Branding Warrior Mama

 I know I promised you a blog post giving myself a parenting report card. I have been a little side tracked. That post is coming Saturday. But today I will share with you what I have been struggling with, my “brand”.

As many of you know, I am starting a business. I have created business plans and lists and even talked with a lawyer about what is entailed in Franchising. I told you before – I think big.

But creating a brand is specific, detailed and all encompassing. I know when I need help, and I hired a great design firm out of Florida to create a branding package for Warrior Mama, Warrior MAMA, and a complete blog and website design.

Part of my preparation for talking with my designer, Ashley, is to figure out who I am, so she can “brand me”. As I was brainstorming today, I decided to let you in on my thoughts of who I am, what I am doing, why and what my ultimate goal is. This will be rough – Ashley will refine it. Also, I am open to responses, suggestions and insights – leave your comments below!

Ok so the first thing I realized is that Warrior Mama and Warrior MAMA are 2 different things. Warrior MAMA is the database I am creating to help other parents as they “Manage All Medical Alternatives” in their battle for their children.

Warrior Mama is me. She needs the branding. Good luck Ashley, here we go…

I have always wanted to be a Mama. Getting married was a requirement of the Mama package. Oh, I love hubby, and can’t imagine life without him, but at the heart of this Mama as far back as I can remember – was a Mama.

I am a Warrior. I fought to get pregnant. I fought to adopt our kids. I fought our church to raise the bar on their child ministry program and then wrote the curriculum for the church.  I have fought to get my kids the best education. I have fought for special doctors. And now I am fighting to recover them from the “incurable” by medical standards diagnoses of ADHD and autism.

For a long time, I fought to get everything I thought the system (education, medicine and government) could give me. Now I know that only I, and my “mommy gut”, can discern what is best for my kids. You can too!

And that’s another part of me, the “you can too” part. I am a networker, a connecter and a cheerleader. I will build you up and cheer you on. I am a passionate person who hates injustice and will fight with others who fight for themselves. My pet peeve is a “talker” with no action. I can help you “do it”, but you have to “do” something.

I am a list maker, an analyzer, a researcher, a schedule creator and a master of creating reproducible systems. (Henry Ford would have loved me!) I am an organizer of thoughts, ideas and “stuff”.

I am a woman. I strong, powerful, intelligent woman who loves being feminine. I do not want a 9-5 job, to fight in a war or run for president. I am fulfilled in my femininity. I realize in America women “can have it all”. I don’t think that is true. I am striving to choose what is “best” for me and my family. For us, I am the heart of the home. And I desire to be home as much as possible.

I am traditional. I like holiday traditions. I like big family gatherings. I revert to “how my grandmother would”… parent, grow vegetables, handle debt , finances and feed her family. I feel our society has lost much in their fast paced, high tech, “we can have it all” mentality. However, I love my blackberry, netbook and flat screen TV – I mean come on, these aren’t the dark ages! I guess I do want it all. J

I am conservative. I wear a lot of turtle necks, much to my husband’s dismay.  I won’t tell you how to parent your children, and I don’t want you to tell me how to parent mine. I am all for “diversity”. I just don’t want it mandated, taxed and legislated. I am for small government and big families.  I am for less litigation and more family dinners. I am for freedom of choice – as long as your choice isn’t mandate d to me.

I love passionate people and passionate debate. I may not change my way of thinking to yours, but I love to have to articulate and refine my words to express how I truly feel. For me the exchange of ideas is rewarding. We don’t have to think the same way in the end. How boring would that be?

Because of my passionate, conservative and networking personality, I can be controversial. I mean how are you passionate and not controversial? I guess if you don’t know much about autism, I could say anything and it wouldn’t be controversial to you.

How about vaccination? Did I hit a hot button? Vaccination is a perfect example. I vaccinated my kids to the day and by the letter. It hurt them. It may not hurt your kids. I did a 180 and stopped vaccinating totally. For the last 4 years no vaccination was ok for me and my kids will NOT be vaccinated. But I am seeing that this is not a black and white issue. I have 2 friends who do vaccinate – but do it differently. I will be sharing their stories later this week.

And let’s be honest. Controversy is the spice of life. Why do you think tabloids sell so well? I am spicy. J

I am a Christian. I am a sinner desperately in need of a savior. I will ultimately answer only to Him. That thought is always in my mind as I live my life out for all the world to see – the good, the bad and the ugly in my imperfect humanity. I am accountable to God, my husband and my kids in that order.

I am at my best when I am passionately fighting for something. And right now that something is against autism and adhd. I will fight openly even though my actions will be judged. I will fight even when my methods are questioned. I am open because parents that are fighting this battle with me are desperate for hope and healing. They are looking for help. But most of all we are looking for community for support and answers and someone to stand in the fight with us.

We are battling for FREEDOM. Freedom from preconceived ideas that all children at the same chronological age – despite their weight or illness – are vaccinated. Freedom from a “one size fits all” mentality that if we don’t have a set “cure” for autism that all the other things that work are “coincidence”.

I am a Warrior for my family, my freedom and my God. And I am a Mama for my kids and my husband.