Why I Don’t Want Balance!
by Jo Della Penna
Note: I am delighted to feature guest blogger, Jo Della Penna on The Guilt Free Mom blog! I’m always on a mission to offer you a variety of viewpoints on how moms can ditch the guilt, raise great kids while growing a profitable business.  Jo Della has a delightful heart-centered approach to helping people (overwhelmed moms included) grow their businesses to be profitable and still enjoy the rest of their lives!  Be sure to check out the info at the end of her post …

It wasn’t pretty.
In fact, it was downright ugly.
I’m talking about my tantrum. I had a mommy melt-down. I was tired, cranky, overwhelmed. Did I mention stressed? My reasons were many, and overall, I was just on overload. I had too many things I needed AND wanted to do, and not enough time to do them. And I wanted to do them without any interruptions. Without my kids arguing. Without the dogs needing to be let out every 5 minutes. Without anyone needing anything from me. Was this realistic? Of course not. I’m just venting here, …

This is second part of a two-part post by guest blogger Beth Shepard. To read Part 1, go here.
7.    Get out with your girlfriends. Regularly- and when you’re ready. When my kids were babies and toddlers, I worked full-time outside of the home, and had a hard time leaving them for any amount of time during my off-time. So, I didn’t. People kept pestering me to get out more, and I got tired of hearing it. As my kids got older, I felt better about leaving them for short periods …

By Guest Blogger: Beth Shepard, M.S. (Part 1)

Most moms do a pretty remarkable job of cutting corners on self-care to meet the demands of work and family responsibilities. But instead of saving time and energy, neglecting our own needs only magnifies the stress. This holiday season, give yourself the gift of better health by integrating these self-care practices into your lifestyle, one at a time.
1. List your values. What matters most to you? Is it your family? Your health? Work? Faith? Think of your top values as your compass, guiding …

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…or is that just name of a holiday song? No matter what you’re you’re celebrating this month, there’s sure to be a lot going on. Here’s the equation that happens in homes across America: holiday preparations + high expectations + more to do than usual =stress, power struggles, and other “gifts” of the season!
Rather than be all “coachy” about it (in other words, speak in that impersonal voice of a coach), let me just be real and say that if there were ever going to be …

As a mother, do you look forward to the holiday season? Or does it induce visions of tantrumming children, pouting relatives, and an ever-growing to-do list? You’d be in good company if you felt both excited and stressed.  No matter what holiday you celebrate, here are a few tips to keep you from wanting to throw in the towel and running away to the North Pole:

 1. Keep your expectations in check, and get clear on what you want. What would a stress-free, guilt-free holiday look like for YOU? Never mind what …

As a mompreneur, how do you see yourself? Do you view yourself primarily as an at-home mom who also works from home? Or, do you see yourself as a mom who works at home because you feel passionate about being there for your kids and equally passionate about running your own business? I ask these questions because, the other day, I heard one woman tell another, “Well, you don’t know what it’s like to be a working mom; you work from home.” This same mom then went on to say, …

Straight off, let me apologize to any mompreneurs out there who are rocket scientists (and you know who you are). I don’t have anything against rockets or scientists.  Rather, I just want to say, “Hey, Moms! I know we’re busy, so making ourselves a priority can feel weird. Or just plain guilt-producing. But let’s not make this harder than it has to be, okay?” And for the record, I’m wagging my finger at myself here, too.
Maybe it’s the term “self care.” It sounds kind of clinical and “coach-y.” Like it’s one …

“C’mon, Mom—let’s GO! I want to GO somewhere!” I hear this phrase every day from my youngest child who’s seven. As an extrovert, she gets her energy from being around people, and the people in her house don’t always cut it it! She’s been wired this way from birth. I could see her try to meet others’ eyes, even as a tiny baby. She smiled and laughed in an effort to engage others around her. You could just see her searching for ways to connect with others.
My other daughter, who’s …

As promised, I’m back with the next post in the “How To Thrive (Not Just Survive) Summer” series. Having your kids home during the summer doesn’t have to mean chaos and stress, but it DOES mean you have to plan ahead. In the previous post, I asked you to get clear on where you are with this summertime issue. Do you dread hearing, “I’m bored?” Are you worried that your kids will argue and ask you to referee? If you work from home as I do, do you wonder how you’ll …