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I am off to order mine now, what a unique idea!

***** The Mommies Network is a 501c(3) non-profit organization dedicated to helping moms find support and friendship in their local community. We were founded April, 2005 and currently have 100+ communities in 33+ states with over 31,000 active members.

One of the hats I wear is that of public speaker, which means I?m often looking back at a sea of faces in a crowded room. In the past week alone I?ve been on stage twice, sharing insights and laughs with a few hundred people.
It?s interesting to watch people file into an auditorium or assembly hall and choose their seats. The front half of a room is often sparsely populated, while the seats in the back fill up quickly. Few people automatically move toward the front, and nobody, it seems, ever wants to sit right on the front row.
Which is odd, because if I was Jon Bon Jovi there would be a stampede for those seats. For a presentation or training session, though, many people sit as far away as possible. C?mon, I?m no Jon Bon Jovi, but I?m not Medusa, either.
Recently I started thinking about the front row/back row situation as it pertains to education. Does it make a difference where a child sits in class? Does her seat selection influence her outcome?
The only evidence I?ve seen is anecdotal, but it?s powerful.
A friend of mine told me the story of her daughter, who is mostly a B or C student. She?s also an extremely social child - which partly explains the grades. During a brief conversation one day the mom asked her daughter where she sat in class. Not surprisingly, the answer was ?in the back.?
?Do me a favor,? Mom said. ?Spend the next week in the front row. Just as an experiment.?

At the end of that week the daughter had scored a resounding A on a paper and on an important test. In fact, her test grade was the highest in the class. The mother says that she?s convinced the seating change played an important role.
Think about the factors involved:

Countless distractions - When you sit in the back, there?s a veritable sea of bodies, movement, and chatter between you and the teacher.
Better vision - Kids near the front of the room have fewer problems seeing the examples on the board or the screen. Add to that the noise; it?s harder to hear the teacher in the back.
Teacher?s perception - This is simply human nature. No matter how responsible and/or accomplished a student may be, it?s natural for an educator to assume that someone sitting in the back is disengaged from the learning process. Plus, how many jokes have we heard about troublemakers in the back row? Studies with university professors have confirmed that they do indeed form an impression based upon where a student chooses to sit.

Like my friend, perhaps you should have a casual chat with the young person in your house. Talk to him about where he sits in class; if he regularly hangs out in the back, encourage him to move forward. Then track the results over time.
I believe this choice spills over into other aspects of our lives. People who choose to sit near the front develop a better attitude and more confidence. When I speak at a conference, I sense a strong character in the folks who boldly stride down the aisle and sit in the first two or three rows; they almost exude an air of self-assurance. They strike me as leaders.
Your son or daughter would do well to consider this change. Sure, it might be tough for them at first, but they?ll quickly grow into it. Not only will they be more likely to pay attention in class, they?ll establish a better relationship with their instructors. Believe me, as a professional speaker I can verify that eye contact builds rapport and trust.
By the time she graduates, your child likely will have developed a front-row attitude toward life. And that?s a benefit that goes well beyond test scores and grades.

Dom Testa is an author, speaker, morning radio show host, and has kept a ficus tree alive for twenty two years. He?s also the founder and president of The Big Brain Club, a non-profit foundation that helps young people embrace the idea that Smart Is Cool. More info at www.DomTesta.com.

Thank you Dom for another great post in his series "Building A Better Student" featured weekly right here on The Mommies Network blog

Lets get those kids outside this week, lots of events on your local Mommies Network calendars, playdates and playgroups, library storytimes, park fun, sidewalk chalk fun, bubble time and much much more! Check out your local Mommies Network chapter or find friendship on The Mommies Network National Forum, info here www.themommiesnetwork.org . Proud to support our local communities across the USA.

Every morning, I do the same thing. I get my cup of coffee while I make breakfast for the kid. I gather the clothes together, making a small pile on the sofa next to me- awaiting the completion of whatever cereal or breakfast bar is being consumed by the little one in the kitchen. I sip my coffee and grab my phone, and I log into my chapter of The Mommies Network. I click " View Your Posts" to see if there have been any responses to my latest musings. Then, I go onto The Mommy Forum, then Relationships,usually heading to the conversations that have the most appeal...the ones with the most posts! Maybe take a timeout to get the kid dressed. Then onto my area group, then my support groups. Then I swing over to my Facebook, then my Twitter, then back to my chapter of The Mommies Network to see the newest posts. I do this about 20 or 30 times a day...rinse and repeat.

Occasionally, I will get particularly attached to a post...be it my own or someone elses. Then, I might check in 40 or 50 times a day ( thank God for smartphones!). Every now and then I'll be a part of a conversation that is gaining traction...bunches of posts, and my heart is lifted with each page of conversation that is added...one page...two pages...five pages! It's like Christmas morning every time I open a page....a slight joy to see what has been added.

Sometimes, it's fluff...a coupon I found or looking for new homeowners insurance. Sometimes it's personal...an issue with my Mother-in-Law or a behavioral issue with my little one. Sometimes it's topical...a news piece or an article I found. But each time, it is the same feeling. I am a part of something- a community that shares something special and something unique.

How many times have you done this?

Now, I need to think about what that MEANS to me. I knew early on that it meant a great deal to me; it meant that I was a part of a network of women who took on their identity as a Mommy, and took it to another level. I knew that becoming a mother forced me to re-identify who I was as a person, because I was forever changed by the little wonder that appeared in my life. But being a part of The Mommies Network took it to a new level. It allowed me to take the new me.- the mother me- and USE it. By using it, I became a Mommy. I used all of those tools that came with motherhood and I applied them. My words became softer, my ideas became firmer, and my passions shifted from what was good for me to what was good for the world I was creating for my child.

Along the way, I have met mothers who are very different than me. I have encountered people that I would have never counted as my friends in my life before motherhood. However, I can now see them for what they are ... exactly like me. Their ideas might be different, and their style may be different, but their reasons and their execution is cornered in exactly the same place as mine. Everything they do is the result of their love for their children. They, too, have been forever changed by becoming a mother, and they are on the same journey as me, figuring out how to apply this unique relationship to how they relate to the world.

So, when I think about The Mommies Network, I need to think about what it is to me, and the solution becomes so simple. The Mommies Network gave me to the place to FIND all of these things. It was the platform, the medium, the safe space where I was able to make the most of the new me. The value in that is not simple to measure, but it is clear to me that I have to find a way to measure it, and give back in turn.

There are so many ways to give back, and if you are like me, you want to give back to someone else what you have received. This network does not exist on it's own. It takes time and energy and money and resources. There are opportunities to give back at every turn. You can donate time, you can donate resources, you can sponsor, you can donate money, you can be a part of the events, or you can just show up to witness the efforts of others who have given back. All of these things expand the network. They make it available to more and more women who are just like you. As we work together, we make the number of mothers in our network larger and larger, and we are able to do more and more to make the world a better place for our children.

I encourage everyone to look at themselves as a Mommy, and think about what it means to you. Right now, The Mommies Network is holding their annual May is for Mother's campaign to help meet the monetary demands of running the network. If being a Mommy has value to you, match it with a donation. However, there are other ways you can contribute. There are volunteer positions available both at The Mommies Network and at the Chapter level. Consider donating your time to this worthy cause. If you are a business owner, consider sponsorship with The Mommies Network as a way to give back to these communities and engage with the membership.

But, most of all, see your identity as a Mommy as something that makes you a part of something special, and embrace what that means to you! Because there are a million ways to mother ... and one network for us all.

Raise money online for MOMMIES NETWORK

Thank you for supporting The Mommies Network!

I have accepted the fact that I will never be pregnant again. I pretend that it isn't true. My brain realizes what my body, mind, and soul have gone through over the past 18 years. My heart, well, that's a different story. I have never said it out loud, but writing it down is the first step. I am not having any more children. The realization hurts. It is a dull ache, so it is not always noticeable. Every once in awhile, it hits me again.

My last three pregnancies were very hard - two losses, a diagnosis of an incompetent cervix, bedrest, and a micropreemie. Add eight children into the equation and you must think I am crazy for even contemplating another pregnancy. I am now considered to be of Advanced Maternal Age. Those three little words written across the top of my chart are enough to make me pause. My husband and I had a deal. No more pregnancies after 35. I almost kept my word, delivering my last baby a few weeks after I turned 36.

I get a similar feeling when I get an email from Target advertising its baby sale as when I received emails about my baby registry after I lost the boys,. I don't need those things anymore. At the mall, I run into Motherhood Maternity to use their bathroom. Have you noticed how cute maternity clothes are? I will never need to buy anything there again. I will miss maternity jeans. When else is it acceptable to wear cute jeans with an elastic waistband? Recently, I gave all of mine away, so I am not tempted to throw a pair on while lounging around the house.

My mind plays funny tricks on me. Every once in awhile I think I can feel movement in my stomach. Why would I assume it was hunger or simply gas? No, I let my imagination wander, fantasizing about creating another perfect little addition to my family. Then, I stop to remember the hospital stays, the NICU, and the strain pregnancy placed on my family. I pour myself a cup of tea, and all of a sudden the rumblings subside.

My last baby is slowly becoming a little boy. I am blissfully happy living in the land of Toddlerhood. I may never get to sniff the top of my newborn's head again, but there is so much more I will get to experience. Each day, I get to watch my children learn new things and master new skills. I am trading in my baby bag for a cute purse.

Plus, when I think about never having to experience morning sickness again, elastic waistbands are not such a draw anymore.

Jennifer Swartvagher blogs at www.beyondthecrib.com about her life and her adventures raising eight children, ranging in age from 17 to one year. The journey beyond the crib doesn't end when the kids are out of diapers, and no one judges us as hard as we judge ourselves. Beyond The Crib's goal is to help other moms (and dads) see that we are all in this crazy world of parenthood together.