It's the little things...
I became my own boss so I could be in charge of my work-life balance, and this week I realized it was time to brush up on my management skills.
Have you ever had those days when everything is clicking and moving and grooving—you’re on fire with productivity? I have those days, too. When I’m drunk on adrenaline, [Read more...]
… I was lying in a hospital bed, playing cards with my best friend, taking bets on the size and weight of my baby boy. At 11:46 pm, Dillon arrived weighing in at 6 pounds, 10 ounces and 20 inches long. I can’t remember who won the bet.
I can remember how magical it felt to lock eyes with my son. [Read more...]
I had a wonderful telephone conversation with my grandmother recently. The surface of small-talk was broken, and suddenly we were chatting candidly about how different it is today. [Read more...]
At 35, I think I’ve finally earned the right to call myself a “grown-up.” At least it’s taken me this long to feel like one. And there are days I still have my doubts.
I spent my 20′s trying to figure out what success really meant to me… how it looked, how it felt, what I should be doing when. Oh, the dreaded success deadline. I was always [Read more...]
I’ve decided to declare Mondays “Not So SuperMomday.” I have been a regular contributor to Hybrid Mom for about six months, and I’m now an official member of the Hybrid Mom Blog Team. My posts will appear each Monday.
So on this Not So SuperMomday I share my secrets to losing the baby weight. I babble on with lots of silliness, but near the bottom you’ll find the point to my story. Click here to read Getting in the Zone.
I’m writing this from the road. Four adults and three children stuffed into an Excursion– an over-sized vehicle that feels a bit too small for us. We are traveling to New York for Uncle Frank’s 70th birthday. It’s supposed to be a surprise, but I’m pretty sure Frank’s not reading my blog. My sister-in-law and I volunteered to ride in the far back. Baby Blake and his car seat are sandwiched between us.
I’m practicing deep breathing and pulling patience from the very core of my being. The bright side is, I enjoy the company. The people are not the problem. It’s all the stuff.
When you’re traveling with kids, there’s a fine line between packing too much and not enough. There’s stuff under my feet, between the seats, behind my head. I look out the side window and admire the rural Pennsylvania country side. I’m not much of a country girl, but right now, I’m loving the looks of all that space. At the sight of it, I’m able to exhale.
Over at Hybrid Mom this week, I am taking an inventory of the things I really need and the things I don’t. Click here to read Project Clean House.
And what about you? What do you do with all your stuff? Are you more likely to save it, or get rid of it? Have you noticed a difference in how it makes you feel?
That’s what my husband calls it when I’m on the computer, chatting up my social network.
In my quest for balance, I’m seeking a happy medium in my love/hate relationship with the Internet. There are plenty of advantages, but it also has an addictive quality. I have wondered if they make a patch to help cure my obsessive checking of email, Facebook and Twitter.
I have some fun with my little “problem” over at Hybrid Mom. Click here to read Twitter, You Bug Me.
People want to know if we’re done having kids. This week, I answer that question (indirectly) over at Hybrid Mom. I’ll let you in on something… the essay isn’t really about whether there’s a minivan in my future. It’s about having no regrets. It’s about having things in our lives that are “worth it” no matter the cost.
Click here to read the essay.
Then tell me… do you have an experience in your life that you would do over and over again?
If you’re like me, you’re having a small panic attack that the end of the year is pretty much here. Rather than doing the healthy thing– put all my big ideas and projects on hold until January 1– I think I can cram a bunch of stuff in at the last minute. Drama! And there’s no need, really.
Which leads me to a perfect segway for my essay roundup… I’m sneaky like that:
I almost named this essay at Hybrid Mom Crazy? or Patient? Instead, I went with Breathe. Be Happy. Click here to read about a game I play that keeps me in touch with my inner “Ommmmmm”
It was bound to happen eventually… Baby Blake has kicked his momma out of her office. Find out how I’m faring at the kitchen table in WAHM Gets Demoted. (That’s work-at-home-mom for those not versed in mommy jargon)
In Stay? Go? How Do You Know? I explore the inevitable changes we face in life, and how we must reconcile who we were then, who we are now, and who we are becoming.
And finally, over at the Little Black Book, I offer some tips to Reclaim Your Holiday Spirit. Let me know if they work!
News just in… the videos of baby Blake have been recovered. Like bits and pieces of shredded paper, my friend George (not the geek squad) pieced together memories that had been scattered and swept into the depths of my hard drive. Thanks to George, I was able to witness something I never got to see… Dillon meeting his baby brother for the first time. To say I’m ecstatic is an understatement. The life lessons from this experience have not been lost on me (be present, count my blessings, back up my hard drive) but since we’re leading up to Thanksgiving and my focus has been on gratitude, I’m just going to say another big fat THANK YOU and be happy.
In other news, my girl Oprah says she’s calling it quits in 2011. My first reaction was “Nooooooo…..! Not before I finish my book, you invite me on your show and I become an overnight bestseller!” Guess I’ll have to work faster on this book or start my own talk show. I kid, I kid. (Okay, not really)
Finally, my latest essay in Hybrid Mom explores the tough choices we make as moms. The support I’ve received from readers so far has been overwhelming. Women (not just moms) are inundated with choices and it can be difficult to strike a balance. As we dance between taking care of ourselves and taking care of others… the more encouragement and support we can give one another the better. Click here to read “My Preschool Dropout.”
Have a great weekend everyone. I’m counting the days ’til I sink my teeth in my mom’s 21 lb turkey. I can already smell the mac ‘n cheese! Okay, starving now.
