Ventura, Oxnard, Camarillo, Ojai
Thanks for inspiring us! We chose 5 winning moms this year to win fabulous prizes from Nourishments, Clark's Hair Salon, Arbonne, and Petunia Pickle Bottom. Read about them below.
Nominate a mom or dad by clicking here.
I am nominating Bekki, my wife, because she is always there for our three kids and myself. She does all the things most moms do. She is always running around being the taxi driver Mom, doing house work, saving money at the grocery store, and Target :), and so on. She does all of this and still works part time. But at the end of the day, she always makes time to spend with all three kids who are 15, 13, and 5. She helps with homework, discusses the days events, takes them to all the places they need to go, and always makes time to read a story to our youngest at bedtime. But mostly she is there for them when they get home from school. I am also very proud of her because for about the past two years she has been working as a doula. She loves to do this, and so far all the births she has help in she has donated all of her time. She does this because our first two children were born by c-section. But with our third, to make a long story short, we had a great mid wife, a doctor willing to be there for her, and with Bekki's hard work, both mentally and physically, and determination our last was born naturally. She did it! So for her, when she makes somebody's birth experience easier she feels like she is giving back some of the help and support that was given to us with our last birth. That is why I think Bekki should be Mother of the year. Sorry, 100 words could not describe how I feel about Bekki!
My mom is amazing. The most unselfish, strongest, softest, and caring mother I have ever met. A single mother of a 15 year old boy and a 23 year old daughter and a 1 year old granddaughter. Without her us three would be lost. She works ay over fulltime to please everyone and to make sure every nce in awhile we all can have a little something nice. She fought and won her fight with cancer and since has had a team for the Relay for Life in Camarillo helping to FIND a cure, and support others who are fighting now. When she has a little something she never thinks of herself. She gives it away. Never takes the time to pamper herself, she rather give it to someone else to make them smile. Never asks for anything in return & never thinks of what she does is anything special. But she is to SOOOOO many ppl. We celebrate her on mother's and father's day and i hope she just gets a little more recognition. To simply say YOU ARE MOM OF THE YEAR! I love you mommy!!!
One hundred words or less will never tell the story of this my amazing husband. Father of three children, all having very special needs. We have a son that had a stroke at age 4.5 months, a daughter who had a stroke at age 10 years and we have adopted a young man with special needs. Our youngest son is wheelchairbound and requires assistance with ALL of his needs. My husband never flinches, he has always been a part of the therapies, the daily care and taking care of that never ending paperwork. All the while never forgetting he is his son, not a chore. Our daughter was in the hospital for 6 months and required very intensive therapies for many years. My husband worked full time-graveyards, took care of our son, the house and life so I could live in the hospital room with our daughter. When our son's best buddy needed a home and family, my husband without hesitation opened our door and welcomed him in. Although he commutes to Burbank daily for work, he still has managed to go back to school to complete a second major and find time to be a Father, Husband and Son and co-owner of our business. Our family has truly been blessed with a man who believes in God & Family first. You might have seen him, he's the guy pushing a wheelchair carrying a young man with a grin from ear to ear, next to him a 6'4" young man walking with a swagger and a beautiful blonde walking with a white cane - He's the guy laughing and beaming with pride in the center of it all.
I am nominating my mother-in-law Diana. This woman is extraordinary in every sense of the word; she does so much for the people around her. Diana has three full grown children, whom she stayed home and took care of full time until the untimely death of her husband. After Richard passed ten years ago, Diana went back to work full time to support the family, and today still works more than full time to raise her three granddaughters. This would be enough for any mom to stay completely busy, but she still finds time to involve herself in church and give as much as she can there. Her faith in God has given her all the energy she needs to take care of her children as well as her grand children. Diana puts family and friends first, and IF there is time left in the late hours she only tries to get a jump on the next day. She is a remarkable woman; I respect her very much and know she deserves to receive something in return for all she has done for us.
My mom should be Mom of the year because she is the best mommy in the world. She takes good care of me and helps me with my homework and my chores. She helps me get into football camps and ready for next seasons football. She doesn't work at a job, but she works hard at our home. She makes the BEST homemade spaghetti sauce in the world! She is very tired at night and needs rest. My mommy is the BEST!!!
My mom Rima is 58 years old, she has raised 6 children with oldest being 41 and the youngest is 27. All 6 children are college educated and are partners in a successful company in Ventura. The brothers are each others best friends and their love to their parents is the glue that keeps them together. Until this day, Rima and her husband Mitri spend most of their time serving their kids and helping them raise their grandkids. Rima gave her life working on making her children become great servants of each other and the community they live in. (Photo: Sam, his mom Rima and her granddaughter.)
My husband, Rory, is a wonderful father. He grew up as a middle child in a big family (10!), so I knew he would be destined to be great with his own children. He was the one who taught me how to change our son?s diaper, how to warm the milk on the stove, how to calm teething pains. As a police officer, Rory works nights, which means he has to sleep when we?re awake. It?s hard without him around, but he makes up for it in the quality time he spends with his family. He loves playing with his son, and I love to watch the delight in both of their faces.
My wife is a beautiful, smart, and funny person who is amazing with our 10 week old baby. I think being a high school teacher and running coach makes her a perfect nominee for this award. She has patience and understanding that make her a great Mom and guidance for kids. She especially deserves this award for dealing with me as a husband :)
Imagine a husband and father who at the end of a grueling 12 hour shift at the Sheriffs Dept., comes home not to relax but to ask what he can do for us and tells me I need to rest. When our sons were babies, he would get up with them during the night to feed and change them, telling me I need to rest. He always gives more and more and never tires of telling us how much he loves us! He is our Father of the Year!
I don't know if I can do this in 100 words, but I'll try. My husband is such a tremendous inspiration. He has taught 3rd grade for the last 13 years and never does a day go by where someone isn't thanking him for letting their child have FUN while learning. He makes school a blast! Also, we have a 21 month old son, who, with my husband's encouragement and support, I quite my job to stay home with. After working long days with children, he comes every single day with a smile on his face and says, "Let me give you a break". He does something with our son every afternoon to give me time for myself. I just think he's the kindest, most positive man I've met. (Me being on the more worrisome side :) He helps me to live my life to the best of my ability and is a great teacher, father, husband, and friend.
My husband is a FT father & also manages to run his own business. I can't imagine anyone else raising our 2 young children. Ed's heart is so big that he talked me into becoming foster parents, we've helped raise 8 children so far. We currrently have a teenage foster daughter that he cares for and mentors. She adores him & he gives her the time & love that her biological parents aren't able to provide. Ed also volunteers for Foodshare & shops for 5 foster families. On top of all this he always makes time for just the two of us. He does all of this with a smile on his face! I ask myself daily "How I Became so Blessed?"Daddy (Jay) is the BEST Daddy on the planet! He is the stay at home Dad for our children, ages 5, 4 and 2. Jay does all the cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping, bill paying, doctors visits, and taxiing. He spoils us rotten...he cooks us breakfast, lunch and dinner, every day, and the meals are typically from scratch and healthy. He should be a professional chef! The kids love making meals and learning to cook. Daddy and the kids love going to the park, shopping and running errands. He keeps us all happy and healthy, and provides a sense of semblance to our busy and chaotic life. Thank you Daddy! : ) Love Tricia, Val, Lani & Kassie
My husband is a new father but he is truely the best dad I could ask for, for my son- Christopher. Jeff is a high school teacher and a very dedicated boys basketball coach and has chosen to put basketball on the back burner to make Christopher his #1 priority. Summer is a very crucial time for basketball and he has brought Christopher to practices and games just to make sure that he spends enough time with him. With each day that passes Christopher is learning to love the game of basketball. This brings great joy to Jeff as he hopes to one day be able to coach his son. Jeff is growing as a father every day and doing an amazing job of being a full time (summer) daddy. I am very proud to be his wife.
I am nominating my husband, Jeremy Heidrick, for Dad of the Year. My husband works very long hours so that I have the ability to stay home with our children. He makes sure to kiss myself and our children goodbye and say, "I love you" before leaving for work. Jeremy always finds the time to fly remote control airplanes, fly kites, swim, fish, kayak, and many more activities with our three year old son. Not only does Jeremy play with our son, he also cooks amazing meals! He is constantly looking for ways to improve our house by doing remodeling projects and making sure to include our son in hands-on learning experiences. He is willing to clean and help out around the house whenever needed and even with a smile on his face! Even though he could use the extra sleep on the weekends, he gets up with our son and lets me sleep in! Father's Day this year is going to be very special because this is the first year he is spending it with two children, our son, and our newborn daughter. Happy Father's Day! We love you!
I want to nominate my amazing husband, Father and Step Father. Father of three children ages 14,12, and 2. Caring for the older two as if they were his own sons, two having very special needs. We have a 12 yr son that has ADHD, Asperger Syndrome, and Auditory Processing disorder,and our 14 year old has AS, Auditory processing, and language learning delays My husband never flinches, he has always been a part of the therapies, the endless school meetings and taking care of the house. All the while treating the older two as his own. My husband works full time and commutes to T.O. daily for work and still volunters at church as a teacher, Our family has truly been blessed with a man who believes in God & Family first.
I am the mother I am because of the kind of father Josh is. I never experienced first hand how much a father could love his children, and how much he desired to be with them, until we had our own children. From the time I got pregnant with our first, Josh has sacrificed so much time, energy and self to love me and our little ones. He comes home from work always ready to hang out, read books, take them to the park, and invest time into their lives, taking little time for himself until they are in bed; he has never once complained about being with them. He raves about them to everyone, and tells them all the time how special they are. I get tears in my eyes when I anticipate my daughter being "daddy's girl", and having a relationship with him that I never had with my father. Josh teaches me through his words and actions, and makes me want to be a better mother. My kids are so blessed.
Larry is the wonderful father of two amazing children. You know it's true because I am their wife and mother. Larry's involvement with all of us is invaluable. He is the early-riser, spending time with Daniel and Kennedy before work and on the weekends allowing me to get my "beauty" sleep. He is also ready with arms open wide to take them off my hands the minute he walks in the door after a hectic day at work. If leading a company wasn't enough, always saves the day for all of us. Having a father like Larry, keeps our family happy, safe and sane. We love him and appreciate everything he does for all of us.
My husband has a special gift of creativity, storytelling, teaching and he is a very good communicator. He is a father of 3 kids under 6. He brings lots of laughter and love to our home by memorizes our kids with funny stories, taking all three kids on outings to climb dirt mouds and by ensuring that the kids can be kids. He's up no later than 6 am and and he travels 60% of the time. But he is always there to say "I love you", to help, and to listen. He is big enough to say "I'm sorry" and man enough to say "I will work on that". He is a role model to our kids by teaching them to share their thoughts and most of all to love each other and those around us. He favorite saying is "Love is the answer".
I am nominating my husband Robert for father of the year. Robert is a high school teacher and has always put in extra time with his students ensuring that they get the knowledge and time they need to get to college. Robert also loves to play hockey and pours his heart into it when he plays. When it came time to have our son he had to decide where to cut time and money so that I could stay home, and sadly he stopped playing hockey and picked up more time at work. His days are long but at least it?s with the kids. But at the end of such a long day he still makes time to spend with our son and ensures that they spend their weekends together. Robert has showed what is most important to him and did sacrifice his love of hockey to make it possible for me to stay home but he has received tenfold in blessings from our little boy and all the students who truly appreciate his extra time. It's time he gets something back for all he has done. Happy Fathers Day Daddy!
I would love to nominate my husband, Roger Woertink, for man of the year. After being surprised with his submission and winning MOTY from Venturaprent.com, it made me reflect and realize I wouldn?t be who I was today, without him. He has put up with my silly quirks and constant chatter (without earplugs!) for over 19 years. He works hard as a carpenter and comes home tired, but always makes time for the kids (ages 15, 13, & 5) have dinner with the family, and then tucks each one to bed (yes, even our 15 ? year old). He is an amazing mentor to our children, leading by example. There isn?t anything he wouldn?t do for us. Here are a few words I would use to describe him- gentle, loving, kind, compassionate, humble, faithful, authentic, honest, sincere, funny, trustworthy, fair, artistic?the list could go on and on! Even if he doesn?t win the title, we know we are the lucky ones because we have the best dad/husband in the world! Our kids wanted me to mention that he is also the best holiday house decorator in the county!!!
I am nominating my husband Ryan Matheson for Dad of the year because he is the most loving, fun, affectionate, creative and enthusiastic dad I know. He makes everyday with our children special and upbeat. Even when he has to discipline he does so with a tender, loving heart. He is a firefighter so he is gone quite a bit but when he is home he makes every second count. When on a fire he'll climb to the top of a mountain just so he can send them a video message every day he is gone. We have a 5 year old, 3 year old and 8 month old and he always seems to be able to give them each tons of individual love. He takes them on the most amazing field trips and exposes them to so many creative adventures. My children are so blessed and I could never ask for more in a daddy!!! Best of all he always recognizes when mom needs a break...he is the best!
My husband tirelessly works 40+ hours a week sometimes and still comes home with a smile on his face and encouraging words for his wife and kids. He plays in the worship band at church, pursues his career in music, does dishes, helps around the house, plays with the kids, read stories at night, and is always ready to give me a break if I need it. He has allowed me to be a stay at home mom for our daughters, Linda(2) & Lily (3 1/2 mo.s). He has a physically taxing job being a plumber , but realizes that my job of being a mom is just as trying and is always eager to help me in any way he can. From little things like running an errand or two or big things like massages and footrubs and giving me nights off. Not only is he an inspiration to us, but he inspires youth at church to get involved in music. I love my husband and the great father and leader he has become. He is truly a blessing to all who meet him.
