MSI Press Blog

  The following note/post came from Julia Aziz, author of  Lessons of Labor: One Woman's Self-Discovery through Birth , in response to Mother's Day. Every May I think to myself, "I want to send something out for Mother's Day," but there's two reasons I usually don't: (1) In my own home life, this time of year tends to feel like a parenting marathon, without much room for extra writing. And (2) I am sensitive to the reality that many of my readers are grieving on this day, whether that be for their mothers or for children they've lost or didn't have. A simple "Happy Mother's Day" message never feels right. But I gave it more space and decided to send something this year because I think we could all use some deeper acknowledgement. If you're a mom having a hard time staying centered, perhaps without enough room for true self-care,  please see my most recent  blog post with free gifts for moms.  There you'll find links to a recor...

  Mother’s Day didn’t begin as a commercial celebration. It began with one daughter trying to honor the woman who shaped her life. The modern holiday traces back to Anna Jarvis , who founded Mother’s Day in the United States after her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis , died on the second Sunday in May 1905. Ann had spent her life organizing Mothers’ Day Work Clubs to improve health and sanitation and even created Mothers’ Friendship Days after the Civil War to help former Union and Confederate families reconcile. In 1908, Anna held the first formal Mother’s Day service at her mother’s church in Grafton, West Virginia , distributing white carnations — her mother’s favorite flower — as symbols of remembrance. Within a few years, nearly every state observed the day, and in 1914 , President Woodrow Wilson declared Mother’s Day a national holiday. Ironically, Anna Jarvis later fought against the commercialization of the holiday she created, believing it had strayed from its purpose: a quiet...

  Today's tip for parents from two talented teachers comes from  365 Teacher Secrets for Parents  by Cindy McKinley Alder and Patti Trombly.                                                              #121 Holidays   He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.  ~Chinese Proverb   So many children complain about not having anything to write about. The trick is to offer them real reasons to write, and then it will most likely be fun and easy for them to do. Holidays are perfect days to try this. From major holidays like Christmas and Hanukkah to fun ones like April Fool’s Day, special days provide special opportunities for writing. Try the ideas below to get your child writing today for all the fun reasons!   ●       N...

  The following post is shared by Julia Aziz, author of  Lessons of Labor: One Woman's Self-Discovery through Birth , for Mothers' Day:  If you’ve been raising kids through the craziness of this world, you are a hero whether you feel like one or not. To be a mom is to risk your heart, forever unprepared and courageous as you follow a winding path you’ve never navigated before. I don’t want to create more martyrdom in the mother role by waving the hero flag too high though. The standards we expect moms to live up to are inflated enough already!  I love my children fiercely, and I am already feeling all the feels of my oldest leaving home this summer. It doesn’t mean that every day I’m basking in the glow of family though. Like you, I am my own person with my own emotional bandwidth, daily multi-tasking the mundane. Instead of heroism, I’d like to celebrate and elevate our humanity this year. Here are a couple Mother’s Day gifts in this spirit: Read the full post:...