SuperMOMs Unite!

*Being a mother is learning about strengths you didn’t know you had.*

Welcome to the Nineteenth Issue of The Super MOMs 24/7 Club Newsletter!

Great Day, SuperMOMs!

It’s Thursday, March 13, 2025, and in this week’s edition of The SuperMOMs 24/7 Club Newsletter, I welcome you all to the SuperMOMs 24/7 Universe!

The job of this Newsletter is to Help other moms become/realize that they are the SuperMOMS they were meant to be.

First time reading? Join MOMs from all over the world reading these words too.

Please don’t keep us a secret: Share this email with friends (copy URL here).

🌟Here we will share 2 Super Ideas, 4 Super Quotes, and 7 Super Questions for you to ponder until you receive your next issue!🌟

In addition, there is a bonus section of a SuperMOM short story!

A new addition is a short survey to make this newsletter even better!

Please share this with other SuperMOMs because the more moms that gather the more knowledge gets shared, the stronger we all become!

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2 🌟 Super Ideas of the Week

1. Mom Role Model Storytime 📖 – Read a book or tell your kids about an inspiring woman from history who made an impact. (Consider Jenny’s Journeys: Celebrating Life One Step at a Time)

2. Supermom Self-Love Letter 💌 – Write a letter to yourself recognizing your strengths and hard work as a mother.

• “Here’s to strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.” – Unknown

• "You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them." – Maya Angelou.

• “A mother’s arms are made of tenderness, and children sleep soundly in them.” – Victor Hugo

• “Being a mother is learning about strengths you didn’t know you had.” – Linda Wooten

1. Who is a woman from history you admire and why?

2. What’s the best advice another mom has given you?

3. How do you teach your kids about strong female role models?

4. What’s one strength you’ve discovered in yourself as a mom?

5. What’s a challenge you’ve overcome in motherhood?

6. How do you celebrate your achievements, big or small?

7. What’s a skill you’d love to pass on to your children?

^{This week’s Bonus Short Story is being shared by a SuperMOM with MS - Kathy Reagan Young, FUMS Newsletter Creator}

The Importance of No,

The Importance of Now…

Copied with permission from Kathy Reagan Young Newsletter/ www.FUMSnow.com

No. 

No. Seems like a pretty innocuous word, right?

No. Just two little letters.

One syllable.

A consonant and a vowel.

Easy peasy.

So why is it so difficult to say?

Because we are conditioned (particularly as a woman) to say yes, to agree, to take on whatever needs to be taken on. To fix things. To handle it ALL. Ugh. Exhausting.

Especially if you have a chronic condition like, oh say, Multiple Sclerosis. Saying yes is oftentimes actually saying no – to YOU. Saying yes to doing something or going somewhere can mean stress or stretching your energy reserves beyond capacity. And that can sideline you from something else you’d like to do  – or even for everyday activities. I have landed myself in bed for days on end by pushing myself too hard. And that can mean something as seemingly innocent as staying just a little bit longer at the party or at the class picnic or whatever. We have to be really careful with our reserves and protect ourselves with fierce determination – that we would certainly use to protect the people we love. So why don’t we do that for ourselves? We need to find that same love that we can so easily conjure for others – for ourselves. I’ve found that once I explained to friends and family how MS works in terms of stress and fatigue, they not only accepted “no” much easier, but they anticipate now and actually alter their scheduling to accommodate my fluctuating energy levels. I recognize that I may be in the minority in that way, but it’s my good fortune and I’m grateful for it.

Say, Mean It, Stick To It (with a little wiggle room)

But there is a part that we play in this as well: we have to say no and mean it. We must get better at predicting our bodies response. I know, I know – MS is so damned unpredictable, you can’t plan on anything. That’s true – but you probably have some history and experience that can inform your decisions. By that I mean, you know that if you haven’t gotten enough rest today, going out tonight probably isn’t going to end well for you. Or, if you know that you’ll be stressed about your daughter being in a pageant and singing a killer Aretha Franklin rendition of “Natural Woman”, you shouldn’t schedule a party at your house for afterward. We’re not always able to help ourselves from making stupid choices, though, and we also have to gift ourselves with some grace, some understanding, some forgiveness, and know that when we do stupid things like that, we’ll be paying for it, and then make the determination of whether or not that’s worth it to us. And so – the pageant is tonight with the party immediately following. 😉  I haven’t scheduled anything for the rest of the weekend in anticipation that I’ll be worn out and not feeling too good but – come on – it’s my daughter’s big night. #FUMS

You Have to Live a Little, Too

That leads me to the other half of this article’s title – and the flip side of saying NO – recognizing the opportunity and fleeting gift of NOW. While it’s super important to be smart, take care of ourselves and our health and our energy, what quality of life is there if you only say no, if you’re only “careful,” if you only obsess over guarding your health? It’s a delicate balance – but once and a while (or more often) – choose to risk the “unbalance” of choosing life – choosing entertainment – choosing fun – choosing NOW. It may well be a trade-off – pain, cog fog, fatigue, all kinds of potential issues in the future – for a little bit of fun, excitement, LIFE –  right fucking NOW!!

Let’s vow to protect ourselves and our health so that we can enjoy life more fully and more often, longer. Let’s learn to say NO, learn to value ourselves and our health so that we are able to be around and aware in the long run. But let’s not lose sight of the opportunities that may never come around again – like tonight’s sunset (it will never happen again) – and let’s say yes to LIFE, love and the pursuit of happiness – and let’s say yes to NOW.

Returning to “I don’t have diabetes, just MS, Right?” in the next newsletter…

Book of the Week