Everything I know about the power of resilience, I’ve learned from my kids.

Let me explain.

When my kids want something, they pursue it. Doggedly, persistently, enthusiastically. Whether it’s reading one more book, getting one more cookie, learning how to hit the ball with the bat or make a jump kick in karate without falling on their faces. They stick with it, keep trying, and more often than not face disappointment with a wink and a smile.

I see it all the time, but the past 2 days were filled with Read More

I don’t know much about this mommy-gig, but the longer I’m in the game the more I realize that parenting is a lot like doing laundry. No matter how long you spend washing, drying and folding clothes, there will be another pile waiting for you the next day.

Let me explain.

I used to approach parenting like work. You identify a problem, set a goal, design your strategy, implement, evaluate and move on to the next issue. Problem is, when it comes to kids life rarely moves in a straight line. It’s more like a circular reference.

Say you’re potty training your toddler. A parenting newbie might read the books (or Google “potty training techniques”), religiously follow Read More

When I first moved to New York nearly 13 years ago, I started to work out with an incredible trainer at Crunch Fitness. George was a perfect fit for me. He knew how to tap into my competitive spirit, but understood that my incredibly out-of-shape body could not keep up with the badass image I had in my head. Instead of pushing me to the breaking point, he knew how to challenge me to the point of exhaustion, but not defeat. How to point out when I was phoning it in, while encouraging me when my gasps for air were out of desperation rather than laziness. George helped me to establish a foundation of fitness and helped me to realize that I was an athlete-waiting-to-happen.

Fast forward 10 years, 2 kids, 5 marathons and Read More

I thought that I was doing alright in this mommy-gig. I gave tough love to my big boy when he got in trouble in school for wiggling around rather than concentrating. I do my best to build my boys’ self esteem by reminding them that they are smart – every day. I encourage the boys to believe that they are the best. And according to Lisa Bloom and her latest book “Swagger”, I am setting my boys up on the road to failure.

Let me explain. Read More

Before children, I always dreamed that I would be the type of mother who would puree my own organic baby food, speak French and Spanish to each child, ban television from our home and spend every free hour doing educational projects or arts & crafts with my perfect kids.

Fast forward nearly six years and two English-only speaking children who at times consider Dora the best babysitter EVER, I’ve come to grips with the fact that I am no Mary Poppins. Read More