I am now a Statistic. My Domestic Vioence Survival.

1 out of every 4 women will be a victim of Domestic Violence.

I am that 1 out of 4 women. In 2006 I was made a part of a statistic.

I really can't speak for other women who have been victimized by domestic violence, but I did learn that your can never say never. Your future is truly unpredictable.

I grew up being a fighter. Didn't really have a problem sticking up for myself. I grew up with a big brother and played with the boys. My father taught me to be tough. He raised me to be the best in man's world and a competitor in a woman's world. If you would have asked me if I'd ever thought I'd be a victim of domestic violence, I would have laughed at possibility. Little did I know a man I met in 2003, who became my husband in 2004, would be the person who would effect the rest of my life, and needless to say, in the worst way ever. He literally created my living nightmare.

From the conversations I've had with other women, I frequently find that their attackers had no prior indications of violence. They just one day clicked. In their defense, I will say most often if you've never experienced domestic violence you wouldn't know what signs to look for.


 




For starters, I was pressured into getting married way too young. I knew I cared for him at the time, but had I not been pressured by his family I certainly wouldn't have subjected myself to marriage at the age of 19. You hardly know yourself at 19 much less know anything about marriage. Now don't think for a minute that I don't believe in love at a young age. I know a number of couples with that "old love". You know the ones that had love at first sight and have been madly in love since they were 14. :)

Let's just say this was nothing like that. I married a boy who made me laugh. He was amazing at math. Silly, but off of that I thought he was intelligent. That's it. There was really nothing more to him. Boy, could I have made a worse interpretation? We met in October of 2003. Little did I know he had just been released from a hospital for attempting to commit suicide because his ex-girlfriend was too busy to talk to him. That very same month!!! All because she wouldn't pay attention to him. Of course, I didn't find out that happened until much much later. During the time we were involved, I noticed he had scars all over his upper chest and arms, but it was one of those uncomfortable things you'd rather not ask about, ya know? Awkward. This is officially red flag #1.
So while we're seeing each other off and on, in January of 2004 he gets arrested for what he tells me was nothing more than an argument with an ex-girlfriend whom he claims was upset because he told her he couldn't see her anymore because he was involved with me. Claiming she was a "jealous ex-girlfriend". Why wouldn't I believe it? Well, at that time I had no reason not to. Not to mention his family was very convincing. So, being supportive, I go visit him at the jail from time to time throughout those few weeks. Longer than usual stay in jail? Yeah, this was definitely red flag #2.

In March of 2004, two weeks after we are married he tells me he has "a little court date". For the record: Why did I marry him after all that? I can only claim temporary insanity. So, back to my story. I come to find out that the reason for this hearing is for the case with the ex-girlfriend. A couple days before the hearing his family asks me if I'll call his ex-ex-girlfriend to see if she's change her story and testify he didn't do what he did to her. I didn't know what the story was behind that, but in a nut shell, him and his family explained it as nothing more than a good guy with bad luck. They even asked me if I was another who was just going to call the police on him again. YUP, you guessed it. Red flag #3. So I call the girl, ironically enough, she was someone I knew. A roommate of a friend from college. She was appalled that I even called to ask what he and his family requested of her. She told me to stay away from him and he was extremely dangerous. Red flag #4. By now you can assume they had an excuse for her statement also. "Jealous ex-girlfriend", etc etc etc. Did that change my mind about him? Can we say idiot? Can we say naive?
On the day of the hearing he asks me to tell the    judge I'm pregnant so she'll take that into consideration on his consequence. I was left uninformed and absolutely clueless to the charges he was facing and the reality of the matter of the hearing. His ex-girlfriend testified he has stole her car keys and when she attempted to get them back he slammed her head against the refrigerator. Red flag #5. Then I learned he had pending charges from the case prior to this which he said were dismissed. The judge announces, "You are sentenced to 2 years in prison". JUST TWO WEEKS AFTER WE WERE MARRIED. Red flag #6
I guess I stayed with him because I felt sorry for him. Why? Who knows. The idiotic things you do when you're young. I can shamefully take the crown.

Until my next entry... TO BE CONTINUED

The Guts Behind the Company

Good Morning or Good Evening! Depending on where in the world you are!
Today, let’s talk LoveMomStyle.
I created the idea for LoveMomStyle back in 2010 and in January of 2011 we started production. On February 14th, 2011, we found out we were expecting!!! How perfect and what great timing!! 

 

Now for the guts of LMS. Women often ask me what made me decide to start a company like LoveMomStyle. Well, I started it for a number of reasons.

I have a friend whom I had grown up with since childhood. Our moms even grew up together. We were close for many many years and like many cases, you grow apart as you grow older. Different interests. Different groups of friends. While we were in high school she lost her mom to a brain tumor. I couldn’t imagine losing a parent at that age. I can’t even imagine losing a parent now for that matter! Years passed and we both grew up, got married and had babies. After a few years passed, and we got to catch up. We talked about our childhood, her mom passing, and how difficult it was not having a mother or family period, around during her pregnancy and motherhood. I couldn’t even fathom the thought of having no support during such a vital time. No one to call if I have 
questions or concerns. No one to call being a first
time mommy. No one to even share in the excitement of your baby’s first words or first steps or even just the silly things your babies do that bring you so much joy.

For that reason, I felt in my heart that there was a
desperate need for a company like LoveMomStyle.


As I began to talk to more women about their experiences with pregnancy, motherhood and just life in general, I realized there was so much I had to offer and I wanted to help be a support for strangers who would eventually become friends because I had personally experienced so many obstacles and emotional roller coasters myself.

Even if you know of other people experiencing similar obstacles, for some reason learning first hand of their personal experiences really helps to encourage you and helps you find a way to manage the delicate issues you face as a woman, mother and human being, period.

LoveMomStyle touches on just about ever subject, good and bad. I’ve learned even the most intelligent, most diverse individuals still have room to learn and you should never assume someone knows something if you never tell them.

LoveMomStyle has allowed me to build a platform where I can share my experience and lend support. I know personally, I have faced ups and downs with my weight especially after my pregnancies and I feel it was bit harder for me to handle because I am in the public eye. You face your everyday negative people. “There goes that body”. “There goes your career”. Some people love the feed off of the possibility of you being hindered or less than you were before. Although motherhood is like nothing else in this world and I know most women wouldn’t trade it for the world, 
it can certainly do a number on your self-image and esteem. I was determined to get back to grade A shape and I came across a lot of women who wanted the same, but just didn’t have the drive, the energy, the support or the know how. I started inviting friends and friends of friends to train with me. Results on top of results! There’s nothing more empowering than helping someone get back to where they feel fantastic about themselves.
Reality check: 
You have to work on you before you can work on anyone else. I wanted to integrate this phase into LoveMomStyle. The food came naturally. 
Diet is important and relevant to fitness.

 
 

Next, I hate to see a beautiful mom who gets and stays on frump mode. I love love love fashion, make up and hair! I wanted to be able to encourage moms to still take pride in their appearance and while I know you may be tired and it’s so incredibly easy to get comfortable, looking good and keeping yourself pampered works wonders for how you feel internally.

 
 
 Moving on to parenting. I can not stress how much heart break I have on a regular basis when I see parents not being parents at all.Whether it’s because they were never taught, had a negative example or because they resent the fact that they are a parent and they just choose not to be a good one. Again, some people never know what they are lacking if you never show them an example to go by. A lot of people are just too proud, plain and simple. At the end of the day, your children can suffer greatly. Though I’m still learning every single day, I’d like to think my parents did a damn good job raising me and I feel I have some direction I can give both from them and my own experiences to those who seek it. Sometimes it just helps to talk to other parents about similar issues and wha la, you find the solution you’ve been battling to find for what seems like forever!

 
 Lastly, Giveaways. Moms rarely get a break and for those single fathers out there, too, you’re included. I wanted to be able to give back and say thank you to the parents who are there for their kids, who raise their kids and who love their kids enough to want the best for them. Mommy Makeovers, Shopping Sprees, Daddy Days, Spa Days, Free Merchandise, Getaways and so much more. LoveMomStyle gave me a platform to be able to provide those things.

 


     Operating LoveMomStyle gives me something to look forward to everyday single day. Everyday I get to meet someone new! Tomorrow is always promised to bring something new and exciting. You just have to be willing to receive it.<3



<3LoveMomStyle

Who I am

Who am I? You can call me DeLaFonte, Katrina DeLaFonte. LOL 

I am the creator and owner of the LoveMomStyle Network. What better way to understand a business than to understand the creator behind it. I'm from a small town based in Northern Arizona, but I've always been a city girl at heart.  I'm an 80's baby! I grew up as a tomboy in a dress. I always had a love for fashion and performing, glitz and glamour while playing football in my sparkly dress shoes! I will be the first to tell you that growing up in a small town was not easy. I feel like due to my lack of "all things girly" and not being a "follower" these created issues for me. While some girls we busy being boy crazy, I was busy playing with the boys. When your group of "friends" didn't like someone, you were expected to feel the same. I didn't live by those rules. I experienced being bullied and at times it was more than I could handle. On the other hand, I was also a tough little tot who had a little habit of fighting the boys. Sometimes we make the mistake of being nice to the wrong people. I was worried about trying to be a "good friend" and taking what I didn't deserve instead of standing up to the kids I should have stood up to. Life can be so confusing at that phase of your life. Many people really have no clue how far bullying can push a person. The experience changed my life forever.

Growing up, my Hero was my Mom. She's always been the light in the darkness, my life-line and still to this day, my very best friend. I was raised in a stable home where my parents taught us, my brother and I, morals and values which I truly believe influenced the direction I've taken in my life today. I will admit life wasn't all peaches and pie. There were times I struggled to find myself. I'm multiracial. Though I had several different groups of friends, I never felt like I completely fit in. Either I wasn't Latina enough or I wasn't White enough. Beyond friends and family, my passions consisted of athletics. I played it all, basketball, soccer, tennis, cheer-leading  even bowling! LOL I loved cheer most of all! I was raised in church from only 2 weeks old and I've grown with God in my life every since. Though I have faced struggles within the politics of the church, my faith is stronger now than it's ever been.

Let's fast-forward a decade or so... I started modeling as a teenager. I loved it so much I kept at it for another 10, almost 15 years! My family will be the first to admit I have been a HAM since birth! Love the camera! Love to perform! Dancing has ALWAYS been great love of mine also! I choreographed for fun and for cheer as a child and grew into making a living at it. In addition to modeling and choreography, I took up hosting. I had the honor of being a host for the 2009 4th Annual BrittiCares 5k Walk Run supporting a beautiful young girl who lost her fight against cancer, a truly humbling experience. After many main events and unique encounters, I took a break from hosting when I was offered an opportunity to try my hand at acting professionally. As much as I loved to perform growing up, for some reason or another acting just didn't appeal to me. Well, that's what I thought at least. :) As I started getting hired for various commercials I found my nich and more so than ever, I found my passion! Commercials turned into television, television into movies and believe it or not, movies into screenwriting. I guess my love for english in school paid off. I wrote my first script along side my husband start to finish in 2010. Since then we've wrote many films and tv shows. It's truly been an amazing journey.

Throughout all of these adventures, I began a career as a dental professional at the age of seventeen. My nine year career certainly had it's pros and cons, but most of all I loved my patients. Helping, supporting and caring for others had always been something I loved. Being able to help someone selflessly is truly one of the best feelings you will ever have the pleasure of encountering. For this reason, a big reason, is one of the reasons I started Love MomStyle. I'll give you the skinny on more of that in my next entry ;).

Now to the biggest, most brightest aspect of my life, My Babies. I gave birth to a handsome baby boy in May of 2006 after being married in 2004, my biggest mistake blessed me with my most prized possession, my baby boy. My downfall? I married a boy who never grew into a man when I was only 19 years old. Manipulated into getting married so young. Just two weeks after we were married, we went to a court hearing he had previously scheduled and BAM, he was sentenced to two years in prison. I had no knowledge of the severity of his charges. He always had a way of sugar coating things. Master manipulator and mama's boy to the T! What followed? A beautiful baby boy, infidelity, drugs, domestic violence, child abuse and much much more. Who knew I would have been married to a five time convicted felon?! After only a two year marriage, I escaped safely with my son. A couple years later, I met my best friend, now love of my life. We welcomed our gorgeous little baby girl in September of 2011.

Nothing can prepare you for the joy, the heartache, the work and the payoff motherhood brings into the ratio. It's such an amazingly rewarding and challenging roller coaster and I can't help, but love every minute of it. Even through the struggles, I wouldn't change anything for the world. One opinion that drives me nuts is people using their children to hinder them from achieving their dreams and goals. I will tell you that if anything, I worked harder, I became stronger and I achieved more with my babies and for my babies than without. Some may call me stubborn, and yes, I'll admit to it, just a little, but I am more ambitious and focused more than anything. The mentality, "You can't attend college with a family." I proved them wrong. "You can't live the fame life and be a good parent." I proved them wrong. "You can't be everything your heart desires, there's just no way to juggle everything." Yes, I proved that assumption wrong also.

God has blessed me with an amazing man who is an amazing father and who cares so deeply for people, most of all, me. Ladies, you deserve to be spoiled and treated like a queen. Never let anyone tell you different. I juggle my family and my career. I won't pretend it's not a lot of work. Some nights I just want to pull my hair out, but even then I wouldn't change a single thing in my life. I'm happy. I'm humbled and I'm so sincerely grateful for the life that has unfolded before me. Had I not suffered through my struggles and diversities, I wouldn't be the women I am today. True success is only seen through the eyes of the beholder and you are only as successful as you allow yourself to be. I hope this gives you a little insight into who LoveMomStyle is and I hope you stay with us as we carry on this journey called life <3