Career Strong

As I come back from vacation with my family I'm reminded yet again of the power of being present. Fully present. I like to tell myself I'm going to focus on one task at a time then I find myself 3 hours deep in ping pong. Not the actual game but the jumping between activities and never doing any of them well. Before we left for vacation I set up a plan for myself. I would check my emails and post on social media before my kids were up and after they went to bed. I have never been more relaxed in my life! Because I preplanned my business activities I didn't freak out when I was with my children. This made me think really long and hard about my business in general. I have a long laundry list of items that I want to tackle. Because I want and, quite frankly need, to do all of these activities for my fledgling business I was starting to panic about how on earth I would do it all but remain present in each task. Then I remembered my google calendar and how it was time ...

In 1997 I got on a plane with a bunch of people I didn't know to fly to England. I was so nervous, actually slightly terrified. What if I got homesick? What if I hated the food? What if I hated the people I was with?  I knew I wanted to travel though and I knew I wanted to see England so I went. That trip when I was 15 years old changed my life and was one of the best experiences I've ever had. I have dozens of these stories in my 35 (36 next week) years. Things felt uncomfortable, I did them anyway and I came out better for it. Let's be honest, things get uncomfortable as early as kindergarten, they get really weird and uncomfortable in middle school and the uncomfortable doesn't really slow down until your first job. Then life gets comfortable and well, boring. I've decided comfortable and boring are siblings. Wherever comfortable goes boring follows. So how do you stop boring? You stop being comfortable. So why is being uncomfortable so, well uncomforta...

Warning! This is going to be long because I want you to know exactly how to prepare yourself and your family for travel.  When you're a working mother you have to make sure your work and your family are completely taken care of while looking good and not stressing. Who am I kidding, stress is always involved but these tips are here to minimize that. ;-) Meal Planning My family likes to eat even when I'm not around (I know, super high maintenance aren't they) so planning for my trip always begins with meal prep. Make Snacks Easily Accessible I chopped up watermelon and strawberries and also included apples and grapes all in the fruit drawer of the fridge for grab and go eating. String cheese and yogurt are big hits in our house too. I fully stocked up on these amazingly simple snacks. If the kids lose their minds one night Darren can always lock them in a room and throw these snacks at them. (I romanticize parenting, forgive me)  Make meals ahead I'...