DWP Has Moved :)

Hi Divas! I hope you're having a fantastic weekend!

This weekend I've done some enhancements and changes to the blog. One important change that will impact you is moving the hosting of Divas With A Purpose from Blogger to WordPress.

I know quite a few of you enjoy my daily posts via email and I'd love for you to continue to get our updates on a regular basis. Please visit the site and sign up to follow by email to continue supporting us.  The web address is still the same www.divaswithapurpose.com - it just takes you to the updated blog.

Thank you so much! I've got some great things planned for February as we celebrate self-love! What are you waiting for? I don't want you to miss a thing :)

Celebrating....YOU!

I can honestly say ... I love me some me!

I'm not being self-centered or cocky...I'm being real.

There was a time that I couldn't say that. I let the words and actions of others impact what I saw in the mirror.

I know I'm not alone.

February is typically a month to celebrate love - couples, Valentine's Day, chocolate, hearts, all that jazz plus some.

This February I would like for us all to celebrate the wonderful diva that you see in the mirror each day.

You've noticed this year I'm focused on specific actions. It's easy to make plans and have goals - but without a plan of action and accountability it's easy to get lost in the shuffle, lose focus and get let those goals slip by.

This year, I'm excited to be a Love Ambassador! Throughout the year, I'll be highlighting different projects, events and articles that promote self-love. Let's be honest, divas - if we can't truly love and accept ourselves, then we can't fully love and accept others.

I'm looking forward to some great guest posts and activities here on the blog as we celebrate YOU and the love and appreciation we should have for ourselves.

If you're in the Columbia, SC area be on the look out for a special event later this month - feel free to reach out to me for specific details and to be added to the email distribution list for local events and activities.

How do you celebrate you?

January 2013 Recap

Hard to believe it's already the end of January!

Many started off the month with goals and resolutions - a renewed resolve to do more and be more. Where are we now? Are you still focused and energized? I truly hope so.  Did you slack off some? Get a little discouraged or face disappointments? I know I did and have - but use those moments to keep pressing forward and motivation to succeed.

January has been quite busy and fulfilling:

We kicked off 2013 introducing The Divatude Challenge - an opportunity to connect with one another, learn from one another and grow together throughout 2013.  I'm still taking volunteers in this challenge, if you'd like additional information, please fill out the form found here.

We met, Britney - the first participant in our challenge and a graduate with a purpose whose goals this year are to be accepted in pharmacy school, have a healthier lifestyle and to create a budget and focus on savings. Can't wait for our April check-in to share how she's coming along with her goals!

Many thanks to the divas who shared their divatude with us this past month:

~ Kita - editor of Kokoa Magazine

~ Joyce Brewer - author of Use What You Know: A Business Guide for Moms

~ Shannon Peterson - author of Love's Memory 

January was Human Trafficking Awareness Month and I shared The End Trafficking Project - the US Fund for UNICEF's efforts to raise awareness and mobilize communities to help protect our children.

Did the events at Sandybrook Elementary inspire you to participate in the #26Acts of Kindness movement? One reader chimed in on that she "love[d] the 26 Acts of kindness idea, but [she] want[ed] to strive to promote kindness on a daily basis, too". A sentiment I've heard express numerous times while bringing attention to #26Acts and one I definitely agree with.  However, not everyone feels that way or has that pressing desire to go above and beyond for others.  It's events and movements like this that may be the catalyst for change in their lives and thought process.

The tributes to Grace McDonnell and Jessica Rekos were not to bring anyone down but to remember these young lives and remind us to treasure the moments with the young people in our lives. 

Are you on Google+? If so, I'd love if you'd connect with the DWP community - another forum to inspire, motivate and support one another.

Have a fantastic evening, Divas! 

Looking forward to the wonderful things in store for February!

Blessings to you all!

~Michelle

#26Acts ... Remembering Jessica

"Jessica was our first born. 

She started our family, and she was our rock...

We called her our little CEO for the way she carefully thought out and planned everything. We can not imagine our life without her. We are mourning her loss, sharing our beautiful memories we have of her"

 ~ taken from statement from Jessica Rekos' family

Courtesy of MSNBC.com

Six year old Jessica loved horses.  She spent her free time reading about, writing about and drawing horses.  Big sister to two little brothers. Oldest daughter to two loving parents. Taken from those who loved her way too soon in a crime that we may never be able to comprehend.


Reading the stories of Jessica that have been shared by those who knew her best, she reminds me so much of my little ones. Precocious, outspoken, lively and full of love.  I can't even begin to imagine the void left in her family.

This dedication to her was extremely hard to write.  Today was one of those days that just seemed to start off wrong and went downhill from there.  My kids seemed to all plot together ways to push Mommy further over the edge...and I snapped. Shut the house down. Bed time came immediately when yet another fight amongst my two boys broke out. I needed complete and utter silence to just be with my thoughts and emotions.

Then I realized that I had this dedication post to do...and now I welcome the noise and fights and calls for me to intervene.
 

"I always felt lucky to be your mom." 

~ Krista Rekos at Jessica's memorial service

In honor of Jessica's life , I encourage you to share with your children how they've made your life better and share with them why you're glad they're a part of your life.  Remember and reflect on those reasons the next time you're ready to pull your hair out and put yourself in timeout.

This post is brought to you as part of my involvement with The Global Team of 200 - a highly specialized group of Mom Bloggers for Social Good members who focus on maternal health, children, hunger, and women and girls. Many of us have committed to keeping the awareness on the #26Acts of Kindness and the victims of the Newtown tragedy. If you're a blogger and have written a post on either (or both), we'd love for you to link up with us below.  

Focus on Divatude - Week 3

When you begin holding yourself accountable (especially in a public forum) it makes you really evaluate what you do and how your actions impact your goals - both long and short-term.  My intent with these weekly check-ins is to keep my goals front and center within my daily tasks and encourage and motivate myself and others along the way.

What was my driving force this week?
Another busy week of rushing, zipping and zooming. My lack of energy has become somewhat of an issue and I need to focus more on my diet and exercise.  By Friday evening, my kids were literally running circles around me as I tried not to crash out on the couch by 7 PM.  I wasn't too successful.

This week my personal focus was finalizing the plans for my community-based sorority's networking event and celebrating five years of work and sisterhood.  Look for an interview and recap of that event in the coming weeks!

What/who inspired me? Who did I inspire?My daughter basically says one word "Mama".  It's the first word I hear each morning as her "Good Morning".  She says it as she reaches for me to pick her up.  She says it when she's frustrated and needs me to come to her rescue.  It's a humbling reminder of the role I play in my children's lives as their protector, nurturer, and care-taker.

Did I walk in victory?
Sigh! This question right here! It's a doozy. My faith and personal beliefs play a huge role in my life.  To me walking in victory means that I keep my head up and a positive attitude throughout the storms I may encounter in my daily walk. I don 't know about y'all but that is HARD to do sometimes.  There are times when it seems the more I focus on the positive, the more negativity is thrown at me.  My goal is to continue to encourage myself and others by focusing on the blessings I have.  When I think of how others are suffering and grieving, the "problems" I may have don't seem that bad.

What specifically did I do that impacted my goals for 2013? What did I do to help someone else?
Honestly, overall, this was not a good week for me when I reflect on what I did to impact my goals for this year.  I did well with my spending (or lack of spending) but still need to finalize a budget. I have tested a few apps on my phone to track my spending and balance my accounts and came to the conclusion that I'm an old-fashioned diva when it comes to my finances - I prefer to right out my daily expenditures and budget in a ledger book.  I do, however, track my debt balances with an Excel spreadsheet. There's something about seeing that figure auto-calculate that brings out my inner-nerd :)

What aspects of DIVATUDE did you focus on this week?