Mothers Day Reflections

As we ponder Mother’s Day, we remember with fondness our own mother, Joan, the matriarch and strength of our family. An inspiration in all that we do.

We also realize, sometimes with trepidation, that we are now the light for our generation of little ones. We have the profound role of being “mom” to those tiny people that we have brought into the world.

Cathy is proud mother to son Gianluca and daughter Vienna; and Tanya is mother to Quinlan and mother-to-be to her second child expected in June.

Real Estate is a demanding profession, there is no 9-5, no weekends off. Likewise, motherhood is, as it should be, all encompassing. So we are constantly working on perfecting work-life balance. While there is no way to be a perfect mom, there are a million ways to be a good one. Here are a few tips for our fellow moms in time for Mother’s Day:

• You can’t pour from an empty cup. Take care of yourself first.

• Remember to take time to live life, it will inspire your work

• Schedule your priorities – this will keep you on track

• Make time for serendipity – when the unexpected pops up, go with the flow

• Build your community – friends & family will help you if you just say “please”

• Enjoy the great outdoors – crucial with little ones

• Exercise – make this a priority!

• Bend the rules – that’s right, you’re in charge!

• Say “no” and move on

So to all of the mothers in the world who are juggling the needs of many, you need to feel confident in the choices you make, measure yourself against your goals and feel proud of your achievements. Your children look up to you to provide them with a road map in life, so throw your best self out there, and the universe will reward you.

Speaking of scheduling priorities, grab your calendar and set a reminder for The Kite Festival on Sunday, June 5^th from 11am – 4pm at Brant Hills Park. Join us as we “Let Fun Take Flight” with free kite building and decorating, face painting, balloon animals, magic and more! This annual event runs rain or shine and is a fabulous community event. For more information, visit RoccaSisters.ca. Hope to see you there.

International Women’s Day #PledgeForParity

International Women’s Day celebrates women around the world and calls for gender parity. Our role as leaders in business in our community is both to lead by example and foster growth. As I became the 59,222^nd person to #PledgeForParity at InternationalWomensDay.com, I realized how important that number was, it was one more person taking on the role of advocate for diversity and inclusion.

The Rocca Sisters & Associates is unique in that it is run by women: two sisters, best friends.  We see women who work in our office, women as clients and women in our community that we are fortunate to have the opportunity to engage with on a daily basis. We are in the business of building relationships, and that is our guiding principle. When people succeed, we all succeed.

“We are first and foremost…sisters, best friends and partners,” Cathy concludes. It’s the relationship Cathy & Tanya have with each other, their love for real estate & their unending dedication to their clients that has them reaching the top.

We all need an equal opportunity to succeed, and to define success individually. For sales production and volume, our team is ranked #1 in Burlington (for 2010-2015) and #3 in all of Canada (for 2010-2015) for Royal Le Page. Our success is driven by a deep passion for helping clients achieve maximum results for their home, building relationships and giving back to the community. The greater our success, the greater our ability and responsibility to make positive change in the world.

The Rocca Sisters & Associates Honour Family Literacy Day

Today is Family Literacy Day, a national awareness initiative created by ABC Life Literacy Canada in 1999 and held annually on January 27^th to raise awareness of the importance of reading and engaging in other literacy-related activities as a family.

It is so important to take the time each day to read with our children, even if it is just for 15 minutes a day.  Make reading an enjoyable and distraction-free experience that is part of your day-to-day life.  Bed time stories are the perfect opportunity to bond with your children while encouraging their reading skills.

In honour of Family Literacy Day, the Rocca Sisters & Associates would like to highlight some children’s authors that have resided in Burlington, Ontario.

Lana Button

Lana Button is a children’s author, freelance writer and early childhood educator.  She has worked with young children for more than twenty years. She is also a freelance writer, and has contributed child development articles to national magazines including Today’s Parent and ParentsCanada.  She is the author of Willow’s Whispers, Willow Finds a Way and Willow’s Smile.  For more information about Lana Button and the books she has written, please visit her website at www.lanabutton.com

Sylvia McNicoll

Sylvia McNicoll is an award-winning author of more than 30 novels for young people.  She was an editor for “Today’s Parent Toronto” for eight years, and is best known for her award-winning published works such as Project Disaster, The Big Race, Jump Start, Bringing Up Beauty and Caught in a Lie.  She has a passion for reading and writing and enjoys teaching young writers. For more information about Sylvia, please visit her website at http://www.sylviamcnicoll.com/.

Chris Francis

Chris Francis is a junior level teacher in Burlington, Ontario.  He has a passion for writing and illustrating and is currently working on a middle grade series. He has also created a teen-fiction story titled, Stoneway. Also known for his children’s picture books called Mr. Pancake Turkey, How Mr. Monster Biggens Changed My Life, etc. His latest children’s book is called Remembering Kaylee Cooper. More information can be found on his website at www.francisart.com.

Jennifer Maruno

Jennifer Maruno is a long-time educator.  Her debut novel, When the Cherry Blossoms Fell, was shortlisted for the Hackmatack Award and the Pacific Northwest Libarary Association Young Readers Choice Award.  She is also the author of Warbird, Cherry Blossom Winter, Kid Soldier, and Totem. She enjoys working with children and teachers to foster a love of reading. For more information, please visit www.jennifermaruno.com

There are so many resources available to help foster a great literacy environment in your home.  It is so important to encourage our children to have a love of reading and it is our responsibility to lay a good foundation for literacy in children.