My Working Mother's Attitude of Gratitude Front Runners in 2013

10. The Elf on the Shelf for rekindling and challenging my creativity under pressure due to extreme procrastination. Nothing like feeling the heat to create something spectacular in the minutes of realizing your child has awoke looking for his Elf and the stomach sinking reminder that you forgot to move him from the night before...In addition to the magic he brought my child, he brought me little magical stress ulcer...thanks Snowman...glad he is now tucked away in a box, not to return for another 11 months.

9. Pretty Wicked Moms, The Housewives of (All Cities) and The Kardashians for giving me something to look forward to watching during my round the clock newborn feedings rather than infomercials and when I've needed a mindless night cap after a long day of work...Thanks for continuing to put that little voice in my head that maybe a nip, tuck and injection isn't that big of a deal...and I definitely need a cook, driver, personal shopper and multiple nannies...just kidding, only because it's not a reality for me unless I win the lottery.

8. Starbucks and the Starbucks gift cards that were given to me as "push" presents from my husband and friends...new baby or not...this working mother always will need Starbucks...every morning and on the craziest of days..sometimes afternoon and evening!

7. Aging and WIGS...age made an uninvited appearance into my life after this pregnancy with the gift of realization...the realization that it is way harder to bounce and tone right back up as soon as I had 3.5 years prior and I am now more forgetful which makes for being a multi tasking working mother that much more challenging. I also realized that age must has made my husband become either delusional or start to have vision loss problems but in my favor...the comment, "I don't know what you are talking about you look just like you did when we met"...ummm really, that was 11 years ago and obviously you were sleeping through the lesson of gravity or you failed it! I now have a new appreciation for eating well, exercise, overall health and WIGS...I started wearing wigs this year after I shaved my head in support of my younger sister and ended up really liking them. I guess I do have something in common with one of the ladies of the RHO-Atlanta...a shout out to another fellow wig'ger Kim Zolciak! Even though my real hair is growing out...the wigs have become a part of my wardrobe but I do have to admit that I love the easy, no nonsense short hair option when I don't feel like wearing a wig. It's so nice as a busy working mother to cut off about 30+ minutes of my getting ready morning routine and walk out the door with perfect hair and for someone to say "Who does your hair, I love it!" I have no shame in mane...I tell them it's a wig and I how much I love them and a time saver they are!

6. Continuing to gracefully walk the fine line between one glass of wine to take the edge off and full blown alcoholism. Cheers to another year!

5. The windshield is one of my favorite companions. I traveled quite a bit this year, primarily for personal reasons and I learned for the first time that I did not need music blaring or to be on my cell chatting to make the drive bearable...the quiet atmosphere gave me the opportunity to pray, meditate, focus, breathe and think without any distractions or interruptions.

4. The unpredictable, unavoidable and uncontrollable circumstances that literally change your life without any warning and force you to put the things in your life that do not matter at that moment on the backburner (the hardest being my business) and focus on what really matters.

3. My girlfriends for rallying around me and not letting me run away...encouraging me, loving me and drinking a glass or bottle of wine with me anytime I needed it...maybe #6 should have been ranked higher on my list after all...Cheers Again!

2. My husband, family and employees for just being there and offering support when and as needed.

1. It's been a year of having to trust those in my life to take care of what I was unable to at the moment, so I could focus on what really mattered in my life which had nothing to do with business. I was forced in my business for the first time to trust, let go and not be able to control and micro manage every little day to day detail. The flexibility of setting my own schedule; no ceiling of success/accomplishments and being able to have it all by terms, has made all the long hours; stress; chaos and craziness all worth it. I would have never been able to be there on the personal things going on in my life this year that were far more important than my business or career, had I have worked for an employer and for that reason alone I have never been more grateful to be a self-employed working mother.

And that's a wrap of my personal working mother's attitude of gratitude in 2013! Wishing you all an abundance of blessings, happiness, health, success and memory making in 2014!

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Working Mother

Beautifully and Imperfectly Made

Am I the only woman out there who has that feeling of wanting to shut the doors and close shop when things become so overwhelming and the shocking realization slaps me in the face that.... Wait for it.... I am not perfect! When I say wanting to shut the doors and close shop, I am not referring to my business doors...well not all the time at least, I am referring to my bedroom door; my office door; my pantry door; my laundry room door; my mailbox door; my home door and the list of doors continue. There are so many doors in my life that at different times become so stressful, overwhelming, busy and crazy that if I don't shut the door I feel as though it may all cave in around me. Everyone shuts their doors in different ways, I shut my doors either by blocking whatever it is out and pretending it's nonexistent at the moment or by picking up something new to dabble in as to distract me from having to deal with whatever it is lurking behind that closed door. Neither is a healthy option and almost always results in the inevitable of having to still deal with whatever it is, plus the extra stress that avoiding the situation resulted in. Whether it's stress from suppressed feelings/emotions; playing catch up because it's now piled up even more than what it was before; worsen physical issues and the annoying reminder that I am not perfect. I don't know about you but I spend way more time worrying about how to make everything in my life perfect, rather than putting in the time needed to get what needs to be done efficiently. Instead I base everything I do with the goal of perfection, if it's not going to be perfect than what's the point. I typically fret over it until I run out of time, then end up being disappointed because I've built something so amazing in my head that even Martha Stewart would fail at accomplishing it. I become my own stumbling block, causing me to feel more stressed and like a failure because it's doesn't turn out how I envisioned it or no one can help me with it because I always end up micro-managing it to death. Today my Gram came into town and stopped by my house to say hello and see my little ones. As the little ones slept in the living room and I worked away in my home office, she sat down to tell me a story regarding a painting she had started a year ago of a horse for a her dear friend that she started but stopped because she just couldn't seem to get the eyes perfect. She wanted the painting to be perfect for her friend because this horse by the name of Rose had passed away and it was a very special horse and memory to her friend. She decided to pick up the paint brush again a few months ago in hopes to finish it for her friend as a Christmas gift but little did she know this painting would also end up becoming a special blessing to a family who is about to face their first Christmas without a cherished loved one. The loved one that this family lost a few months ago was the grandson of one of my Grams dear friends. He was in his late teens, a loving soul and an incredible and talented artist. My Gram had received a letter from this young mans church asking for stories or items of remembrance for his stocking that would be empty this Christmas. This young mans church wanted to give his family these stories and items to open and have as a little piece of him on this difficult Christmas morning. My Gram did not know this young man well but knew his grandmother and from her felt as though she did know him. As she sat one evening, painting the eyes of the horse and growing frustrated at the imperfection of them, that's when it hit her and she saw this young man in the eyes of the horse and realized the eyes weren't meant to be perfect. In fact our lives aren't meant to be perfect. She finished the painting and gave the painting to her friend for Christmas along with a letter describing her experience while painting her horse. She also wrote a letter to the young mans family with a picture of the horse, sharing with them how his memory inspired her to finish what she couldn't a year ago. This story was inspiring to me, as I often myself get so caught up in trying to be the perfect everything that I probably miss out on alot of opportunities around me to help others who are struggling with things alot tougher, than my Christmas tree being perfectly decorated. This conversation with my Gram, made me realize that there is more beauty in imperfection than there is in perfection and the only one who's missing out in life is me. As she sat across from me, telling me this story, she never knew how her imperfect act of kindness inspired me to write this blog dedicated to her. She is one of the strongest women I know, with the most giving and loving heart and I am lucky to call her my Gram. She truly is beautifully and imperfectly made and for that I am grateful or I may would continue to strive to live in this exhausting and unattainable bubble of perfection until something like, her words of wisdom or act of kindness pop me out of it. I will continue to remind myself daily that I am beautifully and imperfectly made. Visit my blog on Working Mother Magazine at: http://www.workingmother.com/blogs/mother-entrepreneur-redefined/beautifully-and-imperfectly-made

Shell-Shocked adj.

Shell-Shocked adj.

1. Suffering from shell shock.
2. Stunned, distressed, or exhausted from a prolonged trauma or an unexpected difficulty.

Let's just apply #2 to motherhood, can I get an AMEN!

About 8 weeks ago I had my darling baby girl and about 6 weeks ago is when my life took a veered off the path I had so perfectly planned during the 9 month wait of her arrival. Veered....ummm maybe I should say took a nose dive off that path...the day and the following two weeks after having this new bundle of joy I was feeling great minus the expected post prego routine everything in my life had surprisingly seemed to bounce back relatively quickly which even surprised me a little. I had envisioned this 2nd pregnancy playing out as so...mom and business woman returning to duty with no issues but the extra child I would be carrying on my hip as I continued on as usual...I am sure you seasoned mothers of plus one, mothers of one and new mothers are lol'ing right this moment.

Maybe my first pregnancy was easier; maybe I had completely forgotten what the first pregnancy truly was like; maybe I was clinically delusional and had been since the birth of my 3.5 yr old; maybe it was the pain pills post c-sec; maybe it was denial; maybe it was stored 2 week adrenaline that 2 weeks later came to a screeching halt...whatever it was it...it came in suddenly and everything became with not a better description other than just plain BLAH. I felt by week 3 I was just merely going through the motions and surviving versus living. Of course, I know I just had major surgery and my hormones were and still are trying to sort themselves out but I felt different with this pregnancy. I felt like I was a Mommy Zombie...no energy; no personality; no opinion; no interest...just BLAH and for those of you who know me that is so opposite of me. I know over the next year I will look back at this blog and the memory of this part of my 2nd pregnancy journey will be distant but at this moment it feels like I am finally coming out of the trenches. The highlights of this 8 week post pregnancy life that outshine the typical no sleeping and nursing issues include: Caylor and I getting thrush not once but twice resulting with me stopping nursing early after the 2nd time around; Cannon bringing home a terrible cold, passing it to my hubby, passing it to me which I had for about 2 weeks and then passing it on to Caylor which turned into RSV; a tooth breaking causing a painful infection resulting in me having to get a root canal; a little scratch developing in the corner of Caylor's eye and another on her back that continued to grow, prompting me to google it...bad idea...only to find very upsetting possibilities which thankfully was confirmed by her pediatrician as not the awful things I had found but a hemangioma which is she said should disappear after 5 years, however we have to keep a close watch on the one next to her eye to make sure it continues to grow out instead of in...soooo maybe some of this has contributed to some of this BLAH-NESS but here's to hoping we are in the clear for awhile.

During this 8 weeks I've continued to be a mom, wife, business woman and so on...but without that spunk I had before that I've been missing but I am happy to say today was the first day I finally started feeling a little like my old again...thankgoodness! Finally feeling ready to start working out again...looking forward to working on new aspects of my businesses...no longer afraid to grocery shop with both kids...getting a little more sleep...it's the little things...it's the things that make me a mommy versus Kristen versus Krismom that matter. It's the joy through the struggle of losing yourself and finding yourself during the seasons and roles that encompass your life that make all this worth it at the end of the day and having a great bottle of wine to pop open when it all collides plaguing every mother at one time or another to question..."Am I really cut out for this?"; "Am I a good Mom?"; "Am I totally messing up my kids?"

I am so thankful for God's grace, love and forgiveness because without Him I'd be an even crazier mess than I am on a daily basis.

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." 

Proverbs 16:9

Enter At Your Own Risk...Seriously!

So when you are a new mother + entrepreneur there are decisions to be made. How long of a maternity leave should I take? Will I get "mommy judged" if I come back to early? Should I work from my home office vs the corporate office for awhile? Should I bring her to the office with me or leave her at home with our nanny? Questions, Questions, Questions...which I have come to the conclusion has no right answer, the answer is what works best for you.

So for me it was working at my home office for the first 3 wks, around 3 wks I went into the office a few days for a few hours at a time to test the waters and at 4 wks I made my official office debut with baby in tow. I know 4 wks is crazy early but if Marissa Mayer (Yahoo's CEO) can do it at 4 wks, so can I right ; ) I am not going to pretend like I am super mother + entrepreneur and this week hasn't been challenging or exhausting - it totally has but I am so happy to be back in the game with an adorable mini me CEO by my side.

A few things that have changed regarding my day to day office duties but are not limited to: Interruptions for spit up messes; Diaper changes; I want to be held NOW moments; Feed me ASAP emergencies! My office furniture has become multi functional and I've added a few new pieces: My desk is a perfect changing table and I struggle to not trip over a Mamaroo; diaper bag and its contents that are strung all across the floor. My once private office space is now a shared space of 3 - me, Caylor and our nanny (who is amazing and comes up sometimes 1/2 a day or a few hours when I need some focus time or have meeting obligations). Finally, the biggest change for all parties in the office is the new implemented policy of "Enter At Your Own Risk!" addendum, this is crucial for all those who do not want to see breast feeding or a really gross poo diaper first hand.

So that's my new RE-DEFINED work schedule at the moment...yes, this option is a little more exhausting and at times stressful, but with careful thought during my re-defining process I decided to take advantage of being my own boss. Making my own schedule and bringing my baby to work are a few perks I decided to take advantage of after having my sweet baby girl. I know it's not going to last forever and soon she will become too active to bring her with me daily but while it lasts I  am going to enjoy every second of bonding with her I can because I can and that feels good to say : )

So far she has got to witness plenty of drug tests, lab draws, phone calls but I am pretty sure what she loves the most is the fact that she has 5 other women showering her with love all day and customers who just comment on how beautiful she is....if I had that kind of work day everyday I'd probably sleep this cute and peaceful too!

Come Check Out The MOB At ALTN/AMDM

Come network with us tomorrow from 8:30 - 10:30 am at our location for Marketing Over Breakfast (MOB)! It's a great opportunity to meet other local business professionals in the community and share your marketing experiences/efforts in your business! There will be coffee, juice & breakfast provided.

I will be the guest speaker discussing what has and has not worked marketing wise for my businesses, I would love to have you come check the Marketing Over Breakfast networking group, it's a great one to get involved in.

Place: Any Lab Test Now

Time: 8:30-10:30 am

Date: 10/16/13

1030 E Hwy 377, Ste 130

Granbury, TX 76048

(Directly behind Walgreens and in between Omni American Bank & Snap Fitness)

(817) 573-3600

Mother + Entrepreneur Redefined Blog Launch

And Then There Were 4...

Well life as I had grown accustomed to over the past 3.5 years officially changed on September 16th, 2013...for the better of course, with a dash of more chaos. On September 16th, my baby girl was born and so was a new kind of mommy, the working mommy of two children under 5 kind. Throughout my pregnancy my thought process was basically, "I will have my baby girl and life as it was before will continue as normal after she gets here and all settled", boy was I wrong. My life as a wife + mother + entrepreneur changed in a whole new way and I have had to find a way to make our new life work as it had before. In terms of our life the day to day aspects have all remained the same the only difference being the juggling of this new bundle of pink joy into our already crazy lives. We all have been forced to change and grow in our own new ways - my husband has had to take on more responsibility of our son and still manage to bond with his new daughter; my son has had to take a more individual responsibility of himself, along with sharing some once "only child" roles with his new little sister; and I have had to learn how to take care of everything as before while caring for two children, rather than one. It's been four weeks and I still am trying to figure it all out, although I don't considered myself changed by this experience from in terms of the person I was before, I have made the decison to redefine myself. I fought this whole idea intially because I really had the expectation that everything would continue as normal but I have come to realize that is not the case and that is not a bad thing either. So please feel free to join along with me on my journey of a mother + entrepreneur redefined, I would love to hear what you have learned on your journey that may be helpful to me and other moms out there who are searching for a community of like minded women who are trying to keep up with the many demands that get come our way!

A Little About Mother + Entrepreneur Redefined

Opening and running a start up business is hard; adding a franchise business to it is difficult; starting a family and throwing one child in the mix is challenging; popping out a second child 3.5 years later is chaotic and making the decision to start expanding my business into other areas is utter insanity but that is the beauty of entrepreneurship in my opinion, if you take advantage of those little gems of awesomeness above the more than not very diffcult and challenging aspects of owning your own business, you may just figure out a way to REDEFINE yourself and devise a plan that makes all that things you love about work, life, family and being a mommy possible.

This blog has is a NO TOPICS OFF LIMITS zone. It's been created as a personal journey as well as place for others who have or are in the process of RE-DEFINING themselves as a woman, mom, wife, friend, entrepreneur or whatever personal RE-DEFINING aspect it is you wanting to acheive.