My Life as a Super Extra Ordinary Mom

"How do I look?" Several months ago, I was on business travel and was using FaceTime to connect with my husband prior to making my way to the first scheduled session.  I had just finished applying my last bit of makeup and I knew he was going to tell me how beautiful I looked. I flashed my winning smile and tilted my head, waiting for the anticipated response. "You look LATE!" was his quick reply. My lips pouted for a moment because I felt as if that was not a fair statement.  But in all actuality, he was right.  I was late, once again.  He was often telling me "The time to be ready is not the time to get ready."  And, "You get what you prepare for." I had grown accustomed to his attempts of "helping" me with my time management skills but was not putting application to work to orchestrate changed behavior. Fast forward a few weeks later.  While the family was sitting at the dining room table, enjoying dinner together, my hus...

As the last day of 2019 drew to an end, a recent experience placed me in a self-reflective state. While in Iowa to celebrate our daughter’s graduation from Iowa State, I rose early and headed to the hotel lobby to take care of a few business-related tasks. I immediately saw my cousin, who had traveled to Iowa as well for the celebration, enjoying a bite to eat and I chose a seat across from her at a table not far from the breakfast area.   A gentleman at a nearby table turned around to chat with us. He shared he was there for his granddaughter’s graduation and that he was retired. We all continued to chit chat for a few more moments until my cousin politely excused herself from the table to return to her hotel room and prepare for departure. Now with my cousin gone, I expected the friendly stranger to return to his cup of coffee at his own table. Nope. Much to my chagrin, he continued to chat with me. Remember, I was supposed to be taking care of some work-related t...