Okay, admit it. You’ve had exactly ten minutes of Me Time this week, and that was because you were stuck in traffic and literally forced to stay in one place (as an aside, our traffic has been almost unbearable; talk about having a lot of unexpected-and-unplanned-for time on my hands! Yay for BBC and podcasts!). I would be willing to bet if you’re stuck in a long queue or in traffic, one of the first things you did when that happened was reach for your mobile, start to thu

For the last few days, I’ve been having a little trouble with my motivation levels. Partly because of a new and completely-out-of-my-milieu work experience, and partly because of school starting so having to be the gung-ho let’s-be-super-excited-about-the-school-year mom role, and partly because the only person who caught the back-to-school cold (so far) is me. What is it about this role, what is it about being the family cheerleader is not working for me right now? Why am

I don't know about you, but recently, we’ve hit a busier-than-normal state, and nowadays, my to-do list hardly ever gets fully finished. That’s a real life thing, right, not just a parent thing. I find myself, at the end of many days, not having gone through emails, not having finished the tasks I intended to for the day, leaving little bits here and there undone. I hate that. I am, by nature, a finisher, and usually lists (and finishing them) makes me happy, so this ultr

Have you guys read this article? It’s excellent. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/why-women-should-embrace-a-good-enough-life/2013/04/18/4b2b086c-a5db-11e2-a8e2-5b98cb59187f_story.html The gist: even in this day and age, a woman can’t have it all. Surprise! You’ll be even more surprised at this: I agree. Moms, please don’t get offended and stop reading. Let me explain. I am not at all a barefoot-and-pregnant-kept-in-the-kitchen type of a mom. I am a mom and wife

We are, without a doubt, constantly bombarded with tasks we HAVE to do: the never-ending laundry pile, buying groceries, cooking and baking, cleaning up after both and eating, work tasks, school tasks, parenting tasks, relationship tasks... When was the last time you did something purely because it was what you chose to do at that time? Most weeks, even one of my favorite things to do (swim) has to happen at a particular time even though it isn't when I want to do it because

I get up early. I get up early because I crave quiet. In the morning, before the boys are awake -- all 4, including the big one -- my time is my own. I can sit and do nothing, or I can tic of things I've been listing in my head to see, take care of, or do. Mostly, because my time is my own, I enjoy a cup of coffee, listen to the morning sounds and take care of what might need to be done. I get up early because I like to listen to the wind chimes right outside the window.

Okay, admit it. You’ve had exactly ten minutes of Me Time this week, and that was because you were stuck in traffic and literally forced to stay in one place. I would be willing to bet one of the first things you did when that happened was reach for the mobile, start to thumb through your emails and Facebook messages. Stop. Put down the phone. (Unless, of course, that’s where you are reading this. Then you can read it, and THEN put down your phone). Just be for a few mi

Is there even such a thing as a balanced life? Is there a mom or dad out there that has managed to have it all: quality time with kids, a good fulfilling job, AND sufficient me-time? I don’t know many. And the thing is, when things are out of balance, and one portion of your life seems to be hogging your waking hours, then it’s a stressor that affects everything: your patience, your health, and your happiness. So , what’s the secret? I’m certainly no expert on this (becau