Let me start by saying that I just discovered Kristin van Ogtrop quite by accident yesterday at Barnes & Noble. I picked up her book, Just Let Me Lie Down, and was instantly hooked! This is one lady who understands the life of a working mother.  I don’t often make impulse book purchases but oh yeah, that one came home with me. I’ve read half of the book already because apparently this woman and I live the same life… (There is such comfort in knowing that others are in the same boat and can laugh about it.)

Upon further research I discovered that she can also be found online writing blogs for Real Simple magazine (she is the editor) and the Huffington Post.  Here are a few gems for your Sunday reading pleasure:

Can Career Women Be Successful Mothers?

Advice I Wish I Could Give My Younger Self

Beautiful Two-Word Combinations, Immature and Otherwise

I’m so excited to share with you my Yahoo! Shine You.Reinvented interview!

Yahoo! was at BlogHer talking about reinvention and I had the opportunity to sit down with them and talk about my personal journey:

I must confess, I really don’t like myself on video.  I am highly critical of everything (!) especially my tendency to assume the I-talk-way-too-fast-because-I-am-nervous persona.  Ahh, well.

CONNECT WITH YAHOO:
Twitter: @YahooShine
Yahoo! Shine “You.Reinvented”: http://shine.yahoo.com/event/youreinvented

Ever overanalyze something so much that you just can’t will yourself to take action?  I do that regularly with this blog. It immobilizes me.

I’m afraid of the “niche.”  In my brain I know that having a niche is a good thing. It gives you a community, a goal, common ground and lots to write about.  Other than being a “mom blogger,” where do I fit?  What is my niche? I’m not sure.

I have so many interests and so many passions that, again, I am often immobilized. I don’t know where to go first or what to do.  Ever felt that way?

I love to read.  I could write about that.  I love to write.  I love tech gadgets.  Hmmm…. there is an idea!  Fitness, beauty & lifestyle. How about kids and music?  And gardening.  I love that too.  And I have been meaning to figure out how to skateboard.  Oops!  Can’t forget the running passion, can we?  Maybe I will Vlog?  Or not. Hmmm…. What should I write about again?

Gah!

I just don’t know where I fit in these days.  Especially when it comes to blogging.

Sometimes I end up staring at the screen wondering what in the world I should blog about.  And WHY anyone would want to read it.

I’m stuck in that place.

How to get out of it?

I used to be moving at manic speed.  No, really.  I was  a whirlwind.  Now, I am “recovering.”  I’ve been in a self-imposed “recovery” for about three weeks now.

Just like every other mother that I know, I have a lot going on in my life.  So many things vying for our time.  So many responsibilities. Torn between them all. Not doing one of them well.

I am here to tell you that I am not longer manic.  I am coming out from under the mania.  I am conquering it.

As I write this it is 7:30am.  My husband has left for work. My kids (miracle of all miracles) are asleep and instead of “getting a jump on the day”  and running throughout the house at top speed, I am sitting on my favorite chair with a nice cup of coffee and listening to the bird’s sing.

Do you know how long it has been since I have taken a moment like this?  I can’t even begin to contemplate that.  Sure there is laundry to fold, a bathroom to clean and oh yeah, a bedroom half-painted and client work to begin but instead, at this moment, I am blogging.  I am blogging because I love it and it makes me happy.

And when I am centered and happy I react so much better.  I prioritize so much better.  I am a better ME.  Which, of course, makes me a better wife, mother, business owner, blogger, friend and neighbor.

You might be saying to yourself, “Duh, Jen.  Every magazine in the world runs stories on this topic’s importance.  Why WOULDN’T  you take time for yourself?”

I guess I just didn’t think it applied to me.  It is the ole’ superwoman cliche.  I guess I always believed that I was above all of those pressures. Like somehow I was different.  That those rules didn’t apply to me.  Stress?  Health concerns? “Emotional breakdowns?” That was something that happened to OTHER WOMEN.

<ahem> NOTSOMUCH.

I’ve been chronically tired. I’ve gained weight. I’ve been moody and I have been disorganized.  Combine them all and you get one hot mess of a woman.

So one day last month I literally said “FORGET IT!” (Actually, it was the spicier version of that phrase, but you get my drift.) And I turned down an future family obligation. Then I passed up an unbelievable opportunity. And then I didn’t post a blog.  And then I sat down and READ A BOOK.  AND I refused to feel guilty about it. So radical, right?

I’ve kept it up.

You know what?  I am breathing again.  I am feeling healthier.  And I am managing life instead of letting life manage me.  Now, I evaluate every opportunity that comes my way.  As exciting as it may sound, I weigh it against my goals.  And if I can’t do it well or it will add too much stress, then I turn it down.

Revolutionary, I tell you!  I’m happier.  My kids are happier and my husband is much happier. And my clients get my undivided attention.

So, I ask you, are you managing or are you manic?  What steps are you taking to simplify your life and gain control of your sanity?  Is it a constant struggle between obligations and opportunities?

A resource: 72 Ideas to Simplify Your life

It is finally here.  The day I have been dreading.  The day where I officially become the “un-cool mom.”  The day where I admit to the world that I JUST DON’T GET IT!

What don’t I get, you ask?

AHEM - Silly Bandz

My kids are nuts for them.

Young Jedi is nutso for the bandz!

My take:  If you collect Silly Bandz they can cost a trillion dollars, schools are banning them and they break when you look at them sideways.  Which, of course, hasn’t stopped them from being the ultimate cool thing.  Or me from buying them for the kids.

It is an amazing thing, these bandz.

I’ve learned that they are KID CURRENCY and a KID STATUS SYMBOL. Kids count them, trade them and try to get their hands on the silly bands that are the most RARE. (Fantasy pack!) And they cry in devastation when the bands break.  Cause you know, life is all about the the flimsy colored rubber stuff.  DUH, mom.

Most importantly, they are a great equalizer.  Doesn’t matter who you are, how much money you have, how many friends you do or don’t have… you can still trade the bandz and be included.  That, to me, is cool.

That being said, I still don’t entirely “get it.”  But I sure wish I had invented it!

BTW: Wanna know the mastermind who invented the phenomenon?  His name is Rob Croak and he is from Toledo Ohio.  Fascinating article and video about the company behind the craze by USA Today here.