Macy's Heart of Haiti Mother's Day Campaign

This Mother's Day, I'm working with Clever Girls in support of Macy's Heart of Haiti to shine a light on the "trade, not aid" program, which provides sustainable income to Haitian artisans struggling to rebuild their lives and support their families after the 2010 earthquake.  For more information about this fabulous campaign, scroll to the bottom of my post.

In honor of the Heart of Haiti campaign and Mother's Day, allow me to share what is truly near and dear to my heart.

You know me as "One Tough Mother".  That name didn't come out of thin air, I didn't choose it because it sounds clever, nor did it just happen.  I chose the name of my blog because of how truly tough it is to be a mother...but it is so worth it, and so rewarding.

I started this blog almost a year ago, in the midst of some personal drama that has finally (and hopefully permanently) moved on.  You can read a bit about what we've been dealing with as a family here.  When deciding on the name of my blog, I thought long and hard about its purpose for me.  Why was I starting a blog?  What purpose did it serve?

This blog was formed as a source of therapy for me.  I adore my daughter Marley, and we cherish our time together, spending it crafting, creating, scrapbooking, and creating memories.  This is where all of that is shared with you.  Life is tough, but being a mother is by far one of the toughest jobs in the world, so it's so important to me that I make time to be with Marley, and remember what my toughest job is.  She reminds me why I do what I do....  Why I wake up each morning...  Why I fight the tough fights, and never back down.  I know she looks up to me, and admires me, so I have to hold myself accountable to be the kind of person I want her to be when she grows up.

How am I doing so far?  Well, let's hope no one is grading a test for this "mom" thing.  It's a lot tougher than I ever imagined.  But the rewards?  Oh, the sweet rewards!!!  Those sweet kisses every single day - you know, the big fat ones where she squishes her face up and plants one right on the lips.  

I live for those moments when she forgets people are watching and just acts completely silly, just because she knows I could use a laugh.

I love tucking her in at night, talking about our day, saying our prayers together...  Then later, after she's fallen asleep, I come in to kiss her sweet face and she looks like an angel.

This job as "mom" is super tough, but it is incredibly amazing and rewarding, and definitely not something I take for granted.  I can only hope and pray that everyone would be so blessed as to have this job, and that everyone takes it seriously.  Especially as mothers of daughters...we are raising future tough moms!

Thank you to Macy's Heart of Haiti for sponsoring my participation in this “Share Your Heart" promotion. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective.  All opinions expressed here are my own.

More info on the Heart of Haiti Campaign

What is Macy’s Heart of Haiti? Heart of Haiti is a “Trade, Not Aid” initiative launched by artist and social entrepreneur, Willa Shalit, The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund and Macy’s. Already, Heart of Haiti has led to employment of 750 artists in Haiti, providing financial benefits for an estimated 8,500 people in the country.

Each item is a one-of-a-kind design and handmade by a Haitian master artisan from raw materials such as recycled oil drums, wrought iron, papier-mâché and stone. The collection features more than 40 home decor items including quilts, metalwork, ceramics, jewelry and paintings and is made almost entirely from recycled and sustainable items such as old cement bags, cardboard, oil drums and local gommier wood. 

Heart of Haiti products are available online at Macy’s.com.