blogiversary – Angie Mizzell

big love

May 6, 2010 By Angie

“We had a long period this winter when both my kids were sick for weeks. And I was so worried about them. And I felt so exhausted from the worry. But my husband just kept reminding me that you can’t love so big without consequences. And I’d never give up that big love. But living life all the way means feeling it all. Everything.” ~Excerpt from my interview with author Katherine Center on HybridMom.com

I’m well acquainted with that “big love.” As we approach Mother’s Day, I’m looking back on a post I wrote last year:

Before my first son was born, I had all these big ideas and plans about how [Read more...]

Filed Under: Life with Kids Tagged With: blogiversary, feel good stuff, Hybrid Mom, parenting

what children teach us

April 21, 2010 By Angie

Two years and another child later, this post originally published on May 24, 2008 reminds me not much has changed.

Anyone who knows my 2-year-old, Dillon, knows that I have my hands full. He, in my totally biased opinion, has an amazing personality and is so cute I could bite his nose right off his face. But, many times, I think I love him best when he is sleeping. I expend so much energy trying to get him to go to bed. From day one, that has been my biggest first-time mom challenge.

Ironically, Dillon manages to teach me the art of being still. “Mommy, sit.” He points at the couch.

“Dillon, I can’t. But I’ll be back in just a second.”

Again, he persists. “Mommy, sit!” He doesn’t care that there’s something boiling over on the stove. He just wants me to be in the room with him.

What I have noticed is that [Read more...]

Filed Under: Balancing Act, Life with Kids Tagged With: Being Present, blogiversary, career changes, parenting

What are your gifts?

April 14, 2010 By Angie

Recently, I read a post on Becca’s blog that got me thinking about something I wrote two years ago, about our natural born gifts and how we use them in our daily lives. In continuing celebration of my blogiversary I decide to post it again.

From April 14, 2008:

I spent the weekend doing taxes, and I have decided that doing taxes sucks the creativity right out of me. (On the other hand, I was quite creative when figuring out how to maximize my deductions). There are things that come naturally to me, and things that don’t. Taxes are in the category of “things that don’t.”

Here on the page, though, I feel right a home. This is not a new revelation to me. As early as elementary school I gravitated towards English class and ran away from Math. So that brings me to YOU. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Redefining Success Tagged With: Authenticity, blogiversary, gifts and talents

Work-life balance: What is that, anyway?

April 12, 2010 By Angie

This month, I’m celebrating my two-year blogiversary. This post was originally published April 9th, 2008. This version has been slightly edited, because I realized it’s unbearable to re-post something I wrote two years ago without making some revisions.

Work-life balance tops pay– this according to a recent Hudson survey of 1,634 workers who have been in their current jobs for at least five years. The question: What is the primary reason you accepted your current position? Work-life balance topped the list, over compensation (a close second), work culture, training opportunities and advancement opportunities.

Work-life balance. What does that really mean? [Read more...]

Filed Under: Balancing Act Tagged With: balance, blogiversary

It’s my blogiversary

April 8, 2010 By Angie

Two years ago I started a blog. And as I wrote each post, I felt myself come alive. At first, I ignored this feeling and criticized myself for spending time on something that wasn’t making money or moving my professional life forward. I told myself I was procrastinating… using the blog to distract myself from whatever else I was supposed to be doing.

Fortunately, I had reached a place in my personal growth that I finally realized something. I wasn’t created to be miserable. I believe the things we love to do are clues. They guide us on our path. They are gentle reminders of the direction we should take.

So over the past two years, I have embraced an important truth. I wear a lot of hats, but I’m a writer at heart. As I express myself with words, I heal and inspire myself… and I hope my readers walk away from my posts feeling a little better than when they came.

I also realized that when you’ve been blogging for two years… you actually have enough material for a Greatest Hits album! Or something like that.

I turned 34 and 35, confronted my inner perfectionist by revealing my top 3 embarrassing moments, and vowed to Write the Damn Book. One of my essays was published in Moxie, I got pregnant with my second child who took up so much room in my belly I could have sworn he was Yao Ming. Finally, I gave birth to sweet baby Blake. Then, I erased the videos. (I got them back.) But the emotional experience reminded me, once again, to live in the moment.

I started writing for Hybrid Mom. I partied like it was 2009. One of my essays was published on Yahoo! Shine and the haters had a field day. I launched a new blog to support all the other Not So Supermom’s out there.

Over the next month, I’m going to share some of my favorite posts from the early days, back when I had about 5 (loyal) readers.

Today, my readership has grown, and I am filled with so much gratitude. Receiving your comments never stops being cool. You are the fuel that inspires me to do what (I believe) I was created to do. Write. Tell my stories and share them with the world.

The journey is so much more fun with all of you by my side. Thank you.

Angie