In case you have been hiding under a rock let me tell you about an amazing event coming to Cleveland, Ohio this October. Are you ready???? THE SINGLE MOMS CONFERENCE (ding, ding, ding sound the alarm). The Single Moms Conference is being brought to you by Cleveland YoungLives, https://clevelandyounglives.younglife.org/Pages/default.aspx and From Lemons to Lemonade, http://fromlemons2lemonade.com/ . These two dynamic groups formed a vision team that will bring the conference to life for all the attendees. I’m so excited to be on this team, I can barely sip my tea this morning. If you haven’t heard about the conference and your interest has peaked, follow the link, http://www.singlemomsconferencecleveland.com/home.html, buy a ticket, buy a ticket from me, I need to sell 8 help a mom out (lol). This conference promises to be a great experience for all involved.

So I was thinking about our vision team, we all come from various walks of life, some single, some married, divorced (raises hand), entrepreneurs, mentors and mentorees. I can honestly say that each person on the team brings very different skills and gifts to the table. I have to admit I thought it would be hard to work with a group of women, you know people don’t think women can work together, especially when one might outshine all the others. But I can say this is not the case with this group of ladies. We all have a passion for moms and seeing those moms and their families’ blossom. When you have a passion and a desire to see all the thoughts in your head become a reality then you can truly embrace a team and make those dreams come to life. I love being able to reach other moms and start conversations, it’s why I started the blog, to engage others. To see this come to life in a conference is amazing to me and the icing on the cake is working with a dynamic team to make it happen. I know there are people out there who are passionate about making things happen on their own and that’s fine, but let’s admit, especially us moms, we need help sometimes. It’s hard to admit that but we do. This team has shown me it’s okay to ask for help and to be the helper. I’m learning, teaching, and experiencing some amazing happenings among these ladies.

I can’t be all rose colored glasses without admitting that everything isn’t always peachy. Just like in our homes, conflict arrives. It can be from choosing color palettes to food tasting. We all are different and therefore our opinions vary. The important thing to remember when trying to make this vision come to life is RESPECT. I can’t express enough how much RESPECT plays a role in making the team’s vision come true. We may not always see eye to eye and we don’t have to agree but we have to RESPECT each other. This goes for our homes too moms. Our kids are being raised in a different time then we were where their being told constantly that their opinions matter. Some will disagree but we should show them respect in our homes even if what they are saying will not change your mind, it’s a matter of teaching them to express themselves. Now if your child is outrageous you have to reel that in and determine how much expression you will allow in your home. I know this for a fact, I live with a rebel (Symone), but I also understand that when you don’t feel you are getting your point across or feel disrespected (and yes our children can feel disrespect) it’s frustrating. We teach our children how to interact with others and how others should treat them. They learn their value from us. They learn team work at home first, because the family is their first team.

At the end of the day we all want to be a part of something successful. Sometimes we are able to accomplish those tasks alone, other times we need a team. Realizing that we all have goals, dreams, and desires and respecting those from all people involved will make the team work and the dream a reality.

“People have been known to achieve more as a result of working with others than against them.” -Dr. Alan Fromme