Welcome

Why a blog you say? Well for several reasons. One is that we want to bring all of our clients together to hopefully offer support and share wisdom with one another.

At times it feels as though we are all alone and the only one in the world going through whatever craptastic event is happening. And on the other end of the spectrum, at times life is going exactly as we planned and it would be nice to share how to achieve goals.

The other reason is that some of our clients are local and some of our clients are out of state. We want to hear from all of you. We are in business for you. Please email us if you have a subject you would to talk about.

Happy Blogging! Much Love, XoXo Mama

Eat Pray Love-Book Review by Jolene Stieb

Review by Jolene Stieb Oprah said it was great, Elizabeth herself said it was great, and when I saw the two of them discussing the book for the first time on the Oprah show I, too, thought it was wonderful. After hearing the ladies chatting up the storyline, which is about a woman taking a journey across the world to find her own happiness, I was excited to read the book and have my own epiphany. As luck would have it, a friend of mine lent me a copy. After reading it, I was still waiting for my epiphany. Then I happened to catch the author on Oprah for a second time talking about the book again. This time women in the told their stories of how Eat, Pray, Love led them to life changing moments. That’s when I decided to give the story another chance. This time I decided that although not a lot about Elizabeth’s life story paralleled my own life, maybe there was still something I could exact from the story. Elizabeth’s globe-trotting adventure to self discovery started after she suffered a debilitating divorce. I am happily married so I couldn’t relate. After the divorce Elizabeth spent a year travelling abroad with months spent in three countries. At each stop Elizabeth valiantly lived alone, but began new friendships in every place. Even at second thought, it still wasn’t the personal interactions and life lessons that interested me anymore than a typical fiction novel. I also knew that I wasn’t going to fly across the world to meet my own medicine man. I had to start thinking about the meaning of the story instead of the story itself. After much deliberation I’ve decided that I am, in fact, drawn to the story like everyone else. It finally hit me that it was Elizabeth’s strong relationship that develops with God and spirituality in general that I appreciated. This spiritual fulfillment is what I strive for in life. I pray often and attend church regularly, but because of this book I’ve now tried to extend this idea of self-fulfillment through spirituality and love into all areas of my life. Last year, I lost my job and I felt that I had lost my identity because I had come associate me only with the person who was the general manager. I worked long hours every day and couldn’t go on vacation without checking in on work almost every ten minutes. Suddenly I was without that career identity and felt lost. I am using Elizabeth’s model of daily meditation to take time for myself and to try to clear my mind and allow energy to flow through my body. It is tough doing this, but if Elizabeth can discipline herself to sit through hours of meditation while mosquitoes eat her for dinner, I can take fifteen minutes and connect with something bigger than me. I can work on connecting all aspects of myself and loving myself with or without that particular job. Yes, in way I had an epiphany. For me it’s more like an evolving epiphany, but I do encourage everyone to read Eat, Pray, Love and take a special journey to find out who we are as people and as women.

The Great Debate Lives On by Kara Riccitelli

"The Great Debate" Lives On By Kara Riccitelli I’m what you’d call a “working mom.” But that label has always bothered me. If you’re a mom, isn’t it a given that you’re always “working?” It’s the Great Debate; everyone’s always talking about the merits of being a stay-at-home mom versus a working one. I don’t think anyone can or will ever be able to answer the question of which is better; all I know is my own personal experience, and what has worked out best for me and my family. I have two little girls (ages 2 and 4), one husband, and a house that is too small and is always bordering on messy. When we decided to have a baby, I was a career girl. I had risen through the ranks and been promoted to manager of my department. From the beginning, I knew that my work schedule was going to be a problem. There was no way I could work 45 hours a week, and my husband more than 50, without utilizing some form of child care. Our parents weren’t retired, and we had no one else in our family available to help us out. I couldn’t see the point of working so many hours, being away from my baby, and having my entire paycheck go toward daycare. When we sat down and crunched some numbers, my husband and I decided it would work out better for us if I were to give up my management position and begin working on a part-time basis after the baby was born. It’s a sacrifice and a blessing, working part-time. I sacrifice time with my husband, as we work opposite schedules. However, we don’t have to pay for child care, and our children are always with a family member, which makes us feel much more comfortable. There are so many other couples in the same situation; trying to decide whether to work or stay home. Heather Finsley, of Columbiana, also decided to trade in her full-time position for a part-time one, after the birth of her daughter. She has since had a second daughter, and has worked out a schedule that benefits her family, which includes working on weekends and early in the mornings before her husband needs to be at work. She says there are many benefits to working alternate schedules, such as not having to pay for child care. “My husband gets to spend invaluable time with our daughters that he otherwise wouldn't,” she adds. On the other hand, says Finsley, “It does cut into the time that my husband and I have together, and that can be rough. I only work Monday, Friday and Saturday – I don't think I'd be willing to make that sacrifice five days a week.” And it is a sacrifice – no matter what you decide to do. Most parents will sacrifice time with their kids, if they choose to continue working; or they’ll sacrifice money and possibly time with their spouse, if they don’t. I’m with my girls every day, and am so thankful for the time I get to spend with them: playing, reading, learning, laughing. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Our children are our priority now, and even though continuing to work is a reality for both of us, we’ve now found the perfect balance between work and home.