Personal Reflections for a Joyful Mind

With the holidays fast approaching, I, like many of you readers, end up doing a lot of self-reflection of not just the past year that flew by, but about what I want to do differently next year, what I want to change about myself and remembering those special people that have gone from us too soon.

As I have stated many times, by the time I was 31, I was widowed with 3 children.  I had lost my husband, older brother and grandfather all within a two year period.  Of course, that was over 12 years ago now, but in my reflections, I have come realize how far I have actually come in my life since that stressful time.  I am writing this post with The Joyful Mind Project on my heart with hopes to maybe spark some of you readers who may also be reflecting in your own way.  Maybe you suffer from anxiety as I did after my experiences, maybe you suffer from depression or maybe you just are overworked and overwhelmed and you feel like your world is crashing around you.  In my experience, getting through and getting to the point of reflection came first by way of acceptance.  Just plain and simply accepting life as it is.  Going thru this process can be nothing less than devastating but it is reality.

Accepting life right where you are, all of the bad, the ugly and the good is essential.  It’s really about deciding to “surrender” what you “think” your life is or should be at that moment and choosing to accept and change.  It has been written that…..”Life is not the way it’s supposed to be.  It is the way it is.  The way you cope with it is what makes the difference.”   The way we cope.  What a powerful statement.  Of course, the way we each individually cope is always going to be different, but for me, it took a good long time.  I had a catch phrase that I told myself often and it was this…”If you can cope, you have hope.”  Cliche, I know but it worked for me.

Once you begin to accept that you are right where you are supposed to be at this moment, your whole perspective will begin to change.  You will decide at that moment to devise a different relationship with the problem at hand.  I tell my coaching clients all of the time that if they focus only on what is wrong with their blended family then that will be their reality because at that point, they aren’t “choosing” to fix the problem.  Their words have not become impeccable.  They haven’t gotten to acceptance yet.  Accept there is a problem, get help and do your best to fix it.  See the problem differently instead of letting it debilitate you.

TMF Readers, when you are going thru acceptance, remember to not allow your emotions to consume you.  You never have to follow or obey your emotions.  You can choose to manage them.  Don’t give all of your power away to your emotions because it is then that they can take over your life.

It is very empowering to accept that where you are right now doesn’t have to be your whole life.  Your perspective can change as long as you don’t allow yourself to continually focus on the “wrong” and focus on what you can change to make it “right.”  Choice is a powerful tool.

Peace & Blessings,
Diane

Diane’s Easy & Scrumptious Pumpkin Pie

TMF Readers, with the holidays quickly approaching, I wanted to give you a few really quick recipes that will make your life in the kitchen so much easier. 

One of my great childhood memories is that of a good piece of pumpkin pie.  Needless to say, I have been indulging already by getting a jump start on my baking.  Below is my fool-proof pumpkin pie recipe.  It is lovely, quick and yummy.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 frozen pie shell (or you can make your own crust if you dare venture)
1 – 16 oz can of pureed pumpkin
1 – 14 oz can of sweet & condensed milk
(you can also use evaporated milk plus 1 cup of sugar if you don’t want to use sweet & condensed milk, but I like my pie more luscious)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice (or, you can substitute with 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon of ginger and 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon).

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Beat eggs, add pumpkin, sweet & condensed milk and spices and beat until smooth.  Pour batter into pie shell and bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.  Reduce the heat down to 350 degrees and cook for an additional 35-40 minutes.  Allow to completely cool on a baking rack and serve with whipped cream. 

Happy Holidays!

The Friends/Family Balance

This article was first published by Cynthia Hanson of Life and Beauty Weekly

The Beatles got it right: You can get by with a little help from your friends. Trouble is it’s tough to get their support if you don’t see them! So what to do when you haven’t had a girls’ night out in ages or your job leaves you feeling like you don’t have energy for your loved ones? Make a plan to get your life in a balance that includes both friends and family.

“Research shows that maintaining friendships increases longevity and boosts the immune system,” says Andrea Bonior, a licensed clinical psychologist in Washington, D.C., and author of The Friendship Fix: The Complete Guide to Choosing, Losing and Keeping up With Your Friends. “But it’s hard for many women to prioritize friendships because they don’t seem as crucial as our families, jobs and responsibilities.” Follow this stress-less plan to strike a better balance and stay connected with all the important people in your life.

1. Don’t settle for Facebook newsfeeds.

“Me” time is vital to self-care — and self-care is crucial to staying in balance and having the energy you need for your family. “Give yourself permission to talk on the phone with a friend or do something fun together — even if you have to plan it four weeks in advance,” says Bonior. “You may feel like you keep up with friends over Facebook, but you’re not getting the same emotional connection when you’re clicking and commenting on links. You need more sustained, face-to-face contact or voice contact.”

2. Keep family time separate.

Does your friend always call when you’re getting your preschooler ready for bed? Or when you and your husband are trying to relax after dinner? Solution: Be assertive and set boundaries.

“It’s OK to screen your calls and tell friends that your evenings are family time,” says Joyce Marter, a psychotherapist and owner of Urban Balance LLC, a multisite counseling practice in Chicago. Let friends know when you’re free to dish — perhaps on your lunch hour or before you leave work. That way you won’t miss their latest news or your game of Monopoly with the kids.

3. Set a standing date.

It’s hard to coordinate a meet-up with a friend when your kids’ activities keep you hopping and chores keep you busy on weekends. Choose a day and time that fit your lifestyles and workloads — perhaps coffee at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, or brunch on the third Sunday of every month. Then stick to it, just as you would stick to a spinning class.

“Standing dates are also a good way to get a group of three or four friends together,” says Bonior. “It gets drilled into your brain that it’s something you want to do and should do.” Plus, by having it on your calendar, you’ll avoid all the back-and-forth “When are you free?” texts.

4. Be flexible.

Not big on breakfast, but 8:00 a.m. is the only time your friend is free? Take one for the team and nibble a bagel anyway. What counts is getting together — and it’s a guaranteed mood-booster. “When you connect and laugh with a friend, you know you’re not alone in dealing with life’s challenges,” says Marter.

5. Think small.

Back in the day, you lingered together over martinis and escaped to luxury spas. But those gal-pal outings aren’t realistic right now when you’re busy with family matters. So settle for close encounters of the quick kind. It’s better to squeeze in 45-minute lunch dates between client meetings than to have no F2F time at all!

Cosigners…or….True Friends?

The old saying goes like this….”A friend in need is a friend indeed.”  For a long time, I always thought that the meaning of true friendship was (1) someone who stands by your side no matter what, (2) someone who hurts when you hurt and (3) someone that tells you exactly what you want to hear when you need to hear it.

Well, in my more mature years, I have come to know that numbers 1 and 2 above are absolutely correct, but number 3 is more than a half truth.  As friends, especially as women, we need true friends and true friends are not what Kela and I call co-signers.  For example, there have been many times that I have needed advice and thought I was absolutely in the right in my thinking, in my feelings, my actions and my reactions.  Albeit, I may be one of the luckiest women in the world to have a friend like Kela that will not just tell me the truth, she will downright tell me when I am in the wrong.  Many times, I have had to be put in check and yes, it is hard to hear constructive criticism and it was far from what I really wanted to hear at the time, but was absolutely needed in order to move forward and in order to progress personally and professionally.  With these lessons, Kela has made me a better friend to her and to others.

Ladies, we need each other.  There are just things that our husbands don’t understand and our kids shouldn’t be privy to.  There are times when we need a good listening ear of a girlfriend.  However, that listening ear needs to be level for our own well-being.  As friends, we need to be comfortable in our skin to tell one another the whole truth and nothing but the truth without feeling the need to cosign.  Cosigning is not healthy for either party.  In fact, it accomplishes nothing but short term gratification and the end result usually backfires on you.

TMF Readers, true friends see you from the inside out.  They are by your side when we are not at our best.  A true friend stands by you even when you take a stance on something they might not think will work because they believe in your ideas.  They let you make your own mistakes so you can personally learn the lesson without them having to say “I told you so.”  A true friend loves you for who you are, not what you can do for them.  They stand beside you, they work with you.  A true friend knows all of the good about you and all of the not so good but could care less.

A true friend never cosigns for the simple reason of making you feel better, they give you the truth and leave their opinions aside because they know that their opinion may be biased toward you.

True friends are difficult to find, hard to leave and impossible to forget and I am truly blessed to have you Kela.  Thank you for allowing me to ride along on this journey with you.  Thank you for believing in my ability as a coach and as your friend.  I only hope that one day I can help you as much as you have helped me to be a better person.

Diane

Autumn – The Time for Harvest

“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.” ~George Eliot

The above quote describes the way I feel about Autumn precisely.  If I could live in a perfect world it would be Autumn all year long.  During the time that Fall is marking the transition between summer into winter, my mind immediately takes me to the comfort of warm stews, crockpot slow cooking, crisp weather and walks in the park with crunchy leaves under my feet.  It takes me to the roads that travel the little country towns outside of my city and nestling in my own imagination what life was like in my grandparents generation during this time of year.  It’s about sitting at my son’s outdoor soccer games wrapped up in my blanket with my hot chocolate in one hand and cheering him on with the other.  Needless to say, Autumn is my favorite time of the year.  I am not sure why this season is so relevant for me to reminisce about my growing up, etc., but it really is a feel-good season for me.

As I mentioned above, a big part of my joy during this time of year is my love for cooking.  With that, in this post, I wanted to share with our readers one of my favorite Autumn/Fall recipes.  I hope you try it and enjoy!  Feel free to swing back to me and let me know how it worked for you.

Diane’s Smoked Sausage & Cabbage Stew

Ingredients:

1 head of green cabbage
6  potatoes peeled and quartered
1 small onion
2 packages smoked sausage
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon of margarine or butter
1-1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Dice or slice sausage in quarter inch pieces and place  in a pot.  Cover with water and add garlic, salt and pepper.  Simmer on medium heat until cooked through.  Remove sausage and set to side.  Keep water in the pot and set to the side.  Cut up cabbage and potatoes and add to water along with margarine or butter.  Place sausage back on top and cover until cabbage and potatoes are fork tender.  Serves 4.

Enjoy!

Be Attitudes for Living a Happy Life

“Hap­pi­ness is a spir­i­tual path. The more you learn about true hap­pi­ness, the more you dis­cover the truth of who you are, what is impor­tant, and what your life is for.” — Robert Holden, Author of Be Happy!

Hap­pi­ness used to be one of those top­ics that not only I shied away from, but also believed that it just wasn’t going to be a part of my jour­ney. Thank­fully those self-fulfilling days of despair are over and I now know that happiness—just like any­thing else in life—is a mal­leable state of mind that can be learned.

Although some of us are born into the world smil­ing, oth­ers like myself have had to learn (and unlearn) cer­tain tech­niques and habits so that hap­pi­ness can be a part of our nat­ural lives. As I under­stand more about my Self and dis­cover who I really am I also rec­og­nize that hap­pi­ness is mine for the choosing.

Below are a few of the atti­tudes and habits I’ve cul­ti­vated over the years that I believe are key to liv­ing a happy life.

Be Authen­tic

Being authen­tic is about being who we really are with oth­ers. Authen­tic­ity is what helps us live life to our fullest poten­tial. It is also an essen­tial ingre­di­ent to find­ing hap­pi­ness within ourselves.

Liv­ing an authen­tic life ulti­mately opens us up to being in har­mony with our true Self so that we can ulti­mately dis­cover who we really are. And, the more true you are to your­self, the hap­pier you will be.

Be Know­ing

Knowl­edge doesn’t have to always resem­ble books and infor­ma­tion. How­ever, when it comes to being happy, know­ing what makes you smile and light up is extremely important.

For me, being cre­ative, spend­ing qual­ity time with close loved ones, and shar­ing what I’m learn­ing with oth­ers makes me happy. What makes you happy could be some­thing entirely different.

Ulti­mately it’s about find­ing the joy within your­self. Accord­ing to hap­pi­ness expert Dr. Robert Holden, direc­tor of The Hap­pi­ness Project, you feel the hap­pi­est when you begin to know who you truly are. “The rea­son why we’re so inter­ested in hap­pi­ness is because we want to have an expe­ri­ence of our true self.”

Be Grate­ful

“We tend to for­get that hap­pi­ness doesn’t come as a result of get­ting some­thing we don’t have, but rather of rec­og­niz­ing and appre­ci­at­ing what we do have.”— Fred­er­ick Keonig, Co-inventor of the Print­ing Press

As sim­ple as it sounds, grat­i­tude breeds happiness.

Peo­ple who have an atti­tude of grat­i­tude lead hap­pier and health­ier lives than those who don’t because grat­i­tude forces us to over­come what psy­chol­o­gists call the “neg­a­tiv­ity bias”—the ten­dency to dwell on prob­lems, annoy­ances, and life’s lit­tle injustices.

By focussing on the good parts of life—the things that we are thank­ful for—we are con­di­tion­ing our­selves to fos­ter­ing a pos­i­tive atti­tude and a healthy sense of well-being which is what hap­pi­ness is all about.

Be Com­pas­sion­ate

Any­time I think about hap­pi­ness or com­pas­sion the first thought that comes to mind is the Dalai Lama.

Hav­ing had the chance to be taught by him while I was in Wis­con­sin a few years back and hear him speak on the impor­tance of prac­tic­ing com­pas­sion with our­selves and oth­ers, I was pro­foundly changed by the expe­ri­ence and have become more com­pas­sion­ate as a result. As the Dalai Lama teaches:

“The great­est degree of inner tran­quil­ity comes from the devel­op­ment of love and com­pas­sion. The more we care for the hap­pi­ness of oth­ers, the greater is our own sense of well-being.” — Ten­zin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama

It is true that by car­ing for the well-being of oth­ers, you auto­mat­i­cally increase your own level of happiness.

Be For­giv­ing

“To for­give is the high­est, most beau­ti­ful form of love. In return, you will receive untold peace and hap­pi­ness.” — Robert Muller, World Peace and Hap­pi­ness Guru

While the tools, tech­niques, and “be atti­tudes” for hap­pi­ness are valu­able, the most impor­tant of these is for­give­ness. Con­tin­u­ally being in a state of prac­tic­ing for­give­ness allows you to move past resent­ment, hate, fear, and inad­e­quacy while step­ping into the mind-frame of love.

Happy peo­ple learn from their expe­ri­ences, pains, dis­ap­point­ments, and are able to fully expe­ri­ence all the joy life has to offer.

For­give­ness may not be an easy task—in fact, it’s one of the most dif­fi­cult ones to practice—nonetheless, it is a sim­ple one and one worth mastering.

Tips to Grow By

Hap­pi­ness isn’t a reward, it’s part of the jour­ney and it is com­pletely attain­able. Sci­en­tists and psy­chol­o­gists have even dis­cov­ered that our brains have a cer­tain level of plas­tic­ity which allow them to be com­pletely trans­formable and capa­ble of change if we so choose.

How­ever, choos­ing to be happy is more that just a choice, it’s a con­scious deci­sion that only you can make for your­self. By being authen­tic, grate­ful, for­giv­ing, and focus­ing on the pos­i­tive things in life, you will be lead to greater hap­pi­ness.

And as Abra­ham Lin­coln once said, “Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” So, make up your mind to be happy and start liv­ing a hap­pier life today.

About Aisha Quinece

“How am I making the world a better place?” is a question I ask myself almost on a daily basis. As a wife, mother, designer, writer, and teacher, actively enriching the lives of others is a responsibility that I take seriously. Supplying you with practical ways to “Create Your Life” is what my blog, www.AishaQuinece.com, is all about. So, check it out, visit me on Facebook, follow me Twitter, and get started creating your life today!

The 72 Hour Design Challenge

Who has a space they have absolutely no idea what to do with? How’s that living room looking? Bedroom need a little TLC? Bathroom kindof drab? What about your kitchen? Could it use a facelift? Whatever your design dilemma is let’s tackle it together!

Here’s how it works…subscribe to my blog at www.yourcolorvision.wordpress.com  (if you haven’t already), email me (click on TV to your top right) clear pictures of the space and what your design style is i.e. modern, traditional, rustic etc and I’ll respond within 72 hours with a design solution!

C’mon this will be fun! If you want to see an example, check out the ideas I came up with for my friend Jimmy’s Place below.

You have nothing to lose. Ready…Set…Send me those pics!

Be COLORful!

Easy Thin Crust Pepperoni Pizza

I don’t know about you, but for me, heading out of Spring and into Summer is reason alone to look for easy, quick-fix meals for busy families like mine.  I originally saw this recipe in one of my favorite magazines “All You” and I use it all the time so I had to pass it along to our readers.  It’s not only good for saving you time, but more importantly, money saving as well.  So, ditch the  expensive pizzas and delivery fees and throw one of these quick pizzas in the oven.  It’s sure to please!

Prep: 5 min.:  Bake: 12 min.
Cost per serving: $2.10
Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 10-inch flour tortillas
1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
40 slices turkey pepperoni
8 ounces shredded part-skim mozzarella
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 500ºF. Mist both sides of 2 tortillas with cooking spray. Place tortillas on a baking sheet, top with half of tomatoes, pepperoni and cheese; bake on top rack for 3 minutes. Move to bottom rack and bake until tortillas are puffed and browned around edges, about 3 minutes longer. Sprinkle with half of basil.

2. While first two pizzas are baking, assemble remaining two pizzas on another baking sheet. Bake as directed above, sprinkle with remaining basil, and serve immediately.

CHECK IN AND MOTIVATE YOURSELF!

“People often say that this or that person has not yet found himself. But the self is not something one finds, it is something one creates”

 We all talk the talk but a lot of the times we forget to walk the walk.  Men and women alike want to be more healthy, more motivated and more self-aware of where we are in our walk of life.  Add in all of the stresses that our societies are now experiencing and 9 times out of 10, “yourself” gets put on the back burner.  I saw a quote once that stuck with me.  It said “You are your own raw material.  When you know what you consist of and what you want to make of it, then you can invent yourself.”  I have discovered that my truth is when I want changes to occur in my life or I want to grow more or feel more bound to my relationships, I make sure that I first attend to myself and analyze where “I” truly am so that I can then open myself up more and also be more to others.

Checking in with myself has been an overall hard effort in the past for me.  Finding the self-motivation to put myself first and to get out of slumps is and was hard work.  Falling off the bandwagon is just like being addicted to nicotine.  You fall off the wagon and get back on again, which can end up being a disastrous cycle if you allow it to fester.  Continuously motivating ourselves and giving ourselves the time we deserve (mentally, physically and emotionally) is utterly important.  When I allow myself to breathe, spend time nuturing myself, I feel remarkable.  In my opinion, this happens to everyone who starts to think that they can do things when they believe in themselves first.

Another idea about checking in with ourselves and motivating ourselves is by sharing our knowledge with others.  Think about it….what if Maya Angelou never shared her magnificent poems with all of the world?  What if we never heard the story of Albert Einstein or Anne Frank?  What if Martin Luthur King, Jr. decided only to preach his message in the church and not take to the streets to spread his wisdom and God’s word?  In order to help people, we have to share what we know.  No one is successful by themselves.  There is always someone behind the scenes helping.  I know I would be absolutely no where without my fabulous business partner who supports me and whom has inspired me and shared her knowledge with me.  It’s about being unselfish and allowing our motivations to help others. Remember, we can do more and aim higher when we have supportive people around us.

Here are a few tips to get you more motivated:

1. Stay Positive. Attitude, attitude, attitude.  It makes all the difference in the world.   You are the only one in charge of your attitude. 
2. Reach Out.  Share your message with others.  By helping others, you will be more motivated to do even bigger things.
3. Stay Organized.  Keeping track of where you are at on your goals is important.  Put pen to paper, even if it is in a journal. 
4. Be Good To Yourself.  Take “me” time.  If your home life is busy all the time, treat yourself to a hotel room once in a while. 
5. Take Action.  Stop with all the “talking” about what you want to do and just do it!
6. Don’t Go Overboard.  You are only one person.  Take into consideration that you cannot do it all in one day, one week or one month and it’s OK. 
7. Expectations.  Keep your expectations realisitc.  Maximize your strengths and work on your weaknesses, but keep them all in a realistic perspective.  You are not superman or superwoman!
8. Complacency.  Do not get stuck incomplacency.   If you dream, dream big!   You can grow as high as you reach, you just have to believe in yourself.

TMF Readers, when we are in motivational mode, we have to remember that wanting something in our lives is not enough.  It’s like watching a soccer match that lasts 90 minutes and the score is 0-0.  It’s all about which team has more hunger.  Your dreams must inspire you.  However, dreams are just that…dreams….they are insufficient if they do not stretch your comfort zone at times. 

Mikhail Baryshnikov once said, “I do not try to dance better than anyone else, I only try to dance better than myself.”  This is my truth.  I just want to dance to my own music, I want to be successful by working at what makes me happy and by being inspired by my dreams.  Being motiviated and checking in with myself to make sure I am where I need to be is starting simple and that is the first step.

Peace & Blessings,
Diane

JACKIE CHRISTIE “KNOWS BEST”

TMF Readers, let me introduce you to the fabulous Jackie Christie, wife of NBA Superstar Doug Christie, fashion entrepreneur, CEO of her own Record Label, 4 time best selling author and a woman that was just named the National Association of Professional Women’s 2011 Woman of the Year!

Jackie, welcome to Today’s Modern Family. Let me start this interview by saying to you that I am in complete awe of you. You are doing big things and I admire you for your passion and how far you have come not just for yourself and your family but for all women! Congratulations on being named the National Association of Professional Women’s 2011 Woman of the Year. What an accomplishment! You are certainly an inspiration to me and to lots of young women out there who aspire to have more so thank you for allowing Today’s Modern Family to have this opportunity to interview you.

TMF:  You are a wife, mother of three, fashion designer, model, producer, CEO of a record company and best-selling author. How do you balance being a wife, mother and entrepreneur?

JC: Balancing them all is definitely not easy. I had to learn how to prioritize. If what you really wants is to be the best wife, mother, friend and daughter you can be then everything outside of that has no place in your life. For me, I like to set goals and make lists of things I want to get done and accomplish everyday and I work hard to complete my goals. I always put my family first and insure they are all getting everything they need from me; this allows me the clarity to continue my life’s journey of navigating my businesses, writing my books, designing my lines, running my label, etc. It truly is rewarding at the end of the day when I know I helped someone realize their dreams, made my kids smile or completed my to do list; It feels really good and It helps me feel balanced.

TMF: Its no secret that being a basketball wife can be very difficult and you are known for stopping at nothing to protect your marriage. How do the two of you maintain such a strong relationship?

JC:  We love and respect each other to the fullest & put each other first. We communicate about everything no matter what and we are best friends. When you have all these things in your relationship it makes the intimacy even greater (smiles.)

TMF:  Let’s talk about your latest book titled “Sexual Relations, A His and Hers Guide to Greater Intimacy.” Obviously, the title speaks for itself and we here at Today’s Modern Family love to put emphasis on how important it is to continue to court our spouses in order to maintain the intimacy that is crucial to the survival of our relationships. So, I am dying to know what made you, personally, want to create a his/hers guide like this and when can we expect it to hit the shelves?

JC : My new book “Sexual Relations: A His and Her Guide To Greater Intimacy” Is a modern day sex bible. It will be the go to book for men and women to help them experience greater intimacy in their lives. I feel I have been extremely blessed with a strong libido and sexual desire which I feel is a big part of having a strong and committed relationship/marriage. I have been blessed with my husband Doug in that he loves me and desires me in the deepest possible way. We are always asked how we are still so much in love, so now in my new book I will share my secrets to having a long-lasting beautiful and fulfilling relationship as well as many other surprises.

TMF:  In 2009 you launched your Colored Girl fashion collection and in 2011 the Jackie Christie Black Collection both to rave reviews! Tell us where your inspiration in the world of fashion comes from.

JC: I draw inspiration from so many places, whether it’s reading a book, walking along the beach, meeting new people or having lunch in a nice restaurant. The love I have for fashion is un-measurable and I always design from my heart. When I designed my Colored Girl line, I was inspired by all the amazing beautiful women around the world from all sizes, nationalities and backgrounds. I feel like every woman on earth should feel beautiful, so when I design I do it with that in mind.

TMF:  Your latest project is an upcoming web series, “Jackie Christie Knows Best”. Tell us more about this and what inspired you to do the show?

JC: Maya Angelou once said “when you learn — teach”, and so I feel like I have a lot that I can teach men and women. My web series is going to be both entertaining and informative. I have a lot of really great celebrity interviews, special guest appearances and more. I don’t want to give away all the surprises so I encourage you all to tune in. (smiles)

TMF:  I also understand that through this web series, you will be raising funds for unemployed women and single mothers. Can you tell me more about this and why you chose unemployed women and single mothers?

JC: Yes, I wanted to reach out to single mothers and unemployed women because I know what it’s like to be in that situation. For a short time I was an unemployed mother and that’s when I decided I wanted to own my own business and I feel that there’s not that many programs geared toward helping women that are in these situations. I feel like through my web series I could bring attention to the growing issue of single mothers and unemployed women. I feel like its apart of my responsibility to help raise money and help erase their struggle by donating money, clothes, etc.

TMF:  Now for some fun questions…

What does the term modern mom mean to you?

JC: Wow! The term modern mom to me means a renaissance women and multi tasker! It also signifies [to me] a strong women that loves her family and herself and wants to be happy and fulfilled. When a person is happy within themselves it shows and radiates to their family , friends and everyone else.

What is your definition of a good marriage?

JC: True love, respect, commitment, intimacy, friendship and communication.

What is your notion of family?

JC: My notion of family is an unbreakable bond shared amongst a family; it is a gift from God that we must cherish always. Even in the closest of families there will be ups and downs but a family that respects, loves and cherishes each other and keeps God first can overcome any and all obstacles. To me, family is everything.

Well, Jackie, let me close by saying I have thoroughly enjoyed this interview. I am a big fan of you and Doug Christie and we here at Today’s Modern Family have been honored to have you with us. Please feel free to come by and visit with us anytime.

JC: Thank You so much! We definitely will. I would love for all of you to become my twitter pals and I’ll be yours. I’m at twitter.com/JackieChristie.

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