I’m an African American mom with brown babies, and I take great pleasure in writing about the issues that moms of color and mothers of children of color face as we raise our kids. And while I happily co-sign the idea that at the base of it, all of us moms want the same things for our children—for them to be happy, healthy, smart, kind, honest, trustworthy, successful human beings—we simply do not all parent the same, and there absolutely ARE issues that we deal with as an African American moms that white moms would never have to think about if they’re not raising a brown child.

While I intended for black moms to call MyBrownBaby home, I certainly hoped that ALL moms would feel comfortable sitting on the MyBrownBaby stoop and commiseratating/learning/teaching about their views on motherhood, too. And I’ve found an amazing circle of moms online who totally get it—who write passionately about their parenting experiences in a way with which I can identify with, learn from, and, above all else, appreciate.

And now, some of my favorite bloggers—Talibah of WeParent and The Mama Spot (and the winner of the first MyBrownBaby Beautiful Minds Contest!), Tameka of Tea & Honey Bread, Michelle of The Integrated Mother, and Moms of Hue co-founders Renee of Cutie Booty Cakes and Kristina of Mom on the Rise, among others—have combined their talent and resources to found the fabulous new site, Moms of Hue, a place where parents can read all about the unique experience of women of color raising children—from the Latina, African American, Indian, single, married, and bi-racial perspectives, and much more.

Today, Moms of Hue is holding its official launch party, and the site is celebrating in style, with over 30 prizes they’ll be giving away all day long! Follow the conversation on twitter by searching for the #momsofhue hashtag and be sure to follow @momsofhue so that you don’t miss a chance to enter the giveaways.

And of course, be sure to stop by Moms of Hue to check out the stories, voices, and perspectives of Moms of Hue.

Our “Go Green” efforts at the MyBrownBaby household are cute and all—we use recycled bags at the grocery store, we keep our showers to three minutes or less, and we recycle everything from our newspapers to the cardboard boxes our Dove soap comes in. But what we do is mere child’s play compared to my girl, Jennae Petersen, purveyor of the drool-worthy blog, Green Your Decor. On her site, Jennae scours the market for stylish, sustainable, green-forward home decor, and then breaks down why buying the pieces she features are good for the environment. A thought-provoking question she asks at Green Your Decor: “You may turn off the lights every time you leave a room, but do you know whether an old-growth forest was cut down for the wood used to make your bed?” Yup. Simply put: Jennae. Breaks. It. Down. So. It. Will. Forever. Be. Broke.

But the products she features aren’t just great for the environment; they’re super beautiful, too. For sure, Jennae’s got an eye for pretty things—so much so that she recently founded a second green-conscious site, Green and Beautiful, which is dedicated to showing us through posts on beauty, fashion, family, technology, and other topics that we can be green and super cutie. Of course, green and super cutie is the perfect description of Jennae, whom I’ve known since I started blogging in October ‘08, but had the pleasure of meeting in person at BlogHer ‘09. She is such a warm spirit—quiet but opinionated, shy but smart, sweet but no-nonsense, and, above all else, kind. (And she is the mother of the cutest little girlpie, shown here with Jennae and her lovely husband.) I’m proud to count her as a friend, and can’t wait for you all to get to know her better here at MyBrownBaby. Without further ado, our MyBrownBaby Mom of the Month:

My name is… Jennae Petersen

I live in… Athens, GA by way of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

My brown babies are… Ja’Naya, 4; Ja’Quan, 7; Ja’Keil, 9; and Ja’Vontae, 10. Yeah. We like the Js in this household, although the 3 boys currently live in Florida with their mom. I’m pretty sure if we ever get a dog, we’ll find a J name for him too

I make a living… as the owner and lead designer of Hibiscus Creative, a full service graphic design firm, and as a blogger and freelance writer.

The last book I read with my kids was… “Suba Starts with Self.”

The last time my kids cracked me up was… when I read a book to my daughter, I always start with the title. So I began, “Suba Starts with Self…” and my daughter quickly corrected me. “No Mommy. Suba starts with S.”

My favorite place to take them is… Memorial Park, otherwise known as the duck pond. We feed the ducks and occasionally pull out the fishing poles, though we have yet to catch anything.

My proudest mom moment was… when my youngest stepson asked if it was OK for him to call me Mama. It still brings tears to my eyes when I think about it, because I knew right then that he understood I love all of them like they came from my own womb.

My most embarrassing mommy moment was the time when… I got out of my husband’s Cadillac, with the car still on, completely forgetting that the locks were messed up and sometimes would lock automatically. Inconvenient? Yeah. But what made it embarrassing is the fact that my then infant daughter was still strapped into her car seat in the back. We called a locksmith, and I felt like the worst mother in the world when he realized that there was a baby in the car. Thankfully the air conditioner was on and we played peek-a-boo through the window until the doors were unlocked. She had no idea what was going on

The thing I most want my children to know is… they are beautiful just the way God made them, and that anyone who truly loves them will accept them as they are.

The one family tradition I hope my kids continue when they grow up is… praying together, as a family. I know it’s a cliché, but I truly believe that the family that prays together stays together. And I find that when we pray out loud, we find out what is truly important to each of us.

If I could invent one thing to make being a mom easier, it would be… an extra hour or two of sleep time for the kids every night so I can squeeze in all the little things I never seem to get done. Or some extra quiet time for me and the hubby.

The best invention for kids ever is… not exactly an invention FOR kids, but the iPhone. With its endless educational apps, it is great for keeping restless kids occupied during car rides and long waits.

The kid snack I’m most likely to get busted eating is… Goldfish.

The most important life lesson I want my kids to learn is… the only limitations that matter are the ones that are self-imposed. As long as we believe we can achieve a goal, it is already done.

The one thing no one knows about me is… I’ve known my husband since I was 13, and I knew the moment I met him that he would be my husband. That, and I can sing. Like really sing, and not just because my mama told me so I’m just too scared to do it in public anymore.

The thing I lost as a mom that I wish I could get back is… spontaneity.

My “I’d Rather Be…” bumper sticker would say… laying on my husband’s chest on a beach back in the Virgin Islands.

I’ve loved her blog, like, forever and when Jennifer, a.k.a., Future Mama of the fertility and mommy-to-be blog, Baby Makin(g) Machine, hopped in the Chevy to road trip to BlogHer ‘09 with The BlogRollers and me, my instincts about her were cemented: She is an absolute sweetie pie—smart, inquisitive, and well on her way to being a terrific mom.

I told you last week in my MyBrownTribe post that Jennifer decided in the last few months to try for her first child; she’s been chronicling the joys, challenges and frustrations of trying to get pregnant on her site, and, in her short journey, has found that making a baby isn’t as easy as she thought. To lift her spirits while she and her husband of five years keep trying, Jennifer decided to follow her mom’s sage advice: “There’s no better way to lift yourself up than to serve others.” So now, BabyMakin(g) is turning her thoughts and deeds to helping a wonderful charity whose goal is to help women make and keep healthy babies: the March of Dimes.

Jennifer’s hope is to raise $1,000 in 30 days; with the support of a bevy of outstanding sponsors, she’ll be raffling off prizes to those who donate money. Every single penny she collects will go to the March of Dimes.

Won’t you support Jennifer as she works to raise money for this most worthy cause? I can’t think of a more generous gift than that which goes toward helping mothers and their children. If you’d like to donate or show your support for Baby Makin(g) Machine, click HERE.

And…

If you’re feeling in an extra benevolent mood today, won’t you consider, too, helping to raise cash for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, in support of students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities? For every auto insurance quote Allstate receives during the month of September, they’ll donate $5 to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. To make the quote count, you have to click to Allstate through THIS DEDICATED LINK; if you’d like to post this fundraiser on your own blog, tweet it, or simply email your folks and encourage them to help out, use the following link: http://www.beyondfebruary.com/. This program runs through September 30th.

MyBrownBaby is so very honored to support these two great causes; as you consider chipping in, I hope that you, too, take Jennifer’s mom’s words to heart: “There’s no better way to lift yourself up than to serve others.”