overachievermom

[overachievermom]

12 Hacks to Master Family Life

I want to give you more calm, confidence and clarity by reducing your stress, mom guilt and self criticism through help and inspiration from these 12 Hacks to Master Family Life.

If you struggle with ongoing stress that feels like too much to handle at times, I can relate! I’m Diane Moca, founder of MomSub, the app that delivers affordable, trusted, neighborhood childcare through a community of moms helping moms. I want to give you more calm, confidence and clarity by reducing your stress, mom guilt and self criticism through help and inspiration from others. That’s why…

[overachievermom]

Mom Guilt: Choosing What’s Best For You In Spite Of The Guilt

Mom Guilt is basically feeling bad about the choices we make. Did I chose the wrong career that's not compatible with family life? Did I choose the wrong balance between work and kids? Did I choose to start a business at the wrong time?

I have never met a working mother who said she did NOT feel mom guilt. Whether it’s a small twinge when you give in to a cookie before dinner or a life-changing decision to put your kids in daycare to go back to your career, we’ve all experienced this universal phenomenon that is generally reserved for women. No one asks a man if he’s going to quit his job after he has a child. I felt it the…

[overachievermom]

Time To Stop Seeing My Child As Fragile

I swore that night in the hospital I would change. I would accept her as she was, no matter what. I wouldn't try to put any of my own expectations on her any more. Whenever she made a mistake, I would chalk it up to her learning and not get mad.

My daughter said over the weekend I was treating her like a fragile piece of glass that could fall off and shatter if I say the wrong thing. She says I should be mad at her for the legal trouble she recently got in. Instead, I told her I’m worried about the distress it could cause her. She seemed perplexed and truly bothered that I wasn’t angry and ready to punish her or kick her out of the…

[overachievermom]

What type of mom are you? Helicopter? Lawnmower? Dolphin? Permissive?

Experts say these types of parents have been found to have the most effective parenting style in all sorts of ways: academic, social emotional, and behavioral

I’ve been called a helicopter mom by teachers, coaches, other parents, my kids and myself. I’ve admitted it and even reveled in it at times, because I thought it meant I really cared. It actually meant I was approaching parenting in a way I thought would help my child at the time, without considering how it would impact them later in life or impact me and the rest of my family. I dismissed…

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The Evolution of Friendship I Didn't Expect

The Evolution of Friendship I Didn’t Expect

I woke up to a beautifully perfect day — sunny, 72 degrees, holiday weekend, no responsibilities. This is the kind of day where I will see big gatherings all over town of family and friends laughing and having fun times at picnics in the park, barbecues in the forest preserve, parties in the backyard, and games on the ball field. I’m not invited to any of it. I woke up this morning assessing how…

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Forming a great relationship - with yourself

Forming a great relationship – with yourself

Some people just seem to have a knack for certain things — they find a way to make good money even after they get laid off; they always look slim although they never talk about being on a diet, they regularly hold hands with their spouse even though you’ve seen them fight; they have a house without clutter even when you pop over unexpectedly. These are the people who have a great relationship…

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Confronting A Crisis: When You Don't Know How To Help Your Child

Confronting A Crisis: When You Don’t Know How To Help Your Child

We worry about so many things as moms that we later realize we shouldn’t have worried about, but sometimes we’re hit in the face with something even scarier than we imagined. It’s not easy to accept and share the realities of this, but I believe that clarity is crucial for moms to thrive. Learning about someone else’s situation may provide the kind of clarity that is often lacking during a crisis…

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Financial instability is a life-eating disease we must eliminate

Financial instability is a life-eating disease we must eliminate

Do you worry about paying your bills? Are you financially stable or unstable? They say money can’t buy happiness, but the lack of it sure can pile on overwhelming stress. One of the toughest problems to confront is not being able to pay basic expenses, especially when it is coupled with the uncertainty of not knowing when the situation will improve. It was the hardest challenge I ever faced in my…

[overachievermom]

A Letter To My Future College Graduate

A Letter To My Future College Graduate

You have had a very fortunate academic experience.

Early on, it was clear to your parents that you were smart, and we encouraged you to develop those academic talents. We tried to make learning fun and always encouraged you to be proud of your accomplishments and take on new challenges.

You learn in ways that allow you to excel in a traditional school setting. Reading and math come easy. You do…

[overachievermom]

The never ending journey to reach goals

The never ending journey to reach goals

When I was very young, my goal was to be the smartest one.

When I was a teen, my goal was to be attractive and be seen.

When I was in college, my goal was that diploma as well as the knowledge.

When I graduated and pumped my fist, my goal was to be a professional journalist.

When I moved to LA, my goal was to socialize and party all night and all day.

After writing for papers across the nation,…

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Dealing with Conflicting Emotions During Parenting Transitions

Dealing with Conflicting Emotions During Transitions

It seems odd to embrace a job with an inverse relationship between experience and positive reinforcement: the longer you do it, the more people tell you that you’re bad at it — but that’s exactly what happens for many of us when we are parenting teenagers.

After spending two decades of my life as a parent, I was surprised at how many conflicting emotions swirled around me on the day of my…

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Being Open to the Power of Possibility: Anatomy of an Unlikely Business Deal

Being Open to the Power of Possibility: Anatomy of an Unlikely Business Deal

I never studied business in school or had dreams of being an entrepreneur. My passion has been journalism ever since my first internship in a television newsroom. But I’ve always been open to other opportunities, including business ideas that I didn’t dismiss even though they seemed so distant from my skills and interests.

I first learned about business from Robert Kiyosaki after listening his…

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Living Healthy Is Simple But NOT Easy

Living Healthy Is Simple But NOT Easy

I just read a heated exchange on Facebook over a cartoon showing a long line of people at service window marked “Masks, gloves and vaccines” next to a service window marked “Build your immune system with proper diet, proper exercise, supplementation and rest.” The two sides argued over whether the traditional ways of getting and staying healthy — presumably the second window — could really stave…

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Happiness vs. Achievement: The Cost of "Success"?

Happiness vs. Achievement: The Cost of “Success”?

As I prepare to send out invitations for my daughter’s high school graduation party, I want to take some time to share the lessons of the amazing 20-year journey of parenting that is now moving into a new phase for me. 

For years my daughter planned to become a veterinarian, but now that she has switched gears and decided to study entrepreneurship and business in college, I realize how thankful I…

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Creating habits amid inconsistency or chaos

Creating habits amid inconsistency or chaos

I believe strongly in the power of habit, but I’ve never been very good at creating daily habits because I am not good at establishing and sticking to routines.

As a journalist, I spent years working in a field where every day is different. I always thrived in that environment, and I never worked in a corporate-type situation with consistent days and hours and meetings and schedules. Facing a…

[overachievermom]

How do we find calm in a storm?

How do we find calm in a storm? #anger #calm #argue #getalong #isolatedtogether #familydynamics #lockdown #COVID19Lockdown

As we all spend a lot of time in close quarters with a few select people in our homes — spouse, children, family, roommates — emotions may get the best of us over the next few weeks during the COVID-19 lockdown. Arguments are going to erupt. Tempers are going to flare. Now more than ever is the time for us to be aware of our emotions and how we need to navigate them carefully and not carelessly…

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Working Moms Hit Hard by COVID-19 Closures

The coronavirus pandemic has impacted daily life for nearly every American, but working mothers are facing some especially difficult challenges

Because of the widespread closures due to COVID-19, many women are either losing their income or suddenly working from home — all while their kids are out of school and expected to complete online assignments — something that generally doesn’t happen…