She is a blogger, a brand new mom, and an ambassador to Africa. She came into each of those things in somewhat indirect ways, but they are each direct outgrowths of the family values she and her husband decided to embrace when they got married. They were both committed to serving others, especially children and moms. She became the Community Manager of SwankyMoms.com, after the site was bought by a social media company from the Canadian woman who started it 6 1/2 years ago. She  has been a mother for only a few days as of this writing, but before that and along with it, she and her husband have sponsored two orphaned Kenyan boys, Charles and Kieran, for several years.

Her service with and for the people of Africa didn’t start with a big, direct plunge, either. The family of the man she married was involved with Christian Ministries in Africa, a small, Kenyan-based relief organization, for 20 years before she got involved, and he introduced her to it when they started dating. Though she could see the great need and spirit of the people, she was initially overwhelmed and didn’t know what to do. She had a full-time job and very little time, for one thing. But she was determined to help, so she and her hubby found something they could do: sponsor a child for $35 a month. Then, one day when she had a dentist appointment, she decided to ask him to help. He donated 20 toothbrushes. And it grew from there.

Today, she is responsible for helping to raise support and awareness for CMIA, which runs three orphanages, seven pre-primary schools, one academy, one clinic/lab, and various feeding stations, Bible training centers, and churches in Nairobi, Kenya. She also helps put together 5-10 teams a year of American teens carrying supplies to Kenya and Nairobi. The challenges that she’s faced along the way have galvanized and, in many ways, directed her efforts. The extensive governmental corruption and unequal distribution of power in Africa, for instance, make shipping supplies and money there very risky, and have necessitated the team trips. But those trips, some of which she and her husband have participated in themselves, have been gratifying not only because of the help they deliver to the people of Kenya, but also because of the effect they have on the participating teens, who go to Africa thinking they’ll help others, but in fact come back having done not only that, but having their eyes opened as well and their spirits touched.

2 Steps to Making a Difference in the World

So, she advises others who want to make a difference in the world but don’t have much to spare or don’t know where to start, to do these two simple things:

1. Define what you’re passionate about. “As moms, our time gets divided up alot. It’s best to define what things make you cry, cut out unessentials, and be okay with that,” she says.
2. Learn the ability to “say no in order to say yes.” It’s difficult but ultimately more gratifying.

Angela Ishmael, a mom making a difference in many ways, started out simply with a desire to help, a desire that has grown into actual, effective, direct action. Get to know her better on Twitter.

Who are moms that you know you are making a big difference in the lives of others? What are they doing and why do they inspire you?

As part of its “Celebrate Mom. Celebrate you.” campaign, BabyCenter invites you to stop by to read inspiring stories of extraordinary moms just like you and learn ways to share the love with other moms all over the world — or in your own backyard.

Do you know an inspirational mom or have you done something to support other women and families? Share your story on BabyCenter’s blog Momformation.

Party Topic

Join BabyCenter and a panel of moms including supermodel turned filmmaker Christy Turlington as we celebrate the journey of motherhood and all of its ups and downs. We’ll share inspiring stories of moms who have gone to extreme lengths to show their love for others and learn how, if we all bond together, we can really make a difference together. The party will be held on Tuesday, May 3 from 9-11 ET (8CT, 7MT, 6PT). Click here to see details about the giveaway and enter for a chance to win.

Party Details

• What: Girls’ Night Out (#gno) Twitter party (Click here to learn about #gno!)
• When: Tuesday, May 3 from 9-11 p.m. EST (8CT, 7 MT, & 6 PT)
• Where: Party with us on our very own Custom Tweetgrid! (Use hashtags #gno and #CelebrateMoms)
• Topic: Celebrating Moms
• Who: Brand Panelist: @BabyCenter, Community Panelists: @CTurlington @ETThornton @herbadmother @TimeOutMom @MomsRunning @ZarbeesNurse, Moderators: @jylmomIF @Dadventurous @troypattee and @MomItForward
• Party Favors: Click here to enter the giveaway
• RSVP: Use Mr. Linky below (enter the twitter URL and your twitter ID (e.g., http://twitter.com/jylmomIF).

RT @MomItForward Join the @BabyCenter #gno Twitter party 5/3 (9-11 ET) to #CelebrateMoms http://bit.ly/luF2D7 PLS RT

Note: Mom It Forward accepts paid sponsorships for most #gno Twitter parties. During the parties, brand sponsors provide tips, techniques, expert advice, and information on party topics. Mom It Forward is grateful for the giveaway prizes, coupons, and discounts that sponsors also provide to the Mom It Forward community in conjunction with #gno Twitter parties.

Do you have a story to share about an inspirational mom in your life? Do you want to pass fun Mother’s Day gifts to your friends? Do you feel like discovering ways to helps moms in need? If you answered “yes” to any of those questions, be sure to stop by BabyCenter to join in on the fun of celebrating moms.

The Prizes

This week’s giveaway is all about moms helping other moms and their families. Five (5) winners will receive an Every Mother Counts CD, a $10 gift card for Starbucks and a $50 donation to one of the following charities dedicated to supporting mothers and their children all over the world: (ARV: $70).

Save the Children

This charity supports midwife training in Afghanistan, where maternal health rates are at their worst.

Riders for Health

In many parts of the world, simply reaching a trained health professional can make all the difference in saving a mother’s life. Help provide health workers in Western Kenya with motorcycle transportation and the necessary training to ensure that mothers receive life saving care.

Holden Uganda Foundation

Help to provide hope and clean drinking water, through Artesian wells, to African communities. Each well is dedicated to a baby or child who passed away before his/her parents, providing hope to the families dealing with devastating loss.

The Children’s Heart Foundation

In the United States, a child is born with a Congenital Heart Defect (CHD) every 15 minutes. Help fund the most promising research to advance the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of CHDs in children.

National Down Syndrome Society

Since its founding in 1979, NDSS has been a leader in the Down syndrome community and continues to be the national advocate for the value, acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome.

Entry Requirements

For a chance to enter and win, please complete the following requirements and leave a separate comment for each on this post, including links to your original tweets.

1. Follow @BabyCenter on Twitter.
2. Like BabyCenter on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/BabyCenter).
3. Answer the following question in the comment section below: What is your favorite way to celebrate Mother’s Day?
4. Tweet the following:

• RT @MomItForward Have an inspirational mom in ur life? Join in on the fun w/ @BabyCenter & #CelebrateMoms! http://bit.ly/ks2B9z #gno PLS RT

• RT @MomItForward GIVEAWAY! Enter 2 win a CD, @Starbucks Gift Card, and Charity Donation http://bit.ly/mfw1aQ #gno #CelebrateMoms PLS RT

Optional Entries

The following are extra entries that are completely optional and will earn you one extra entry for each completed item. Leave a separate comment on this post for each completed optional entry.

• Follow @momitforward on Twitter.
• Like Mom It Forward on Facebook: http://facebook.com/momitforward.

Terms and Conditions

Winners will be selected randomly through http://random.org. No purchase necessary to enter. Giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. ET Wednesday, May 4. See all terms and conditions here. This giveaway is available to U.S. residents only.

Stephanie, or Nie Nie, as many refer to her, writes the Nie Nie Dialogues. Her bio reads: “Stephanie Aurora Clark Nielson returns from an almost fatal plane crash. Happy to be blogging again from Utah and recovering too. Four happy children and one sweet husband make her life as good as it gets.”

She inspires, she motivates, she shares. And people read. Lots of people! If you haven’t made your way over, grab a box of tissues and stop by, but make sure to start at the beginning because this is one inspiring mama!

August 2008 marked a time of change for Stephanie and Christian when their plane crashed near St. Johns, Arizona and more than 85% of Stephanie’s body was badly burned. After more than 3 months in a coma and now more than a year in recovery, Stephanie shows us how to overcome challenges through faith, family, and community.

“My faith is everything,” Stephanie says when asked what has helped her overcome life’s challenges. “It is my life and my strength.  I rely on the amazing power of prayer and being guided by the Holy Ghost.  It is really a beautiful thing. It guides me and leads me to understand my children better. I believe that my children are precious spirits of our Heavenly Father and I am preparing them to be good parents and citizens themselves.  I couldn’t do that if my faith didn’t play a role.”

Her husband, or her “Mr. Nielson” as she refers to him in her blog, has also been a strength to pull her through. “He took care of me when the accident happened as if I was his child.  He became mother and father for almost a year.  He has been there to lean on when times get frustrating and tough…and they did and still do.  He is my listening ear, my best friend, and most importantly my greatest support in this life.”

When I chatted with Christian, I got a sense of the good friends that he and Stephanie are. He shared with me that at his last job, he used to have his desktop set to his wife’s blog. He said reading her blog was the first thing he did every day before delving into work-related tasks. He joked that he learned so much more about his family that way!

When Stephanie was unable to blog, her sister Courtney took over the writing for her, updating her growing readership regularly on Stephanie’s status and progress. The blogosphere cried together as Stephanie struggled to make it through each day. We were thrilled when Christian was able to finally see her for the first time after the accident, and we banded together to raise money to help offset the medical bills.

“When the accident happened,” Stephanie shared, “So many mothers and women sent me gifts, letters, cards and donations.  My favorite was getting handmade crafts that they made for my children or me.  They made me smile and cry knowing that other mothers were feeling my pain and using their creative works to help me heal.  It was overwhelming and so kind.”

Now, Stephanie and Christian are reunited with their children, living near family in Utah, and are experiencing a lot of “AC” (after crash) firsts. When I visited Stephanie, she excitedly shared that she had just vacuumed the stairs for the first time since the accident. I sat in wonder, thinking how much I typically complain about vacuuming stairs. She commented, “I think the toughest part right now is not being able to help [my kids] tie their shoes, button their shirts, and run around with them. We really take those for granted.” I asked her what her favorite part of being a mom was and she replied: “I think the best part is being needed.  I am nothing if I can’t serve them.”

Friends describe Sandi as a “fantastic wife to a loving husband and an amazing play-down-on-the-floor-after-reading-the-same-book-for-the-15th-time mom”.

But the road to having their current family has been a long one.

About 6 years ago, while undergoing fertility treatments that, for some time, had been unsuccessful, Sandi and her husband began the process of domestic adoption.  It was at this time that Sandi’s fertility and adoption journeys intersected.

Her very last cycle of fertility treatments was successful – she found out she was pregnant.  A mere 3 months later, Sandi and her husband were given the name of a woman who was looking to give her baby up for adoption.  Knowing her past pregnancies had been volatile, the couple decided to try both.

On October 17, 2003, Sandi and her husband were in the delivery room as Kimberly was born.  They adopted her and were allowed to take her home within 24 hours. A mere 12 days later, on October 29th, Sandi went in to labor and gave birth to Annie.  Two beautiful baby girls – both healthy – both theirs.

Sandi believed at the time that Kimberly and Annie were the only children she would ever have.  But more miracles were in the works – Sandi got pregnant again and carried Madeline to term.  This sweet girl is now 4 years old.

The newest edition to their family – Paul – was adopted from Ethiopia.  Sandi believes with all her heart that they were all meant to be a family.  She says adoption has been the most amazing thing in her life. She even has a series of quotes that remind her of the special bond she shares with her children:

“Natural Child: Any child who is not artificial.  Real Parent: Any parent who is not imaginary. Your Own Child: Any child who is not someone else’s child. Adopted Child: A natural child, with a real parent, who is all my own.” ~Rita Law

In addition to making her family her number one priority, Sandi has a blog and an Etsy store where she sells quilts.  She is also, clearly, a wonderful friend, always finding time for those around her and encouraging those going through the adoption process.

When asked how she balances it all, Sandi explains, ” I enjoy every moment.  I don’t have a sparkling clean home and it is full of clutter, but my children are cared for and valued.  I live by the saying, ‘Do something you love each day.’”

Clearly, it is being a Mom, wife and friend that Sandi most loves.

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.

Not because she loves to laugh.  Though she does.  Not because she is a consummate hugger.  Though she is.

Simply because her infectiousness is truly contagious – and she wants it that way.

This homeschooling mother of four, Blog Talk Radio Show Host, blogger, wife, and website owner wants you to catch on – she wants you to join her on an amazing journey – she wants to help you learn, to create a pathway to your success.

This is what makes her unique.  This is what makes her Sugar.

She puts her family first – she chooses to home school because she thinks it is the best option for her children.  She balances home and work while acknowledging that it is hard. And she considers the best thing about parenting to be “reliving your childhood through the eyes of your children – everything is new and amazing again”.  She manages to put herself in her kids shoes – and EXPERIENCE.

Knowing she isn’t perfect allows her to empathize with the less-than-wonderful experiences of other mothers.  She understand what it is like to feel mommy-guilt.

There are 10 years between Sugar’s oldest daughters, Jasmine and Lauren and her two younger children – Hannah and Ryan.  That time has given Sugar a chance to evolve as a parent, “I’m not parenting from a place of fear anymore.  I’m trusting myself more and listening to others less. I never even pretend to have this parenting thing down.  I love being the mom that says this is a tough job that isn’t always fun. I think it gives moms permission to do the same”.

Once moms have that ‘permission’ they open themselves to new and amazing possibilities.  They stop focusing on what they aren’t doing and begin to set their sights on what they could be doing.

And it is at this moment that Sugar reaches out to pull you along – encouraging you to write, speak, and follow your dreams.

We could all use a little Sugar in our lives.

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.

Georgie Johnson, author of the Decisionally Challenged blog, is just that kind of someone.  As a married mother of 3 living in Oklahoma, and an avid blogger, she decided to spread a little cheer, right when everyone needed it most.

This past Christmas season Georgie decided to do a little outreach.  She create the SSS—Secret Santa Soiree—as a way for bloggers to spoil each other a little—but in a sweet and secret way.  The rules were simple: fill out a questionnaire so your exchange partner would know a little about you, buy a gift in the $10-15 range, ship it off, and most importantly, keep it a secret.

In no time at all, more than 70 women had signed up.  And better still, not ONE of those women neglected to fulfill their promise of a gift and of course, keeping it quiet.

Georgie wasn’t trying to grow her own blog. She was simply trying to spread a little joy. And she certainly did—in 70 big and small ways. After all the gifts were exchanged, the gift givers were revealed, creating new friendships and recognizing these women, who were willing to give of themselves in such a hectic time.  So many of these women enjoyed the giving feeling so much that it carried over into their daily lives.

True to her giving spirit, Georgie says much of the credit for the entire event goes to her friend Amy who did a lot of the work and ‘kept her sane.’

And don’t worry, if you missed the SSS last year, Georgie will be ‘Momming  It  Forward ‘ again. The 2nd annual SSS will be taking place this holiday season!

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