


I love when I hear about readers pursuing their various goals. As a follow up to my admiration for setting a goal and pursuing it- I feel compelled to write the following statement…You should be proud of yourself for pursuing your goals, no matter what the results are.
I have four good friends who are training for an olympic distance triathlon in the early fall. A one-mile swim (in the ocean no less), a 25-mile bike and a six-mile run. I am so proud of them for training- they all got in the ocean last week and struggled through a 1/2 mile swim…but they did it! Now they are getting back in the water every other Sunday to prepare themselves for the full mile in the ocean. Will they all finish? Probably, but if they don’t there is no reason to be ashamed- I don’t know too many other mom’s with young kids who signed up for the event.
I know one mom who signed up to swim pier to pier in a month and a half. After swimming miles in the pool she got in the ocean and is starting to have second thoughts about whether she can do the two mile swim in the ocean. I think she can do it, but I have to congratulate her just for the effort and training she has put forth so far.
Last example is a mom who started her own clothing line in this tough economy. When I asked to interview her for the The Inspired Mom, she said “Let’s wait until I get my product in a few more stores”. But, I think most of us are interested in hearing how she made it this far!
I hope as you are reading this you will start to think about what, if anything, has been holding you back from trying something you have been wanting to do? If your afraid that your result might be anything less than perfect, you are missing out on what you will learn from the journey.
Did you know that it takes about 75,000 trees to produce just one Sunday edition of the New York Times? And, did you know that if everyone used one fewer paper napkin each day landfills would have 1 BILLION less pounds of paper? These are just two interesting facts that I learned from Marty Jo McGrath who has embraced the phrase: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world, indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has” (Margret Mead).
I sat down to interview Marty Jo because she embodies the idea that you shouldn’t refrain from doing something because you think you are too small make a difference. Instead, she took an issue that is incredibly important to her, environmental awareness, created a plan and started spreading the word. She has compiled a fact sheet that lists 75 ways you live “greener” and has been sharing her list with mom’s groups and community groups over the last year and a half. (more…)

This has been an emotional (both happy and sad) week for several reasons: I started a new birth control pill, which has made me slightly crazy. Space Studio, where I have taught spin class for 2 years is closing (last classes were today). My first grade son performed in a class play at school. And, most importantly, today is Mother’s Day.
I am anxious to hear how all of you spent your day- I imagine it will be a topic of conversation for the next few days as we all run into one another at school drop-off etc. For me, today wasn’t much different from most the days of my year. But, I say that in a positive way because I really enjoy most the days of the year! If you all are reading and rolling your eyes at me- just give me a minute to explain: (more…)
She read about Jania Fox running a half marathon and Beth Armstrong doing the Ironman- but realized as much as she likes fitness- the desire to run anything more than 3 miles wasn’t creating that fire in her belly. She wasn’t burning to start her own business or create a charitable organization. Then she remembered a dream that had occupied her in the past but never quite got off the ground. Lisa had written a children’s book when her daughter Lauren was just over a year old. She sent it out to a few publishers- but when those publishers passed on the story she let the project die.
Here’s the thing, I love blogging and I love inspiring others. I read and listen to my own words as much as I write them. The reality is…I am far from perfect. I have lots of things I want to improve on, I do get behind on my housework, I also yell at my kids occasionally. I have forgotten birthday parties, put my foot in my mouth on several occasions and I confess to periodically getting pissed at my husband for absolutely nothing! I have bounced checks, backed into parked cars, let my kids watch TV all day and accidently passed gas one time in church (in my defense I was only 20- but it still). I never write my blogs from a place of judgement..we are all in this together. We are all striving to be the best we can be: as mothers, wives, friends and daughters. (more…)
I want to share Keri’s story because I think we can all find something important from her experience. (more…)
I figured it was the perfect opportunity to dig out a few of the skeletons in my closet and share some of my struggles with fitness. I have been lucky enough to not struggle too much with my weight, but I will say that when I graduated college, I weighed as much as I did when I gave birth to my oldest son Evan. (more…)
As promised I have been doing status checks on some of you who posted goals for 2009. We’re only 1/4 of the way into 2009 and here is what you all have accomplished already and you still have 9 months more to go: (more…)