Take all of your grandiose holiday plans and cut them by half!

The Holiday Season is a flood of festive invitations, endless errands, and enough To-Dos to make even one of Santa’s elves dizzy with busy-ness! But remember, you are only one person and there are only so many hours in a day. If you commit to every holiday party and attempt to create every potential festive memory under the sun, you’ll be over-tired, stressed-out, and not much fun to fa-la-la with!

Instead, choose your holiday activities wisely by putting some thought into your RSVPs and planning only a few special family activities. Figure out which commitments and plans hold the most fun and meaning for you and your family, and place only those on your calendar.

Have Extra Ho-Ho-Ho On-Hand

Although we all know that, in a pinch, moms can create some pretty amazing things with 2 saltines and some left-over ketchup packets, do yourself a favor and keep a couple of extra holiday treats and a simple holiday gift or two on-hand. That way, when you awake with a start in the middle of the night, realizing that you forgot to pick-up a festive snack for the 4th Grade class party or that you need a last-minute grab bag gift, you can rest easy and forego the midnight Walmart run!

‘Tis the season to decrease & delegate!

If you start feeling the onset of holiday overwhelm – stop, take a step back, and try to see if there is anything you can do to decrease your To-Do’s. Is there anything that isn’t a top priority on your Holiday “Joy-ometer” that you can let go of to free up some time and space in your calendar? Is there anything on your agenda that can be shared with or delegated to a family member, friend, or even outsourced to a reasonably priced errand service.

Regardless of how you choose to do so, take a look at that incredibly long holiday To-Do list and see what you can manage to cross off or seek support with. The holidays are a season of sharing – so share some of your To-Do’s and make room for some festive fun!

Give your Self the gift of some ME-Time Now™ this Holiday Season!

In the midst of all the merriment, be sure to spread some of that holiday cheer to your Self by committing to at least one activity each week that is solely for you. Whether it is a hot bath after the kids are tucked in, a coffee with a friend, some peaceful solo-shopping, a quiet tea in front of the fire… whatever makes a little holiday bliss for you!

Give your Self the gift of some time for yourself – to settle down from the day’s festivities, catch your breath, and indulge in a little of your own Peace & Joy!

Recently, when I had an “open” hour in my day, I was surprised to realize that it had also somehow become difficult for me to allow myself to do nothing for a few moments of a day and feel good about it. And by “do nothing”, I mean sit, relax, and enjoy some non-work, non-To-Do activity. Since I am an avid believer and supporter of moms taking time for ourselves on a regular if not daily basis, I was even more caught off guard by my own unexpected inability to do so.

In this particular instance, I thought it would be a nice treat to catch up on a couple of Oprah shows that I had recorded months ago and had not gotten around to watching yet. I say this was a non-work item, but in reality, my own coach had previously recommended that I tune into Oprah regularly, as “O” has her finger so well placed on the pulse of what moms want to know and what they most desire support around. So, in reality (and actually, regardless of what the specific activity may have been), it really wasn’t “nothing” – it was much more about what I was afraid others would think was nothing… during the middle of the day… while the kids were at school… when I was home alone… and could &/or should be getting lots of more “meaningful” things done.

I literally chuckled at myself while I asked, “Since when did it become a challenging, conscious task for me to relax?” I realized in that moment that relaxing, even for just a little while, on a weekday had somewhere along the way become a stretch for me – something just a little outside of my busy-ness comfort zone.

This thought started out in my head as just a little “H-m-m-m, that’s interesting” passing consideration. But as I contemplated it a little more, while doing the morning dishes, then scouring the kitchen sink (I’d been wanting to get to that for days!), and putting away a basket of laundry, the little whisper of a passing consideration became a loud, attention-getting deliberation. “Since when had me taking a little downtime, regardless of when it was, become a stretch for me?”

Often, when we feel ourselves being pushed or pulled past the limits of our comfort zone, our first reaction is to resist, tense up, and quickly retreat back into our safe zone where we feel most secure. For me that morning, that would have meant choosing to follow my head (with its endless supply of guilt and judgment about what I could/should be doing) and continue whittling down my To-Do list. Instead, it occurred to me that this was an opportunity for me to apply the peaceful encouragement that my instructor at the gym always provides at the end of a kick-butt workout and “relax into the stretch.”

I fought the urge to get up, like a good little multi-tasker would have done, and get a load of laundry going before I “indulged” in some ME-Time Now™ - which, technically, would have made it some ME-Time Not-Quite-Yet. I was consciously committed to practicing what I preach, so I relaxed a little more, stayed seated, turned on the TV, selected the first Oprah show on the DVR list, and pushed Play.

Within a moment or two, I caught myself pushing Pause, as I was about to get up and squeeze in another quick To-Do that had popped into my head. Then, I heard my own voice saying out loud, “You deserve this.” I encouraged myself deeper into the stretch, as I repeated with more ownership and umph, “YOU DESERVE THIS!” I smiled, relaxed a little more, and pushed Play again.

The more I relaxed into the stretch of taking some ME-Time Now™ in the middle of my weekday, the better it felt. I spent time with my pal Oprah that day and I have made it a point to relax into making some ME-Time Now™ for myself each day since. When I feel any resistance, I focus on relaxing into the stretch and extending my comfort zone just a little further.

This little unexpected weekday challenge and exercise (no pun intended!) served as a wonderful reminder for me! Regardless of the type of challenge, relaxing into the stretches we encounter, rather than resisting or retreating, allows us to move forward more elegantly and easily through the initial discomfort and on toward our desired growth and development.

Stretching can feel so good!

CONGRATULATIONS! You did it, Mom!

You made it through another fun-filled, action-packed summer, and it’s the start of a new school year! 

Now that the kids are back in school, and before the holiday craziness soon begins,

wouldn’t it be nice to focus on YOU for a moment and
honor yourself with some ME-Time Now™?

• Do you find yourself thinking that, while you absolutely want to be the best mom you can be, you would love to find a way to do so that allows youto simultaneously honor your true Self, including your goals, aspirations, and dreams, in the process?  (And, without feeling guilty or like you are “losing” your Self or that you have to completely sacrifice one for the other!)

• Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have non-judgmental, unconditional support in helping you feel great about exploring all of the various opportunities you have available to you, while establishing and working toward goals that serve both you and your family?  

• Would you love to be able to take an occasional “breather” from your busy mom agenda, where you can focus on organizing and simplifying your life based on what is most important to you and your family?

Starting in September, this 3 month ME-Time Now™ Coaching Package provides 1-on-1 customized coaching that will help you to reconnect with and celebrate all of the various aspects of your true inner Self (yourME), while you receive the support and guidance of a professional coach in creating achievable action plans toward goals that are in alignment with your family’s values and priorities. 

Just imagine all of the amazing changes you can accomplish for yourself and your family –
all before the holidays!

And because I know that all of us moms are watching our pennies very closely, I am offering the ME-Time Now™ Coaching Package at a huge discount from my normal rates!

But HURRY!  To keep my schedule in alignment with my own family’s values and priorities,
I am only accepting a VERY limited number of ME-Time Now™Coaching clients, so …

Click here to E-mail me or
Call Me at 843-696-8949

so we can discuss moving you forward toward your goals in a way that works best for
your unique needs and schedule!

It is an exciting time for families everywhere! New teachers, new (and old) friends, and let’s not forget, new school clothes and supplies! During this transition phase of implementing schedules and reestablishing routines, how about including a fresh batch of organizing optimization for yourself?

Now, there’s no need for an “I can’t possibly make time now to get organized” panic! I am not talking about an entire mom-organization overhaul – rather, just one quick and easy step that may make your mom agenda a little more manageable this fall. Little steps in the right direction often get us where we want to be with a smile on, rather than stressing ourselves out even more by trying to get there all at once!

One organizational habit I have found to be very helpful over the past year is “batching”. Since we moms are in “school-focus” mode right now, let me clarify that this type of batching has nothing to do with the 3rd grade cookie sale! This batching refers to your tasks and To-Do’s and involves leveraging your time, focus, and energy by grouping similar tasks in your agenda that require the same type of thinking or actions, so you can complete them all (or at least some of them) together when you are in that “mode”.

There are many different ways to batch tasks, and it really is a matter of personal preference and what works best for your style and schedule. For instance, you can designate a certain time of day for checking e-mails (rather than getting sucked into them every time your In Box chimes), you can reserve one specific afternoon of the week for certain household chores or errands, you can block off a spot in your calendar each day solely for returning phone calls or doing social media, and so on.

One way I have implemented batching as an organizational tool is to focus on certain types of tasks on certain days. For example, in my business I normally plan to kick my week off by building in space for some creativity with Monday as my writing day (i.e., blog posts, articles, curriculum, etc.), then Tuesdays and Thursdays are “reserved” mostly for client-focused activities( i.e., coaching calls, teleclasses, training), Wednesdays are for marketing-related work, and Fridays are my “open” day, where I can typically be available for volunteering at the kids’ schools, plan on some regular ME-Time Now™ (i.e., whatever I would enjoy doing on my own or with a friend), and catch up on any loose ends from the week.

Is this how my week runs like clockwork every week without fail?  Of course not – we all know that a Mom’s life comes with daily interruptions and to-be-expected unexpected detours.  The idea here is not to create a rigid agenda that stresses you out at the thought of straying from it.  Rather, by batching similar tasks based on what works best with your schedule and daily/weekly energy level patterns, it allows you to focus and be in the “zone”, so you can complete specific types of tasks most efficiently.

By claiming designated time blocks on your calendar for the completion of defined groups/batches of tasks, To-Dos become more tangible and you can often better manage how you fill your available hours or minutes in a given day or week.  It can be very reassuring to know that, when a To-Do enters your list, there is a time “bin” in your agenda that it fits into.   It can also feel very rewarding to complete a planned-for batch of tasks on your list, rather than randomly picking things off one at a time, while you waste precious moments and energy worrying about how and when it will get done in your week.

What tasks do you have on your To-Do list that you may be able to batch together this week?  Consider designating a time for their completion in your agenda, and smile as you bid them farewell for now!

You don’t have to beat yourself up if you aren’t quite as far as you would like to be with the goals you set for yourself in 2010, and you don’t have to wait for the next New Year’s to roll around before you can recommit to the things you would like to change or create for yourself in your life.

Take a little ME-Time Now™ this summer and write down your vision for how you would ideally like your life to look.  Be very specific, believe you can have it, and to commit to, not only making it happen, but truly being open to and excited about it happening.  Don’t hold back – it’s your ideal vision, so the sky is the limit!

Setting your intentions and creating your vision in writing can be very fun, and the positive energy that results may be just what you need to help you gain the courage to take that first step, even a tiny baby step for starters, toward your ideal life!

This summer it’s all about having fun with family & friends, and feeling fabulous about saying:

“I’m Making Time for ME!”

Get the support of a professional coach and other evolving moms to help you feel great about:

• reducing your stress,
• feeling more balanced,
• being more present, and
• making positive progress toward your goals

Join The ME Connection today!

Our group of diverse and dynamic evolving moms is off to a great start, and we would love for you to join us!

Click here to learn more!

Ah-h-h, that (↑) about sums up my idea of relaxing!

(I’m sure my little umbrella drink is somewhere just outside of the photo’s view!)

I’m taking this week off from the MomEvolve Blog for some quality family time and ME -time!

See you in July!

I’ve always heard that the older you get, the faster the years fly by. Toss a couple of children into that equation, and precious time zooms by at warp speed!

With 2010’s half-way mark upon us, it seems like a great time to take a look at how we’ve evolved so far this year.  When I say “take a look,” I mean it as simply a check-in point, not as a place of judgment.

I think, for me, one of the biggest shifts I have made in the past six months is truly believing, trusting, and embracing that I am exactly where I am supposed to be in my life right now.

Early last year, when I was first returning to work and starting my own business, I was by-default applying many rules that served me back when I was working full-time as a single, childless, twenty-something career-focused professional. I finally realized, later last year, that those rules were not serving me well in my current life as a not-so-twenty-something, “part-time”, work-from-home, business-owner, wife and mother of two young girls.

I went from up to down, excited to deflated, inspired to exhausted, and back and forth – sometimes over the course of days, sometimes within minutes.

I worried that maybe it was too soon, maybe it was just too much, maybe I was setting myself and my family up for unnecessary struggles.

Then, right before the holidays, I had an epiphany – a major “A-ha” light bulb moment! I wasn’t waffling and I wasn’t making a some sort of return-to-work mistake – I was experiencing a natural transition phase of motherhood!

Up until our younger daughter started pre-K full-time, I had been completely submerged in the “All about Being A Mom” pool, and I had been happy there all the while.  But, as our girls grew older and more independent, I had started asking myself, “What does this mean for me? Who am I and what do I want to do now that I have a little more time and space available in my life?”  That is when I started dipping my toes in the “Making Time forME” pool, which was symbolically christened with the birth of my own new business, MomEvolve.

From there, the flickering “A-ha!” light bulb started glowing like a lighthouse beacon.  I realized that I wasn’t indecisively waffling or completely losing my mind (at least not any more so than previously ). I had been experiencing the completely natural transition of having one foot still firmly planted in the “All About Being A Mom” pool and the other foot testing out the waters of the new and exciting, yet still unfamiliar and somewhat intimidating, “Making Time for ME” pool. I was straddling both pools, so of course I would sometimes be more adventurous trying out the new one, while at other times, needing to pull back more fully into the more familiar one as my family, my Self, and my comfort level dictated.

That realization made all the difference and completely shifted my perspective and experience of this very normal transition phase. It was like having a pain, worrying it is something ominous and potentially life-threatening, and then having a trusted doctor confirm that it is a very normal, minor, and temporary condition.

Now I allow myself to dive into the “Making Time for ME” pool head-first when my family, personal, and professional conditions are right, while I feel just as great about plunging myself fully back into the mommy-only pool when it is necessary or just plain feels good.  Most days are some combination of the two, and that’s completely fine with me.

I know now that I am exactly where I am supposed to be at this moment, and I will get where I am going in my own perfect time.  I have learned to really listen to my ME and let it guide me into whichever pool is best for whatever reason and for however long is right for me!

If you are a mom who would enjoy nurturing yourself with handmade, truly natural and organic bath and body care essentials and organic herbal teas made with care and love, you’ll definitely want to get in on this month’s give away!  Here’s how…

Follow This Link: http://tinyurl.com/3xhcfer to view the entire MayME-zine and learn how you can enter to win this naturally wonderful Just for ME Monthly Give-Away gift!

Winners will be randomly chosen on May 29th, and notified soon afterwards. Good Luck!!

This summer, how would you like to feel great about reducing your stress and being more present with your family, while finally making positive progress toward your goals?

The ME Connection is a Coaching and Community program for moms that will help you do that &more!

The ME Connection provides you these fabulous benefits:

• Action-oriented and inspiring information that is conveniently shared in a way that does not add to your stress and overwhelm;
• Opportunities for growth that you can easily fit into your busy mom-schedule, however works best for you personally;
• The support of a “sisterhood” of other evolving moms to help you along your way;
• All at a very reasonable price.

Click Here for all of the exciting details and reserve your spot in The ME Connection today!