Lemonade Wisdom: Rising Above and Resiliency

through life's twists and turns RESILIENCY Eff being resilient - I'm over it. You? Do you ever want to wave the white flag of SOS to the universe? I'm tired of being resilient. Pity party in progress and then I invite in my old friend, radical acceptance. It's not fair, it sucks but...here I am. On June 7th, I filmed a [podcast with Dr. Ramani]( which was probably one of the biggest honors of my decade-long advocacy journey (listen to it here). The next morning at 4:00 a.m., I jumped in my car for a solo trip from California to Tennessee to be with my dad (who is nearing the end of his battle with cancer) – I clocked 15-hours of driving on one day alone, and it was 2,200 miles one-way but I made it and together, my dad and I made some memories! I was able to push pause on life and fully lean into these precious moments. I made my way back to California on June 16th, left for Sedona for a pre-planned getaway with my family just two days later. On the last night of our trip, June 23rd, I received a 9:30 PM e-mail from my landlord of nine years: notification that she was selling our home and needed us out. I struggled to find my breath in that moment (ironic because Sedona is the place I go to find my breath). I woke Glenn up out of a dead sleep – panic stricken, “We just received notice – we have to move!” We both knew the reality; we were in one of the worst, most expensive rental markets in California. I barely slept that night, and it was so much more that the reality of the rental market: it was our safe place, our refuge, and the stability I vowed to give my daughters despite the storms that were swirling around us for so many years. It felt personal - it felt like I was failing them. When we moved into our sweet little home, the girls were 6 and 8-years old and we were nearing the end of the horrors they had been subjected to – aka the family court system and their bio father’s “parenting time.” This was “[the house that built me]( – it built my daughters and, it rebuilt me when I had a breakdown in 2016. It became our foundation – it was more than just a house; it was truly our home and it served us well for all these years. We arrived home on June 24th and during our 11-hour car ride, I pulled together the rental resume of all rental resumes. It was a portfolio of our family, including our dogs. When you search for rentals, 22 listings may appear and then you filter in “dogs” and you are down to two choices. I began to proactively reach out to every listing that fit our needs, whether or not they accepted dogs. In record time I secured a home for us and in the past three weeks, we have been on overdrive. We are in our new home, completely out of the former residence and last night, we did the final walkthrough with the landlord. Five weeks of chaos, uncertainty and all the feels. Here I am today, taking a big deep breath, surrounded by my life in boxes (and still unable to locate the box with my towels - I dried off from a recent shower with washcloths). The lessons have been plentiful – how we came together as a family, how to rise above challenges, and how to make things happen against all odds (and in record time)! For some reason, the Universe placed several of life’s biggest stressors on my path at one time and I appreciate your grace as I duck, cover, and do my best to navigate around the hurdles. I recently joked that my abandonment issues came in handy when my landlord broke up with us, “you want us out in 60-days, I’ll show you – I’ll be out in 21-days!” I tell ya, we’ve got to find the humor wherever we can! My take-aways: My fears that my daughters’ lives would once again be turned upside-down were realistic – but I didn’t give their resiliency enough credit. They have made the best of a less-than-ideal situation with hard-won grit and grace. I was likely projecting – the reality of my own childhood turmoil and instability was triggering. My feelings were warranted but they belong to me – my daughters were more concerned with the color of paint on their new bedroom walls. It’s a journey, my friends and we are all in this together-- thank you for letting me share, and apologies if I owe you an email...I'm buried and trying to find my way out. Please know that regardless of where you are in this battle, I am cheering you on now and always. PS Tomorrow is a big day for me: I have court – family court even though I do not have a family court case. In other words, I am being subjected to more institutional betrayal. [Click here to read]( about what feels like a never-ending saga. Thank you for being a part of my little village of lemonade makers and light seekers! With love, Tina We are gearing up for our biggest year yet - and we need your help. Big news: we are now a 501(c)3 non-profit organization! [DONATE HERE]( In 2020, we did a [cross-country trip with press conferences]( in Los Angeles, California, Little Rock, Arkansas, Charleston, South Carolina, Raleigh, North Carolina, Nashville, Tennessee, Amarillo, Texas and Albuquerque, New Mexico. During the cross-country journey, we met with domestic violence advocates, law enforcement officers, district attorneys, attorneys and judges. The inaugural year efforts were widely embraced by advocacy groups across the country. In 2021, we asked and you answered loudly: with your help, we secured over [225 proclamations and resolutions]( declaring November as Family Court Awareness Month in cities, counties and states across the USA. ​WE BELIVE IT IS A CHILD'S HUMAN RIGHT TO LIVE FREE FROM ABUSE. We are a national coalition of more than 100,000 survivor parents and concerned citizens in the United States advocating for evidence-based policies which put child safety and risks at the forefront of child custody decisions. ​We believe it is a child’s human right to live free from abuse and that child safety, which is implicit in the law, must be made the top priority in practice, in all private custody decision-making. We work with similar national coalitions across the globe, all whom are contending with the same problems we see in the U.S.: Court’s resistance to taking risks and abuse to a child seriously in the context of child access decisions. ​NSPO's ongoing LIVE Advocacy Event Series is designed to help support you to raise awareness, bring ["The Keeping Children Safe From Family Violence Act"]( (aka [Kayden’s Law]( in VAWA) to your state, connect you with others in your state to streamline your advocacy efforts. These events will be held on the second Thursday of each month and will feature special guests and cover various topics. [CLICK TO JOIN]( [CLICK TO READ IMPORTANT UPDATES]( from our friends at NFVLC Hello! Our names are Makena and Kailani. Some may know us as “Piper” and “Sarah” from our mom’s books. When we were just 2 and 4 years old, our world turned upside-down as a result of our parents' difficult divorce. Many times during our dad’s parenting time, we found ourselves feeling unsafe and alone. We often clung to the things that made us feel more secure despite the environment we were in. One of these things was pink fireworks. One year on the Fourth of July, we were scheduled for a visit with our dad. We were sad that we couldn't spend the holiday with our mom. Before leaving for the weekend, our mom reassured us that whenever we saw pink fireworks, we could consider it a big hug from her. During the fireworks, we felt comforted every time we saw a burst of pink light up the sky. From that point on, pink fireworks became a meaningful symbol that reminded us of our mom’s love for us even when we weren’t with her. This was just one of many things that kept us feeling connected to our mom during some very difficult times. As young adults, we are now able to reflect back on our journey. Because of our own experiences, we have a deep understanding of how difficult these situations can be for children. It is our desire to help children feel seen, heard and to help them fill their toolboxes with some of the things that helped us along the way. We have been through a lot but we are grateful to have peaceful lives now. We live in San Luis Obispo, California with our mom, our dad (he adopted us), two dogs, a three-legged tortoise, two geckos and a fish. We have grown up a bit - [click to learn]( about who we are now. Love, Makena & Kailani We want to know about your experience with [Linda J. Gottlieb]( of Turning Points (alienation quack-ery). There are reports that she physically assaulted a 13-year old girl at her reunification program. [Click here to share your experience](. About this campaign: We are pulling names from our database to feature -- you can add your family court professional by going to [intheirbestinterest.com]( and click, "submit." We want to know who IS and who IS NOT acting in their best interest? "Lynn Steinburg took a child molester's word as fact - during an televised interview, Steinberg stated, "This father was being accused of sexually molesting and assaulting his daughter and I knew he had diabetes and couldn't get an erection." Journalist asked, "How do you know he couldn't get an erection?" Steinberg responded, "He told me." If your case has been affected by Lynn Steinberg, [let us know here](. About the "Tell Us More" campaign: We are pulling names from our database to feature -- you can add your family court professional by going to [intheirbestinterest.com]( and click, "submit." HOT OFF THE PRESS AND FEATURED IN USA TODAY [CLICK TO READ]( AND YAHOO NEWS! [Click here]( to purchase the newly updated version in paperback, Kindle or Audible. If you need help navigating a high conflict divorce or child custody battle, our coaches are trained by leading experts in psychology, law, trauma, advocacy and even risk assessment. If you are divorcing a narcissist, and needing a strategy partner, we can help. Find more info at [hcdivorcecoach.com/coach]( In an effort to raise awareness on post separation abuse, we have created a campaign using the words of the abuser. The abuser’s own words paint a picture that is undeniable yet the family court system continues to give the abuser the benefit of the doubt to the detriment of children. Each and every day, children are being sent into abusive situations because “parental rights” continue to trump children’s rights to safety. For each quote that we use, One Mom’s Battle will make a $10 donation to the National Family Violence Law Center at the George Washington University. To Participate: Send the post separation abuse words of your abuser to postseparationabuse@gmail.com Do you need a divorce coach? Divorce coaching is a relatively new profession however, clients and attorneys are finding that the divorce coach fills a void that existed in the past. [(CLICK HERE)]( Need an attorney or therapist? Friends of OMB is a database of professionals who have been recommended to us by OMB followers or clients. [(CLICK HERE)]( Following the OMB Blog? Stay "in the know" on topics related to family court, calls-to-action, narcissistic abuse and post separation abuse. [(CLICK HERE)]( "In Their Best Interest" Your voice matters and we invite you to tell us about family court professionals who are colluding or corrupt. [(CLICK HERE)]( Seeking a Safe Place? The Lemonade Club is a private forum where members are screened through an application and by phone. [(]( HERE]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Link]( [Website]( [Pinterest]( [LinkedIn]( [YouTube]( Our mailing address is: One Mom's Battle/Tina Swithin P.O. Box 123 San Luis Obispo, California 93406 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. Copyright © 2021 One Mom's Battle, LLC, All rights reserved