Mom Acts Locally, Thinks Globally

by Jyl Johnson Pattee on July 9th, 2009 | 10 Comments »

Barb Likos is as kind as they come. It is simply natural for her to make everyone in her life a priority. It makes perfect sense in her mind to "create a better space in the world by making as many women as successful as possible."

Barb Family! This is how she teaches her children by example. She reasons, "If I can help make just one mom's life easier, I am contributing to the success of her children, which may eventually make the world a better place for my children."

So Barb harnesses her slice of the online and social media world to work on four community websites, was the very first Chapter President for Mom It Forward, and has organized local events that benefit MIF charities.

For each charity she assists, she ensures her children, 13 year old Conner and 11 year old Carter have a front row seat. She makes sure they understand why each issue is important and even has them tackle smaller tasks like putting auction gift bags together. Carter is following in his mom's footsteps. He created Carter's Bear Club with his grandmother to deliver teddy bears to kids having surgery in locations around the world.

A former school teacher, Barb now homeschools. Carter was born with spina bifida and requies a lot of surgeries and medical treatments. He was also diagnosed as autisitc. When school became too hard for Carter, Barb quit her job as a 4th grade teacher to teach him at home. Her older son, Connor is homeschooled as well. The flexibility and ability to fully meet her children's needs makes their arrangement ideal.

Like so many extraordinary moms, Barb isn't quite sure how she balances it all. She simply, 'just does it'. She credits the help of family and friends for keeping her centered. This means cleaning house may not be a number one priority - but she does have the time to focus on what matters most, "making the time to have a bear picnic, raise money for a well in Africa and supporting a friend."

About the Author: Danielle Smith is a mommy to two smart and sassy small people, as well as the founder and primary author of ExtraordinaryMommy.com. You can catch her hosting a brand new live show, The Spin Cycle, on MomTV.com every Wednesday at 9pmEST. She also hosts a show on Blog Talk Radio and contributes to WhyMomsMatter. Danielle is thrilled to be contributing to MomItForward as ‘giving back’ has always been an important part of who she is and what she hopes to teach her children

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Jyl Johnson Pattee

An active part of the Mom It Forward team, Jyl primarily writes about parenting, social good, and all things travel related. In a past life, Jyl was an award-winning copywriter and designer of corporate training programs for Fortune 100 companies. Offline, Jyl is married to @TroyPattee; a mom to two teen boys and a beagle named #Hashtag; loves large amounts of cheese, dancing, and traveling; and lives in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Topping her bucket list is the goal to visit 50 countries by the time she's 50.