I follow all the blogs I come across with people that have a MS. I like to see how they deal with it what’s going on with them, what medicine they take, etc. I like to read how they deal with the obstacles of having MS and balancing life. One of my personal favorites is Jen from http://Www.trippingthroughtreacle.wordpress.com. Jen’s blog is uplifting and inspiring despite her illness.  Jen has had MS for over 20 years. For me especially at 19 years with the disease, she is truly an MS Warrior. When I was tagged in her post about “Rocking Motherhood”, I was honored. Thank you Jen for the mention.  I have to be honest, my blog should really be award free. It’s very difficult for me to write the format of these awards. I speak most my text because my hands can’t write well. However because this is Jen, I’m going to do it.

So my top 10 of why I’m a rocking mom:

1. I’ve had MS the entire time I’ve been a mom and it never mattered.  I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1998. I was on birth control and the doctor made me discontinue use for fear of a stroke. I never restarted the pill and the next thing I knew, I was pregnant. I was basically a year and a half diagnosed and I had a little baby. Nothing stop me. I did everything I could possibly do as a mom for my little girl.
2. I celebrate my daughter’s birthday every year with a gift bag. Every year since my daughter was maybe four, the night before her birthday I would put a gift bag with balloons in her room for her to wake up to.  The gifts in the bag were usually dollar store items, sometimes they’re were bigger gifts in there, it all depends on the birthday year. To this day, it’s still one of her favorite things I do. However every year she asked me if I’m going to do it, and every year I say to her “I don’t know what you’re talking about I’ve never done that”. What I love the best is the innocence because she still always wonders where the hell I hide the balloons.
3. Ive taught her not to give up.   I’ve been divorced for over 10 years now. It’s been just my daughter and myself. When it comes to my multiple sclerosis, she seen it all. She’s also seeing me get up every single morning to workout. Regardless how I feel.  She seen me in my last year working, coming home crying from the exhaustion and still getting up the next day to go again. She seen  me fighting and never give up. Hopefully, i taught her the same.
4. I taught her it’s ok to have a disability.   Besides me having multiple sclerosis, my daughter has Cochlear implants. She was born with a progress hearing loss and became profoundly deaf at the age of three. She has overcome many obstacles in her own life. We have gone through many trials and tribulations on her own.  However as she’s grown up she had to learn to not hate she was born this way. I taught her and what I believe she’s really learned is it OK to have a disability, and you could succeed even with that disability. Now she is graduating high school and the issue of being deaf with a cochlear implant isn’t even a second thought.
5. I let her know she is loved everyday.  I tell my daughter I love her all the time. I don’t know if there’s ever been a day that those words haven’t been said. I’m a single mom and it’s been just us for a long time. My daughter is my world, the sun in my sky and she knows it.
6. I’m honest.  this is probably one of my best traits, I’m very honest. And I’m honest with her. Just because I have a disability or she has disability doesn’t make me not tell the truth. If she does something I’ll be the first to own up to her mistake as well as own up to my own.  I don’t put mommy blinders on and say “oh no not my child”. When something was wrong in her life and she’s telling me a story, I’m honest with her and tell her she’s wrong.  I don’t just tell her what she wants to hear.
7. I am open.  My daughter can tell me anything without judgment. Or at least I hope without my judgment. We talk about sex or drugs and she tells me. I tell her. I think this openness has added to the relationship and helped her become a good responsible teenager out of trouble.
8. I am funny.  This is actually a reason from daughter. I make her laugh. I always put a smile on her face. I’m goofy, silly and even slightly moronic. I’m not  afraid to make a fool out of myself. I love to laugh and I love to make her laugh.
9. Love of dogs.  I can’t say all animals here although I love them all, but she definitely has learned to love dogs. She can’t wait to get older and have a lot of dogs of her own. I tried to get her to go and become a veterinarian, it didn’t work but she still has been enriched with the understanding and unrequited love an animal..
10. I’ve always tried to keep her happy, safe, secure and loved.    I came from a divorced home, and I’m unfortunately so did my daughter. I always just want to create for her a home where she was happy, that she felt safe, that she felt secure, and that she always knew she was loved.  If you ask her, I think she would say that’s something that I try very hard at every day and for that I would say I succeeded.

I’d like to nominate the following bloggers to share their own Rocking Motherhood top 10

• A Thomas Point of View http://Www.athomaspointofview.com
• Erica at Achy Smile http://Www.achysmile.com
• mummy2boys http://Www.yummymummy2boys.wordpress.com

Rules
1) Thank the blogger that tagged you and link to their blog.
2) List 10 things you believe make you a good mother (this is just a guideline. It can be more or less than 10. I     really don’t mind.)
3)  Tag 3 – 5 bloggers to join in the #RockingMotherhood Tag.
4)  Grab the #RockingMotherhood badge and add it to your post or sidebar

I thank Jen for the nomination and 3 hours later, I’m done with this post. Sigh…this is my MS