My heart aches for a women I only know through Twitter. Someone who sent me a few tweets about shopping at the Commissary. Someone who is a loving mother, a fellow blogger. Someone who lost her young son. Someone who is now being bashed on Twitter by people who have no dignity or or kindness in their hearts. There is a newspaper article defending Shellie aka Military_Mom but it provides the name of one of the people who are profiting from traffic to their blogs over this horrible incident so I won’t share it. Instead of bashing or doubting, pray, send love and good thoughts to Shellie and her family over the tragic loss of Bryan Ross.

Self-Esteem is a highly charged phrase. Even more so when it comes to tween and teen girls. The Dove Self-Esteem Project is working to help raise girls’ self image through advertising, online tools, reports, and workshops with the Girls and Boys Club of America, Girls Inc. and the Girl Scouts of the USA. There are opportunities worldwide also.

My struggle with self-esteem – I grew up being very thin which may seem to be something that girls and women strive for, but I was underweight at a time when being thin wasn’t the rage. Even so, children and adults can be hurtful. I was picked on for the way that I looked. I remember crying and praying that I would be able to gain weight. I struggled with my body image for years. When I finally began to put on weight as an adult (during pregnancy) I thought I looked terrible even though that was what I wanted. This continues today. I don’t see myself as others see me.

I learned not to say out loud what I felt about myself when my older daughter was old enough to understand me because I heard her say that she was “fat”. I realized how much children learn from their mothers. I work hard at boosting my daughter’s self-esteem by educating myself and teaching them about how unique and wonderful they are every day. http://bit.ly/6XnVoW

Dove’s Real Girls, Real Pressure: A National Report on the State of Self-Esteem -

• Seven in ten girls believe they are not good enough or do not measure up in some way, including their looks, performance in school and relationships with friends and family members
• 62% of all girls feel insecure or not sure of themselves
• 57% of all girls have a mother who criticizes her own looks
• More than half (57%) of all girls say they don’t always tell their parents certain things about them because they don’t want them to think badly of them
• The top wish among all girls is for their parents to communicate better with them which includes more frequent and more open conversations as well as discussions about what is happening in their own lives

Dove UPC Charity Donation:

Enter a UPC code online from any Dove product to help fund the workshops in the US. Please hurry! This ends December 15.

Workshop Video:

Here’s a look at what goes on at a workshop funded by Dove

Giveaway: Win 2 True You Workbooks, a plush terrycloth spa robe and two Dove products.

The Rules:
1. Contest starts now and ends Dec. 9th at midnight EST.
2. Open to adults 18 and over in the US.
3. Winner will be chosen by Random.org.
4. Winner has 2 days to claim prize.
5. Have fun and tell your friends.

How To Enter:
For One Entry For Each Below: (please leave a separate comment for each entry)

1. Leave a comment about how you deal with a self-esteem issue.
2. Leave a comment about what you do to help your child or a young person with their self-esteem
3. Become a fan of Dove on Facebook.
4. Leave a comment about what online tool you like the best and why.
5. Follow my blog on Facebook. (Please leave your Facebook ID)
6. Become a fan of my blog on Facebook. (Please leave your Facebook ID)
7. Follow me on Twitter. (Please leave your Twitter ID)
8. Tweet this exactly:

Win A Dove Self-Esteem Gift Pack @ConnieFoggles http://bit.ly/6XnVoW PL RT

This post was not compensated.

*Giveaway Ended. Winner Announced.*

A week away on the Big Island of Hawaii courtesy of a Twitter contest held by Marriott – a once in a lifetime dream, instead a week of learning life lessons and the meaning of No Worries, my quick recap:

1. I won a 6 day, 5 night vacation to Hawaii for two from Marriott via Twitter (@marritthawaii).
2. I chose to take my 10 year old daughter and my mother with my husband and me and add an extra day.
3. My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer on October 16th. The trip was seen as a blessing for her to relax and enjoy herself before surgery and treatments.
4. During our flights (4 in total) to reach Kona on the Big Island, my mom started to feel sick to her stomach. We thought it was because of traveling so long.
5. When we arrived at our hotel, we got her to bed with some medicine for her stomach and to rest. By the next morning, it was apparent that we needed to get her to the hospital right away. She and I went via ambulance.
6. At the ER, she was tested for everything, including blood clots, infections, etc. All tests came back fine and she was released with the diagnosis of “confusion” due to travel and jet lag.
7. She remained pretty sick most of the week and spent only part of one day in the lobby, out to Walmart (yes, even sick and in Hawaii, you can’t keep my mom away from shopping!) and a short visit to the hotel restaurant where she ate practically nothing.

There’s a saying in Hawaii, No Worries. Instead of saying, no problem or it’s alright, when you apologize or say that you are sorry about something, that’s the reply you’ll get. No worries became my life lesson on my vacation. I was so anxious about my mother, about not taking my USB cable for my camera, about losing my photos (yup, they’re still gone), about Shawn getting stung by a bee (he’s highly allergic and the Paramedics had to come for him too the same time I was at the hospital with my mom), about not working, about how and when we’d get home because of my mother being sick, about life in general, that I almost missed out on having a good time.

This photo below is a close up view from our hotel room:

Instead when I felt that nudge of concern coming over me I remembered, No Worries. When my brain felt like it would explode, I chanted, No Worries. In Hawaii, No Worries and now at home, No Worries. It’s more important about being there in time, in place, with those you love, with those you want to be around, than to spend time being nervous. It’s more peaceful when you believe in No Worries whether you’re in peaceful Hawaii, or in the middle of a busy emergency room.

The phrase Dona Nobis Pacem means Grant us peace in Latin. Today is the annual Blog Blast for Peace run by the wonderful, kind and loving Mimi. She does this only for bloggers to share what “peace” means to them and to extend peace to everyone in the blogoshpere.

It’s a huge goal, but one that we who join her try to accomplish each year. Spreading peace is more important as our crime rates soar, as hate crimes increase, as today at Fort Hood, the unimaginable happened, as we talk about our President in terms of race instead of terms of policy, as we belittle other bloggers….

We also know of those who teach understanding and acceptance, who share hugs instead of fists, who go above and beyond to those in need, who mediate instead of argue. Let’s celebrate them today.

My life has been turned upside down in this last month with the diagnosis of cancer for my mother. I have received emails, tweets, phone calls and messages of support and love. Each one means the world to me. I remember growing up and giving the “sign of peace” at church (a handshake). Every small gesture that someone has done for me is truly a sign of peace.  If we would all go out of our way for someone else, peace will continue to be a part of our world. Let’s make it the part that is more powerful that hate and indifference.

Dona Nobis Pacem!