Five years ago, NBC announced that Conan O’Brien would start hosting The Tonight Show in June 2009. I remember think, “wow that’s odd announcing that 5 years in advance”. I was never clear if Leno had asked to retire or was asked to “retire”, but the timeline seemed really long and why announce it. If Leno was asked to retire, think about the awkward 5 years he and Conan have had. What was the point of putting out that information and signing contracts 5 years ago? This was NBC’s first mistep - it is good to have a strategy and a 5 year plan, but companies need to keep somethings under their belt until they are confident there won’t be a change in strategy. I have made the mistake a few times saying I was coming out with a new product line, then in the end because of budgets and rethinking strategy put it on hold. Not an expensive mistake, but not helping to build my brand and strength of the existing products.

After the announcement 5 years ago, not sure about you, but I kinda forgot when the actual handover would take place, until NBC started promoting when it was all happening and after they announced Jimmy Fallon would take over Late Night. It seemed to be all moving along as planned, players were shifting, then NBC announces that Leno will have a 10pm prime-time show (essentially an earlier Tonight Show). My husband and I were like, that’s dumb, what’s the point? Why would NBC give up all that prime-time space for a show like that (at the time, knowing the network has been floundering, we chalked it up to a cost-saving strategy - Leno’s new show was cheaper than producing 5 dramas or a new Law & Order). This decision by NBC  was a sign that executives were not fully committed to the change of guard (maybe 5 years was too early to make that announcement?). Maybe since they were already going down this path, instead of just changing their minds and keeping Leno on The Tonight Show, they decided to hedge their bets and keep him with the network (just in case) - maybe because they had signed contracts, who knows.  Sometimes hedging too many bets is the downfall for small business owners. Splitting a strategy, can diffuse the impact and confuse your customers (in this case, viewers).

Before the mess began.

NBC invested millions - $50 million alone on the new Tonight Show studio that was used for just 7 months (and then breaking the contracts with Conan cost an additional $45 million). Someone at NBC must of had an inkling that maybe adding a 10pm show with Leno could affect the viewers of  The Tonight Show (in general, people don’t like change, it is uncomfortable, Leno fans may have just shifted to his new show).  I think NBC split their own audience - the purpose of having these two shows was confusing and unclear. It was a muddy strategy, it didn’t seem long term, and in hindsight, it wasn’t.  Fully commit to ideas and people you believe in or you will waste time and money on projects that go nowhere. Really think about the costs (financial, image, relationships, etc.) of going forward with a decision. It may have cost NBC less to have broken the contract with Conan when they decided they wanted to keep Leno.

Even though the whole situation has been visibly uncomfortable for both of the talk show hosts, I think in general they have handled themselves well (Leno a little more biting and smug - but that is just his style. Interested to see his interview tomorrow with Oprah!). You may not like a decision a business or business partner makes, but once the decision is made (or announced!), it is hard to get a take back. A good general policy is to take the high road. Don’t go with a knee-jerk reaction. Especially if your industry is small, burning one bridge can mean burning them all. Conan did his last show and he didn’t completely bash NBC, and did thank the network for the time he had been there (like 20 years). The end result wasn’t nice for him or his staff, but he wasn’t going to become cynical. A good lesson.

On the mantel above the fireplace sits a framed picture of my sister, mom and I, and leaning on that frame is the memorial card from my mom’s service. I placed it there when we came home from her service and it has been there ever since. I am not sure how many times I have picked it up and read it in the last 5 years. It feels like I just put it on the mantel yesterday.

I think of my mom often, I miss her every day. I wonder what it would be like if she was here, if she witnessed the funny little things Asher and Eden do. If she and Tatum could play together now. My mom relished being a grandmother (or Oma) to Tatum, but with Asher she just got to touch my belly and tell him she wanted to live long enough to meet him. Before Asher was even conceived, the doctors told her she had 2 months to live, mom lived almost a year from the day they told her. Until the end, she was defying odds - always a bit stubborn and just not wanting to believe she wouldn’t be with us. I look back and I know I was not believing. I remember back to 2002 when my mom was first diagnosed with cancer. I did all the research online and read that pancreatic cancer had a very small survival rate, but this was my mom and if anyone could beat it, she could. Miracles happen.

Sometimes knowing that you are going to lose someone close before you actually do is the miracle, the gift. It hurts and you don’t want to believe it, but there is the warning, expectation and with knowing comes the opportunity to not let the one you love leave this world without showing and telling them what they mean to you. We expected my mom not to live a year after her first diagnosis, but we were blessed with more than 2 years. Every day, week, month was a miracle. In our society, we feel there is never enough time to do the things we need/want to do, EXCEPT when you are told you only have a short window or deadline, then miraculously we find the time. That is what we did as a family, made time to be together because we didn’t know how much time we would have with her. And everyday I am grateful to have had that time, to have been given the gift of knowing (but still always hoping the doctors were wrong).

Tatum asleep on Oma, her favorite spot.

My mom came and stayed at our house every week for 2 nights a week. Even though my mom was sick with cancer, in many ways her illness was not apparent. She had become very thin and frail, but was still beautiful, strong willed and very active. When she came to stay with us, she was always the first one up in the morning. She’d go down to the kitchen an make coffee, before the rest of the house woke up. Just like when I was in high school, she would make me a cup of coffee and bring it upstairs for me. There was something so special about that to me, and just hearing her footsteps coming down the hall, brought me back in time. No matter how old I was, I was always her little girl and she was always taking care of me.

Over the last 5 years, sometimes when it is one of those weekend mornings where it is my turn to sleep in and Steve is with the kids, in a half asleep, I hear someone coming upstairs and the wood floor creaks just outside of the bedroom as someone is about to enter. As I open my eyes, just for a moment I expect to see my mom coming through the doorway with coffees in each hand, one for her and one for me. In that second, she is alive and her passing is a dream. My heart warms for that moment and I feel her. I wonder when I will stop expecting to see her, maybe it will take another 5 years.

A lazy morning, after our coffee together.

The thing about 5 years it is a long time, but at the same time it is a blink. Life goes on, but there are parts of my life, like the appearance of our house, that is almost frozen in time. Not the most organized, I believe I have been particularly neglectful in the last 5 years with moving forward. I haven’t updated any pictures in the frames around the house with new ones, there isn’t one picture in the house of Eden, and the ones of Asher he is a bald baby. The baby pictures around the house are still Tatum. I have boxes in the basement that I got from my mom’s house, I just can’t bring myself to look through. The boxes are sitting there, taking up space for 5 years, a half of a decade. I am still finding things around the house that are my mom’s. It actually took me 4 years to throw away a cocoa butter body lotion she used to use - it was so old, but if I opened it and smelled the lotion, it made me think of her. I have bottles of my mom’s perfumes in my room, that I am sure are too old and I don’t plan on using, but I can’t seem to part with them. I know logically that her things don’t preserve her memory. How do I move forward, let go? I know this isn’t an uncommon occurrence to find your house filled with things you don’t use, that may have belonged to someone you loved. To find your surroundings stuck in time.

In 5 years, my memory, love and admiration for my mother has not faded. I know it is time to sort through all her things, to purge our house of the clutter.  Keeping things the same hasn’t changed the fact that I miss her and will miss her every day for the rest of my life. I can’t keep the house halted. It’s been 5 years. The task is overwhelming and it won’t be easy, but it’s time.

A first step…scanning all the old pictures. Here re two of my favorites of her - very young in her modeling days in Indonesia.

Right after I posted, I then saw a post from the always inspiring (and just plain cool) Kelby Carr about her 3 words for 2010. Which got me thinking about what mine would be/are for 2010. Then I saw Linda’s announcement of 52 to Fabulous (and after I read and realized it was not about being fabulous at 52 ;-), I thought the stars are aligning and participating in this challenge may actually encourage me stick to my resolutions, well at least post weekly (little victories!).

For right now at this moment (a girl can change her mind…), my wants for 2010 are aligned with my guiding words for the year:

1. Focus because any one that knows me, knows that I am either over-focused or all over the map with ideas. And I want/need to trim to FOCUS on the meaningful this year. Finding what matters, what is important, and focusing my energy on it. This also goes back to my desire to have a weekly routine.

2. Present because I find myself never enjoying the moment. I want to be present when I am playing with my kids, not thinking about what other things I should be working on. Undivided commitment to the present. Not dwelling on the past and what might have been, or thinking to future. I know people should plan, and I will do planning for the future, but I will do my best not to pine for the week to end or long for the next sunny day. I want to be present in every experience - good or bad. Time passes too quickly, it is important to be present.

3. True by being honest with myself and understanding my wants. As adults we get lost in life, in pleasing those around us, particularly after becoming a parent. It gets hard to distinguish what I want (or is what I want just what is easier for the family?). I want to make 2010 to be the year that I am true to my feelings and separate them from what others want. This doesn’t mean to make decisions without regard to the wants or needs of those around me. Not to make decisions that are just the path of least resistance, but are true to what I believe is right.

Maybe these wants are too broad or general, oh well, have to start thinking about what a girl needs…

This blog has gone to the dogs. It is neglected, well maybe abandoned is a better word. I am full of ideas, things I want to write and say, but never seem to be at the right place at the right time to complete the actual act of typing my thoughts. Full of ideas, and full of excuses. Right now I am resolving to set some time aside to write my thoughts for let’s say the week, even if they are random. I really need to write for me, it is a great release. Number 1: Stick to a weekly routine, at least on some things. In my daily life this would be sticking to my weekly Body Pump class. For this blog it will mean to write a weekly post. That should be easy enough, right?

You would think, but I have about 5 drafts for posts from the last 6 months. I start them, then don’t finish. Kinda like the way I clean the house ;-). A good friend strongly suggested that I read the book, Driven to Distraction. I told her, I don’t think I really need to read it to know that I am ever so slightly ADD, and I know I would buy it, look at it start, maybe even start reading it, then uh…get distracted, put it down and forget about it. I also have posts that are drafted and were essentially done, but for some reason, I didn’t post. Rethinking what I wrote, wondering if I should add or change it. Then I would not go back to it, and you guessed it…forget about it, until it was too old to bother with! So why do I hesitate to publish? Well to be truly honest, I am worried about what people with think when they read it. What if I come off bitchy, whiny, or worst of all stupid? By writing a blog, I am making myself vulnerable for criticism. And logically I realize that expressing my opinion from the heart, will likely bring other points of view, and that if someone doesn’t like what I write, they can just choose not to read it. Really all the back and forth in my head is redundant and stupid (ya, I said it). My next resolve should be easy too. Number 2: Write from my heart at the moment, from my point of view, and don’t worry about what others think. [And remember that I can always edit or delete later - it is MY blog for goodness sake ;-)]. For my daily life, this number 2 translates slightly different.

I want to use this blog as the place that I talk about the experiences of the passed (particularly with the good, bad, ugly of having a business). I want to focus the rest of my life on living in the present, being in the moment and not focusing on what happened yesterday and what could happen tomorrow. I know I spend far too much time worrying about what might have been or what could be. The last month or so I have been almost fully focusing on the kids, taking a hiatus from worrying (that word again, maybe I should say fretting) about the state of business (something I am not going to delve into now). It has been tremendous to live in the present. Enjoying every giggle (every whine, cry and scream) with the kids. Because of the snow just before Christmas, we had 2 full weeks together. Everyday, all day. And despite the stress of making sure everything was set for Christmas (with Santa coming and all…), it has been a time of living in the moment. So Number 2 is big - focusing on the present, enjoying every moment, and putting the past in perspective (it can’t be changed, but can be learned from).

For now 2 resolutions are all I can handle, of course I will keep my standby of procrastinating less (which Number 1 is really just a product of…).
2010 is a new year, a new start for an abandoned blog, and an opportunity to soak up all the potential of today.

[Can't really find the words I want to express what I mean, but if I ponder too long, I will think and rethink, to the point of futility. Closing my eyes and hitting publish.]

This interview in The ‘Glamorous’ Life series is with my dear friend, Heather Stouffer, Founder & President at Mom Made Foods. Heather and I were destined to be friends – Sarah Masterson at DC-Baby wrote a post mentioning both of our companies. Immediately after reading the post, I wrote Sarah and asked for Heather’s contact details. Sarah writes back: “Heather already emailed and asked for yours too.” Great minds think alike

Having your own business can be a lonely endeavor. Sometimes friends and family can’t relate (or get tired of hearing about “the business”!). Finding someone who understands the dilemmas, the stress, and can even celebrate the little triumphs is priceless. Heather’s friendship, support and advice has made my entrepreneurial life a little easier.

Over the last few years, I have watched Heather grow Mom Made Foods. I have also been lucky to have my kids be product testers for the growing line of Mom Made products! I think you will enjoy learning about Heather and how she took her passion for delicious, healthy food and turned it into a smart business. [If you have read my Tirade about school lunches - you know I share a passion for healthy foods for our kids!].

Tell me about your business
Mom Made® Foods makes healthy and convenient age-appropriate meals for kids 6 months to school age using USDA-certified organic ingredients grown in the USA. I founded the company with the mission to help children begin and sustain a lifetime of healthy eating. Our foods are available nationally at Amazon.com and in the freezer aisle of SuperTarget, as well as at select Whole Foods, Wegmans, Ukrops and other retailers. Mom Made is known for the great taste of our foods. We believe it’s a combination of our carefully developed recipes, fresh organic ingredients, frozen/fresh process, and a big dash of love that make Mom Made’s foods so delicious!

Did you always want to have your own business? What made you take the leap to start your business?
My parents divorced when I was 9 years old and my brother was 11 years old. My mom went from being a stay-at-home mom to a full-time working mom. She had no choice but to rely heavily on me and my brother to help with the chores. On a normal weekday afternoon, she would call from work after we arrived home from school. She’d tell us what we were having for dinner and assign each of us things to prep for dinner before she came home at 6pm when she’d finish the cooking. I took it for granted that my brother and I quickly learned how to make everything from hollandaise to fajita marinades at such young ages.

The little inspiration for Mom Made, Heather's son, Emory.

Fast forward to my adult life … My husband and I agreed well before we married that we shared a common passion for food. It was our goal to have children who were great eaters who ate a variety of healthy foods. We both enjoy healthy, fresh foods and especially ethnic foods. In 2005, around the time my son was 6-months old and starting solid foods, I embarked on a journey to raise him eating a variety of healthy, organic foods. With a love for cooking and a passion to make sure my son ate only the best, I found myself in my kitchen on Sunday afternoons pureeing and freezing organic fruits and vegetables. When I was in a pinch for a convenient option I found there were no organic food options available that didn’t involve a jar. I believe that good food does not have to be complicated and should be easy. I didn’t eat jarred food so why would I feed it to my son as some of his first foods! I knew fresh fruits and veggies were best, and frozen a close second. I soon realized that there was a need for healthy, convenient, organic foods for older children, as well as for babies. When my friends began asking for my foods for their babies, I knew I was on to something. With the help of my brother, a professional chef, and a passion for organic foods and children’s nutrition, I launched Mom Made® Foods in 2006 at our local farmers market in Alexandria, Virginia. The Mom Made journey began!

What’s the most glamorous thing you’ve ever had to do for your business?
I find that people think that being an entrepreneur in the organic food business is glamorous. When I meet new people at a party, for example, and they ask me what I do, I tell them about Mom Made. It usually goes like this…their jaws drop then they inevitably ask if I’ve seen the movie “Baby Boom” with Diane Keaton from the 80’s (If only I had a dollar for every person who had asked me that question since I started this business…). Then they start asking a gazillion questions, such as how wonderful is it to own your own business, etc. It’s hard for me to answer their questions because while this business is absolutely a dream come true for me, we have an amazing team who I love to work with and I could not be more passionate about our mission, 99.9% of my work days are far from glamorous.

Little do they know that the FOOD BUSINESS IS NOT GLAMOROUS, especially not the FROZEN FOOD BUSINESS. It is not glamorous to put on gloves, a fleece, a hairnet, ear muffs and the warmest jacket you own in the middle of June to head into the freezer to move product or do inventory. It is not glamorous to track shipments to make sure they arrive to our distributors on time. Nor is it glamorous to loose sleep because you’re consumed by all that needs to be done to grow the business.

Mom Made found at SuperTargets!

What is the most bizarre thing you were doing while on a business call that you wouldn’t want the person on the other end to know?
I am always multi-tasking but most bizarre would probably be when I was on a media interview while at the wheel of a refrigerated truck on my way to make a delivery. The journalist knew that I was on the road but I did not tell them that I was driving a truck!

What do you wish someone had told you before you started your business or what advice did someone give you that you wish you had listened to?
I had an advisor early in my business planning from SCORE (www.score.org) who was 80+ years old. She had managed a family business of 20 grocery stores while raising her kids. I told her that my greatest concern was how I’d juggle managing my own business and maintain the relationships most important to me – being a great wife, mother, friend, daughter, and sister and also add in life as an entrepreneur. Her response was so poignant in the beginning when I made the leap to start the business…”Heather, you’ll adapt and make time for what is most important to you as you launch this business.”

What she didn’t say was that the “adapting” would never stop…each stage of the business brings new challenges to the balance in my personal life. I have to regularly tell myself her advice to force myself to adjust and adapt with the momentum of life and juggling growth obstacles with Mom Made.

What’s the biggest surprise you’ve found about running your own company?
There’s nothing more gratifying professionally than having a customer call or email saying that their child (especially the very picky eaters) love Mom Made or that our baby food was a child’s VERY first food they ever ate. It is such an honor to be a part of the change in making our children healthier.

What’s the most important thing you’ve learned along the way?
Listen to my husband, the greatest sounding board, when he has advice about the business. While he works full-time as a sports reporter, he knows so much about Mom Made, our market, etc and he’s able to take the emotion out of the big decisions for me.

Looking back, is there anything you wish you could have done differently?
While some of the lessons learned have been hard and stressful, I don’t regret any of them as they have been a part of our journey to get us to where we are today. The journey continues…

The last few weeks have been crazy busy. End of May, the Chic&Cozy was shelved at Target. A huge undertaking and something I am very proud of, but also completely stressed out about (will blog about this later). Coinciding with entering Target came the end of the school year for Asher (1st year of Montessori) and for Tatum, who just finished her first year at the public school in kindergarten. I can’t believe she is a first grader. Gulp. Anyway, I worked very hard this year to make time to volunteer almost every Thursday at Tatum’s school. I came in the morning and stayed until the kids went to lunch. All of Tatum’s classmates call me “Tatum’s mom”, a name that just makes me happy!

yummmm....drumstick?

School has been out a week or so and there has been something bothering me. Here’s my peeve. The thing I don’t get, school lunches. Have you seen what the schools serve elementary school kids? If you haven’t, I took some pictures. Week after week, I would go in and sit with Tatum for part of her lunch (we pack her lunch every day but Friday so she can be “a buyer” and get pizza), and week after week, I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw what the school served for lunch. We live in a society with obesity on the rise in children. But how can children learn about eating nutritiously when the schools (their educators) give them french fries with a processed chicken nugget (in the shape of a drumstick) for lunch? I don’t think I ever saw anything green, but maybe lime jello, on the trays. What the %##@?! And I know parents are busy, so packing a lunch isn’t for everyone, but children should be served balanced nutritious meals. Right?

I went on a field trip at the end of the school year. The kids needed to bring a bag lunch, so even the buyers had to bring. I was amazed at what some of the parents or caregivers packed for them. One little girl had a ready pack of nachos for lunch (queso cheese & nacho chips). That was it. Another boy, who at just 6 is tipping the scales, had for his lunch: 2 bags of chips (yes 2, not 1), chocolate pudding, a candy bar, sandwich on white bread, high-fructose corn syrup juice drink, and an apple. He ate the pudding first. Guess what he didn’t eat? Why would anyone pack all that junk food for lunch? How can our children be responsible if we are not teaching them well? I just don’t get it. Isn’t that doing a disservice to our children? I don’t believe convenience foods cost less. I know if I buy products in ready packs it actually costs more than if I buy a large bag or jar (for example, a jar of apple sauce is much more cost effective than the individual containers - but ya, the individual containers are easier).

Maybe not as bad? Chilli & tortilla chips?

Now we don’t eat perfectly at our house. Everything in moderation - we have dessert, chips, candy, etc. - sometimes, not every time. I don’t cook dinner every night (ya, talk to my husband, he is lucky if I cook 3x a week ;-), but we try to make healthy choices. I know we should be buying organic,but it is expensive, so I buy organic sometimes. I figure sometimes is better than never.

I know the lunches that schools serve have to be cheaper than fresh quality items, but is it really worth the end result? Children developing diabetes & heart disease? How can we not afford to provide decent food in one of the richest countries in the world? Where are our priorities?

Wow, this was preachy, but seriously…what are we thinking?

Since I essentially work for myself I think I should just arrange my schedule around the kids. I appear to other moms like a SAHM - I volunteer at school and drive the kids to after school activities. I will leave the baby at home with our au pair and while I am waiting at an activity for the other 2, I am making or returning calls. Some times I am editing something I have written or looking at fabric prints. I am multitasking the best I can, but I couldn’t do it without help. The people that don’t know I have a business look at me like, “wow she has full-time help and stays at home - nice”. Believe me I am not lunching and shopping, however without an income to show “hey, I am working”, I do feel embarrassed.

My SAHM friends, they do it all on their own. I consider them super moms. I even have WAHM friends that don’t have help, and I am amazed at how they do it, they are wonder moms, super women. Me, I am not either of these things. I just don’t have it in me to be a good mom, wife and business woman alone. I get grumpy and overwhelmed. I know my limitations, but even with that,  I still would rather be wonder woman.

There, my dirty little secret, it’s out. The kicker is our absolutely fabulous au pair has fallen in love (good for her), is getting married and leaving us next month to move to Ohio with her new husband. So this summer,  I better figure out how to get some super powers fast.

Tell me about you and your business. Did you always want to have your own business?
I knew I wanted to start my own business after I got my MBA in Paris in 1994. I dabbled in decorative painting and murals until I had my first daughter in 2004. I started out selling high end infant car seat covers. I was appalled by the fabric options at the time for Infant Car Seats etc and had always looked up to the French for their eye for fabrics. So, I began designing beautiful car seat covers out of upholstery fabrics with tassel trims and matching blankets. I immediately became pregnant again (happy surprise!) and I gave birth to my second daughter in early 2005.

It was then that I started making clothing from leftover fabrics based on classic patterns I remembered from my childhood. I then started making simple reversible dresses in bright patterns and kept getting stopped in the street so I began using my contacts to create clothing.I started with 2 simple little pieces and now we have about 25 designs per season.

Stylish & Reversible - Love it!

In fact, I try to stick to classic designs and avoid the trendy. The patterns that have been around for decades have stayed around because they work on babies and children. There is a level of practicality I aim to stick to – designs that grow with your kids, designs that can go on over the head or be buttoned or zipped on. Outfits that are easy to sleep in and clean. And my favorite – reversibles.

We started out just selling the reversible Dresses and Rompers to boutiques and gift stores and even furniture stores. And then we had a wonderfully huge PR surprise when we opened up People Magazine and saw this. At this point we stepped it up a notch – and hired a PR company.

It’s really over the last two years that we have rounded out the line. This year we are in select Nordstrom stores and Chasing Fireflies catalog, and we are selling all over the world.

What made you take the leap to start your business?
My husband and I quit our jobs and moved to LA to follow his movie making dreams. Being in LA gave me the opportunity and connections to start the business. It grew slowly at the beginning and then just took off. It feels like overnight I went from running the business out of my bedroom to 8 employees in an office and warehouse.

Heidi Klum with daughter in a Right Bank Babies' dress.

What’s the most “glamorous” thing you’ve ever had to do for your business?
I think the Award Show gifting suites are really fun. You meet so many celebrities. Baby Couture Magazine did a two page spread article on us in their magazine and for me that photo shoot felt pretty glamorous.

What is the most bizarre thing you were doing while on a business call that you wouldn’t want the person on the other end to know?
Probably changing a diaper or cleaning up baby vomit. In the beginning there was no way to hide that I worked from home – there was always baby and toddler chatter in the background.

What do you wish someone had told you before you started your business or what advice did someone give you that you wish you had listened to?
It took me a long time to learn how to be a “boss”. I really wasn’t comfortable in that role and I wish someone had trained me and told me just how important it is to set guidelines from the beginning.

What’s the biggest surprise you’ve found about running your own company?
How much fun it is. It’s like a third child and I love it and I love going to work.

What’s the most important thing you’ve learned along the way?
Trust your instincts.

Looking back, is there anything you wish you could have done differently?
No, I think everything has happened exactly how it needed to.

Visit Right Bank Babies to see their beautiful collections. Use coupon code ‘RBB Fan’ to get 10% off your order of $150 or more.

Not always champagne & caviar...

OK, so I was thinking, I am not the only mompreneur out there living the ‘glamorous’ life. Since starting Chic Tots, I have met so many moms (& aunts, grandmothers, daughters, sisters) and dads (uncles, etc.) that have started a business because they needed a product, they couldn’t find. They had a moment that just inspired them. Maybe it was their children, maybe it was something that had been there all along. I just know that the journey I am making, I have not been doing it completely alone. I have met others at different stages of their business, and these kindred spirits have helped me along the way (even if it just words of encouragement “you can do this” or “oh that happened to me”). The ability to call one of these friends (that totally gets what I am talking about), has been one of the best parts about the business for me.

Although the path of having a business is not really ‘glamorous” it is really interesting and full of surprises. It will be fun to learn about the way each of the businesses featured has evolved.

Look out for the first interview this week with a cool entrepreneur. I will be posting a new interview each month.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day weekend has become to mean the first weekend of summer. Although summer doesn’t “official” begin until June 21st (the summer solstice and the longest day of the year in terms of daylight), for most Americans Memorial Day weekend is summer. Our neighborhood pool opens and pools all over the country and it is the count down to summer vacation (I don’t know, isn’t that an oxymoron - my kids home all summer doesn’t really feel like a vacation - ha!)

As a family, we have spent the weekend going from one cookout to another and to the pool. We couldn’t even cookout ourselves this weekend, cause well we weren’t home! Saturday we were at a friend’s cookout and pool opening get together. Kids were in the pool all day, seriously, they were in bed by 8pm, with no fuss - out. Sunday we went to our neighborhood pool, but they were too tired to swim! Our 4 year old, Asher, fell asleep on his towel and chair after only being at the pool for 20 minutes - my husband had to carry him to the car. At home proceeded to sleep another 3 hours (!) before it was time to go to, you guessed it, the next cookout. This one started at 6.30pm on Sunday night. It was at one of my husband’s co-workers house. We had the youngest kids there. Our kids are THRILLED to follow around the big kids (pre-teens/teens). Luckily these big kids were terribly sweet to ours and let them follow them around and took care of them. Honestly, one older boy was asked to take care of Asher, and another boy said “I want to take care of him too”. So nice to see this!

We were able to  have a nice time without any worries about the kids (of course, except for the 11 month old, who was in her sling enjoying the adult conversation, food & desperately trying to get a sip of mommy’s margarita! We didn’t get home until after 11pm! Didn’t stop them from waking up again at 7am.

In a little bit we are going to cookout #3 for the weekend, Memorial Day weekend. Kids are asking who’s birthday it is? Why do we have so many parties? We are trying to explain the meaning of Memorial Day. Right now they are just see this weekend as pool, watermelon, and fun. And it is embarrassing to say, but sometimes I forget about the meaning. It gets lost for me in the cookouts and time at the pool. This is my reminder and for anyone else out there lost in the fun and celebration.

Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service.

I just wanted to take a personal moment to remember our troops and all those that have sacrificed their lives for our country. And say thank you.

Here is a great video someone put on youtube.

True Meaning of Memorial Day