CPO Member Spotlight: Lori - Greencottage

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By CanadianParents.com Community

Lori doesn't quite remember what exactly brought her to CPO all of those years ago, but she does recall that it was only days after she got her first PC and Internet connection. The question is what has kept her here for so many years? Her response to this question was," I can answer easily and honestly-- it was the people I encountered on the site. Honest, real, funny, caring, FRIENDS. The advice I received and the friendships I've made, especially when Matt was much younger and I found myself at the computer while he was asleep. Now that he's 12, we compete for computer time!"

As the long-time Moderator of CPO's Ontario Board you'll often find her in chatty banter with other locals, she has even arranged some CPO gatherings in the past. Other discussion boards that Lori has found support and insight at are the Single Parents, Blended Families & Relationships Boards.

Lori is a big fan of Erma Bombeck's philiosophy on parenting and recalls something she had written before she passed away that has stuck with her ever since. It was along the lines of, "Not caring about the household chores as much as having FUN with your family because in the end, no one will remember how dusty your shelving unit was, but you'll have great memories of happy occasions spent together."

Like many mothers up until recently Lori would say that most of her hobbies had taken a backseat to parenthood. But now that her son Matt is old enough to want to do stuff on his own (read: NOT hang out with his mother), she has been able to do more of what she likes! Things like seeing foreign films; wandering around Barrie and Toronto; (she's still a city girl at heart), felting and quilting; gardening; and especially driving and taking spontaneous daytrips.

Lori's life took a different direction after participating in a CPO Single Parent Challenge in the Spring. The Challenge consisted of "Taking time for ME" she took the "Challenge" very seriously and the result was finding a wonderful man named Erik. Lori has been single all of her son's life, and because of the positive friendships she has made through CPO, she chose to try to find her love match on the internet as well, and she has!

When we asked Lori about what she was most looking forward to this Holiday Season? Her response, "I am most excited to be sharing Christmas with Erik. It's been Matt and I for so long now (yes, we do get together with relatives as well over the holidays) and it will be so special to experience it as a bigger "family". Family is MOST important to me, and always has been. For a long time I almost sacrificed MYSELF for my family, but now I see that having Erik IN MY FAMILY, we are in a better place."

Lori, thanks for being a big part of the CPO "Family" too! Happy Holidays to the three of you!