South's Greatest Moms of 2017 Winners
Julie Blissett
Mother of IV (8), Aaron (7), Memphis (3) & Addalyn (2)
I share countless meaningful moments with our children. A favorite that my husband Tersh and I are blessed with are their special bedtime routines. Our daughter Addalyn likes her bunny close and her hair played with while I sing ‘Twinkle, Twinkle’ and ‘Itsy Bitsy Spider’. Next, Memphis has five songs in a specific order that he likes me to sing while laying face-to-face. He gets his stuffed friends put in my place and I kiss him goodnight. Then, Aaron starts his routine by asking a thousand questions and I sing a song of my choosing while tucking him in as snug as a bug. Next door, IV rolls right over when I come in the room so I can scratch his back. Then I sing his favorite, “A Bushel and a Peck.” It is essential to have these sentimental moments to develop such a strong foundation as a family.
Alicia Harvey
Mother of Victoria (25) & Kassie (19)
The fondest memory that I shared with my children was the cruise of their dream-a Disney cruise. Every year since they were born, a summer trip was taken to Disney mainly so they could see the characters, especially the princesses. The year of 2008, the year of becoming a single mom, needed a change and happy memories. So December 2007, they unwrapped six presents each to find a Disney shirt with their names on it. When they opened the shirt, it said Disney Cruise 2008. We all cried and it seemed like July took forever to get here. But when it finally did, they were going on their first cruise ever. This first cruise was a memory that will forever remain in our hearts. They were surrounded for five days by all the characters they loved. This cruise started a new tradition for the three of us and we aim to go each summer on a cruise to spend time together.
Rikki McBride
Mother of Amirah (8), Travis Jr. (5) & Ava (4)
My greatest moment as a mom is every single Sunday taking my kids; Amirah 8, Travis 5, and Ava 4, to church. We get up every Sunday, have breakfast together and get ready for our Sunday. I love hearing my babies talk about the Lord, singing in the choir, and just hearing their excitement about going back to church for evening service. Wednesday nights are the same because they absolutely love going to church and those are my happiest moments. “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” One of my favorite bible quotes.
Britnee Kinard
Mother of Blayne (6) & Maks (4)
My fondest memories with my children are definitely our beach days! Both of my children are definitely water babies. Every 4th of July, we drive over to St. Helena Island to see their Aunt C.C. and participate in the parade. The boys love it so much! During the summer and warmer winter months, we take the kids to various beaches. My oldest son is Autistic and is attracted to water, so water awareness is the key! We collect seashells from every beach we’ve been to and write the dates / location inside them before we put them in a jar. That way, when they get older, they will helpfully remember all the great times we had and where all we have been. We catch and return crabs, rescue starfish, explore horseshoe crabs and build lots of sandcastles! I can’t imagine a beach without all my boys. They are my whole world!
Gloria Antonio
Mother of Vandrea Drescher
Thinking back through the years, all the wonderful memories come flooding back…it was a Tuesday morning. I awoke at 6:30 a.m. and rocked my nine-months-pregnant self out of bed and went to shower…not a simple feat while having contractions. While showering, my husband timed my contractions as I yelled – “IT STARTED” and “IT STOPPED.” My husband hurried me to get dressed and out the door due to my contractions being two minutes apart. We arrived at the hospital and got processed into the maternity ward by the nurse…everything happened so fast. My husband tried to scrub for the birth but there wasn’t enough time… 42 minutes later, our baby girl made her grand appearance. Her daddy and I worked together to bring this beautiful princess into the world. I like to think she was smiling from being happy to be with her mommy and daddy. We shared the greatest family hug there ever was and we’ve had many more family hugs since. We’re grateful to God for receiving this gift.
Rebecca Etheridge
Mother of Meme Etheridge Walton (13)
Our favorite memory is when we were moving from one apartment to another apartment when Meme was 6. We were both a little tired and overwhelmed with packing and decided to be silly. She loved to video things on our digital camera. So we turned up some Lady Gaga, Bad Romance, and danced together. We have watched this video numerous times over the years and laugh at how much fun it was to just stop for a moment , forget our worries, and make some memories. The best thing is the impromptu props and dance moves that Meme wanted us to do. It made the move more memorable and now we have the video to watch for years to come.
Emily Burns
Mother of Brayden (6) & Addie Mae (3)
The kids and I have fun in making everyday mundane activities an adventure. Breakfast tends to turn into a dance party, and it continues while Addie Mae and I take Brayden to school. Starting their day this way makes us all happy and is a great way to begin. Once school is over, Addie Mae and I wait for Brayden to come out and it all starts over. We end the day with reading in bed, making silly voices and listening to them both giggle before betime. We have fun experiencing everything together. Its important that Brayden and Addie Mae do not take life too seriously and enjoy all of the little things that a day can bring. I try to bring joy and happiness in their daily rountines—thats where our special memories occur.
To read this and more, subscribe now or pick up the April/May issue of South Magazine.
