Ok, the second post this week on cleaning up my language, but what we say (and write) shapes our relationships and world. No more referring to myself in the third person. Too often when talking to my kids, I talk about 'mommy' versus 'me.' That makes mommy angry. Mommy wants you to stop spitting.  Mommy doesn't like when you kick her. (Yes, I'm dealing with a threenager.) Why do I do this? My kids realize I don't talk to anyone else like this. It makes my points less clear an

Today I attempted to both parent and work at the same time -- always a recipe for disaster for me. I just needed to do 90 minutes more of work, but a screaming Rowan made that impossible. I needed a different approach. Stressed, I asked myself, "How can I do this in 15 minutes?" I calmed him down and looked at my to-do list. I cut two tasks and deprioritized others. I then delegated most of the rest. Honestly, I should have done all of this from the start. In three minutes, I

Chloe starts Kindergarten on Monday. The deluge of PTA emails have begun, and I'm overwhelmed. I want to help, but also need to balance commitments with family time and the demands of starting my business. When I'm overwhelmed, I set an intention. What is my goal with volunteering at school? For me, it’s twofold -- getting to spend time with Chloe in her new environment and developing relationships with other school moms. I then use these intentions as filters: Will I get to

I listen to podcasts (or Audiobooks) all the time -- while I work out, drive, cook or clean. I'm obsessed. Here is my current playlist: GirlBoss Radio with Sophia Amoruso: Sophia interviews ground-breaking women to try to create new definitions of success and extract solid advice that will both inspire and amuse you. GirlBoss is the first podcast I listen to in my queue. Happier with Gretchen Rubin: Gretchen offers small, actionable adjustments for your life to make it a litt

I've spoken to over a hundred working moms at the tops of their fields. My favorite question to ask: "What was your morning like this morning?" I usually get a chuckle and then find out the real deal. In that vein, at Uplift, we're starting a new Instagram Stories series: A Day in the Life of a Working Mom. Each week, a mom will take over our stories to document their day. They'll share their top tips and let you see the messiness, instead of the highlight reel that's the Ins

I don't know about you, but I feel like my mind is a never-ending checklist. Just this morning, I had to remember to dress the kids up for "Art Night," give Chloe the right medicine, place an online grocery order, arrange sitting a parent social, pack suits for swim class, and prep a dish for a potluck. That was all before 8. Just writing that list makes me exhausted. This week, I'm going to give tips on how to reduce this mental load. Today: make scheduling childcare easier:

I remember the first time Chloe bled. At eight months, she cut her lip by falling on a puzzle piece. Her mouth gushed. I felt helpless. I couldn't stop her from hurting. All I could do was clean her up, hug, and be there. After telling my mom the story later, she responded, "Welcome to motherhood." Recently, Chloe has been really sick. At times, she couldn't walk and would scream in pain stemming from her stomach and legs. Her eyes have been so sensitive to light that she cou

Was playing War with Chloe last weekend and she asked me, "Why do Kings beat Queens?" Good question. We changed the rules and, in our family, Queens now rank higher than Kings. Because, why not? #girlpower #familytime #parenting

After kid number two, my husband and I have entirely dropped the ball with our little dog. He used to be our Holiday card and now doesn't even have a cameo. But, today was a new low. We left Dexter at my mom's shore house and didn't notice until we were 90 minutes out. In a blink, a 4-hour drive was now over 7 hours. This could have ruined an otherwise excellent weekend, but I took a deep breath and got creative. I had Joe drop us off at a nearby mall where there was miraculo

We are hard-wired to feel gut-wrenching pain when our kid cries. It's nature's way to make sure our babies survive. However, this biology often has new moms sacrificing their well-being. To take care of another little human, you need to take care of yourself. Repeat that with me. I found Sarah Peck's advice to new moms in her Startup Pregnant Podcast comforting: Pretend you have four kids. With four kids, you can't drop everything you are doing to run to your baby. In fact, t

The creativity of the moms I interview inspires me daily. My recent favorite mom super-move: schedule standing conference calls with your kids. Sherice Torres, Marketing Director at Google, does this every day for 3:15 pick-up. The kids are on speaker on their ride home. They share a highlight of the day and reflect on whether the day was a thumbs up, down or in the middle and why. The great thing is that the entire family -- kids, mom, and dad now have a forum to connect tru

Getting out the door is an adventure in my house. I will have the kids ready coats and all, turn my back and find Rowan shoe-less playing with his rocks. My newest hack: Use my imagination. Car Monster starts chasing them around the house. "Hurry and get out before I eat you. Rarrr!' The floor of the car is made out of hot lava, so they need to scramble into their car seats before they melt. Now my mornings are full of giggles and squeals instead of nagging -- and we get out

Honestly, I've been a bit down over the past week. Starting a business is a roller coaster: I am fighting my perfectionist nature to fail early and often. I am always putting myself out there. Being a founder is lonely in a way I could have never had imagined. None of my go-to pick-me-ups worked. I did a digital detox, went on date night, wrote in my journal, exercised and meditated. But, I still feel drained, distracted and sad. Then sweet Chloe asked me, "Mommy, do you want

Add a new crew to your delegation list -- your kids. My youngest, Rowan (2.5 years old) assembles his lunches, gets himself dressed, folds washcloths, clears dishes after meals, puts his clothes in the hamper, and vacuums with a Dustbuster. The crazy thing? He likes doing it. Helping out around the house also teaches him independence, hard work, and responsibility. Here are some tips for mobilizing your mini-workforce: Start small. Pick one task at a time. Show them how to do

I'll let you in on some little secrets: I don't read the news. My kids' socks don't match. I have been lying to my kids' classmates' to get out of toddler birthday parties. And, hell, I don't even properly proofread this email series. All of these are on my 'bomb list' -- things that I have intentionally chosen to suck at to allow myself to accomplish my bigger goals. Jon Acuff introduces the 'bomb list' in his book, Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done, where he lays out s

I never really understood "Saturday morning cartoons" until I was a parent with kids that regularly woke up at 530 am. I'd lie in bed Chrome-casting Daniel Tiger from my phone to the living room TV. But, let's face it -- I always feel a twang of mom guilt when I wake to their zombie eyes glued to the screen. But, recently I've found videos that I love - Cosmic Kids Yoga, interactive stories paired with yoga moves. Yes, your kids can do Frozen yoga.  Or Harry Potter. Or, Star

As a Type A, 'good enough' has never been a phrase that resonated with me. I mean, I changed my phone wallpaper to 'Live to my potential.' But, what if trying to be a supermom actually wasn't best for our kids? After observing thousands of moms and babies, Donald Winnicott (in 1953!) started promoting being a 'good enough mother.' Kids actually benefit when their mother's fail them in manageable ways (nothing serious like abuse or neglect). Teaches grit: The world is imperfec

I became so much better at my job post-kids. I stopped caring about the BS, focused on what I was best at and ruthlessly prioritized. I also became a productivity super-hero. Every minute wasted at the office was a minute taken away from my life -- time with kids, or just as important, time for myself. I'm not alone. Studies have shown that moms are more productive than women without children at every point in their career.  There is a dip in work productivity (15 to 17%) whe

Decluttering was a keystone habit for me — a habit that once unlocked, causes a domino effect of good habits throughout your life. We had a remote storage unit in NYC, and I was fed up with the amount of time I was shuttling stuff between it and my apartment.  I had the audacious goal of getting rid of it — getting all of our belongings (Christmas decorations and all) to fit in our small two bedroom NYC apartment. I read Marie Kondo’s Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, held e

The biggest improvement to my mornings has been instituting a tip from my kid’s pre-school: Have them do what you want them to do before they get to do what they want to do. Here it is in action: Normally, we put on an episode of TV for the kids while we get ready in the morning. My kids love it. (Probably too much, but that is a topic for another post.). Our new rule: no TV until you are completely dressed. This has transformed our mornings.  Instead of having to fight my 4