Righteous Mom # 2 -- Chicha

Another in the "Don't mess with a brooding mother" strain. She is Pacha's constant, affectionate, compulsive wife, mother of his two kids, keeper of his idyllic moutain home. But even with number three on the way, she manages to give the usurping empress what for. You go girl!

Righteous Moms in Kids' Movies

In the run-up to Mother's Day, I am creating my dream line-up of kid or kid-friendly movies (made-for-tv ok) where the moms are not dead (e.g., "Hannah Montana", "Jump In," "Little Mermaid", "The Rescuers"), otherwise absent, (e.g. "Chronicles of Narnia,") self-absorbed/ overwhelmed to the point of incompetence (e.g. "Zach and Cody," "The Spiderwick Chronicles") or horrid, (e.g. animated "Cinderella", Brandi "Cinderella"). Step-moms and grandmas will be considered case-by-case. Non-human moms ok. Movies must be watchable. By grown-ups. Extra credit if mom is married to dad.

Seriously, I can only think of one -- Molly Weasley from "Harry Potter." She scrimps, she putters, she worries, she scolds. But when necessary, she shows that she is not just the washerwoman to the resistance, she is its conscience and its kick-*ss warrior. A big "You go girl" to Molly Weasley, and to J.K. Rowling, who knows a little something about parenting in harsh circumstances, for writing her.

Daily "coffee bean"

Daily affirmation from my stepmother:
Leadership experts have made a discovery about the relationship between GROWTH AND LEADERSHIP. Leaders have the capacity to develop and improve their skills through feedback. This capacity is what distinguishes leaders from followers. If you take leadership in this vain, then all of us are leaders if we have the courage to learn from our mistakes. All too often, when our mistakes are pointed out to us, we become:
defensive;
insecure;
angry; and
passive aggressive.
The characteristics defined above are the characteristics of winners or leaders. Each day you will have the OPPORTUNITY to learn from a mistake. Embrace the lesson and you will find that your life will take on a different trajectory—a trajectory toward SUCCESS! Have the COURAGE AND CAPACITY to learn from your mistakes today!