Mompreneurs - a New Breed of Business-Owners!

"How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these." ~George Washington Carver

As a mother of three it was always a challenge to balance raising them and earning a living to provide for them! I did so many different things, waited on tables, cleaned offices, home health care, things I could do while they were with their dad so I could be a stay at home mom. Then the time came when they were all in school full time and I was able to go back to the corporate world. I became the Director of Marketing for a graphics company in NYC as was able to somewhat work my schedule around the kids. We would walk to the bus-stop together in the morning and then I would continue my walk to the train station and commute into the city. Wednesday and Thursday afternoons I left at 3 so I could pick the kids up at the after-school program - the other days their dad had them so I could stay at the office and work late. The balancing act was working fairly well and I was earning an excellent living instead of just getting by.

Well - the day came that my daughter got sick at school and they called me at work. I went into the bosses office and told him what was going on and that I would have to wrap things up here so I could go and get her. Now, when I took the job it was with the understanding that on the rare occasion that one of the kids was ill - or became ill at school - I would work from home. This was the first time this happened in the six months I had been working there and my boss told me that he was paying me X amount of money and that I couldn't leave. It took me all of about three seconds to tell him what he could do with my paycheck and gave him two-weeks notice. It was the first time as a mom that one of my kids was sick and someone else had to pick them up for me. Well - my kids are now 21, 20 and 17 and it was the last time that ever happened!

Becoming a Mompreneur was a choice that I made when my youngest was 6 and I have never looked back. Mompreneurs are the group of women who run a business and raise children with the children always coming first. My Three Wise Girls co-hosts can attest to this the day we had our power call scheduled and my daughter, who is now seventeen, got sick! Mom had to take her to the doctor and I had to bow out of the call to be with her. Thankfully my kids didn't get sick too often, but when they did, appointments were changed, networking events were missed and the home office was put to great use.

All of us out there that have found ways to be at our kids ball-games, or dance recitals or class trip while working on growing our businesses have created a workforce where we don't have to sacrifice time with our children to become successful. We invite all you Mompreneurs out there to share your stories with the Three Wise Girls Thursday March 4th from 12-1pm EST on http://www.blogtalkradio.com/threewisegirls or email us at threewisegirls@gmail.com.

Life Is Funny ... Isn't It?!

The age-old advice, “Take life seriously, but don’t take yourself seriously,” offers words to live by … if you’d like to keep your sanity. Or if you’re like me, you believe sanity is seriously overrated.

Either way, there’s little in our world that can’t get you a good laugh, if you look at it the right way. Ask any professional comedian. That’s exactly what we’re doing on our next show. The Three Wise Girls base our premise on the idea that we’re “wise.” Take that whatever way you wish—as in “wisdom,” or “wise … you-know-what’s.” On any given day, the term may embrace either definition, or both.

We’ve invited professional funny people to join us on our weekly conversation to find out how they see the world. Almost any topic is fair game—from marriage to Muppets, Elvis to education, political correctness to women’s rights to, yes I’m serious, men’s rights. We’re offering a panel of “Subject Matter Experts” and hope you’ll call and ask exactly what they think. Be careful, though, they may tell you.

Currently scheduled … more folks may be added:

“BIG DADDY” JEFF WAYNE: Born and raised in the Northern most portion of the Bluegrass state, Jeff came from a poor but stupid family. When he was 14 he was bitten by the showbiz bug, and as soon as he was able moved as far west as he could without drowning. "Big Daddy" became a headliner on the comedy circuit and did all the cable television shows (HBO, Showtime, A&E, MTV, etc.). In the world of stand-up comedy, as a comedian, writer, and booker of several Los Angeles clubs, Wayne worked in varying capacities with Judd Apatow, Jim Carrey, Roseanne, Sam Kinison and hundreds of others…. Jeff is likely to say anything. Seriously.
http://www.jeffwayne.com

NICK ARANDES: Nick was born and raised on the beautiful island of Puerto Rico. At the age of 21, he moved to Miami, Florida, hoping to improve his English. A year later, he realized that all he had improved was his Spanish. With an inherent proclivity for music and a natural flair for making people laugh, Nick went to a comedy open mic in Miami, Florida after friends suggested he try comedy. It wasn't long before Nick found himself sharing the stage with a wide variety of nationally renowned performers such as multi-platinum recording artist Patti Labelle, comedians Chris Rock, Drew Carey and Jamie Fox. He even moved to California when 20th Century Fox placed him on a holding deal for a television sitcom…. Nick does have a serious, spiritual side, saying, "My purpose in life is to bring joy, happiness, and encouragement to every person I come into contact with….”
http://www.theradicalkid.com

LESLIE FLOWERS: Leslie says, “Our intuition is stronger than all the second-guessing borne out of limiting beliefs of our own ... and of others. If we listen closely, we each can hear our own truth about everything.... I remember the impossibility of not laughing, particularly when we were instructed as children not to laugh...." Leslie is a Life Coach who uses humor to get her point across. Her words about the “impossibility of not laughing” bring this topic full-circle.
http://leslieflowers.lifesuccessconsultants.com

Join us on our next show and tell us what’s so funny in YOUR world. Find out if our “panel” can help you see the lighter side of life!

In Self-Defense

If you're looking for trouble
You came to the right place
If you're looking for trouble
Just look right in my face

Elvis Presley

Every evening, it's the same old story on our local news station.

We are always hearing about people being abducted while getting into their car. Sadly, most are found later in a different location, some raped, most dead. The lucky ones are the ones that live through it.

We hear about people being robbed while retrieving money at an outside ATM machine.

We hear about someone being kidnapped, and later killed by an ex-spouse.

We hear about the young woman who awakes in the early morning hours to find someone standing over them, saying "don't scream or I'll kill you."

And remarkably, we all think that this only happens to other people.

According to the latest crime statistics at http://www.nationmaster.com/cat/cri-crime and http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm :

In 2008 there were 78,833 rapes reported in the nation.

75%-85% of rapes are committed without using a weapon.

68%-72% of attacks on women are committed by someone they know.

Over 50% of rapes or sexual assaults are not reported to police.

Of those rapes only 40.4% were cleared by arrest or exceptional means.

11.7% of clearance by arrest or exceptional means were under age of 18.

Unfortunately, I don't believe that there are any statistics pointing to all those who were victims, and who didn't think it could happen to them.

And, I don't think that for most, when doing a "things to do" list, taking a self-defense class is high on the list, if at all. And yet, it could be the most important thing that any of us do. Do you have it on your "to do" list? Excuse the pun ... but it couldn't hurt.

Join us on Thursday, February 18th at noon EST at www.blogtalkradio.com/threewisegirls, as we talk with Deva and Scott Hoffman, two leaders in self-defense training. Deva will be sharing her true-life experience with an attacker. Scott will share some of his experiences as a police officer for the last 22 years. The Hoffman's have vast experience in self-defense training and travel to group functions, as well as to large corporations, around the United States. Their website is http://www.nselfdefense.com/ in at 1-347-994-3835 and join in the conversation.

Valentine's Day - the In's and Out's of it all!

"Age does not protect you from love. But love, to some extent, protects you from age." (Anais Nin)

Well - February 14th 2010 is just around the corner - we here on the Three Wise Girls show want to share the ups and downs of the day. Do you have a wonderfully romantic story to share - or are you Valentine memories filled with funny traditions - or do you just go to bed on the 13th and come back out on the 15th!?!? Are you a retailer with unique gifts for lovers, or the florist busy making up those bouquets? Whatever your tradition we want to hear all about it as we share the things we've learned about Valentine's Day and its history.

Mid February became the month for romance back in the pagan days with the holiday Lupricalia - named after Lupa who suckled Romulus and Remus and Faunis - the God of Fertility. The festival would begin with ritual sacrifices and then the young women would be slapped with the skins of the sacrificed animals to bestow fertility on them. How's that for a way to get you in the mood!?!?!

Cupid wasn't always Cupid - he was Eros - the Greek God that was so handsome that God's and Humans would go weak in the knees in his presence. He had 2 sets of arrows - gold for love and lead for hate. He shot Apollo the Sun God with a gold arrow to make him fall in love with the nymph Daphne - but he shot her with a lead arrow so she would run from him. Eros' mother was the Goddess Venus and she was intensely jealous of the mortal Psyche and send Eros to her to make her fall in love with a hideous beast - but he pricked himself with his own arrow and fell hopelessly in love with her. As he was a God and she a mortal, Eros had to keep his identity a secret. In later years it was the Romans who turned Eros the handsome God into Cupid the little cherub with the arrow!

Bet many of us didn't know that an imprisoned priest - Father Valentine back in the 3rd century sent the first note signed from your Valentine. That's right - Emperor Claudius II in his lust for power - pulled all the young men from their families to create his vast armies. He even went so far as to ban marriages outright. Well Father Valentine was the priest who went against the emperor and secretly married young couples. He was caught and sentenced to death by Claudius and imprisoned. Legend has it that the young couples would visit him in his cell and bring him flowers and treats to thank him for marrying them. Father Valentine fell in love with his jailer's daughter and on February 14th, the day of his execution, passed her a note signed from your Valentine - and the tradition began!

Now Valentine's Day is a 14 BILLION DOLLAR industry annually with more that 180,000,000 red roses and 36,000,000 heart-shaped boxes of candy sent to loved ones. However you celebrate - we hope that you will share your stories with us. Tune into BlogTalkRadio on February 11th at 12pm EST to join in the conversation or call us at 347 994 3835. Come on - have a nooner with The Three Wise Girls!!!

Stuff & Things: An Entertaining Look at Change of Life

Okay, unless you’ve lived under that proverbial rock for the last, oh, 30 or so years, you’ve certainly heard just about everything there is to hear about the “change of life.” Dum … da … dum … dum!! You’ve bought the creams, you’ve listened to experts tell you why you’re losing your sexual desire, you’ve screamed when some of your hair falls out, you’re living in clothes made of “moisture wicking” material, and if anyone makes one more crack about a hot flash … you—will—KILL them!

So what could possibly be funny about all this? Look at it from the other angle—what could possibly NOT be funny about all this? There’s that saying, “I’m out of estrogen, and I have a gun!” Of course you don’t mean it … right? But you’re just on the edge enough to wanna make people wonder. Why not laugh? You’ve gotta admit that some of this stuff is so outrageous that it truly is funny. God must have a heckuva sense of humor to make females mature earlier than males, reach their sexual peak before males, and then make them hot, hot HOT … but in a different way.

This idea came to a head recently for me as I had lunch with a friend I hadn’t seen in 23 years. That’s a long time, and life truly changes in 2+ decades. We had a lot to talk about … and we did. Whaddya expect? Two women, 40++, at a table with food, no men, and no real deadline to keep that day—of course we were going to talk. And of course one of the topics had to be our advancing years.

“Stuff & Things” refers to a moment in our conversation when we started talking about a particular topic of interest to women of a certain age … the idea that there are signs of the change of life, and those signs include such things as forgetting specific words.

You’re having that conversation. You’re engaged and animated, and the words are flowing—mostly.

“I was out at the store the other day,” you tell your friend. “And I bought … well, you know, I bought that … um … that stuff that’s s’posed to help stop night sweats. It works, for the most part, but there are moments when … hmmm … moments when … well, things just can’t help at all … y’know?” You finish your conversation lamely, embarrassed that the words just disappeared—plain and simple, they disappeared—from your brain when you needed them the most.

Has this happened to you? Or what other points have you discovered that came about during “those years” as you began to realize it was not only your body that was changing, but also your mind and psyche? We wanna know. Please call into The Three Wise Girls show on Thursday, January 4, 2010 at noon EST: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/threewisegirls . Check out the show live and call in to tell us your stories—347-994-3835. Give us the funniest ones you can think of—whether you have all the words or not! And we’re interested in the poignant ones, as well. We’ll be waiting to hear from you!

Teenage Gangs-The New Family Structure?

"Young men ... you have value.

You were not born to snatch the life

out of people you don't even know"

Rev. Ora Stearns-Smith

In July of 2007, Rev. Ora Stearns-Smith got the worst possible call a mother can received. Her son, Aric Jai-Shon Lexing, had become the victim of a teenage gang shooting, and had died from his injuries. Jai was not a gang member ... not then ...not ever. No, he was a young man who had said yes to someone he barely knew, who asked him for a ride home after a party. Apparently, the passenger was on a local gang's hit list. As Jai and his passenger pulled up and stopped the car, the shooting started and the gang got their target ... and took Jai's life as well. Ironically, Jai had just received his Masters in Criminal Justice just two months earlier in May, 2007, and was waiting to pursue a career in law enforcement. Sadly, the lives of everyone that Jai had touched would be changed forever.

Teenage gang-related statics are truly no more than best estimates. The obvious reasons are that it's not realistic to believe that people can go door-to-door and gather information any more than it is to think that there is an office where gangs and gang members go to register their activity.

According to one online statistical source and a 2009 estimate, there are approximately 24,500 gangs in the U.S, and one million gang members. It would be wonderful, since these are estimated numbers, if the statistics represented were overstated. My fear, however, is that they could actually be understated.

So, the obvious question is what should we, as a united front, do about this? We all do a lot of gasping, shaking our heads, and talking about it. But, what are we doing about it? And who is to blame for the increasing number of teenagers (and much younger) choosing gangs as their family. Is it the parents, the school system, movies, t.v, music, the lack of teenage role models (I mean the good kind), the law and lack of stricter penalties......or is it....etc...etc...and so on.

We don't pretend to have the answers. We are asking you. Who do you think is responsible for the increasing number of violent gangs in the U.S., and what do you think we should do about it?

We will take this a step further and ask you to join us next Thursday, January 28, 2010, at noon (12:00 pm EST) as we discuss this very topic in our segment of Teenage Gang Violence at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/threewisegirls. I encourage you to call in and talk with us at 1-347-994-3835. It's not an interview, it's a conversation, and we would like for you to be a part of it.

Just talking about the problem falls short of actually eliminating the problem. That will take action on everyone's part. But talking about it is a good beginning.

Cougars...love 'em or...

Time to blast the myths...Cougars are smart, savvy, confident women that are not ruled by a number - they are sure of who they are and not afraid to go where no one has gone before. Gone are the days where an older woman with a younger man is considered desperate, or a sugar mama. Cougars are the new 40ish woman that knows what she wants and isn't going to worry about what someone else thinks about her going out and getting it.

Times are changing and the older woman/younger man relationship is the hottest ticket out there. For so long it was socially unacceptable, although it makes much more sense since women don't need a "little blue pill" to keep up with their partner...lucky us!!! But trust us - being a cougar is so much more than that - although there is nothing wrong with "that", is there???

It's me, Dori, the only one of the Three Wise Girls that is not married, and the one that hit both demographics. I am in my 40's, single and the older I am the younger the men asking me out. I also look over the other side of the fence as the mother of 2 20-something sons that are very mature for their age who have always attracted older girls, and someday, older women.

So, here I sit, gazing at both sides. As a "cougar" I must confess that I wasn't attracted to young guys when I was young myself. I am attracted to confidence and maturing and that air of confidence that usually comes with age. I did have one experience a few years ago with someone 14 years younger than me and we were just in different places, he was looking to settle down and start a family and, while I do want to find someone to share that part of my life with, he would have only been Mr. Right-now for me, and that wasn't enough for either one of us.

I have always tried not to judge others I would like to think that I would be cool if my sons came home with on of my "peers" as their date, but I can't be sure. I can only hope that if and when it does one day happen, she is someone who will share the benefits of her experience and be gentle and not break his heart. (Anyone out there remember "Tea and Sympathy?) My friend Tina once said to me that if one of my sons liked older women that she wanted to throw her hat in the ring. She also promised that she would teach him so well that the women who came after her would be putting flowers on her grave in thanks!

All kidding aside, men have had that Hollywood "Mrs. Robinson" fantasy for a long time, because it was the one place that it has always been in vogue to see younger men with older women. Finally the rest of the world is catching up, and cougars are the new "It" Girl.

So, with all that said, are you a smart, sexy woman that finds that they are attracting younger men that see you for the amazing catch that you are, or perhaps you are the mom of one of the younger men that are mature enough to capture a cougars attention. Whatever side of the fence you are on...come talk with us about it. The Three Wise Girls want to blast myths, share our experiences and hear all about yours. Tune in to our Blog Talk Radio Show - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ThreeWiseGirls every Thursday at 12pm EST - or email us at threewisegirls@gmail.com. Join us as we share our views and learn about yours.