Strong Single Mom Member Irene with 5-year-old Bella

Irene Coleman, Strong Single Mom Member from Wheaton, IL is in the running to win a LOVEbug from local Chicagoland area dealership Fox Valley Volkswagon.  To win, she needs the support of our SSMN community!

Irene’s mom nominated her for the contest.  Read her entry and vote for Irene by visiting the contest page. (more…)

Being a Single Mother, we are acutely aware of pain that our children might suffer because of events and decisions that they had nothing to do with.  We’re divorced from the father (or chose not to marry him) and we feel guilty that our little ones don’t have a traditional family.  We’re widowed, and we feel angry that our little ones must grow up without Daddy present.  We decided to go it alone from the beginning, and we’re doubtful that we made the right decision.  There are dozens of scenarios that bring us into the Land of Singlemomdom, and dozens of emotions that will play against us. (more…)

Have a Happy and SAFE Halloween! (Image by YAXZONE)

Halloween:  It’s only a few days away, and most kids are already getting sugar highs just from TALKING about the loot they’ll get when they go Trick or Treating!

As fun as this holiday can be, it’s also a time when kids, pets, and even all of us “grown-ups” can get into trouble.  As our kids go Trick or Treating and we head off to adult dress-up parties, it’s a good time to be reminded of important safety tips. Fundamental Martial Arts‘ owner Scott Shephard compiled this fantastic list of Halloween Safety Tips.  Thanks to Scott for sharing this with the Strong Single Mom Network! (more…)

The other night, I had the opportunity to take my youngest daughter out for a little one-on-one togetherness.  As the single mom of two daughters, this isn’t always an easy task to accomplish.  However, my oldest daughter was spending the night at a friend’s house, leaving me and my 8 year old with a little time together. (more…)

Let’s face it.  There are people in our lives that really shouldn’t be there.  They lie to us, cheat on us, take advantage of us, and in general bring us down.  For some reason, we give these people power to effect our view of ourselves.  Why do we do it? (more…)

It’s that time of year, Strong Single Moms!  School registrations.  Shopping for Back To School items.  Getting back into a routine.  All the back to school things we need to do to prepare.

Two of the things that are often overlooked: Preparing our children for their safety and  for medical emergencies. (more…)

Fun Ideas for Strong Single Moms looking for Kid Friendly Fun

We love playing with our children!  But sometimes, the constant quest for something fun to do with our kids can find our bank accounts dwindling faster than we would like.  No matter what your personal finances look like, it’s always nice to find kid-friendly fun without having to break the bank. (more…)

Click here for a Powerful Message to Single Mothers on Father’s Day

All Strong Single Moms play the role of both mother AND father, and as such deserve to be celebrated as well. As a gift, I’d like to share this amazing video with you. These are two powerful and successful men (Les Brown and Paul Martinelli) who are agents of change in our world today. They were both raised by single moms, and the message they share with us on this video is powerful. (more…)

Every summer, the kids and I look forward to spending time playing together.  Some years, we head off to destination spots (Disneyland and Sea World are the favorites!)

Other summers, we’ve had a blast playing in our own “backyard” so to speak.  Whether it was a day at a big Water Park, or a low-key weekend in the mountain town of Flagstaff, we’re content just being together and doing something out of the norm. (more…)

Single Moms.  We’re a group of women that truly defines “Doing it all, having it all.”  All the responsibilites, all the financial decisions, all the duties that go along with running a successful household.  We’re Mom AND Dad, all rolled into one.  Our challenges are unique, and all fall under one of three categories: (more…)