An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.

Clearly this is a tough economic time and a lot of families are hurting. So when we talk to parents we talk about small changes for kids and things that don't cost extra money. Like adding water and eliminating sugary drinks and sodas. That's going to save money right there. Or adding a few more vegetables.

Many people take no care of their money till they come nearly to the end of it and others do just the same with their time.

I was fortunate enough to have my kids early so being a mom always ended up being a better gig than these other parts that came along. So I always justified not really working a lot because I had a family.

To this day my mom's unsinkable spirit is an inspiration to me. For nearly thirty years she's worked at the Library of Congress. Everyone knows Sameha simply as 'Sami.' Along with 500 miles of shelved books her closest friendships are cataloged in that library. They are as much the value of work to my mom as is the work itself.

I saw things at an early age because my mom was a theater actress. I did a play with her when I was 10 years old.

I've changed my life in a lot of ways. I'm a mom a wife and a Christian. Some of the things I expressed in my early 20s aren't what I care to express right now.

My mom calls me an older soul because growing up she taught me stuff real early. Now I spend most of my time chasing wisdom chasing understanding.

I want my daughter to be proud of me and look up to me. I think early on in my pregnancy I realized that to be the mom I want to be I had to change my life and that's what I'm doing.

My friends and I would get up early and take our horses through the national forest. My mom was very free. It was always 'Out of the house!' There was no watching television on weekends.