Real Talk

Celebrating Big On A Budget :: Tips From A Mom Of Four I’m a mom of four. That means four birthdays, four times the Christmas gifts, four times the Easter basket stuffers, etc. You get where I’m going with this? It’s A LOT. If I were to have my way, I’d be super extravagant and holidays would be filled to the brim with every gift and experience imaginable but alas, in today’s economy expenses add up really fast and no matter how you look at it, four kids is EXPENSIVE. So in the spirit of keeping up with a somewhat manageable budget, here are some of my tips and tricks to keep cost at a minimum while still holding onto that...

Magic Does Exist :: Work-Life Balance As we enter into the new school year, I am acutely aware of my ability to support my kids in a way that I was not able to previously as a working mom. As a full-time businesswoman, I’ve always had to juggle home life and work life, and up until about two years ago, I dreaded the constant battle between priorities. The struggle caused stress and mom-guilt galore. I didn’t realize how much control I had in doing something about my career when it came to prioritizing my family. I have two kiddos, ages ten and seven, and they have attended two different schools for several years now. Their summer schedules did not grace my...

True Life Mom Confession :: “I’m A Member Of The Beyhive” It all started back in 1998 when I first saw the music video for Destiny Child’s “No, No, No (Part 2).” The catchy hip hop beat, the lyrics and the four young sirens singing them had teenage me hooked from that point on. While the group line up changed over the years going from four girls to “DC-3,” the standout star was always Beyoncé. She was beautiful but also down to earth with a cute country accent that was relatable to Southern girls like me. Before I knew it, I was a member of the Beyhive! Not in the obsessive Swarm kind of way, but I've followed her career from her...

The Journey Of Parenting The Exceptional Part 2 In a world where we constantly put ourselves in boxes and everyone has a label attached to them, parenting the exceptional is a journey filled with obstacles. And what does that look like? For most parents it starts with an 8-month to 1 year wait, just to see the appropriate doctor to get a diagnosis. That wait time is stressful, because you always have that inkling in the back of your mind, that maybe it’s not that. However, reality hits everyone differently and we must first come to grips with our children’s diagnosis (read about mine here in Part 1) and then the work begins. Early intervention is the best intervention. That’s the saying...

The Importance Of Your Girl Friends Once You Become A Mother When I was younger, my mother used to read those “Chicken Soup for the Soul” books or grocery shop late at night for her “me time.” She had her girl friends, but she never did prioritize her friendships. Her priority was my father and me, which should be on the most important list. My mom was a stay-at-home mom mostly my whole life so my mother raised me different than how I am raising my boys. The cost of living was cheaper, food was less expensive and some homes only had one working parent. In our home, my boys have both parents working multiple jobs. According to the labor force...