first name: Madison

age: 32

current city: Nashville

living situation: I live in a 1960s one-story ranch house in the Nashville suburbs with my husband, Charles, and our two-year-old son, Charlie. We also have two enormous German shepherds who take up lots of bed space.

occupation: Mama, household manager, chef, maid, laundress, dog walker, secretary, chauffeur, wife – and that’s just on weekends and before 9:00 a.m. and after 5:00 p.m. on weekdays! The rest of the time I’m a marketing communications manager for a global risk consulting company. I recently went back to work full-time after working a flex/part-time schedule for about 18 months.

how do you structure your time and space? Going back to work full-time was a hard decision to make but I had to choose between increasing my hourly commitment or leaving altogether, and I have neither the patience nor the creativity to be a stay-at-home mom (my hat’s off to all of them out there!). So life right now is a little crazy. I used to run errands during the week so we could have family time on the weekends, but now we spend at least part of our Saturdays and Sundays going to the grocery store, the cleaners, Target, et cetera.

Another casualty of working full-time is that our home life isn’t quite what I want it to be. I wish our house were tidier. I wish I made the beds every morning. I wish laundry were done (meaning cleaned, folded and put away) in fewer than three days. I wish we all sat down to a home-cooked meal every night at 6:30. So I’ve learned to lower my standards a little bit, while maintaining focus on the things that are most important to us: eating healthily, exercising, having some downtime, reading books, playing, and getting enough sleep. I figure that if the biggest victim of our lifestyle is that my house is a little messier than I like, I can live with that. Hopefully Charlie will remember that we read to him every day, not that a laundry basket routinely sits in the den for days on end. We do have a housekeeper who comes once a week and does the heavy cleaning. And she irons. That’s been a huge lifesaver for our whole family.

In terms of time structure, flexibility is crucial for us. With a young child, creating a morning schedule and evening routine is essential – but so is the ability to break that routine when there’s a tantrum, or someone gets sick, or one of the pups decides to escape. Another critical element is teamwork. My husband (who’s incredibly supportive and helpful) and I tag-team to get everything done. That way, if there’s a wrench thrown into a morning routine that would prevent me from making an early meeting, Charles can take Charlie to school.

Childcare has been an ongoing struggle for us. We had a nanny after Charlie was born, which was wonderful. But it’s an expensive undertaking, especially for one child. She did help keep our house clean, and do the baby laundry, and meet work/repair people in the middle of the day. We definitely took all of that for granted. After a bad experience with her replacement, we put Charlie in a full-time daycare/preschool near my office. It’s had its ups and downs, but overall, it’s been a great experience for him. Plus, it’s about one-third the cost of a nanny. The only downside for me personally is that it’s a 40-minute commute from our home, and that much time in the car with a cranky, hungry toddler can be challenging. That and my car looks like a Goldfish explosion happened.

I’m incredibly jealous of our peers who live near their relatives and thus have access to free, on-demand babysitting. Charles and I would really like to have more date nights, so we’re working on creating a stable list of good sitters. 

using the metaphor of seasons to describe the phases of women’s lives, 

-what are the particular challenges and highlights of your current season? We’re in spring right now. It’s a period of growth, of transformation, of blossoming. We’re watching our toddler turn into a little boy right before our eyes. It’s amazing and humbling. He learns so many new things every day, and we love being there for those discoveries. Spring is also a period of change, and our lifestyle has changed dramatically with my working full-time again. We’re also hoping to have another baby soon – another transformation for our family! Challenges abound for us right now (the terrible twos are in full force in our house), but we try to keep some perspective and remember that this is just a stage that too shall pass.

-What season(s) preceded this one? Fall, which is both a time of new beginnings (school season, football) and endings (leaves turning, warm weather ending). We lost two people very close to us: Charles’s aunt and my great-uncle, who was my quasi-grandfather. It was incredibly sad. But it was also a joyful time of spending time with an unimaginably awesome little boy and a fantastic husband.

-What season(s) might your future hold? Hopefully summer – both literally and figuratively. Pool and popsicles and beach trips – so much fun for all of us! Maybe enjoying our last few months as a 3-person family (summer always comes to an end, right?). 

Favorite family activity/activities: We’re really lucky in that Nashville is a great place for families. We love going to the zoo and riding on the carousel, attending story time at the library, playing at the playground, having picnics at the park, swimming at our awesome Y in the summer, and hiking at Radnor Lake  or Percy Warner Park. Once a week, Charlie and I also do a toddler music program called “the music playhouse,” and a gymnastics class.

favorite solo activities: Reading is my lifeblood; I’d be lost without it. I also love crossword puzzles, cooking, writing, swimming, hiking, and movies. I’ll also cop to really loving TV. Writing all this makes me wish I had more time for myself!  

name: Martha Young

age: 66

current city: Memphis

living situation: My dog, Sawyer, my cat, Kitty, and I are the current occupants of our home. Emily, my soon-to-be twenty-year-old daughter will be in and out for the summer. She is a junior at Mississippi State in Starkville. I have a total of three children. Emily’s brothers are Chris (42), who lives in Manhattan Beach, CA, and Roger (40), who resides in St. Petersburg, FL. I am thrilled to have six grandchildren, ranging from ages eight to eleven months. I am a  single mom and grandmother. When my boys were little, the dad was in the house. He was not a “hands on dad.”

occupation: I am a first grade teacher. I love first graders. When they start losing their teeth, they are just about at the best age there is. The  toothless smile of a first grader is a thing of beauty. They love their moms, dads, teachers, and pets. They are potty trained and will not have to be taught to drive for years. You generally know where they are at all times, which is a good thing. They still love to hear a good story, and can usually tell one. They are so ready to learn and share. When they grow up and leave home, it’s not the teenager you miss, it’s the first grader.   

how do you structure your time and space? To say that I structure my time might be a stretch. If you have read about Jill (my daughter-in-law), a previously featured “mother of invention,” you read about structure. That is called the gene pool trying to correct itself. The main structure in my life is comes from my job, teaching first grade. You might say that I am structured on a first grade level. We have a schedule to follow in school, and I try to stick to it. We work in the mornings in a structured format, and do our less structured activities in the afternoon. It’s like eating your vegetables before dessert. On weekends I tend to work the same way. I go running early, do my chores, and do the really fun stuff in the afternoon.

My schedule has definitely changed since my children were launched. I used to wonder how moms with three children took all their children where they needed to go. Two, even back then, was difficult. That’s why God, in his infinite wisdom, gave me three children, but not all in the house at the same time. The older two were in, and just out of college when Emily was born. As a matter of fact, I missed Chris’s college graduation because Emily was due that day.

Since I no longer have to drive someone to a sports event in the afternoons or prepare a meal, I am able to jog in the afternoons after school, if time permits. While children were at home, I ran early before school, many days. I found that if I didn’t run early, something would come up to prevent it from happening. Now I run after school and do very little in the way of homemaking in the evening. I save all the chores for Saturday. That is a euphemism for not doing anything at night. After teaching and running, I am ready to do nothing but read, relax, and watch TV. And, especially after the time changes in the spring, I have found that if I don’t go to bed right after dark, I am behind schedule for the next day and tired. (I have to get my jabs in against daylight savings time.) 

My grandchildren all live elsewhere, so I am always on vacation when I am with them. That makes holidays really special.

martha with daughter, emily, and twin granddaughters

using the metaphor of seasons to describe the phases of women’s lives, what are the particular challenges and highlights of your current season? What season(s) preceded this one? What season(s) might your future hold? Well, I guess I am in fall. I think I had an extra long summer, having the twenty year gap between children. I would like for fall to last forever and not ever go into winter. That is my plan. The challenges of being in fall are that I like summer activities best. I love being on this earth and don’t ever want to leave it. I like being outside and being physically active.

Favorite family activity/activities: My favorite large-group family activity is being with them at the beach. Our week in Destin, FL is my favorite of the entire year.

When Emily and I were the immediate family occupying the home, we painted everything we touched. I don’t think that there is a square inch of this house that has not been painted. We even painted a mural in our garage. On December 21, or the winter solstice, the sun hits the big red sun on the east wall and lights up the garage with an aura of red. We call it the “miracle in the garage”.

favorite solo activities: I love to run. I imagine stories while I run, such as spending lottery money. I especially like long distances. I also continue to paint. On our recent snow days, I painted three pieces of furniture white. The ceilings have never been done but that will be so boring.

sources of inspiration: the Sunday services at Idlewild Presbyterian Church;  being outside in the late afternoon; watching the street lights turn on in the early evening

best MakeShift moment: My MakeShift moment would have to be an incident involving a jogging stroller and a garage sale when Emily and I were living  in Miami. When Emily was a baby, I had no one to watch her when I ran. I was ecstatic when she was old enough to ride in the running stroller, which was my prized possession. I got the stroller out during our garage sale so that Emily would have a place to sit, but much to my dismay, a neighbor sat in it and rendered it unrideable. I went into a panic, shut down the sale at 9:30 a.m.,  and told people it was over. (This was not a popular thing to do since I was selling many of  my ex-husband’s things at a very good price!) I packed Emily in the car and drove straight to the local running store. Mastercard enabled me to purchase the $300.00 model already assembled.

Jogging with Emily in the stroller was always its own MakeShift moment. To keep her happily engaged, I let her spread containers of baby powder through the streets of  Miami on more than one jog.

 [if you know someone who would make a good “mothers of invention” feature, check out the nomination process details on the sidebar to your right.]

first name: Selena

age: 39

current city: Memphis area

living situation: I live with my husband, Paul, and my two sons, ages two and a half and four and a half.

occupation: I juggle a few projects to keep things interesting, but not a full-fledged “occupation.” I’m taking time to enjoy my boys while they’re young. 

For the past three years, I’ve been volunteering on the Board of Directors for COMEC (The Commission on Missing & Exploited Children), the organization that issues Amber Alerts for the region and provides child safety programs and counseling for at-risk kids. Before motherhood, I was an event planner, caterer, and food service director, so I use my skills to plan fundraisers for COMEC. Our next event, the 4th Annual COMEC Treasure Hunt at the Pink Palace, is on Sunday, June 6th from 1-5. It’s the best pirate theme party in town and such a fun family-friendly event! Check out our COMEC Treasure Hunt Facebook event page or website, www.comec.org.

Swashbucking fun at the 2008 COMEC Treasure Hunt

Recently, I started selling sponsorship ads for my friend Tran’s new TV show, Traveling with Tots, which airs on ABC 24 on June 26th at 6:30 a.m. I love that her production company is called Grumpy Pants Productions! It’s marketed to parents with young children, and such a great show!

I also help administer a group called Moms of the Midsouth. Groups like this are SO important! I joined when my first son was three months old and I was new to the area and had no family in town. This wonderful group of women gave me the support I needed to find myself as a mother. I’ve made some very dear friends and enjoyed playgroups and “moms’ night out” events. I’m also a member of the meetup.com “Moms N Munchkins” group. Networking with other moms has been my lifeline! I adore my two book club groups with these women, since we need to make sure we can actually have some discussions that involve topics other than babies, childbirth and potty training.  

how do you structure your time and space? I’ve never been good at organizing my projects. If there’s a way to feel on top of everything and be the superwoman of paperwork, it eludes me! I consider it a huge step that I now have a small accordion folder to trap the donation request letters, event fliers and project papers I’m working with. I carry it around with me, and make calls when I have time. We’re always on the go, and busy ourselves with play dates, trips to the zoo, Kindermusik, and activities. I make my best phone calls in the parking lot of the preschool waiting to pick up my older son, while my little one sleeps in the van. Having a home office doesn’t work for me. When I need to tackle really important tasks, I depend on my friends. We’ve worked out a “swap sitting” plan where we depend on one another when we have appointments or just need a few hours to ourselves.  

using the metaphor of seasons to describe the phases of women’s lives, 

-what are the particular challenges and highlights of your current season? I’m in the springtime of motherhood. My boys are young and are constantly surprising me with silly observations and amazing me with things they’re learning (and teaching me!). I enjoy the new projects I’m working on and everything is fresh and blooming! 

-What season(s) preceded this one? I feel like we hibernated during a very long winter. I had my little ones close together, and there was a long period where I was the momma bear, cuddling up with my babies in a cave, nursing them and protecting them from the cold. Now they’re young boys, full of energy, wanting to run around in the sun! I am constantly chasing them, wondering how to keep up, and watching them grow at warp speed.

-What season(s) might your future hold? I love working with COMEC, and I enjoy making a difference in such a small organization. I plan to get my master’s degree and officially find my way back into the workforce when the kids are both in school. I’d love to figure out what I want to be “when I grow up” to fill out the rest of the seasons. 

Favorite family activity/activities: My husband and I love those weekends where we have no obligations or plans, and we can goof off and play with the kids, do small projects around the house, and just relax. The best times are those spent outside while the kids play at home, riding their bikes, playing in the sand, or running through the sprinkler. I spent Mother’s Day in my backyard playing with a toy golf set, teaching the kids how to hit the ball, and taking cute pics as they ran around the trees and picked leaves for me as gifts. All the while, my husband grilled steaks! It doesn’t get any better than that!

favorite solo activities: I love reading and catching up with friends on the computer, and I’m a sucker for playing word games with my friends on Facebook. I’m a word nerd! I also spend lots of time editing pics and making little movies of my kids on my new Flip camera.   

name: Ericka Clay

age: 25 

current city: Corpus Christi, TX

living situation: I live with my husband, Matt, my eleven-month-old daughter, Ava, and our two pups Rocco and Roxie. The former eats pacifiers, the latter eats everything else.

occupation: Writer. I’m self-employed, by which I mean that I’m always trying  to get myself into writing gear, but so far, the third novel is only fractionally complete and getting dusty somewhere in my hard drive. 

how do you structure your time and space? Ha ha, structure? Actually, I am fortunate enough to have structured a somewhat reasonable environment for myself and my family. I write from home and watch our daughter during the day, which is extremely helpful. My parents also live close by, so free babysitting is definitely appreciated. And a lot of our recreational events are family-centered. I belong to a moms’ group that hosts get-togethers during the day and family functions on the weekends so we all get to spend a lot of time together as a family unit. For that, we’re grateful.

using the metaphor of seasons to describe the phases of women’s lives, 

-what are the particular challenges and highlights of your current season? Currently, we’re in what I’d consider “spring time.” Everything is new and blooming, and although it’s beautiful, it’s a lot to take in! My husband and I are still learning to be good parents and are continuously realizing that we don’t have the same luxury of time that we used to. Funny how we have the desire and ambition to do everything in the world now that Ava’s here!  

-What season(s) preceded this one? Winter. I know this is never PC to talk about (though fortunately people are more accepting nowadays) but I’ve suffered from depression since I was sixteen. Right before I found out that I was pregnant was one of the hardest times in my life. I was extremely insecure and self-loathing even though my husband was always by my side. I think becoming pregnant and giving birth changed something in me and made me realize that the future holds possibilities. I fully embraced this opportunity to be hopeful. 

-What season(s) might your future hold? I don’t imagine life will always be so sunny, and I’m okay with this notion. I’m more willing and equipped to deal with life’s roller coaster. I know that no matter what confronts me in the future, I’ll survive it as long as I have my family. 

Favorite family activity/activities: We live right down the road from the beach, so we love beach days together. We also go to my parents’ house and have family nights complete with dinner, dessert and turns on the Wii. And taking Ava to the aquarium is so much fun. Now that she’s older, she’s starting to really process what’s going on around her, and it’s an incredible feeling to view the world through her eyes.

favorite solo activities: Writing. It’s not like breathing for me, it IS breathing. To me, everything I believe always looks better on paper. I also enjoy reading and try to squeeze that in when possible. My perfect day (or my perfect non-Ava day) is spending a little time in a coffee shop, working on my novel, and reading a good book.   

name: Kristin Coons 

age: 40 

current city: Manhattan Beach, CA 

living situation: Boys surround me in my home! I have three sons, ages four, seven, and eight; my husband, Brad; and a male guinea pig named Rolo. We live in a relaxed beach town, which is a perfect balance for a high-strung gal like me!

occupation: Creator of My Own Little Story, an online baby book that reminds busy parents to record their children’s milestones. I also blog for fun at www.TheInspiredMom.com. 

how do you structure your time and space? In order to maximize my days, I pull out a calendar and literally schedule out my days in advance. I know this sounds robotic, but it really helps me feel organized. On my calendar, I can pencil in activities that absolutely MUST get done. I highlight blocks of free time, which I use to exercise, read, or help in my kids’ classrooms.  

My workspace is less organized than my time. I work from home, and my desk is covered with piles of paper and book samples for my new business. I don’t have much extra space for storage and filing, so I keep everything piled on my desk! 

using the metaphor of seasons to describe the phases of women’s lives, 

-what are the particular challenges and highlights of your current season? I am in the “season of rediscovery.” In the last year I have gotten back in touch with my courageous, adventuresome, focused self. Finding time to do this has been the main challenge of this season. It is crazy how busy I have been with raising children, running a household, and trying to get this new business launched. The idea of taking the time to go river-rafting or ride my bike 40 miles, or learn how to “ocean swim” has seemed selfish and impossible in the past. But in my rediscovery season, I have made time for those things. Therefore, on some weeks, we eat out more often, or the breakfast dishes sit in the sink all day, but I am willing to make the trade so I can get back to doing the things that I used to enjoy so much before I became a mom. 

-What season(s) preceded this one? My last season was the “season of selflessness.”  Having three babies in the course of five years required years of giving without asking for much in return. I loved every minute of it but realized that if I continued along that path, someday I might become bitter! In my selfless season, I woke up with babies all night long, hosted play dates, and took the kids to parks, museums, and baby classes. I rarely took the time to blow-dry my hair or put on make-up. I made dinner for friends when they were sick or had a new baby. Those days are over for me now that the kids are getting older and spend most of their days in school. 

-What season(s) might your future hold? I hope that my future season has something to do with managing success! After spending three years building www.MyOwnLittleStory.com, I am looking forward to seeing it grow and become prosperous. When I was a new mom with two babies at home I would never have imagined that I would be in the role of an entrepreneur one day. Amazing how life happens. 

Favorite family activity/activities: Living in Southern California with three boys definitely lends itself to outdoor activities. As a family, we love to ride bikes and play (backyard) dodge ball and tennis. 

favorite solo activities: I love Bikram Yoga. I also like to swim, bike, and run when I have a free minute.  

first name: Tran

age: Very close to 40 

occupation: 

• I have over 15 years of tv news experience. I left a position as anchor/reporter at ABC 24/UPN 30 when my first child was eight months old.
• Freelance television host and producer, currently hosting and co-producing a tv show titled “Traveling with Tots,” set to debut on ABC 24 on June 26 at 6:30 a.m.
• Contributing writer, Family Fun Spots Magazine, “The Go To Mom”

tran shooting a commercial for hormel foods while her kids watch from the stairs.

how do you structure your time and space? The freelance business is very unpredictable. Some weeks are jammed packed with jobs — writing columns or stories, hosting a tv commercial, producing a web video, field producing for a major network, or being interviewed for a story. Some weeks are completely open. I am grateful that my husband is able to provide for us and afford me this opportunity to have quality time with my little ones and still pursue my professional goals. After working crazy hours in the tv news business for more than 15 years, I can fully appreciate this freedom and flexibility and try not to take it for granted.

I’m very much an organizer so I have tons of “to-do” lists, and I carry my paper calendar (not i-phone or Blackberry) with me everywhere. Everything goes in that calendar (play dates, trips, dinner dates, and the planning steps needed for each). I considered getting one for each family member but decided against it because I didn’t want to have to keep up with all of them. I pack, prepare, and lay out everything we need the night before. Since I consider my five-year-old son to be bright and capable, I made him responsible for getting himself ready for school every morning. I put a clothing organizer in his closet and wrote in the days of the week on it so he can dress himself in the mornings, no questions asked. I love, love it! What a time saver for me in the mornings.

I’m finally in a good place with child care. My son goes to school everyday, my daughter, twice a week. I have two great babysitters we trust and adore. I also love using Kid Station, the drop-in child care facility in East Memphis. It was rough with child care in the beginning. I  was always stressed out and scrambling at the last minute to find someone.

It definitely wasn’t easy trying to juggle it all at first. Until a year ago I was also chairing non-profit and networking boards, organizing fundraisers and attending a ton of events. It was a bit overwhelming at times, but eventually I learned to say no and prioritize. I was taking my babies with me to many of these meetings, events, and even freelance jobs. It was time to cut back. I started giving more quality time to friends and family, teaching my children to be more self-sufficient, and choosing to do things that truly give me joy.

using the metaphor of seasons to describe the phases of women’s lives,

-what are the particular challenges and highlights of your current season? Now that my babies are five and two, I feel a little more organized and more rested. We have fun together and even work well together. They are big helpers. It’s so cool to see them growing and changing so much, however, it’s also really tough for me to see my babies become a “big girl” and a “big boy.”

-What season(s) preceded this one? The previous season was a bit stressful. I felt I had to do it all — work, lead, take care of my babies, be involved in the community, socialize, network, et cetera. I thought I had to be Wonder Woman and Supermom.

-What season(s) might your future hold? As my children are spending more time away from me at school, I am spending more time pursuing my other passion — creating a television program for families. “Traveling with Tots” has been in the works for a year and a half now. My partners (who are also parents) and I are ready to take the next step. We don’t know what the future holds, but we are grateful that we have had the opportunity to do this while maintaining quality time with our families.

Favorite family activity/activities: I love doing anything that involves all four members of our family. It’s so great experiencing things together, whether it’s a meal at the dinner table, a play date at the park, or an out of town trip (my favorite was to see the shuttle launch last summer). Even simple things like playing in the backyard together makes me so happy. The kids don’t care what we’re doing, they just like being with their mommy and daddy. 

tran and family enjoy a late-night shuttle launch.

favorite solo activities: When I get some time to myself, even if it’s just for an hour, I just want to sit in front of the tv and watch mindless shows, read magazines at a book store, or surf the net and actually take time to read blogs or stories. I just want to be comfortable and not feel rushed.

sources of inspiration: I draw strength from my husband, Scott. He is such a kind, giving, and thoughtful person. He grounds me, lifts me up and gives me wings.

When I am feeling sorry for myself, I think of my parents. They fled Vietnam with three toddlers during the Fall of Saigon in 1975. They escaped by boat to the United States and started their lives all over with nothing. I will never, ever know what it was like to feel that kind of fear, sadness, hope, relief and freedom. They are remarkable people and I am eternally grateful to them for the life they have given my siblings and me.

best MakeShift moment: I do most of my work at home on the computer so I often send the kids to their playroom and let them do whatever they want — as long as they stay in there. I’ve even put down a big beach towel and packed a picnic so I don’t have to stop and make lunch. They love it!

Rather than buying expensive or ordinary artwork for my son’s bedroom, I bought a blank canvas and some paint at an art supply store and let him create his artwork. His face lit up when I told him what he was going to do, and he was so excited to see it hanging p in his room above his bed.

Toys, movies and coloring books will only keep my kids preoccupied for so long on trips. I like to turn off the radio and spend some time talking with them. I let them make up travel games, we sing songs and I like to play reporter and interview them by asking them lots questions like, “If you could have one superpower, which one would it be?” or “What’s your favorite thing to do at the beach?” This may sound silly, but I feel like I’m actually getting to know them better.

[if you know someone who would make a good “mothers of invention” feature, check out the nomination process details on the sidebar to your right.]

first name: Beth

age: 31

occupation: By vocation I am a mom and outdoor educator. These days I am a mom (full-time at home) and the youth program director for an Episcopal Diocese (part-time at home). I just finished my first book, and I’ll be teaching my first college class in the fall. (These last 2 things I do because I love them, not because I have the time.)

how do you structure your time and space? In regards to space, thankfully our new-to-us home has an extra bedroom that serves as the office/craft/library “quick – close the door, company is here!” space. This room has revolutionized my work life because I can start something and finish it later without needing to pick it up. I keep quiet toys in Eliot’s room and the louder ones in the living room. As is true with many toddlers, no matter how many toys we have (too many, thanks to the generosity of all sorts of people), his favorites will always be the broom, mop, my knitting tape measure and the blower-upper thing that came with my (underutilized) exercise ball.

As for the way I structure my time, a couple months ago, Eliot started sleeping past 6:00 a.m. on a regular-ish basis. Since this sleep change, I’ve been setting my alarm in a (not always realized) attempt to wake before him for a little yoga, e-mail check-in, to-do list overview, and, when I’m lucky, reading or knitting. Otherwise, my day revolves around his schedule which is dictated by me but must not push past his need to sleep or be crazy. I try not to work when Eliot’s awake but he loves “helping” with housework and cooking. I believe in adventures to pass the time (the park, walks, zoo outings, grocery shopping, working in the garden).

Most of my work gets done while Eliot sleeps in the afternoon.  Thursday mornings he goes to a Mother’s Morning Out program (which is almost done for the summer – yikes!), and Tuesday mornings my husband takes him to the park or somewhere just as fun. It’s impressive how much work I can get done in an uninterrupted three hour period. Since Mitch’s schedule is flexible (he’s a priest at a small church), when I need a day to finish a project he usually can accommodate this need.

I have always been a morning person and I envy all those who can work late into the night. My evenings are usually reserved for a sit-down family dinner, Eliot’s bedtime routine (Mitch and I swap dinner clean-up for bath/play/bed) and knitting or sewing. Most nights my day ends with The Daily Show.

using the metaphor of seasons to describe the phases of women’s lives,

-what are the particular challenges and highlights of your current season? It’s almost time for summer camp. Directing the camp is the most consuming part of my youth program director job. I have to work more and be more creative and disciplined with my time. One blessing of my job is that Eliot is always welcome – to meetings, events and the office (when I go). Naturally then, he is at camp with me, which makes life both easier and harder. Of course it’s also late spring and I can still tolerate the heat (you can take the girl out of the northeast …) so Eliot and I go on lots of adventures whenever we can!

Mitch and I moved to our current town only a couple months ago. This move has been wonderful and rewarding on so many levels. Our new space and community bring so many highlights to an otherwise challenging season. It’s hard to get overwhelmed when good distractions abound.

-What season(s) preceded this one? The season preceding this one was easily the most challenging of my life. We left a wonderful, loving seminary community when I was eight months pregnant. Our new home came with a new baby, new jobs (for me, motherhood), new culture and no grandparents. Needless to say, we have learned a lot!

One of the things I’ve learned (and continue to work on) is that I often (always) set the bar way higher than is possible for me to reach and therefore am regularly disappointed. I’ve been working on replacing “should” (I should do x, y and z … all perfectly) with “need to” or “want to” – this is part of why my current season is so comfortable.

-What season(s) might your future hold? I’m not sure what’s coming next. We like where we live (the town and our home). We’re managing our money better than ever before, paying off debt, and can finally start to see the end of that tunnel. We’d like more kids one day. I want to teach more and write more and craft more. Way down the road we hope to move back to the northeast but we aren’t feeling particularly antsy about anything these days (a delightful feeling, for sure).

favorite family activity/activities: going to the park, the zoo, our community garden, or anywhere else we can think of that gets us outside; playing ball of all varieties; disc golf; cooking/baking; reading

 favorite solo activities: knitting, sewing, reading, yoga, hiking/backpacking

sources of inspiration: My mom has always worked from a home office (she’s an accountant), and when I get really frazzled, she is always there. She’s there when I’m not frazzled, too! We talk usually once a day via phone, IM, or Skype, which allows her to see Eliot’s current state of crazy. My friends all provide inspiration in their own way: friends who have clergy spouses, multiple kids, creative output, or a love of the outdoors.

best MakeShift moment: Ever since Eliot was tiny, my shower time has been the easiest part of the day (and he was a hard baby). At each new stage I come up with creative things for him to play with in the bathroom – the bouncy chair when he was tiny and a blanket and some books to chew on when he was little. A Mr. Potato Head version of Elmo currently resides in one of the vanity drawers. He’s always loved books so that’ll get me a little time but lately he’s at the water stage: filling, pouring, washing. For the most part the water even stays in the sink! Like most mothers, I can tell what is happening most anywhere in the house just by listening. When all I need to listen for is on the other side of a curtain, I can be pretty sure what he’s doing and when.

find beth on the web:

• blog: http://weteyelashes.wordpress.com
• book/curriculum: To Serve and Guard the Earth: God’s Creation Story and Our Environmental Concern http://www.churchpublishing.org/products/index.cfm?fuseaction=productDetail&productID=8465#

“in the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer. –albert camus”

name: Annie Price

age: 34

occupation: Small Business Developer, Artist

how do you structure your time and space? There are two windows of time on most days in which I am full-on mom, generally from  8:30 to 1:00 and 4:30 to 8:30. During this time we try to strike a balance between activities out of the home that involve interaction with others and the natural world, and time together creating, playing, discovering, and loving. Then, during nap times, evening times, one scheduled morning a week, and other random times that my daughter is in another’s care, I am oscillating between giving energy to my own artistic creations, the part-time work that I love as a small business developer at a local microenterprise development non-profit, my commitment to developing my own yoga practice, and time-honoring the adult relationships that I hold dear. 

There are certainly many days when I am filled with a sense of gratitude and abundance and feel like I have a good handle on all that swirls around me. And then there are the days when I feel utterly overwhelmed and paralyzed with exhaustion, and I opt to spend my daughter’s nap time curled up in bed regaining my own strength for the next shift of parenting a toddler. I am indebted to the precious loved-ones in my life who see the wonder and grace that lies within my daughter and are willing to step in and give me space and time to reconnect with myself. This time is essential to me. I have had to face my guilt about wanting, craving, and needing time to myself. It took my husband and me over four years to conceive our child, and now here I am demanding time away from this precious being? But I have discovered that I cannot be the mother-wife-friend-colleague-creator that I pride myself on being if I do not seek solace for myself, and I am finally confident in verbalizing that.

using the metaphor of seasons to describe the phases of women’s lives,

-what are the particular challenges and highlights of your current season? I am currently feeling the bounty of spring more than usual. We live in a cabin in the woods, and each day in my time outdoors I try to take note of what is coming up around me and then connect it to what is coming up within myself. I still feel like I am emotionally residing in early days of spring; I am not ready for the full-on explosion of summer. I am still feeling protective and am nurturing my own tender shoots. 

-What season(s) preceded this one? It was the darkest, roughest, longest winter I can recall, on many levels. I became extremely ill with meningitis at the end of last fall and spent a little over two months recovering. We had to call in reinforcements to help with our daughter and day-to-day tasks, and this was very humbling for me. I had to surrender to the mess and chaos around me and simply rest; this was incredibly hard for me. I remember lying on my front porch swing one winter afternoon in my sleeping bag, and I just stared at the trees and their naked branches for an hour. I felt so emotionally connected to them and how exposed and still they were. I listened to them as they whispered to be patient and that spring would inevitably come for all of us, and that my only responsibility at that time was to be quiet and patient. They were right. 

-What season(s) might your future hold? I am awaiting summer, though I am not fully ready for it. Truth be told, I feel like I have been emotionally awaiting a full summer for years. I always cling to spring and anxiously await the coming of fall. I am curious what this means for me metaphorically. When am I going to feel ready to come into full bloom? I am looking forward to really embracing “summer” again one day and entering into that realm of discovery, play, laughter, spontaneity, fearlessness, and a little more personal and professional risk-taking.

favorite family activity/activities: creek stomping and outdoor exploring, snuggling, baking together, and dancing either in the living room or at local live music events.   

favorite solo activities: yoga; escaping to my favorite little hiding places in town- antique shops, bookstores, coffee shops; going out to breakfast with a book, magazine, or journal in hand; road trips!

sources of inspiration: the changing of seasons and the endless beauty found in nature; the little details of my daughter- her hands, expressions, or the way she looks from the back as she runs down a path; the pages of unique home décor coffee table books; fabulous finds at vintage and thrift shops; my soul sister girlfriends; my family; countless musicians and artists who are pouring their souls into their craft with little financial reward; and a long list of women authors. 

best MakeShift moment: Oh gracious. MakeShift moments are the modus operandi around here. One example is that last Christmas, we didn’t feel like our daughter needed a lot of stuff. I decided to simply turn a huge cardboard box into a play space for her, and we filled it with Christmas lights, cut out windows, et cetera, and gave her a bunch of art supplies that she could use to color the walls and such. She also received a baby doll for Christmas from her grandparents, and she took it into her little cardboard house and stayed in there for hours pampering her baby, singing to her, loving her, and acting out all of the things we have done while raising her. It was so moving. I just sat there and cried. When it was raining the other day I cleaned out a section of her closet and put a little mattress in there, along with more lights and pictures on the walls and she spent hours in there in make-believe land. Creating these little spaces gives her a small, sweet place of her own and gives me an opportunity to pour myself a glass of wine and sit back and relax.

 I have also learned that saying “no” to everything is no fun for anyone, so I have started giving in to some of the ongoing requests like letting my daughter play in the driver’s seat of the car  (she could do that for hours), making a big ole mess while letting her help me cook, or dumping out all of my jewelry and tangling it up in make-believe play. I will miss these days and their sweet mess. I know this.

[if you know someone who would make a good “mothers of invention” feature for this blog, please check out the nomination process detailed in the sidebar pages to your right.]

first name: Jackie

age: 32

occupation: stay at home mom

how do you structure your time and space? I have fallen into a schedule over the past six months that balances the daily chores of life and home with raising a toddler. I am lucky to have my in-laws nearby. They watch my daughter one day a week; my next door neighbor has watched my daughter (for free!) on Friday afternoons since she was three months old. On my “days off,” I try and do things for myself such as swimming, shopping, or larger errands that a 20-month-old wouldn’t enjoy.

When my daughter was about six months old, my husband started a “Meetup” playgroup for me. This group has become a weekly activity that I really cherish. The women are amazing and diverse, and meeting once a week helps us stay in touch with one another and vent our personal and kid issues, all while our kids are interacting. We rotate between each others’ houses and a park, museum, et cetera.

My husband and I have found that my staying at home significantly counterbalances the demands and stress of his work life. We are free to have fun on the weekends and focus on each other, which works wonderfully for our family.

using the metaphor of seasons to describe the phases of women’s lives,

-what are the particular challenges and highlights of your current season? Being at home allows me to focus fully and completely on my daughter and her growth and development. It also gives me the freedom to travel and see my parents a couple of states away without worrying about vacation time. Given the stressful and unpredictable environment of my former job, I know that I could not have been a success managing work demands while being a mom. In making this choice, I said goodbye to ten years of hard work and the satisfaction of being a recognized expert at a large company.

-What season(s) preceded this one? My husband and I had begun to travel extensively overseas, something I enjoyed immensely. The excitement of discovering new places and cultures was like nothing I had experienced before.

-What season(s) might your future hold? In the next year or so, we will most likely expand our family, so I am looking forward to welcoming a new life into the world. I look forward to taking time to read, exercise and get involved in community activities in the future. I am looking forward to what’s coming – there are so few surprises and true eye-opening moments once we are adults!!

favorite family activity/activities: We love heading to Clemyjontri Park  early on a weekend day. The park is amazing. Rubberized matting allows for padded falls, and the equipment allows anyone to play. My daughter is enamored with horses at the moment, so HER favorite adventure is riding the carousel, or as she would say, the “neighs.”

favorite solo activities: swimming, walking, yoga, reading, crossword puzzles

sources of inspiration: “real” people, my 90 and 96 year old grandmothers, and other moms – this is the toughest yet most rewarding job in the world.

best MakeShift moment: It is a sad one, but one that stands out. We recently said goodbye to our cat, Alexander. In one short hour, we went from having him here at home with us, to giving him our last rubs. It was sudden and unexpected, but I managed to make that terrible decision over the phone with my husband, cry, chase a 15-month-old around PetSmart, maneuver snack time, and say goodbye. In my mind, it was a “life keeps moving forward” moment at its best.

[if you know someone who would make a good “mothers of invention” feature, check out the questionnaire and nomination process located on the sidebar to your right.]

as seen in shape and redbook magazines…

first name: Jenny Newcomer

age: 34

occupation: Founder of LobotoME.com {goods to keep ME sane}

how do you structure your time and space? Both my husband and I work from home. My daughter is in kindergarten and my son, who is 18 months, is home with us. We both feel it is important to be around as much as possible for our kids (breakfast together in the mornings, time together after school, et cetera). I generally work out and get a jump start on my to do list early in the morning (5:00) before the kids are awake and bust out as much work as possible while my son naps during the day. My computer is turned off when my daughter gets home from school. Occasionally, I will work late into the night after the kids are in bed. I aim to have my days filled with 25 percent work and 75 percent mommy time.

using the metaphor of seasons to describe the phases of women’s lives,

-what are the particular challenges and highlights of your current season? I love the spring (so glad winter is over and the snow has melted). I love getting back out more, not hibernating as much, working out more (running more outside), starting seeds for the garden, et cetera.  Spring is a time of fresh starts and new beginnings.

-What season(s) preceded this one? Winter. I love the holidays but it is the busiest time of year for my business. Holiday sales and sales driven by New Year’s resolutions to get organized make winter a manic time of year.

-What season(s) might your future hold? Summer fun is in our future! Summers are my husband’s busiest time with his event production company, so I generally try to give him the time and space to focus on work. The kids and I spend the summer in our pond or at the pool and digging in our garden.

favorite family activity/activities: hiking, rafting, camping, gardening and traveling.

favorite solo activities: running, yoga, reading

sources of inspiration: There are too many to name. I am inspired by my parents in particular, but I am drawn to creative moms who are following their passions while at the same time making sure they are having fun with their kids. I am inspired by families who are adventurous in their travels and live simply at home. I’m also drawn to people who are trying (despite the uphill battles) to get people to be healthy and fit. I am in love with Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution. I find tons of inspiration on blogs (my current favorites are listed on my blog at http://www.LobotoMEblog.blogspot.com)

best MakeShift moment: Goodness, I think every day as a mom is a makeshift moment,  isn’t it? I can tell you that on particularly busy shipping weeks in the warehouse, I will build rocket ships and other shapes out of  recycled cardboard boxes for the kids to play in while I work. Markers + cardboard = endless entertainment.

find Jenny on the web:

• shop:  http://www.LobotoME.com  : eco-friendly organizational products
•  read:  http://www.LobotoMEblog.blogspot.com
• tweet:  http://www.twitter.com/LobotoME