pinkMOXIE

The Power, Reach and Compassion of Social Networking

I just learned of a very tragic and heartbreaking story about a six-month old baby boy named Kaleb Schwade, who has become known as "Baby Kaleb." Since May, he has been in a Florida hospital fighting for his life after suffering a brain injury due to Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS).

According to news stories, baby Kaleb's day care provider, Rebecca Saunders, 35 and mother of three, is accused of allegedly shaking the baby boy so hard that it caused a brain injury. Saunders was arrested and is out on bail awaiting trial.

Baby Kaleb's parents, Kristy and Joshua Schwade, have been by his hospital bedside day and night hoping and praying for his recovery. They have received an overwhelming amount of support from what started out as a small group of Kristy's friends on her MySpace page, and has now grown to 82,403 on MySpace alone, with many more supporters across the globe on other social networking sites. The latest is on Sugar Publishing’s social networking site TeamSugar (note: I'm part of the TeamSugar social network).

Two TeamSugar members, known as "thedrywallgirl" and "t0xxic," have implemented a SBS and Baby Kaleb awareness campaign across the TeamSugar network this weekend. It was through this awareness campaign that I learned about Baby Kaleb.

It's a heartbreaking story and a tragedy that's completely preventable if people would proactively seek help for their anger management problems. It's NEVER acceptable to shake a baby regardless of how loud or long a baby cries. It's difficult to understand how someone could injure and harm a child in any manner, but the sad reality is that it does happen, which is why it's important to raise awareness of SBS.

I wrote about it today, because I want to help spread the word about SBS and about the Schwade family's story. You can learn more about SBS by visiting the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome Web site. If you're interested in following baby Kaleb's progress, Kristy regularly updates her MySpace page.

Our hearts and prayers go out to the Schwade family and other families dealing with the devastating aftermath of SBS.

Read related news story: Baby's hospital tale grips MySpace by Justin George, St. Petersburg Times

What is pinkMOXIE?

pinkMOXIE is a place for women who like discovering new ideas, people, products and tips relating to anything from culture, motherhood and career to health, beauty and work-life balance. This is simply a personal blog to share interesting items with others. The idea is to keep it silly and fun, but at the same time gain valuable tips and advice that make life just a little sweeter and easier.

The “pink” in pinkMOXIE is symbolic for fun and playfulness, and the “moxie” in pinkMOXIE is because we as women have faced difficulty and demands in an unforgiving and challenging world with dignity, grace, spirit and courage. Sometimes we get it right and other times we fall flat on our faces, but we get up, dust ourselves off and forge ahead.

I know I can't be alone in feeling that life is moving at a dizzying pace. Because when I talk with my friends and other women who I meet at events and parties, at some point in the conversation it segues into discussing how difficult it is to juggle all the demands of career, motherhood, relationships and all the other tugging-for-attention demands placed upon us.

By the time we reach 40 years young (or are fast-approaching 40), we have so much on our plate that it’s difficult to find time for ourselves. I think many of us have lost a sense of self and unknowingly have morphed into someone who is not our authentic self, is highly stressed much of the day, and has no time to connect with others in a meaningful way.

Our once carefree lives have turned into a life of running the kids to their ever-growing list of activities, homework and school events, feeling the increasing pressure from the never-ending deadlines at work, feeling like we never have quality time with our significant other, and we are tired of the household to-do list that just grows longer with every passing day.

Of course diving into the blogosphere with my own personal blog is adding one more item to my ever-growing to-do list, but I think it will be worth the time invested. I've sat on the sidelines of the blogosphere for far too long now and feel that it's time for me to take the plunge.

Thanks to technology, blogging and social networking (my favorite is Team Sugar www.teamsugar.com) are great ways to connect with other women in a meaningful way and engage in conversations on topics of common interest without having to take the time to meet in person for coffee or at an event (not that I don't love to do these things, because I do; but sometimes I find it difficult to find the time).

At the end of the day we are tired and spent. And I think it’s time to stop the avalanche of demands and take back our lives. My goal for pinkMOXIE is to make it a place where women can discover new ideas, people, products, and tips that make life a little sweeter. It's also about learning to create harmony in our homes, satisfaction in our jobs, and ultimately to be in love with our lives everyday.