Do not take anything for granted — not one smile or one person or one rainbow or one breath, or one night in your cozy bed. ~Terri Guillemets

Sometimes it just takes a little reminder to make a BIG difference. Like this women’s wisdom from Girlfriend Guru DARCIE HARRIS (for whom we are grateful!). Who are you grateful for?

I’ve been a little cranky lately.

I get that way when I have so much to do that I feel like I’m in a batting cage with the pitching machine throwing me curveballs faster than I can swing, let alone hit anything.

Last week, m y girlfriend Natalie noticed that I was not my usual cheerful self. She asked, “What’s up? You seem upset.”

I replied, “Oh, we’re just so busy. I’ve got so much I need to do. Planning client meetings, planning retreats, planning educational events. And to top it all off my air conditioner went out.” Okay, I might have whined a bit more, especially about the air conditioner.

So Natalie says, “Darcie, busy is good! You are so lucky that your business is good. If business isn’t good, then you’re not busy. I get too busy too, and when I feel like it’s too much I remind myself I’m lucky to have all this business when so many others are not so fortunate.”

Wow. She is absolutely right.

The difference between my whining and Natalie’s attitude is simple: she has a spirit of gratitude.

That difference in attitude was echoed this week by working with students in the Peace Through Business™ program. The students are women entrepreneurs from Afghanistan and Rwanda who come to the US for business and leadership training. Then they are matched with our local female business owners in matching industries for a week of real-life coaching and mentoring.

Spending time with these women is like getting a wonderful spa treatment. You feel so soothed and blessed. They live in countries ravaged by war and poverty. Yet they have a spirit of generosity and peace that defies words. They are inexplicably grateful, no matter what their circumstances.

So I’m thinking a lot about gratitude today, and the difference that can make in our businesses and our lives. When we’re not grateful, we lose our authentic power. It’s like our batteries are leaking energy.

Choosing gratitude gives us power.

Legitimate power is like an energy sources. We see the glass half full, not half empty. We feel energized by knowing we have choices, options.

What would be possible for you (and me!) if we felt grateful for:

• Our customers: How can we show our clients, our customers, our patrons that we appreciate the trust they place in us to meet their needs? A simple thank you note, a spontaneous email, an affirmation on their Facebook page – these little gestures mean so much. Take time to listen to what’s important to them.
• Our employees: How might your workplace be different if you just had the presence of mind to say please and thank you? Gratitude doesn’t just mean big bonuses; it can mean simply affirming a job well done, appreciating someone’s extra effort or attentiveness. How might that affect their loyalty and commitment to the business?
• Our business network: How long has it been since you’ve taken a moment to reinforce those key relationships in your business community? Take a few minutes to post an endorsement on LinkedIn or identify them as an Influencer on Klout. Or send a quick email to say thank you for the referral they sent you last month.
• Our girlfriends! Girlfriends are our invaluable support network. They are our counselors, our consolers, and our biggest cheerleaders. How about telling them you appreciate their encouragement, their listening ear, or their patience when you are distracted or preoccupied with a business problem?

I’m grateful.

As for me, I’m grateful to Natalie for opening my eyes and to the Peace Through Business students for showing me what true grace looks like.

So pass it on…tell a girlfriend you’re grateful for HER today.

DARCIE HARRIS is a champion for women. An international speaker, trainer, and award-winning consultant, she founded EWF International, a company offering peer advisory groups, coaching and consulting for female entrepreneurs and executives, and the Alpha Mare Academy, an online educational resource for women business owners. To learn more, visit www.alphamareacademy.com, or email darcie@darcieharris.com.

For more on Gratitude, stop by these ‘Thankful Thursday posts!

By the way, we LOVE guest blogs here at Girlfriendology. Have a great girlfriend story to tell? Want to celebrate your fabulous female friends? SHARE! (And, we also have Girlfriend Gurus – check that out to be featured on Girlfriendology!) SIGN UP for our weekly newsletter and get our FREE eBook ‘30 Days / 30 Ways to Be a Better Friend‘ - check it out! Don’t forget to make your girlfriends feel special with perfect birthday gifts for women!

More to check out – Facebook.com/Girlfriendology and Twitter/@Girlfriendology where we’re connecting with over 50,000 women (we block guys!) and Pinterest.com/Girlfriendology where we share visual inspiration and great quotes. More Girlfriend Friendship Quotes & did you see our INFOGRAPHIC on ‘What Women Want‘?

THANKS to our 2013 Sponsor – Biz Stain Fighter and Mean Green Degreaser (check out their coupons!). If you’re a brand, please contact us and check out more for Brands and Businesses who want to be Girlfriend Recommended. And – THANKS to YOU Girlfriend!

Note: Girlfriendology does share affiliate links from time to time. However, we only recommend products that we’d honestly share with a girlfriend.

The driver who cut you off in traffic … the shopper with 27 items in the 15 or less lane … the mom in the car ahead of you who took her time getting her kids loaded from school. Seems pretty trivial tonight, don’t they?

Tonight our thoughts and prayers are with strangers, people we don’t know and probably will never meet. Tonight we’re deeply concerned for our ‘neighbors’ in Oklahoma. They’re someone’s parents and kids, sisters and brothers, moms and dads, and they’re definitely friends and friends of friends.

So, we’re praying for and thinking of those in harms way. We’re hoping for your safety, concerned for your loss, are keeping you in our thoughts and prayers.

Be well Oklahoma. Home of some of my friends, who are thankfully okay (as far as I know). Remember this tomorrow when you get cut off in traffic or behind the slow person in line. Think of those in Oklahoma or other places and situations. Say a prayer. And remember what is important in life … Friends. Life IS a challenge, meet it girlfriend!

This week on Girlfriendology:

• The Perfect Party (How to make Your Friend feel SO Loved)
• Thankful Thursday: Giving a Great Gift (just because it’s perfect for her)
• Celebrate Your Friendships (As seen in ‘Women’s World’ magazine!)
• I Heart My Nail Art: Sally Hansen Review by Judi Cogen
• Celebrate Women’s Strength – Hold Your Head High Girlfriend
• Summer Trends from our Girlfriends at Party BluPrints
• Cincinnati YWCA Career Women of Achievement – Celebrating Amazing Women
• Love and Admiration to our Girlfriends who are Moms

By the way, we LOVE guest blogs here at Girlfriendology. Have a great girlfriend story to tell? Want to celebrate your fabulous female friends? SHARE! (And, we also have Girlfriend Gurus – check that out to be featured on Girlfriendology!) SIGN UP for our weekly newsletter and get our FREE eBook ‘30 Days / 30 Ways to Be a Better Friend‘ - check it out! Don’t forget to make your girlfriends feel special with perfect birthday gifts for women!

More to check out – Facebook.com/Girlfriendology and Twitter/@Girlfriendology where we’re connecting with over 50,000 women (we block guys!) and Pinterest.com/Girlfriendology where we share visual inspiration and great quotes. More Girlfriend Friendship Quotes & did you see our INFOGRAPHIC on ‘What Women Want‘?

THANKS to our 2013 Sponsor – Biz Stain Fighter and Mean Green Degreaser (check out their coupons!). If you’re a brand, please contact us and check out more for Brands and Businesses who want to be Girlfriend Recommended. And – THANKS to YOU Girlfriend!

Note: Girlfriendology does share affiliate links from time to time. However, we only recommend products that we’d honestly share with a girlfriend.

She must be something special. She is. Celebrate her. – Kobi Yamada

You know the girlfriend, don’t you? The friend who will give you a ride to the airport and make it so fun you forget that you might be an inconvenience. The sister-friend who helps you clean out your basement, arrives early to help you have a successful (and fun) garage sale, and rides around with you for hours looking for a new place to move. The friend who is there for you, honest but kind, funny and sincere.

Penny is that kind of friend. She’s a special friend. And she’s that kind of friend to all her girlfriends.

When she mentioned that she has a girlfriend in my new neighborhood I should connect with (she’s great at making connections!), a light bulb went off. I’d hold a ‘Friends of Penny’ party and invite a bunch of her girlfriends over to my new home to meet each other but also to celebrate Penny and our fabulous friendships with her.

At the ‘Friends of Penny’ party, 15 women shared snacks, wine, and fun ‘Penny stories.’ We went around and introduced ourselves with how we knew Penny. We got to know each other. Women who share Penny as a friend, found a common connection that made us all friends.

To Penny – you are Special. You are LOVED. You are a connector. You are a great girlfriend. (And I hope you enjoyed your party!)

What friend of yours is a ‘connector’? Which girlfriend just naturally brings people together? Who would you call to take you to the airport? To help you look for an apt, find someone with a mower or pick you up from a Doctor appointment?

Why not throw a Friends of ‘Cindy Party’? Or Lynn, Jenn or Jan Party? Or have a Girls Night Out (GNO!) for girlfriends and their friends. Take on the fun challenge of throwing a party for a friend and her friends (and maybe even their friends)!

Bring friends together. There’s no way that won’t be special. Like Penny.

By the way, we LOVE guest blogs here at Girlfriendology. Have a great girlfriend story to tell? Want to celebrate your fabulous female friends? SHARE! (And, we also have Girlfriend Gurus – check that out to be featured on Girlfriendology!) SIGN UP for our weekly newsletter and get our FREE eBook ‘30 Days / 30 Ways to Be a Better Friend‘ - check it out! Don’t forget to make your girlfriends feel special with perfect birthday gifts for women!

We all find occasion to look for a great girlfriend gift. That special gift to commemorate a birthday, celebrating a new job, the birth of a child, a wedding shower, the holidays. There seems to be no shortage of occasions for gift-giving opportunities; and as the saying (kinda) says: every gift to a friend is a wish for their happiness.

Today’s ‘Thankful Thursday’ challenge is to find an ideal gift for a girlfriend – with no special occasion to base it upon. If you must, call it a “thank you for being my girlfriend” gift. Show your girlfriend gratitude with a gift for no apparent reason or occasion to mark.

But not just a gift – the perfect gift.

The best thing about finding the perfect girlfriend gift is it’s the easiest shopping you’ll ever do. More often than not, the perfect gift will find you. You’ve probably already discovered that the closer you are to someone, the better you know them, the deeper the friendship, the more that things will jump out at you.

The trick is to be in the moment. Rather than saying “That would be perfect for (name), I’ll have to remember that,” just go with your gut and run with it. That’s not to say if you find a set of 2 karat diamond earrings that would be a perfect gift that you should snatch them up. There’s no need to be extravagant. The beauty in finding the perfect gift is that it’s often very simple, inexpensive and, oh yes, perfect.

Here are three simple ways to find the perfect gift:

1. Do not make it purposeful, or treat it as a shopping mission. Remember, the perfect gift will always find you – likely at a time and place where you least expect it.

2. Listen to your heart, keep your eyes open, and be ready when the perfect gift presents itself.

3. Don’t ignore the impulse. If it’s right, you’ll know it. Act on it.

The next step? Don’t wait for the perfect opportunity to give her the gift. Give it to her today because it’s Thursday, or because it’s sunny, or it’s raining. Random gift show you really care. Random perfect gifts speak volumes about how you value your friendship.

So what defines the perfect gift? That is completely between you and your girlfriend. No one knows her, and the relationship you share, better than you. Remember that the ultimate perfect gift is your continued friendship. Show your girlfriend gratitude. Express yourself on this Thankful Thursday. Give the perfect gift to your BFF. It will be impossible to know who enjoys it more – you or your girlfriend.

For more Thankful Thursday ‘girlfriend gratitude’ see …

By the way, we LOVE guest blogs here at Girlfriendology. Have a great girlfriend story to tell? Want to celebrate your fabulous female friends? SHARE! (And, we also have Girlfriend Gurus – check that out to be featured on Girlfriendology!) SIGN UP for our weekly newsletter and get our FREE eBook ‘30 Days / 30 Ways to Be a Better Friend‘ - check it out! Don’t forget to make your girlfriends feel special with perfect birthday gifts for women!

More to check out – Facebook.com/Girlfriendology and Twitter/@Girlfriendology where we’re connecting with over 50,000 women (we block guys!) and Pinterest.com/Girlfriendology where we share visual inspiration and great quotes. More Girlfriend Friendship Quotes & did you see our INFOGRAPHIC on ‘What Women Want‘?

THANKS to our 2013 Sponsor – Biz Stain Fighter and Mean Green Degreaser (check out their coupons!). If you’re a brand, please contact us and check out more for Brands and Businesses who want to be Girlfriend Recommended. And – THANKS to YOU Girlfriend!

Note: Girlfriendology does share affiliate links from time to time. However, we only recommend products that we’d honestly share with a girlfriend.

Share our similarities, celebrate our differences. (Celebrate our friendships too!)    M. Scott Peck

Do you? Do you celebrate your friendships? Do you recognize the similarities and differences that make our friends special in our lives? Do you feel blessed that your friends are in your life?

That’s our goal here at Girlfriendology – home of inspiration, appreciation and celebration of Girlfriends. We’re all about recognizing and acknowledging the women in your life who are there for you, sharing ‘women’s wisdom’ so we all benefit, and inspiring women to connect and support each other.

This message is getting around as we’ve been featured in a couple national magazines lately. We’re honored to have been interviewed by INC. Magazine. (Albeit, it was an article on Pinterest but Girlfriendology is still featured!) And we were thrilled to talk with ‘Women’s World’ about friendship. Here’s an excerpt (since the image is a bit hard to read, sorry!):

Start a “no-stress” book club! Getting together with your friends helps strengthen bonds. And keeping your meetings unofficial will make everyone have more fun, says friendship expert Debba Haupert. “I have ‘no-stress’ book club meetings,” she says. “We take a half hour before we start discussing the books to just talk. And there’s no pressure to even read the books! … In the summer when the windows are open, you can hear us laughing down the street!”

Phone a Friend this Sunday! Even though there’s Facebook and Twitter – you need to hear your friends’ voices now and then. That’s why we started a tradion called ‘Phone a Friend Sunday.’ … It’s therapeutic and necessary to keep your friendships strong.

How do you celebrate your friendships? How do you stay connected with your friends? Here are some more ideas:

• Encourage your Friends
• Spend time with your Girlfriends (you’ll be so glad you did!)
• Tell your Girlfriends how much they mean to you (& ditto on the above!)

By the way, we LOVE guest blogs here at Girlfriendology. Have a great girlfriend story to tell? Want to celebrate your fabulous female friends? SHARE! (And, we also have Girlfriend Gurus – check that out to be featured on Girlfriendology!) SIGN UP for our weekly newsletter and get our FREE eBook ‘30 Days / 30 Ways to Be a Better Friend‘ - check it out! Don’t forget to make your girlfriends feel special with perfect birthday gifts for women!

More to check out – Facebook.com/Girlfriendology and Twitter/@Girlfriendology where we’re connecting with over 50,000 women (we block guys!) and Pinterest.com/Girlfriendology where we share visual inspiration and great quotes. More Girlfriend Friendship Quotes & did you see our INFOGRAPHIC on ‘What Women Want‘?

THANKS to our 2013 Sponsor – Biz Stain Fighter and Mean Green Degreaser (check out their coupons!). If you’re a brand, please contact us and check out more for Brands and Businesses who want to be Girlfriend Recommended. And – THANKS to YOU Girlfriend!

Note: Girlfriendology does share affiliate links from time to time. However, we only recommend products that we’d honestly share with a girlfriend.

Every child is an artist.  The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.  ~Pablo Picasso

What did you do this Mother’s Day, girlfriend? Fab friend JUDI COGEN gathered up the GirlChild and a friend and created some Nail Art magic. What are your ideas for creative, Street Art nails? We’d love to see the photos! 

The GirlChild (a teenager) was thrilled when I suggested that she join me in a sponsored post for Collective Bias® for Sally Hansen Nail Art and Walgreens. I love spending time with her, but often when I suggest something she rolls her eyes and dives back into her cell phone. I was delighted that she was so excited to try a Street Style look.

Supplies. We headed to Walgreens to investigate the new Sally Hansen products, chatting the whole way about different possible designs and color combinations.

The first thing we discovered was that there are choices. A LOT of choices. A lot of delicious, wonderful, colorful, inventive choices. Choices that made it difficult to actually make decisions. I was glad we’d had a discussion about limits before we went shopping!

Walgeens had a great display, highlighting Sally Hansen nail products. Even better, the fab person at the cosmetics counter had coupons (be still my happy heart) so the whole trip became much more affordable. Add in all the points I got on my Walgreens card and the trip practically paid for itself. (Ok, not quite, but you get the point.)

We invited Friend of GirlChild, Anna, over for some nail art fun. While we got everything ready, we brainstormed for ideas. We looked all over the web for inspiration. The GirlChild got her inspiration from her room and Anna got her inspiration from Pinterest. I was inspired by the teenage girls and turned my toes over to them.

The GirlChild's room is inspiration for #IHeartMyNailArt

What we used:

• Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear in Breezy Blue, Blue Me Away, Lacey Lilac, and Mint Sorbet
• Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Snappy Sorbet and Acceler-Grape!
• Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen in black and turquoise
• Sally Hansen Gem Crush in Lady Luck
• Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Jungle Gem

What we did:

Once we decided on the colors and patterns we each wanted, we got to work. First a base coat, then two coats of color for a foundation. We found it worked a lot better when we painted each other’s nails.

Anna paints my toes...

After the base coats of color, we started working on the accents. We all loved using the Nail Art Pens to create lines. I think it would be fun to try flowers or some other shapes too. We used a combination of planning and spontaneous designs (it was better when we planned a little). We found the pens so easy to use we were able to create the designs on our own nails. We all wished we had more artistic talent, but we were comfortable drawing lines and using some of the brighter polishes to create tips on the edges of our toenails.

A topcoat is really important with the Nail Pens to keep the design. Those of us who didn’t want to wait for a top coat to dry found that a lot of the design came off the very next day.

Fact: Feet are very hard to photograph (especially if the photographer is 15 and giggling). We did our best to show you the results.

Fact: Fingers are easier to photograph (especially if the photographer isn’t 15).

That’s the technical part. The real part is that we laughed a lot. We laughed so hard we spilled nailpolish (which wasn’t that big a catastrophe because I put down a big towel before we started. I’ve met us before.) We told stories and caught up on Important Girl Stuff.

Then we headed for snacks and a movie.

Perfect.

JUDI COGEN is the Chief of Insanely Brilliant Ideas here at Girlfriendology.com. She is the mother of the BoyChild and the GirlChild. She can usually be found on twitter @JudiCogen or on her new blog, Dear Kid Love Mom, letters to college kids.

Disclosure (kinda): Debba (founder of Girlfriendology) works for Collective Bias. The fabulous Judi does not. As is our policy at Girlfriendology, we only recommend products that we would positively share with a girlfriend.

By the way, we LOVE guest blogs here at Girlfriendology. Have a great girlfriend story to tell? Want to celebrate your fabulous female friends? SHARE! (And, we also have Girlfriend Gurus – check that out to be featured on Girlfriendology!) SIGN UP for our weekly newsletter and get our FREE eBook ‘30 Days / 30 Ways to Be a Better Friend‘ - check it out! Don’t forget to make your girlfriends feel special with perfect birthday gifts for women!

She held her head high & looked the world straight in the eye. Celebrate her strength. (& yours!)    Kobi Yamada

Women are damn strong. We may be told that we’re not as strong as men, but I personally (& strongly) disagree. We’re strong enough to have children and raise amazing kids. We can lift weights and each others’ burdens. We can run marathons and endless errands, all while multi-tasking for multiple family members, and juggling home and work projects. We are strong and we look the world straight in the eye. (I love our gender!)

We’re celebrating women and our strength on Girlfriendology. For example:

* YWCA Career Women of Achievement Luncheon in Cincinnati – Recognizing strong (and inspiring) professional women in Cincinnati and raising money to empower women and eliminate racism

* Moms who are the ‘Heavy Lifters’ of Families – Happy (continued!) Mother’s Day!

* Helping a Girlfriend Through Divorce – It takes strong women (helping strong women) make huge life changes (and I’m so thankful we’re there for each other!)

And also …

* Summer Trends from girlfriends at Party BluPrints – From Recipes to Fashion to Pets (check it out!)

* 5 Things to Say to your Mom Friends – Making your girlfriends’ Mother’s Days happy

* Grateful for Girlfriends and Spontaneity – This week’s #ThankfulThursday

* Saving Money – 5 Ways to Avoid Restaurants - Great frugal girlfriend advice from Miata Edoga

* Announcing our Winner of the Savvy Blogging Summit Ticket!

By the way, we LOVE guest blogs here at Girlfriendology. Have a great girlfriend story to tell? Want to celebrate your fabulous female friends? SHARE! (And, we also have Girlfriend Gurus – check that out to be featured on Girlfriendology!) SIGN UP for our weekly newsletter and get our FREE eBook ‘30 Days / 30 Ways to Be a Better Friend‘ - check it out! Don’t forget to make your girlfriends feel special with perfect birthday gifts for women!

I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June.
L. M. Montgomery

It’s ALMOST Summer! Even with my fleece jacket and my warmest yoga pants on, I know Summer is coming!

We love girlfriends who share their wonderful wisdom and creative inspiration. That’s what girlfriends Dawn and Elizabeth (aka: Party BluPrints) do in this new digital magazine called ‘Live So Fab.’ Included in this issue: the LWD (Little White Dress – gotta get one!), Summer Make-up Advice (perfect timing!), Simple Summer Recipes, a Road Trip Checklist, Healthy Tips for your Pets, and so much more! So here’s some great girlfriend advice for the summer!

Know girlfriends who would love this new digital magazine? Share the link: LiveSoFab magazine.

Note: this LiveSoFab magazine was produced by Collective Bias, my employer. I was not compensated for posting this magazine (just wanted to share with my girlfriends!).

By the way, we LOVE guest blogs here at Girlfriendology. Have a great girlfriend story to tell? Want to celebrate your fabulous female friends? SHARE! (And, we also have Girlfriend Gurus – check that out to be featured on Girlfriendology!) SIGN UP for our weekly newsletter and get our FREE eBook ‘30 Days / 30 Ways to Be a Better Friend‘ - check it out! Don’t forget to make your girlfriends feel special with perfect birthday gifts for women!

“That some achieve great success, is proof to all that others can achieve it as well.”  Abraham Lincoln

What an inspiring quote! That sums up why we recognize and celebrate the achievements of others. It proves to each one of us that we can achieve great success as well!

Recently I was asked to volunteer on the promotions committee for the Cincinnati YWCA Career Women of Achievement luncheon. I did it because I believe in women supporting women, even if my schedule is busy and sometimes meetings don’t fall on the most convenient time for my schedule. What I didn’t know was that I would be humbled by what the YWCA does for women and in eliminating racism. I love this organization!

As the YWCA says it:

The YWCA Salute to Career Women of Achievement was established in 1980 to increase community awareness and appreciation of the diverse contributions of women in the work force and in the community. The luncheon has evolved into the YWCA’s largest fundraising event, sponsored by 150 companies and organizations each year.  All proceeds directly benefit YWCA programs, supporting its mission to eliminate racism and empower women.

Each year, the Cincinnati YWCA hosts this luncheon (the largest sit-down luncheon all year in Cincinnati) to recognize inspiring, smart, successful career women. And, they bring in an inspiring woman to speak on her amazing achievements. If you’re in Cincinnati, hopefully you’ll join us this Wednesday, May 15th for this recognition of the following career women of achievement:

• Kathleen S. Barclay – Senior Vice President, Human Resources, The Kroger Co.
• Saba Atiq Chughtai, MD – Physician Owner & President, Saba Chughtai MD & Associates
• Alandes Eure-Powell – Operations Director & Senior Vice President, Citi
• Tamara Harkavy – CEO & Artistic Director, ArtWorks
• Heidi B. Jark – Managing Director & Vice President, The Foundation Office, Fifth Third Bank
• Crystal Kendrick – President, The Voice of Your Customer
• Deborah Platt Majoras – Chief Legal Officer & Secretary, Procter & Gamble
• Mary Miller – CEO, JANCOA Janitorial Services, Inc.

This year’s speaker is the inspiring DIANA NYAD. You probably recognize that name. She’s the fab female who doesn’t let age slow her down. She defies sharks and stinging jelly fish. And she leaps in with her goal in mind – which can mean swimming 103 miles (without a shark cage) between Cuba and Florida, at 62 years of age. I’m really looking forward to hearing her speak!

JOIN US for the Cincinnati YWCA 2013 Annual Salute to Career Women of Achievement Luncheon
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Duke Energy Convention Center
12:00-1:30 p.m.

You can learn more information by clicking here! Be sure to REGISTER HERE asap!

By the way, we LOVE guest blogs here at Girlfriendology. Have a great girlfriend story to tell? Want to celebrate your fabulous female friends? SHARE! (And, we also have Girlfriend Gurus – check that out to be featured on Girlfriendology!) SIGN UP for our weekly newsletter and get our FREE eBook ‘30 Days / 30 Ways to Be a Better Friend‘ - check it out! Don’t forget to make your girlfriends feel special with perfect birthday gifts for women!

Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible. Marion C. Garretty

I’m a non-Mom. That leaves me out of the “Mommy Blogger” genre, silent when someone could use ‘motherly advice,’ and, on Mother’s Day, left out of the female and family appreciation and celebration. (My pets don’t really count, but I’m still very thankful to be their ‘Mom.’)

I’ve never had to get up in the middle of the night, much less repeatedly, to care for a baby or child. I haven’t cooked for a family or chauffeured children between games, lessons and appointments. I don’t know common cures for illnesses, bad grades or boredom. And I’m at a total loss when it comes to teaching valuable lessons and living a busy life with sanity and strength.

What today does represent to me is a feeling of awe and genuine respect for Moms – and especially for my own mom and my girlfriends who are amazing mothers.

So many girlfriends come to mind … Barb and Deana – girlfriends from college who have beautiful, smart, kind children who have now even graduated college. Julie who home schooled five children who are articulate, passionate and world travelers. Judi who is sharing her motherly (and funny) advice in a new blog called: Dear Kid Love Mom. Penny, Lorri, Anne, Michelle, Crystal, Sandy, Courtney, Ellen, Amy, Patty … each with their creative and supportive approach to mothering fabulous children. To my sister Cyndee who is embracing being mother to a new mother (Jessica) with a passion for beautiful baby Ayla. And to all the others, you Moms amaze this non-mom with your selfless love, your brilliant problem-solving and task-juggling skills, and untiring love of your families.

So HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to my girlfriends who are Moms. Not only do you care for your children, but you also nurture your friends and we’re all the better for having you in our lives. Thanks Moms!

p.s. Check out 5 things to do to make a Mom feel special

By the way, we LOVE guest blogs here at Girlfriendology. Have a great girlfriend story to tell? Want to celebrate your fabulous female friends? SHARE! (And, we also have Girlfriend Gurus – check that out to be featured on Girlfriendology!) SIGN UP for our weekly newsletter and get our FREE eBook ‘30 Days / 30 Ways to Be a Better Friend‘ - check it out! Don’t forget to make your girlfriends feel special with perfect birthday gifts for women!

More to check out – Facebook.com/Girlfriendology and Twitter/@Girlfriendology where we’re connecting with almost 60,000 women and Pinterest.com/Girlfriendology where we share visual inspiration and great quotes. More Girlfriend Friendship Quotes & did you see our INFOGRAPHIC on ‘What Women Want‘?

THANKS to our 2013 Sponsor – Biz Stain Fighter and Mean Green Degreaser (check out their coupons!). If you’re a brand, please contact us and check out more for Brands and Businesses who want to be Girlfriend Recommended. And – THANKS to YOU Girlfriend!

Note: Girlfriendology does share affiliate links from time to time. However, we only recommend products that we’d honestly share with a girlfriend.