Circle Up: A Tale of Transformation, Beating the Odds and Changing the World, the Story of Momni

By Karmel Larson

Join the Momni Movement and Circle Up to help solve the childcare crisis!

Circle Up is a raw glimpse into the heart, mind, struggle, and triumph of a female tech entrepreneur whose relentless grit, determination, and courage to continue, despite unimaginable obstacles, will leave you pondering your own life purpose and path. 

Against all odds, this passionate mother of eight is succeeding in launching a sharing economy global tech company, linking mothers together everywhere to help solve the global childcare crisis. With more women joining the workforce and less stay-at-home parents, the need for childcare is in even higher demand. This crisis calls for a movement that encourages mothers to share resources and help each other succeed. 

In sharing her spiritually guided journey, Karmel invites the reader to join the Momni Movement of caresharing and encourages mothers everywhere to gather and Circle Up!

• Battle the childcare crisis through mentorship and caresharing

• Overcome barriers of motherhood and stay motivated

• Find inspiration by this entrepreneurship journey that defies the odds

• Develop purpose through motherhood, faith, and personal growth

• Join a movement that changes childcare for both parents and children

Join the movement today by reading the book and downloading the Momni app.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Momni Inc
• Release date: Oct 7, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393041511

Book preview

Circle Up

The Story of Momni

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A Tale of Transformation, Beating the Odds and Changing the World.

Karmel Larson

Circle Up: The Story of Momni

@2019 Momni Inc.

Orem, UT 84058

In Association with Elite Online Publishing

63 East 11400 South Suite #230

Sandy, UT 84070

https://EliteOnlinePublishing.com

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ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author/publisher.

Dedicated to my strong children...

Ben, Abby, Thayne, Brigham Jr., Joshua,

Joseph, Louis and Brielle

As you look back

On your childhood one day

And remember the sacrifices we made

As a family to bring forth Momni,

I hope you will remember

The purpose more than the pain

And feel strengthened by the journey

Our family traveled together.

And more than anything,

I hope you will remember a mother

Who cherished you above all.

Momni Core Values

A screenshot of a computer Description automatically generated

Contents

Foreword

Introduction

Chapter One: Purpose

Monumental Motherhood

Chapter Two: Time

The Time is NOW!

Chapter Three: Passion

Be Good For Something!

Chapter Four: Knowledge

Get Over Yourself!

Chapter Five: Courage

The Trough of Sorrow

Chapter Six: Perserverance

Beating Impossible Odds

Chapter Seven: Charity

An Emotional Echo

Chapter Eight: Joy

Shattering Barriers

Chapter Nine: Connection

The Ripple Effect

Chapter Ten: Hope

March with Me!

Acknowledgements

Foreword

In a word: We LOVE what our friend Karmel is doing with Momni!

Our own experience has taught us a lot about what moms (and dads) need to help them

balance their lives and their time and their mental effort between their families and their work and careers.

Both our New York Times #1 Bestseller Teaching Your Children Values and its predecessor Teaching Your Children Joy focused on helping parents become the kind of proactive parents who consciously and deliberately teach their children the specific values and joys that will maximize who they can become and the happiness they can find.

What we learned, however, is that parents can’t do it by themselves. Parenting can be a lonely business and the challenge of prioritizing our children and teaching them all they need to know can be overwhelming. And trying to fulfill all of our other obligations and aspirations without good, trustworthy childcare options can bring a lot of guilt and frustration.

But here’s what happened: Our books spawned "Joy Schools," a do-it-yourself preschool and elementary school supplement where moms form neighborhood groups and rotate as teacher.

More than 300,000 families have now been involved worldwide, and what surprised us is that the moms’ groups which were set up to schedule and share the teaching load for Joy School became much more than that—they became mom support groups where fast friendships were formed and where moms shared their worries and their needs and began helping with each other’s children and sharing child-care exchanges. None of this was part of the original Joy School plan, but it taught us that what moms need and want is a close group of trusted friends that can help them emotionally and practically with raising, caring for, and teaching their children.

And that is exactly what Karmel has created with Momni!

This book is the personal, candid, and fascinating story of that creation, about how it developed and grew to meet a need, and about how it is now helping to solve the international child care crisis.

—Richard and Linda Eyre

ValuesParenting.com

Introduction

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My first experience of motherhood was failure. Tearful, messy, poop covered failure. I was the second youngest of six children and had no experience how to care for a baby. Believe it or not, I hadn’t even changed a diaper. I remember being in the hospital room, my body throbbing in pain, and lying in a state of pure exhaustion. It was then that Ben, my first born son, needed his first diaper change. With my husband asleep in the chair next to me, I took it upon myself to answer the call that came through the piercing cries of my newborn baby.

No one had told me that the first bowel movement a baby has is black, tar-like, and sticky. The sight of it threw me back, but I was already in the thick of it, so I had to keep pressing forward. I had never changed a diaper before and I felt completely out of my element. With my lack of experience, I was oblivious to the fact that there were methods to make the process easier—like holding both ankles with just one hand. So there I was, holding an ankle in each hand, realizing that I lacked what every mother lacks—a third hand.

I let go of one of Ben’s ankles so that I could have a free hand to wipe him with, but as I wiped that black, sticky mess, Ben proceeded to use the free foot to kick, trying to free himself from my grip. His foot went everywhere—including directly in the same black sticky mess I was trying to clean. Pretty soon, that black sticky mess wasn’t just limited to his diaper, it was everywhere—the sheets, the bed, and even me.

At this point, I realized that I didn’t even know where a clean diaper was. I couldn’t get Brigham to wake up, so in pain, and in complete and utter desperation—I called the nurse.

When the nurse came onto the scene, she laughed out loud at the absurdity and chaos of it all. With me in tears, she gently took my baby and showed me how to change a diaper. She taught me the skill of holding both baby ankles in just one hand—a skill that has greatly impacted my diaper-changing life ever since. That was the moment I learned my first skill of motherhood, and she was my first Mama Mentor. She taught me a vital skill that, once I learned it, made my life as a mother so much easier. With the knowledge of that one critical skill, the experience that began as an epic failure became my victory over my own inadequacies as a mother.

What I realized that day is that we don’t need a third hand to help us accomplish everything we need to do as mothers. What we need is to simply learn the skills that will make our lives easier, and to use and apply those skills in our day-to-day lives. As we learn new skills everyday, and actually apply those skills, our ability is multiplied, and we will find that those things that we once thought were impossible, are actually very possible and even easy. Each skill we learn is a victory over our own inadequacies.

I learned my first skill as a mother seventeen years ago. I am nearly two decades into my journey, and I am still learning new skills everyday. But the skills of today are much grander in their scope. My journey into motherhood began with one simple skill that has spiraled up into so many more. The skills I am learning now may be far beyond simply changing a diaper, but the principle is still the same. And each skill I learn is a victory over my own inadequacy.

Wherever you are in your own journey—whether you are a new mother, a seasoned mother, a step-mother, a mother-to-be, or a champion of mothers in your life—every skill you learn and employ is a victory over your own inadequacy. No matter where we are in the journey, the principle is the very same. The key to constant improvement is to learn the skills you need for your own journey. We must continue to progress on our own path while at the same time, never comparing our beginning with someone else’s middle or end. We are all exactly where we need to be, and we are all in the perfect place for our own growth. Line upon line, day by day, one learned skill after another, our journey progresses. We spiral up and we become who we were meant to be.

My journey into motherhood has been filled with days of both joy and sorrow, and I have often been brought to my knees in both gratitude and guidance for what my next step should be. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I am a woman of faith. As a mother of faith, my connection to God has made all the difference in my life’s journey. Many of the skills I have needed to move forward on my path, I have learned through inspiration and guidance from God himself. He has always been an integral part of my journey. I am also Christian and accept Christ as my Savior, my Redeemer, and my friend. I have partnered with Him in creating everything I have and all that I am.

Although this book is non-denominational, and the principles I teach do not point to any one religion, they do point to God, and they are based in faith. This faith is woven into the very fiber of the tapestry of my life. It is the same faith that ties all religions together and unites us as an interconnected sisterhood of mothers. It would be impossible for me to tell the Momni story without God, because He was the one who inspired me with the idea in the first place—and He has walked with me every step of the way. To me, prayer is my avenue to not just comfort, but guidance and inspiration from God—who directs every aspect of my life and every step of my journey. When I ask questions in faith, He answers me—just as He promises to answer all who ask in faith.

As a mother of faith, I believe our children are a gift from God, and that through them, we can find much joy. I have always wanted to be a mother, to have a house full of children, and to experience the joy that comes in raising them. My husband and I have been blessed with eight children, including an adopted caboose—an angel daughter. To some this may seem far too many children for one family. But for us, it is just right. We are exactly where we need to be. Having a large family is a gift—and it is a gift that I treasure. I love children, especially my own children, and motherhood has been the greatest joy of my life. My children are my life’s greatest work, my magnum opus.

With my faith to guide me, we ventured into educating our children from home, rather than sending them into the public school system. How grateful I am that I live in a land where we have the opportunity for free choice when it comes to educating our children. Our decision to homeschool was driven by three important factors in our children’s education. With homeschool, we are able to customize our children’s education individually, based on their specific needs. We are also able to educate them based on those things they are passionate about—it’s amazing to see how children light up when they are learning something they really love. And finally, we are able to give our children a faith-based education, which is very important to us. Our methods are not exclusive though and we’ve enjoyed public school, private school, charter schools and tutors. We like to help each child, each year choose the best possible option.

Because we have raised our children to be strong, independent, and to think and act for themselves, we have found great joy in seeing them grow up and become who they were meant to be and discover their passions.

It is in my efforts to raise my own children that I realized that not all moms have access to the same opportunities that I have been given in raising my children. Many moms are struggling to attain the necessary skills they need to improve simply because they have no one to care for their children while they are away, or because they lack connection, which would allow them to learn valuable skills from others who know. In addition to this, many moms need to or want to work outside of the home, and there is no one to care for their children while they are working. Because of this, they have no choice but to resort to extreme and drastic measures in order to keep their children safe.

Although it is acknowledged, but rarely addressed, there is currently a global childcare crisis recognized in almost every nation of the world. Shockingly, over 35 million children ages five and under are left at home alone every day, without adult supervision. For perspective, this is more than all the under 5’s in Europe! In addition to this current plight, the UN predicts that over the next decade, one billion women will enter the workforce, causing the current crisis to become a global epidemic of lack of childcare.

My love for mothers and children runs deep, and it breaks my heart to learn that mothers are struggling daily to find the necessary care for their children. In some countries, mothers are doping their children or tying them to furniture, in order to keep their children safe at home, rather than wandering the dangerous streets of the city. These desperate mothers need help, and so do their vulnerable children. Someone needs to help solve this crisis that few are responding to—and that is where Momni comes in. Together, as mothers united, we can do so much more for one another to make sure that all mothers get the help and skills that they need to be the very best mamas possible.

One of the ways, the idea of moms helping moms first came to me was through the visual symbol of an elephant. The beautiful thing about elephants is that majestic, mighty, matriarchal elephants circle up when there is danger. If you are fortunate enough to ever observe them in the wild, you’ll quickly notice their nurturing nature that calls them to care for one another and for their young. When you see a group or herd of elephants, you are most likely seeing the adult mamas, aunties, matriarch grandmas, teens, and child elephants. These females have discovered the power of supporting each other. When there is danger lurking or any need to be on guard, such as encroaching hyenas or lions, a wounded calf, a birthing mother, or a dying elephant—the other elephants will circle and protect. The mothers of Momni have embraced this symbol of the elephant’s matriarchal support to represent our vision of circling up to help elevate the standard for raising children.

Omni is Latin for all and everywhere. Momni seeks to link together all moms everywhere with a vision of empowering moms to help one another. Not only can we as mothers help other mothers learn skills that will improve their life, but together, we can create solutions for childcare through the power of the new technology and sharing economy of caresharing. Either as a Momni guest or as a Momni host, moms are able to link together for paid playdates in the convenience of their own homes, with the flexibility necessary for busy moms.

Momni equips moms with the tools needed to help themselves by providing instant access to other mothers available to provide care. With the aid of filters, ratings, reviews, references and optional background checks, moms are able to quickly and simply find immediate care solutions with qualified and exceptional mothers. Simultaneously, Momni helps mothers to obtain family-friendly, flexible and instant income from home. Moms are able to set their own price, set their own hours, and adjust either at any time as needed.

Momni helps moms help each other with its global social business model. For each hour of care provided in a first world country, the Momni Foundation has a vision to fund an hour of care for a Momni mother in a developing country where the childcare crisis is most severe. This hour-for-hour caresharing solution is distributed through caresharing credits, similar to other credit rewards systems familiar in most sharing economies.

In addition to helping to facilitate global caresharing, the Momni Foundation empowers mothers to create their