AS MOTHERS we all want to teach our children about what's important in life. Taking care of family, spending time with good friends, finding fulfilling work and doing the right thing.
It's great to talk to your kids about such important values. But what really drives the point home with children is when they actually see their mom living out those values and doing the things that model them.

Talking to Mom of the Month Jennifer Ackerman, of Columbia, is all about listening to someone who is truly walking that walk, not just talking that talk. She is not only telling her 5-year-old son, Dylan, what is important. She is showing him by simply living her life.

Ackerman's days may seem overwhelming ... but after getting to know this bright and bubbly 37-year-old, you're convinced that she makes it all work. And she makes it all work with creativity and a smile.

Ackerman is mom to 5-year-old Dylan and has been married to Bill Ackerman for 12 years. These are roles she cherishes. But her roles as sister, daughter, friend, artist and business partner are also very important to her. And it's these roles that she shares with her son as she raises him and shows him what is truly important in this world.

In the early 2000s Ackerman was attending Millersville University to pursue an art teaching degree. She left school to help care for her ailing father. In 2006 he passed away, leaving Jennifer's college-age sister and her mother alone. To the Ackermans there was no hesitation. They invited them both to move into their home. With Jennifer's brother, they built an addition for them.

Ackerman recalls her husband's "enormous support" and refers to him as her "backbone" during that difficult time. "He should be Father of the Month!" she laughed. "To take in my mother and my sister ... and their dogs!"  

Another role that Ackerman takes seriously is that of friend. Her best friend, and new business partner, is Amber Brant. The two met at a job at the beach while they were both sophomores at college and have been very close ever since.

Ackerman remembers the day they met. Brant is not a morning person and specifically told Ackerman not to speak to her until 10 a.m. At exactly 10 a.m., Ackerman threw a Koosh Ball at her head.

Ackerman is the more creative of the two with Brant being more business- minded. The two decided that was the perfect combination for a business partnership. So April 1, Ackerman takes on a new role of co-business owner when she and Brant open Kiss The Sky Designs shop in Ocean City, Md. They named the business in honor of their deceased parents. Brant's mother passed away from breast cancer in 2009.  

Kiss the Sky will carry, according to Ackerman, "A little bit of everything. There will be a lot of fun things." She listed painted furniture, handmade jewelry, painted glassware, flip-flops, hair ties, and crafts from other consigned artists from our area. Kiss the Sky will also carry children's books, Yankee Candles and products by MudPie.

"It's perfect for the beach," said Ackerman, who loves to paint and create art for children. She describes her work as "whimsical." Ackerman says she and Brant are "very excited" and "are as ready as any new store can be."

Ackerman and Brant love the beach and still spend a lot of time there. Brant has a 7-year-old son, Cooper.

Cooper and Dylan are very close. Brant and Ackerman  have a job-sharing arrangement for Kiss The Sky Designs and the two help each other out with child care.  

It's so great when a mom can share her life passions with her children and Ackerman definitely has that. She loves to do arts and crafts with Dylan. And yes, she is the mom everyone looks to in the group when the classroom needs a craft. Ackerman loves it.   "Dylan's class is so much fun," she says.   

But in addition to the artistic side of her, Ackerman is truly blessed that she has been able, through her example to show her son the importance of family, friends, passions and work.
Favorite restaurant:  Café East. "It's on speed dial on my phone."

Favorite food:  Sushi or nachos and "I'm in heaven."

Favorite colors:  Green and yellow. "Lime green."

Favorite way to relax:  "Kicking back with friends on my back porch." Jennifer also finds painting very relaxing. "I love to paint when everyone is sleeping."

Favorite movie:  "Almost Famous"

Favorite TV show:  "Project Runway" and "Top Chef"

Favorite book:  "Our Hearts Were Young and Gay" by Cornelia Otis Skinner and Emily Kimbrough, published in 1942. It's about two Bryn Mawr College graduates and their travels through Europe in the 1920s. A prized possession is her grandfather's copy of the book.

Next goal: "To make sundresses."

Kiss The Sky Designs is located at 806 S. Atlantic Ave., Unit 10, Ocean City, Md. (at Harrison's Harborwatch walk right into the Inlet Village).

There will be a "soft" opening Easter weekend, Friday, April 2, through Sunday, April 4. It will be open every weekend in May, with the grand opening Memorial Day weekend. After that, hours are 10 a.m.-10 p.m. daily.


By Maureen Leader, Special Features Writer