Home Is Where the Office Is

"Wow! You look great! Where did you have to go today?"  These are the words that completely changed my work life about 10 years ago. What caught my husband's eye when he came home from work that day?  Well... I had showered and washed, dried, and styled my hair. I was wearing jeans and a casual, but clean, top. I may have slicked some Vaseline on my chapped lips. In other words, I was not in my usual home office attire: yoga pants, loose sweatshirt, pony tail. The thing is, I didn't have to go anywhere that day.  Yes, I had put some effort in preparing for the day, and, interestingly, I felt satisfied in a way that I had not for quite some time. I had been really productive and focused all day. My interactions felt more animated and engaged during my conference calls.  It was in that moment - seeing and hearing my husband's reaction and realizing how such a small investment in self-care had positively impacted my whole day - that I decided I needed to st

It's a topic that seemed to strike a chord with my Home Officer Network last week: how do we involve our kids in activities that help them develop that sense of community, the importance of giving back, and overall gratitude for the things we have that are so easy to take for granted? While there seems to be more opportunity during the holidays to find a variety of volunteer and donation opportunities, we all came to consensus that this empathy, kindness, and giving spirit we wanted to instill in our families was not about a one-time event. This is where I, once more, was so grateful for the collective wisdom and experience of this group of moms. For Tweens and Teens There are more opportunities for kids 12 and older to do more hands on volunteering, for example in food banks or toy drives. However, two moms shared about Lion's Heart , which is a volunteer organization specifically for kids in 6th - 12th grade. All it takes is finding a local chapter or forming your o

Those of you who have read The Happiness Project , by Gretchen Rubin, are familiar with this little gem, but it is one of those life rules that saves me on a regular basis. If I come across something that can be done in a minute or less, I do it right then and there. The minute that it costs me up front is FAR LESS than the mental space, worry, and inevitable clean up of the larger problem I caused by neglecting it in the first place.  How many times a day do we think to ourselves, "I'll RSVP to the event this afternoon." "I'll remind that client about the conference call in a few minutes."  "I'll confirm with my boss later." When? When I have more time? More time than 60 seconds ? The more those quick little tasks add up in my brain, the more overwhelmed I feel. And so, the rule: If it can get done in less than 60 seconds,  do it now!  This applies to household stuff too. Dumb stuff... like making the bed. My whole life I was told to make