Interview with our 2014 Mother of the Year

 Here's a interview with Lila Shoemaker, our 2014 Mother of the Year:

1) What did you do with your children when they were younger that you think has impacted their lives today?
Church, scouting and music. We lived in Fullerton, CA when we got married and our first three sons were born there. I’d read to them, Dr. Seuss to learn their ABCs and Bible Stories to learn about God. Daniel had earned his Eagle Scout rank as a young man and became Scoutmaster. For a few years and we had the troop meet at our house each week. My job was to see to get a fire permit so the boys could practice fire building and campfire cooking. Our sons loved scouting. All four of them earned their Eagle rank.

I taught all six of my children how to sing. When the 3 boys were little, I’d make up songs to sing to them so they would get ready for bed or do things I needed them to do. I taught them to sing “I Want A Girl Just Like the Girl That Married Dear Old Dad”. My husband was a pretty good musician, too. The four of them sang on stage at a church variety show all dressed up like a barbershop quartet. All of us play a musical instrument as well as sing. Music was probably the best thing I ever taught them. We love camping, riding horses, swimming and playing games; all kinds of games, but we love music the most.

2) Share some experiences you’ve had with your family and/or others because of your involvement with music.
 I grew up singing with my twin sister and in the church and school choirs so it was natural for me to encourage my children to sing. I performed in the school musicals. My oldest son auditioned and won the role of King Arthur in “Camelot” his Sr. year of High School. He, the next two boys, played band instruments and marched in the school band like their father before them. Our daughters performed in their high school musicals. They loved to sing and performed for school talent shows and sang in the choirs. We paid for private lessons. We made a very nice mixed ensemble, all 8 of us. I’ve directed a church choir for many years and for the past 9 years I’ve been teaching violin and guitar classes after school at Burke Basic. It’s wonderful to see the joy on their faces when they learn how to play. Music makes life worth living.

3) What advice would you give young mothers?
Have fun! From the first moments try to make them smile. Play finger/toes games with them. Read nursery rhymes sing silly songs. The sillier the better. Dr. James Dobson said that the “dizzy blonde” moms were even better than the “draft sergeant” moms.

Routine is a good thing. Have a morning routine, afternoon routine and bedtime routine. Make it fun. Learning can be fun. If they enjoy learning (and a variety of games can teach just about anything) they will be good students all their lives. Ask me about my list of homemade games that teach things. The Weekly Reader was something my mother used with her kindergarten kids. That was a fun teaching tool. Numbers can be fun too, not just numerals but quantity. Counting things will help them learn to sequence, addition and subtraction. You’d be surprised how much fun counting can be. Colors, drawing, painting, clay molding, etc. etc. It’s fun.

4) When life gets difficult, what do you do to get things back into perspective?
I sit at the piano and play my favorite songs, hymns or classical pieces and sing. Or I go into my room and read a good book (the scriptures are always good). Mostly, I kneel by my bed or take a walk outside and pray for my family. Christ is my anchor and prayer is my solace. I couldn’t have made it without prayer. Many ideas and solutions have come through prayer.

Two Arizona Mothers Honored

Two outstanding mothers have been cited by the Arizona Association of American Mothers as
exemplary role models for Arizona Mothers.

Judy Ward was named 2013 Arizona Mother of the Year and Tammy Passey was named 2013
Arizona Young Mother of the Year, at the Arizona American Mothers Gala on February 7th at the
Wright House In Mesa.

Judy Ward was raised in Twin Falls, Idaho, and was married in 1965 to Grant Ward. Soon after
their marriage, they moved to Mesa because of her husband’s employment, and have lived here
ever since.
Judy has seven children, five sons and two daughters, and 34 grandchildren with one on
the way. She was involved in the PTO and as a room mother while her children were in grade
school. She attended Little League games for 25 years straight.

While her children were in high school, Judy was active in the Booster Club, as all of her
boys played three sports, and later on, two of them played college football. One of her daughters
received a degree in Elementary Education, while the other attended Utah State, majoring in
Public Relations.

Judy taught Kindergarten for three years and Preschool for 21 years. She served in her
church being responsible for the women’s organization, young women’s organization and the
childrens program. She taught reading to adults three days a week and served as a Cub Scout
Leader.

When asked how motherhood has impacted her life Judy responded with this comment:
”Motherhood has given me joy not temporary happiness, but deep rooted enduring joy. How
has being a mother impacted my life? Being a wife and mother is my life.”

Tamara Passey grew up in Massachusetts and as the youngest of seven children she
has always had a strong love of family. Writing has been her favorite hobby and family members
have usually been her source of inspiration. She won awards for poetry in high school and has
had an article and poem accepted for publication in The Ensign magazine.

While studying English at Brigham Young University she met, and later married Steven
Passey. They have lived in Arizona since 1997 and are the parents of three children. They love
to call Arizona home, and she says they’ve been married 20 happy years and counting.
Tamara has spent time volunteering at the schools her children attend. She has also
mentored young women and served in an international organization that aids women. She has
volunteered for the Donor Network of Arizona and is a contributor of marriage and parenting
articles for FamilyShare.com.

A few of the many things she enjoys about being a mom include doing almost anything
creative with her children, though she claims they are craftier than she. Having a sit down
breakfast when everyone is home is a favorite family activity. She loves story time, family hugs,
and seeing her children’s beautiful smiles.

Nominate an Outstanding Mother

Nominations are being accepted for the Mother of the Year and Young Mother of the Year for 2013.  December 1, 2012 is the deadline to nominate an outstanding mother that you know.

Click here to nominate someone that you feel should be honored.
To qualify for Mother of the Year ®, the nominee's children must be over the age of eighteen.