Confessions Of A Not So Super Mom

This is a re-share of an article that was originally published in May 2013

A lot of people think I’m a super mom.

If I had a nickel for every time someone asked me ‘how I did it all’ I’d probably be rich. Between a job, running a business, raising a daughter, and still finding time to nurture relationships with family and friends…there are a lot of balls constantly in the air around here.

And it’s not easy, but I do have a bit of a hidden superpower that does help me ‘do it all’ (more on that in a second…)

This weekend, with a gentle nudge *ahem* shove, from a special mentor, I tried the super mom title on for size for real AND brought my pint size sidekick along for the ride.

In case you’re wondering — YES, we did go out in public like this.

You see, I’m about to leave tomorrow for a 4 day business retreat where one of our pre-work activities involved waltzing around town in full super hero get up for 2 full hours.

I almost hurled when I got the assignment delivered to my mailbox.

Instantly I settled into the fear of looking like a fool, finding the right costume, and wondering what in the heck people would think of me — a grown adult — wearing a cape. Eeeek!

Then, as I thought about it a bit more, I remembered that one time my HS girlfriend and I dressed up in costume and went to Target on Halloween night our senior year, and that other time when I lost a college bet and my friends made me dress up in a cow costume and sing karaoke.

I had a ton of fun doing those embarrassing things. Why not have fun doing this too, right?

Especially if it would earn me ‘mother of the year’ in my child’s eyes.

What began as a scary homework assignment from a trusted coach, quickly turned into a full on crafting project with one friend designing and sewing us capes by hand, an awesome husband and daddy making us foil armbands to complete our getup, and one other friend tagging along to capture our adventures in taking on the world.

Best quote of the day?

That most definitely came from the police officer who rolled down the window to exclaim, “Lookin’ good ladies!” as we whooosed across the street.

Brie and I certainly weren’t your typical wonder woman, or bat girl. But we were super heroes in our own right.  And we both had a blast if you couldn’t tell.

The truth is, for those of you who wonder how I ‘do it all’, I really don’t feel any more organized or on top of my game than any of you. (especially with a sink full of dirty dishes and piles of dirty laundry mocking me from across the room as a I type this…)

But this super mom’s hidden power is enlisting a team of helpers to encourage us, laugh with us, and help us accomplish our silly task. It’s these special people that make life interesting and keep things running smoothly.

As I’ve built up my business the past few years, I’ve also been lucky to have the help of some amazing friends, coaches, graphic designers, and copy editors. And today, I’m excited to also welcome a brand new email assistant extraordinaire into the mix!

I’d like to introduce you today to Blaire. Brought together by our daughters who are only a few weeks apart in age, we quickly discovered a shared love of coffee, hair bows, and photography.  Blaire will also go down in my history books as the very first person to make me feel like a celebrity in the middle of our local outlet mall (a story for another day). She is the talent behind Second Avenue Photography and snapped the photos you see here today on the blog. I’m lucky to have her here assisting me a bit behind the scenes in the upcoming months and helping make sure you are all taken good care of.

Plus she’s my constant reminder that with the right sidekicks, anyone can be a super hero!

Before you go today, tell me — what’s makes you a super hero? Do you have a special super power that everyone constantly raves about? Or are you just lucky enough to have some incredible sidekicks like me?  Tell me your own super hero story here today. I can’t wait to hear about it. xo.