MOMS WHO ROCK!

I'm so excited to introduce you to an incredible, hardworking, creative, rockstar Mom Mfon! We had the pleasure of meeting and quickly connecting through my cousins, and once I heard about Mfon's new business and phenomenal product I had to spread the word. Meet Mfon Ekpe Dancy!

Thank you Stephanie for the opportunity to introduce myself to your readers. It is such an honor to work with moms who uplift and encourage others. I am Mfon Ekpe-Dancy, wife, mom of three and founder of Ziggy’s Pudding - a vegan skincare brand.

I was a critical care registered nurse for over 13 years and have been a holistic health and wellness facilitator for over 10years. I am Nigerian, born in America, raised in New York and have been loving, living life here in sunny, Southern California.

My company, Ziggy’s Pudding was inspired by my two sons one of which “Ziggy” battled diaper rashes for the first three months of his life followed by eczema. Not being able to find an effective solution that was not loaded with chemicals pushed me to create our baby body butter ( a vegan moisturizer for eczema, diaper rash, dry skin and minor skin irritations).

After perfecting the recipe, I sent it to friends and family to try and received great feedback. I never thought to start a company around my concoction until my children’s pediatrician asked me what I was using on their skin and for the recipe. I hope to continue to provide skincare options that are effective, non-toxic, vegan and gentle for children. As a natural

health enthusiast, it is my joy to share how to use a plant based lifestyle to help heal your body and provide long term healthy living.

Please follow Mfon at ziggyspudding on Instagram and visit her website www.ziggyspudding.com to try this amazing, vegan baby skincare product!

Five Things I Wish I Was Told Before Becoming A Parent

Photo credit : Lauren West Photography

1.Take each day as it comes! Making plans is good, but with kids things never go according to plan. Keep realistic expectations of yourself and your family -all while trying not to be so hard on yourself when everything doesn’t always line up the way you thought it would.

2.Your house does not always have to be clean! While making messes your kids are making memories and there’s a lot of stress on you to do all of it- let some things go! You can keep things tidy and organized but if the laundry doesn’t get put away it for a week, everything is going to be OKAY-I promise!

3. Asking for help is not a weakness it’s a strength. Use it as one of your supermom powers to recruit a tribe of loved ones to help you whenever you need it. It truly does take a village.

4.It’s OKAY to feel like you need a break sometimes. You need to be transparent when you feel overwhelmed and this way your partner, family (and the tribe I mentioned in number three) can step in to help you feel revitalized and ready to be the supermom that you are each day.

5.You are not perfect, your partner is not perfect and your children are not perfect..... and that’s okay! Just because other moms look like they have it all together and the perfect life on social media doesn’t mean it’s true. Make your reality acceptable and perfect with all of its imperfections. Your love for your family is the main thing that will help you overcome any and all obstacles.

FINAL THOUGHT: You are doing the best that you can and that’s the best you can do! You got this...and remember that even if they don’t always show it -your family loves and appreciates all that you do for them!

Delicious Hearts of Palm Salad

I was first introduced to this easy-to-make yummy salad years ago by my Israeli co-teacher. I had never even tried hearts of palms before this recipe and now I'm obsessed. When we would serve this at parties everyone was a buzz with how delicious it was and I hope you enjoy it too!

Ingredients:

1 can Hearts of palm

1 can of corn (you can use fresh or frozen corn also)

1 avocado

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 lemon

salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cut Hearts of palm into small discs

2. Cut avocado into chunks

3. Add Hearts of palm, corn and avocado chunks to a bowl

4. Stir in mayonnaise and the juice of one lemon

5. Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!