All Things to All People

I'm a people pleaser - always have been, always will be. I almost always take on too much, plan too many things and stress myself to the max - but somehow find a way to keep going. Outside of yoga, I've never been great at balancing it all but recently I feel I've become exceptionally bad. I try my hardest to be the best mother, career woman, wife, friend, daughter, sister, aunt, etc - that I can be but unfortunately right now I'm not sure that I've given 100% to any of those roles.

How do people do it all? More importantly, how do working mothers do it all? How can I be a contributing team member at work and still attend my daughters field trip? How do I make the time to visit my family & friends when I'm traveling around the world to meet with clients.

I'd love to the opportunity to stay home with my babies, but that's not everyone and we also need to eat & have a roof over our head. Luckily I have a fantastic husband who understands what it means to be a father. He's an equal contributor. He makes dinner, he helps clean the house, he drops the kids at daycare, he takes them to the doctor. He's the best and I can't imagine our days without him.

I will most likely continue to take on too much but I have learned the old saying, "you can't be all things to all people" is true. Now that traveling has slowed for a bit, I'm going to give my all to my husband & children - because that's all I can do right now. Thank goodness I have the most understanding friends & family - I promise I'll see you all soon!

Work Traveler

Growing up in an unincorporated town, I always hoped I could someday claim that I was a world traveler and while I have been up, up & away quite a lot - it seems my claim would have to be more of a work traveler than world.

If I sat down to make a list, I've probably "visited" the majority of the United States. Heck in the last month I've been to Seattle, Orlando, San Fran and their surrounding areas. Tomorrow I'm off to Phoenix for the remainder of the week. I can rattle off every work trip I've taken and I'd need at least all my fingers and toes to keep track, yet I couldn't tell you the last time I took a vacation and I'd be lucky if the list filled my hands.

When we got married we opted to try for a baby and if we were lucky enough to succeed, our Costa Rican honeymoon would be delayed. A year and a half later, we are the proud parents to a beautiful baby boy and I've seen no sign of the sun, sand or a screwdriver since!

Mark my words, I will put my passport to good use - even if it means I travel alone. Before springtime I will be kicked back on a beach, sipping a margarita and zipping through the rainforest. Until then, I guess the warmth of the Arizona sun will do.

High Expectations

On this Valentine's night it only seems fitting to post a tribute to the man who has changed my life. My best friend. My soul mate. The father of my children. The love of my life. My husband.

Growing up it was the norm to see the woman/mom doing all the work related to the home and raising children. Dinner, laundry, cleaning, diapers, bath time, doctor appointments - all handled by good 'ole mom. The man went to work, made the money and kicked his feet up when dinner was set. My whole life I watched this and thought, "no way!" No way was I ever going to let my mate get away with not contributing towards something he was 50% responsible for.

Now that I'm married I am happy to say I have realized this dream. I feel very lucky to have found a man who helps me in every sense of the word. Making dinner, picking up the house, dropping off the kids, sewing buttons - he does it all. Don't get me wrong, it's not always perfect and in times that I'm frustrated my mom is quick to remind me that Joe does way more than my father ever did for her.

They say a girl looks for characteristics of her father when choosing a husband, and while there are so many things I value about my father, I have very different expectations when it comes to being an equal partner. Times have changed and I set high expectations for Joe and I think he does the same for me. We aren't allowed to each give 50%. We give 100% of who we are, every single day - to our relationship, to our kids, to our home, to the life we are building together.

Happy Valentine's Day to the one I love! Thank you for all you do for our family - you don't know how much I appreciate it. I can't imagine spending the simple ordinary days with anyone else.

The Power of Technology

A while back I contemplated writing a post about whether or not social media was ruining lives, but decided against it since it wasn't exactly relevant to the general nature of the blog. At the time I felt like everything was so overly publicized and because they were protected behind the keyboard, people left their manners behind. Political debates, religious views and complaints from here to the moon & back - things most wouldn't dare talk about in an open setting - are now broadcasted in a public forum (and usually with misspellings).

Technology may hinder face to face communication but it definitely makes it easier to stay in touch and keep relationships going strong. While I wish life was simple enough that I had time to see all the people that matter on a regular basis, it's just not possible. 

Many argue that the internet makes it easier to say & do mean things to one another, but at the same time it makes it easier to do nice things too. As I have found recently people you'd never expect can reach out through the web to share compliments and nice thoughts. Sending a card can be cumbersome - you have go to the store, find the right card, buy a stamp and stick it in the mail. As a mom of two, a phone call takes time. After the day is complete and the kiddo's are finally asleep I just want to sit down for a second, before I have to do laundry, cleanup and prep for the next day. Most of the time, that one second on the couch turns into me falling asleep and never getting the chance to pick up the phone at all.

Not only are friendships still alive, that might have otherwise died, but crazy enough I have new friendships with people I've never even met. When we first found out about Ella's cleft we searched high and low to find resources to make us feel at ease. While we could find the basic information, we couldn't find things that mattered. We wanted to talk to people who had gone through it. We wanted to see pictures of before & after to prepare ourselves for what to expect. The internet made it possible for us to make it happen on our own. In 2010 we took to Facebook and created a network for the Cleft Awareness Foundation, with hopes of building a local support group. Less than three years later we have a group of almost 3,000 people spanning throughout the entire world! 

Love it or hate it, technology has become the way of life. Like most things, it's not perfect but for the most part I personally feel it's bettered my life and am grateful for all the ways it's help me stay connected and build relationships.