If you’re a “Mompreneur”, you have to look your best at all times. We have the lash extensions, hair extensions, Spanx, full on make up (not just some cover up… I’m talking primer, shading, blending, the works) and if I can at all manage it, I’d carry around fans and a smoke machine.
So, when Grace Abler asked to follow me around and capture my day and overall real life, I thought to myself, “I don’t know if I could try to look that good every day.” You look at some Mompreneur’s on Instagram and they look amazing just doing their laundry or writing a check. That’s not me. Yes, I meet the Mompreneur criteria: Running my own company, working from home, being a mother of two (after years of dealing with infertility), having a son on the autistic spectrum and regularly finding time to advocate for women’s health, but my life, is at times, insane.
If you’re saying, “Blah, blah, blah. You multitask. Work. Spend time with your kids. I’ve heard this story before. Welcome to working motherhood.” You’re right. I’m no better or worse than any other woman. And being a Mompreneur is more than just looking good. I know this. It’s just that the week Grace took these pictures were filled with more, “What the fuck?” moments than usual. I wish I could have looked a little more “together”.
Let me see if I can give you a quick summation of what was going on the week or two Grace took the pictures you’re seeing in this blog (and Grace can attest to this): I had recently had half my thyroid surgically removed from a thyroid cancer diagnosis when I officially launched Wonder Woman Writing LLC, where I work with and write for almost a dozen or so clients. As I was finalizing the website (the one you’re looking at now), I was also preparing to go to Albany to advocate for a bill that would make surrogacy legal in New York (Bravo’s Andy Cohen would be there too by the way. Super exciting!) Then, my toilet flooded into the rest of the entire house causing damage. This happened to be the exact day I was to attend my oldest son’s CPSE meeting. I did attend… I just did it covered in toilet water.
Bottom line: I ditched the whole “trying to look glamorous thing” and told Grace to come on over and witness the reality. The reality is being a Mompreneur is really effing hard, a lot of long hours, new levels of juggling and at times, quite ugly (although I still think I introduce new levels of “Oh dayum!” in these photos.)
Still, once I saw the photos she took, they truly do capture my life as it is. I can’t say if this will be interesting or boring to you, but it certainly shows a woman, a mom, who is NOT perfect, with no artifice, just trying to multitask, work, be with her kids and pull it all off… with a broken toilet. Maybe some of you will relate. Maybe some will be like, “Jesus. She’s doing it all wrong.” Either which way, I sincerely think years from now, my family and I will look back at these little moments and cherish these pictures. They are like seeds of what amazing things are to come… even without the make-up and Spanx.
And that’s it. Different stages of my day, night, week and life. I hope you enjoyed it or if nothing else, thought to yourself, “Wow. My house is way cleaner than hers.” While nothing is perfect, I’m pulling it all off. Well, mostly.
And I love what I do. While yes, Mompreneur has become a bit of a buzz word, I embrace it. That I’m defined as, “a female business owner who is actively balancing the role of mom and the role of entrepreneur”? What could be better than that? I’m passionate about my work and that makes all the balancing not feel so bad because I deeply care about it all: the kids, the writing, the advocacy and finding new and creative ways to engage clients, people, the public, etc. Being a Mompreneur makes me happy… even if it isn’t always glamorous!
And thank you again to patient, tolerant and talented Grace Abler for these beautiful photos!