How It’s Done is a continuation of the series by the same name that I began on the Chalkydoodles blog long ago!  Read along as I share about Dallas-area women who own small businesses or juggle careers working from home as they care for their families and children.

Will You Be My Advocate? is my newest blog series, and very close to my heart.  Read about how moms from my neighborhood are coming together to gain support, encouragement and knowledge as they work towards becoming better advocates for their kids with learning differences and special needs.  Plus, read about highlights from training, seminars and other events held in the Dallas area to educate and encourage parents of children with differences.

Looking for more about learning disabilities and special needs?  Follow my new blog, Different Doodles, where I share about my experiences of a mother of two kids who learn and play differently.  And check out www.DifferentDoodles.com for a full list of resources for parents working toward becoming better advocates for their kids. The site is still under constrution (but the blog is working fine!), but we are adding  information daily as well as links to local and national parent education, seminars, books to read, laws to know and much more!

Our family spent a fun and relaxing hour or two with Chelsea during our photo session last month, resulting in some amazing shots and a ton of great memories!  We met up at the Heritage Farmstead in Plano – just off of 15th and Custer.  It was the PERFECT place for a rustic, festive photo shoot (and was less than 15 minutes from our front door!)

Check out our Christmas card and some of our favorite shots from the session:

Interested in booking Chelsea for your next family photo shoot?  If you’re lucky enough to live in the Dallas area, she just may be your new favorite photographer, too.  Check out her website and shoot her an email.  I know she would love to hear from you.

Also, read the blog post I wrote about Chelsea recently on the Dallas Advocate blog as part of my “How It’s Done” series.  Chelsea does a great job of balancing working from home, caring for her sweet family and mentoring local high school girls through Young Life Richardson.

Merry Christmas from the Pollard Family!  Thanks again, Chelsea!

Thanks for sharing, Chelsea!  Merry Christmas, everyone.

Aimee owns and runs Sheahan Communications from home while caring for a sweet family and making a difference in the Dallas community with her work with social-profit organizations like WFAA Santa’s Helpers.  

Read all about Aimee here - but you’d better watch out!  You might get inspired to put on your own elf hat this holiday season!

Read more of my posts from the How It’s Done Series on the Advocate blog here

It’s definitely that time of year again.  Let the festivities begin!

 Here’s the TOP TEN from our countdown for Summer 2011.

#10 - Getting Ice Cream in our pajamas after bedtime!

#9  Free Slurpee Day!

#8 – Visiting an Animal Shelter

#7 – Cat Birthday Party!

#6  Bowling!

 #5 

It was your typical neighborhood women’s group - a mixture of moms from our local elementary school.  Some I know very well, and others I’ve enjoyed getting to know better recently.   While I’ve chatted with these women many-a-time in the school yard during pick-up, during play dates, etc. - what made this gathering so unique, were the new conversations.  While many of our day-to-day interactions center around our kids, families, jobs, schedules, etc. this was the first time I had sat down with any one of these women and discussed our upbringings, our perceptions of race in today’s society, the way our parents and grandparents viewed racial diversity and what they taught us about it. It was a fascinating discourse that lasted well past 1:00 a.m.

While there are varied opinions about The Help, and increasing in vocality this week with The Help movie opening in theaters this past Wednesday, one opinion, I hope is universal.   For the women who have read the book and are willing to open their minds and their ears, the conversations occurring across the country in book clubs, discussion groups and outside movie theaters are all doing one thing:  The Help is drawing women closer together by opening up real discussions about real substance – who we are, where we came from and how these shape who we are raising our children to become.

I recently had the privilege of hearing The Help author Kathryn Stockett speak as part of the Dallas Museum of Art’s Arts & Letters Live series.  After an evening full of laughter (Ms. Stockett is absolutely hysterical) and listening to the author’s experience writing the book, and to other women’s comments and questions about it, my biggest takeaway:  We all want to live in a society where we can thrive and grow simply by being who we are; and where we can have a voice to tell others about it.

Whether our experiences in life have been mostly good or mostly bad, there is something very liberating about sitting with a group of women who are willing to listen, share and honestly look at themselves and think about how they can improve their roles as mothers, sisters and friends.   In my opinion, The Help is, at the very least, causing women to examine their attitudes and behaviors in their own, current worlds – and getting a new topic of conversation started.

We’re all raising our kids in a world full of bullying, name-calling, cliques, exclusion and peer pressure.  The best way to cross-check what we’re teaching our children is to take a good hard look at how we are treating the people around us.  If we can’t demonstrate daily to our kids an attitude of kindness, acceptance and equality, how can we expect them to live that out in their own lives? 

For me, the challenge is clear.  Look at yourself, listen to others and really think about how your current attitudes and perceptions shape the way you live your life and raise your kids.  If you can’t proudly cite your own behavior as an example for your children, then consider what you can do to change it.  Your kids, and our society, will thank you for it.

To see a list of discussion questions on The Help used by our book club, go here.