Words today....Even celebrities struggle to pull it all together

“[I’m] trying to figure out time management, You know, you want to give every piece of your life — all of it. So, I want my kids to have all of me, I want my husband, I want my mom and dad, my brother, my friends and, of course, work. And so it’s just really hard for me to figure out time management.” —Jessica Alba

Flexibility is key...

I work with my clients to build in flexibility to their daily and/or weekly schedules in case they get a last minute work assignment, the kid gets sick or their elderly parent falls and is rushed to the ER. Well, today it paid off for me. My daughter's school bus was running really late, so we and the other parents and kids waiting, hopped the subway to get o school on time. Since I was just headed to the gym after she got on the bus, I had the flexibility to do this. Having kids, makes flexibility a must.

Postcard of reality

My daughter and I were talking recently and I said that I would send her a postcard from my upcoming trip that read, "Wish you were here. Opps! You weren't invited." She didn't take kindly to this. However as a single mom, it is important for my daughter and I to have time apart. Time apart is good for any relationship. It allows two or more people to regroup, recreate appreciation for the other(s) and recommit to the relationship. I know that I will miss my daughter when I am away and she will miss me. Also, I know each of us will be glad to be apart from the other since of late we have been on each other's cases a lot. A little peach goes along way!

Wednesdays words on homework

"Home computers are being called upon  to preform many new functions including the consumption of homework formerly eaten by the dog." —Doug Larson

A mother'w work is never done (I know a cliche, but.....)

Happy Mother's Day!

While my daughter and her friend that slept over made me waffles this morning, it is still a Sunday which means laundry, general house clean-up and grocery shopping and thankfully my husband cleaned up the kitchen (after two 9 year olds made waffles) and took them to the park, so the house is empty and I can clean as I want without feeling like I am rebelling against mother's day.

A milestone years in the making

I never learned to ride a bike as a kid (and the reason is too long to tell here) and so I decided a few years ago to promise my daughter I would learn and ride with her, so this year I bit the bullet and got an adult trike knowing I would never learn a two-wheeler and I can honestly say that I love my trike, but even  more I love fulfilling my promise to my daughter.

Time to go or not?

Yesterday I took my daughter ice skating (her new found favorite activity) and told her we would leave at a certain time only to realize that there was no real reason we needed to be home, so I let her skate till she was done and when I was done , I got a cup of coffee and read a book on my Iphone and learned that sometimes it is better to let a kid decide for themselves when to stop than drag him/her kicking and screaming the hole way home.

Two for One Deal Today

1. What is support?
           In life and business, we hear the phrase, "support of family and friends," but my business mentor made me realize that true support comes from with in and "support of family friends" is just the decoration on the cake.

2. Keeping the end in mind
           Yesterday my daughter go upset when we left the ice skating rink even though she had been told before we left the house that we would only have an hour and half and realized that at age nine she was learning the important concept of keeping the end in mind from the beginning of a project and for the cold walk home argued with me about (Hey, I know some adults who don't have this concept down pat).

Practice what I preach

I am home with a bad head cold, maybe sinus infection and my daughter called me lazy because I spent most of yesterday in bed and then I remembered that when she has a problem I often tell her that she must help herself first, which gave me an "aha!" moment, so today I am cleaning my office space because it is much needed and taking are of chores, basically helping myself to feel better despite my cold.

(Sometimes are best teachers are our children.)

Tuesday's Tip: Heat water for coffee

For the past two mornings, my daughter (age 8) has made me a cup of coffee in my travel mug which is so sweet of her even if the coffee is cold, since she didn't heat the water (She said"I figured the water was still hot.")

(P.S. A second tip. just say to your child, the "blank" is delicious because it pays to sweeten things every now and then.)

Taming morning madness....

I have discovered that if I get up 30 minuted before my daughter, I can make her lunch, prepare breakfast for both of us (no more cereal every morning for her), plan my day over a cup of tea and we leave the house on time (which we did before) feeling relaxed, so take my advice and follow suit.

November and the New Year

While it is not the new year and only November, I have decided to set some goals from now to the end of the year, break them down into bite size pieces and accomplish them none-the-less like they were new years' resolutions and those goals are to get check off more household projects, craft a better business message that really builds my "brand, support my husband in his work transition and get better at setting boundaries for my 8 year-old "teenager."

In the parenting tool kit....

I recently discovered writing as an affective tool-- my daughter and write out why she is upset, what can be done about it, them read them to each other and have a discussion which stops her incessant whining and my losing my temper in response (Thanks, mom for the idea).