Welcome to the "JustForMom" newsletter.

I apologize for being a day behind this month with getting the newsletter out. Things have been crazy and we have so many exciting announcements to make!

If you are an author of children's books, published or unpublished, the deadline for our contest is rapidly approaching! Visit The Mom's Choice Awards™ to apply for a chance to have your book published or to receive the Mom's Choice Award Seal for your book by April 30th! Among our panel of judges is an elementary school principal and counselor, 2 best selling authors and our most exciting addition is the exectuvie producer/ creator of the Reading Rainbow! Late summer we will be expanding our Awards program to include all products, including but not limited to, safety items, baby products, products for moms and/or parents, any CD, DVD, household item...etc; in the next few months.

One more announcement for those who enter the Mom's Choice Awards contest- we will also be announcing the winners on a National T.V. Talk Show which will coincide with our announcements at Book Expo America!

Advertising Opportunity
Would you like to advertise a service or a business - and contribute to a non-profit organization? JustForMom.com is sponsoring a fundraiser for the JustForMom foundation (www.thejustformomfoundation.org) - all advertising space sold during the months of April, May and June will proceed our foundation - so your advertising space is tax deductible!! This is a great opportunity to advertise your service - while contributing to our foundation sponsoring moms! For more information about our advertising special email jfmads@justformom.com.

Note: all the marketing for the Awards program has had an incredible impact on the foundation and JustForMom.com!!

Contact me if you have any other questions at, tara@thejustformomfoundation.org.

My moods had really been swinging like a pendulum for a little over a month. My abrupt reaction to just about everything left me clueless as to what could be causing it. Sure, my husband and I had discussed another child and even found out we were pregnant only months before, but the result was a miscarriage. I was a bit disappointed, but things were truly moving at a rapid pace, so I continued to focus on my business and my role as a mother of two very active boys.

I decided I had to find out why I was overly emotional and decided to take a pregnancy test. My husband and I had been practicing the act of NOT getting pregnant so I wasn’t too concerned. As I figured, the test was negative, but since my husband gives me a hard time when I check for no reason, I tossed the test into the cupboard and left for a business trip. When I returned a week later, I remembered the test was still in the cupboard and decided to throw it away. What I saw next took me by surprise. There was a faint line in the box which says you’re pregnant. Since the test sat for a week and could have run, which caused the line to appear, I called Chris and asked him to pick up another test just to be sure.

He brought me a box with two new tests and I immediately went to take one. As I suspected, it came back positive. I sat on the stairs in shock. How could this have happened and why now? Yes I know how, but we were careful not to be careless. I had so much going on and things were tight for us financially, so this was not the news I was hoping to hear.

Later that day, I decided to take the second test; just to be sure. Each time the positive sign popped up faster. A rush of emotion came over me as the “how will we do this” questions raced through my mind. We will need to get a bigger car; our boys will have to share a room; how will we be able to afford another child; what about my work….you get the point. I walked around in shock, crying at the thought of going through pregnancy again.

I wish I could say the news left me feeling blissfully happy, but the truth is I wasn’t. All I could think of were all of the negative things this would mean for our life. I know to most that sounds like an awful thing to say, but the stress of the news was a lot to take in. Not to mention, I have two great kids and we were comfortable with how our lives were going.

I even went so far as to buy two more tests for that one possible chance one could challenge the verdict. The result- I am still pregnant.

“There is a miracle in every new beginning.” –Herman Hesse

I am beginning to settle in with the new course my life has taken and I know in time I will be blissfully happy, but for now I need to accept my feelings, let go of the what ifs, and let nature take its course.

In the end it really isn’t up to me and what will be, will be! “Find the thing that stirs your heart and make room for it.” –Joan D. Chittister, OSB

© 2005 Tara Paterson, All Rights Reserved

For additional JustForMom articles, click here!

Easy Taco Pizza

This recipe combines two kid favorites - pizza and tacos. Invite children to help prepare the pizza or subsitute mini pizza crusts and let family members create their own pizzas. Serve with fruit kabobs.

1/2 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons taco seasoning (1/2 package)
1 (6 1/2-ounce) package pizza crust mix
1 cup salsa
1 cup reduced fat shredded Colby Jack cheese
2/3 cup coarsely crushed tortilla chips
1 1/2 cups shredded lettuce
2 tablespoons sliced ripe olives

1. PREHEAT oven to 400° F.
2. In large non-stick skillet, cook ground beef with taco seasoning mix over medium heat for approximately 10 minutes or until pork iscrumbly and no longer pink.
3. Prepare pizza crust according to package directions. Spread crust evenly on greased 12-inch pizza pan and top evenly with salsa. Sprinkle on taco meat, cheese, and tortilla chips.
4. Bake in 400 degrees F. oven for 18 to 22 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven, top with shredded lettuce and olives.

   Makes 6 servings.

   Recipe and photograph provided courtesy of Pork: The Other White Meat.. Find this recipe and over 14,000 other delicious recipes at CooksRecipes.com - Recipes for Every Cook!

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   Site of the Week Feed young minds when you feed yourself … register your Food Lion MVP card and support the Reading Tub™ every time you shop for groceries. Your support allows us to provide books and reading-related services to children and families striving to break the cycle of illiteracy. The Reading Tub™ is a 501(c)(3) public charity supporting child and family literacy. Click here to learn more about how you can help.

   In The Next Issue:

   • Spring Release
   • Spring cleaning tips
   • Children's Corner
   • Next Issue May 11th

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   Subscription Details

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   Questions/Concerns: email newsletter@justformom.com

>  Welcome
>  Feature Article
>  Women's Wisdom
>  Recipe
>  Site of the Week
>  Moms Corner
>  Mom's Choice Awards
>  Children´s Corner
>  Coming in the Next Issue

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"Imagination is the eye of the soul."
-Unknown

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JFM Enterprises, LLC
"Touching Each Mom’s Life, One Mom at a Time!"

www.justformom.com

35696 Williams Gap
Round Hill, VA 20141

Tara Paterson:
tara@justformom.com

~MOMs~~~
~CORNER~

This is the place where we like to thank the contributors of this newsletter. Without all of the moms out there who work hard to make a difference, we wouldn’t have this opportunity!

To apply for the Mom's Choice Awards™, visit Mom's Choice Awards.org.

Chicken Soup for the Mother’s of Preschoolers Soul

Take a journey through a day in the life of playing make-believe, temper-tantrums, mending boo-boos and exploring the world of bugs, all the while ready with the answer to, why mommy? Share, laugh and reminisce with mothers of preschoolers for their devotion, love and sacrifice during this precious period of time. We invite you to contribute a true story, article, or anecdote that will bring comfort, laughter and inspiration, while rekindling the spirit of mom’s who’ve shaped these young lives with their hands, hearts and souls.

You may submit more than one story, whether original or a favorite from magazines, newspapers, or other sources. For each story selected in the book, a 50-word biography will be included about the author and a permission fee of $200 will be paid for stories and $50 for poems. The submission deadline is April 29, 2005.

For submission and contact information, click here!

Giggle Giggle Quack
by Doreen Cronin, Betsy Lewin - Illustrator

When Farmer Brown takes a vacation, he leaves instructions for his brother Bob, the animals´ interim caretaker. Duck sends Bob notes with helpful hints of his own. This is a humorous tale where the animals appear to run the farm and re-direct their caretaker´s activities writing notes.

To read a review of this book, click here!

Froggy Cupcakes
Here’s a fun cupcake-decorating technique that will give your kids a sneak preview of what´s to come. click here!

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