Name: Angela Lucas

Hometown: Dallas, TX

Occupation / Company / Website: Graphic Artist

Hobbies / Interests: Browsing the internet looking for interesting articles to read, Music, Reading and Gardening

Something New You Would Like To Learn: I would absolutely love to learn how to play the guitar.

ymib: What would you say is the most challenging part of being a mother, and how do you overcome/get through them?

Angela: As a mother it was imperative that I learn to look at my children as individuals, separate and different from myself, and their siblings. This has been one of the hardest lessons for me to learn but well worth the time and effort to grasp.

ymib: What should every mother know and remember about raising a son/daughter in today’s world?

Angela: Nobody is perfect. By this I mean neither the parents or the children are perfect human beings, so we must learn to become more compassionate with each other.

ymib: What is one lesson that you have learned from your mother that you would want another woman to know and carry with her?

Angela: Never cause a rift between your children by favoring one above the other; let each one know that you love them equally.

ymib: As a mother, what is your biggest fear for your child(ren)?

Angela: Honestly at the moment my biggest fear for my children is worrying about what kind of world are we leaving them. Have we imparted enough inside of them to survive the madness of the world?

ymib: In what ways do you balance your time as a mother and wife along with taking time for yourself...any favorite forms of relaxation/”me-time”?

Angela: Over the years I have always found "me time" for myself. With three small children I would have surely gone insane if I did not get away at some point. Early on I would usually go off to weekend church conferences that were specifically geared towards women. If money were tight, I would steal away to my room with a good book.

ymib: Could you share with us a few of your favorite picks for the following (ie. products, books, websites, organizations, blogs, magazines, etc.):

Angela: I love websites like YMIB, that encourage women, especially women of color to be themselves and to speak their personal truths; whatever that truth that may be. My personal favorites are YMIB of course, Being Mama Daily, Meditations On Life, Writing and Activism, my new myspace friend Marilyn’s blog California Fever and my friend Angela Odom always has something interesting on her blog at State and Lake.

Motherhood: beingmamadailly.blogspot.com

Child-education/books: The Bible

Inspiration: My greatest inspirations come from observing and listening to wise and brave women who have in spite of their obstacles have determined to live out their own personal truths. It doesn't matter to me if they are famous our not. I celebrate every woman who charts her own path, because I know as women it is so easy for us to become clones and stifle our own uniqueness.

ymib: What are some things that you hope your children will always remember about you?

Angela: I want them to always remember that I loved them unconditionally.

ymib: If you had to write a short mission statement/paragraph for yourself on motherhood, what would it be?

Angela: Don't Worry - Be Happy! Life is too short to sweat the small stuff.

ymib: What is something that you learned about yourself after having children that you did not know before?

Angela: I am always amazed at how serious I take parenting.

ymib: Please share with us one of your most funniest/memorable moments/kid-moments as a mother?

Angela: One day I was loading the kids into the van to take Frankie and Johnathan to school. Frankie was in the first grade and Johnathan was in Pre-K. It was Black History month and the kids were learning about the civil rights movement at school. Anyway they were pretty rowdy getting into the van so I turned to them and told them to quiet down, “I need a little peace.” Well everything got quiet and Frankie looked at me with such sincerity and concern on her face and said, “Like Martin Luther King?”

ymib: Favorite affirmations or inspirational quote?

Angela: Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6