A Secret to Success as a Working Mom: Turn Burn Out Into Bliss and Embrace Joy

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Last weekend my youngest was committed to going to the "Water Steps" a man-made water fall in Pittsburgh by the rivers. (Fun Fact: Three rivers converge in Pittsburgh--The Ohio River, The Monongahela River, and the Allegheny River.)  He kept asking. I knew he was serious when he said, "If you won't take me, I'll ask  daddy!" Given that it was highly unlikely that would happen on an unscheduled day, I relented. So, we went. It wasn’t planned in the way most things in my life are. No calendar block. No checklist. No “productive” purpose attached. And, so in some respects it was uncomfortable. And yet, it seemed necessary. It was the idea of my 8-year-old—offered with the kind of urgency only children possess when something is profoundly important to them.
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Reflecting on My Blessings: Our Five Minutes of Fame

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Mom by the tree
I love this time of year. There are so many opportunities to fellowship and celebrate with family and friends and that makes me very happy! It also gives me a lot of opportunities to wear special outfits, which I love!

One of the things I also try to do is to consciously reflect on my blessings. My health and my family are at the top of that list. Secondary are my accomplishments.  One of the most fun things my husband and I have accomplished together was getting selected to model in what has turned into a national advertisement campaign for Howard Hanna a few years ago. 
It was more fun than we could imagine. (Click on this link for the ad itself, click here for a post about our experience.) 
"Home Happens Here" Photo Credit: Duane Rieder
The reason I mention it now is because they are still using that ad. A friend interviewed with the company in Virginia this year and saw a poster of us in the company's office. She told them she knew us. She got the job. She earned the job on her own merit, but it was still cool to learn that we came us in the interview! Also, I attended an event a couple of weeks ago and saw our ad while flipping through the program. So, the experience has paid us back in more than money. (However, if Howard Hanna representatives are reading this, know that it would be our pleasure to pose again for money! :-)) It has paid us back in a little notoriety and community acclaim.

I wish you joyous celebrations this holiday season and a bright new year.
(BTW--I call it our "five minutes of fame" because I think we still have about ten more to go! ;-))

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Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA

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