Mom Media and Moms On The Spot. You can also find her on Twitter as herself and for Moms On The Spot.
Thanks to Joey Fortman for being our Featured Mom of the Week!
We welcome nominations for future Featured Moms of the Week. If you know a mama who you would like to see featured on this weekly column, please either leave a comment below or send an email with details to Diane@mamaslittlehelper.org or leave a message on mama’s contact page.
Cutest Baby & Toddler Photo Contest
The Cutest Baby & Toddler Photo Contest, in which people can upload their child’s photos to be judged online, is open for entries now. It’s easy to enter your most adorable photo of your little one. Just find your favorite photo of your baby or toddler and upload it on the “Submit an Entry” page and you’re good to go!
Every approved submission will receive 2 tickets to the Baby and Toddler Expo April 16 & 17 at the Greater Philadelphia Area Expo Center in Oaks, PA.
Then get your friends and family to vote, view other entries and vote for your favorite. Voting will begin March 14, 2011.
What can your cute baby win?
The winner will participate in a photography session with Montgomery Media’s professional photographer, and the winner’s photo will appear on the cover of an upcoming Parents Express issue.
Montgomery Media- Target Big, Target Small with 14 weekly newspapers: Public Spirit, Willow Grove Guide, Ambler Gazette, Springfield Sun, North Penn Life, Montgomery Life, Souderton Independent, Valley Item, Spring-Ford Reporter, The Globe, Times Chronicle, Glenside News, The Colonial, Perkasie News-Herald and Roxborough Review.
Parents Express-Celebrating 20 years as Philadelphia’s Monthly News Magazine for Families. Awarded 2010 Keystone Award as Best Specialty Publication by the Pennsylvania Newspapers Association
The Baby & Toddler Expo will be held on April 16 and 17th at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA. It is there where the final judging takes place for the Cutest Baby & Toddler Photo Contest. www.babyandtoddlerexpo.com
Pennsylvanians Meet Your New Electric Bill
File This Post Under, “Electric Bill Savings Tips”
Thanks to deregulation in PA, we have a new business to turn to for our electricity needs. Ignite in now on the scene and providing customers with the same, literally the same service as we had with PECO or PPL. This post will break down in easy to understand language what is happening with all this talk about switching electricity suppliers. Continue reading Pennsylvanians Meet Your New Electric Bill
 
Have you ever stayed up all night scraping lead paint off the walls (and then realized you’ve actually made the problem worse)? Googled every toy in the house to make sure they didn’t contain high levels of cadmium or lead? Searched every product in the cabinet for the mere mention of a paraben? As a new mother, Paige Wolf has been committed to living an eco-friendly and healthy lifestyle. But with the flood of constantly changing information, it’s become an increasingly difficult task. In addition to the age-old daunting task of raising happy, healthy babies, mothers are constantly bombarded with new and contradictory research concerning environmental toxins, long-term product effects, and the far-reaching impact of every product we purchase and decision we make. Spit That Out! answers the questions posed by mothers on the verge of a “green mom nervous breakdown” and turns to experts to present facts, debunk myths, and help parents stay on a reasonable and responsible course without losing their minds. Whether they are cloth-diapering, holistic mamas or moms who still can’t give up their designer duds, all modern mothers can relate to the desperation of wanting to do the best for their children – and feeling hopelessly overwhelmed in the process. Spit That Out! feeds an audience of mothers hungry for commiseration, direction, and relief.
Paige Wolf, the author of Spit That Out: the Overly Informed Parent’s Guide to Raising Children in the Age of Environmental Guilt, has graciously offered one of Mama’s Little Helper’s readers to win a copy of her book. On her blog , Paige provides up to date info about being an environmentally friendly parent in the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia. She provides many green mom resources as well as her personal struggles to make the best green choices for raising her son. Her recent post about play tunnels got me thinking about the play tunnel/tent we own and what materials it contains. Her book also has a few tips from Mama herself, Chrissy Glen!
For your chance to win a copy of Spit That Out! please leave a comment below this post and share a “green” parenting tip or a question you have about being a greener parent. (I can’t guarantee an answer, but maybe another reader will know an answer to share too!) Or, if you can’t think of a tip or question, comment about why you want to win! This giveaway will end on March 17th at 11:00pm EST. One winner will be selected from the comments using Random.org and will be contacted by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the email, otherwise a new winner will be selected. Prize delivery is the responsibility of the Paige Wolf. Good luck!
Mama Diane
Today while exploring the Please Touch Museum, my son and I had the chance to explore the newest visiting exhibit, Access Ability, exploring the ability in disability. This exhibit will be at the museum until April 24, 2011 and is included with your admission to the museum. My son at age three was a bit young to completely interact with and understand all of this exhibit, but I was able to relate some of the things we saw there to our life. I have two dear friends who are disabled and rely on their wheelchairs to get around 99% of the time. My son is familiar with power wheelchairs because of them, so he was curious about the one on display. Kids can try out a wheelchair and maneuver through an obstacle course to get a feel for what it is like to use one.
There was a hand pedaled bike that kids (and adults) can try out. When pedaled, the video display in front of the bike moves based on the speed that is pedaled so that it looks like you are traveling a bike path. My son got a kick out of it, although he thought going “backwards” was really funny! The display explained that the bike was for people who are unable to use their legs to pedal, so that they too can ride a bike. I wasn’t able to capture a photo of it, but it was a great hands on experience for even my three year old to understand.
Another display explored how inventions to adapt everyday things to make them more useful for disabled people. There were a series of mini doors with different knobs/handles on them. The traditional round knob can be very difficult to impossible for someone who has trouble using their hands, or with a prosthetic. Door handles that are levers are much easier to use. There was an example of a lever door knob and a round door know with lever attached to it to show how to alter an already existing door knob. This was easy for my son to understand, as little hands also have trouble opening door knobs, but the lever was easy.
There was a display of prosthetic legs and arms along with photos of people using those devices to improve their functioning. I loved the photo of the little girl who had a prosthetic forearm and hand and was painting. Other exhibits included sign language and braille displays. This is a great opportunity for children to be exposed to disabilities, ways things are made more accessible, and to understand differences when meeting others who have disabilities. My son is sometimes afraid of my friends’ wheelchairs, so I used this opportunity for him to explore the exhibit at his own pace to help diminish his fear. Seeing an empty wheelchair was easier to explore than when someone is in it. It is a great way to answer kids curious questions to help them understand that there are all different types of people who function in all different ways, but we are all still people. I highly recommend checking out this exhibit when at the Please Touch Museum. It is just one of many amazing exhibits that help kids learn about their world.
The Please Touch Museum is located in historic Memorial Hall at 4231 Avenue of the Republic (formerly North Concourse Drive,) Philadelphia, PA 19131. It is is beautiful Fairmount Park, not too far from the Mann Music Center. Parking is available on site for $8, free with membership. Free street parking is also available along Avenue of the Republic. Admission to the museum is $15 per person, over age 1. Family memberships are available at different levels and seem to pay for themselves if you visit the museum about three times a year. From Montgomery County, it takes about 45 minutes to get there, depending upon traffic. Mondays are the least crowded days to visit, and most weekday afternoons seem to be quieter, if your kids can get by without a nap! The Please Taste Cafe offers many choices for lunches, or bring a bagged lunch with you and sit at one of the many tables sprinkled throughout the main level. Sitting by the carousel is one of my favorite spots for lunch!
Mama Diane
Recently my son’s preschool sent home a flyer stating that throughout the month of March they would be a collection site for donations for the organization Cradles to Crayons. I had heard of them here and there, but didn’t know too much about this non-profit, so I did a bit of research. I thought I’d share the info I learned about Cradles to Crayons with Mama’s readers so that if you would like to donate or volunteer, you can find out how.
From the website I learned:
Cradles to Crayons Philadelphia was founded in 2006. We provide, free of charge, low-income and homeless children from birth to pre-teen the basic essentials they need to be safe, warm, ready to learn, and valued. We also set a foundation for lasting change through the meaningful, tangible volunteer opportunities we provide to thousands of youth and adults each year. The essentials we collect and distribute include clothing, shoes, school supplies, and much more. In other words, we provide all the material goods that children need to be safe, protected from the elements, and ready to learn. And by supplying them with high-quality used or new goods, we make children feel valued. How does it work? We partner with social-service organizations in the Philadelphia area to connect communities that have surplus resources—new or used items in good condition—with communities that desperately need access to those resources. When you donate to Cradles to Crayons, you can be absolutely sure that your donation will go to a deserving local child, for whom the donation was specifically requested.
I really appreciate that Cradles to Crayons is helping the neediest in the Philadelphia area. Before I was a SAHM, I worked in the mental health field in Philadelphia with many children affected by poverty. Many of those kids did not have new clothes ever. Their shoes were worn down and they didn’t usually have the luxury to get new ones when needed. The agency I worked for was able to help provide holiday gifts to the kids that were enrolled in programs there, but I always knew there were so many kids that were not being helped. It is so nice that organizations like Cradles to Crayons exists, with the help of the public, to provide the basic needs to kids. The fact that the Philadelphia branch of Cradles to Crayons was started by a mom who wanted to help kids shows the power of what mother’s can do for kids!
Right now Cradles to Crayons is in need of jeans! Kids sizes infant through 14/16 are needed. They have a top ten list of the most needed items:
* Pants
* Socks & Underwear
* Footballs, Basketballs, Soccer Balls
* Infant Car Seats
* Puzzles & Games
* Baby Toys
* Baby Books
* Sneakers: adult size 2-8
* Baby Carries (Baby Bjorn, Snugli, etc)
* Pack n’ Plays
This spring, there are Spring Greening events being held to help collect needed items for Cradles to Crayons. That is what my son’s preschool is participating in and any organization, mom’s group, etc, can hold a Spring Greening event. If you are interested in hosting a drive please see the Cradles to Crayons website for detailed information. It seems fairly easy to set up and the rewards of helping so many kids is tenfold. If you would just like to donate goods or money, please see here for more information.
Mama Diane
|
Voted NJ #1 Consignment Sale!
|
![Recommend [MamasLittleHelper]](http://s3.amazonaws.com/arkayne-media/img/badge/logo-recommend-badge-medium.png){kind=icon}
