I Had Plenty of Reasons Not To Do It
Let me introduce myself. My name is Ally and I’m an immigrant. I moved to the US about 8 years ago and my mother tongue is not English, (guess what it is… the answer is at the end of this post). Even though my language of birth is different, I decided to write books and become a published author, and my choice was to do all that in English. The decision to do so wasn’t easy for me, and nor was it rational. I had any number of excuses at the ready giving me reasons not to write. In fact, let me be more specific at this point; I actually heard voices (not those kind of voices, don’t worry!) running through my mind. All giving me these kinds of messages: “It’s not your first language, there’s no way you will succeedâ€; “who do you think you are?â€; “why bother trying?†etc. I’m sure that you too, have probably heard those ‘voices’ at least once in your life. Think of them as though someone else has implanted them into your brain (the ‘voice’ could be that of a parent or teacher,) and they are now ‘burned’ onto your hard-disk. These long-held beliefs may be hard to erase, but they’re not impossible. Okay, long story short time: When I eventually managed to listen to my true inner voice, (instead of the other voices which were telling me it was impossible,) it vehemently told me to write a book and publish it on Amazon. And when that happened, I didn’t question it. And my inspiration was sitting right there in front of me – my children. I won’t get into the technical details of what I went through in producing the book, finding an illustrator and editor etc. But I will tell you one thing: It scared the hell out of me. I was doing something that was 100 miles away from my comfort zone, which necessitated me to put my thinking out there, and make myself available for others to judge. Can you imagine anything scarier? What I did is to take a few small steps each and every day. It was easier for me to deal with the fear when it was in small doses. I made a list of things I needed to do: write two pages a day, read the story to my children and ask for their...
Read MoreBetter Way Body Journey – Update!
Our Chief Technology Mom has an update on her Better Way Body Journey. Her video update is posted below, so you can check it out! Hint: exercise is really turning out to make a huge difference for Michelle. We love this. Not only does it help her feel better, it keeps her on track. But she’ll tell you more about that below. We want to take a second and really thank the amazing folks over at Gigabody for giving Michelle the chance to try out their new site! We are so proud of Michelle for her hard work, her dedication…and most of all, her success. And seriously, how awesome is her new hair cut? Love! As always, if you enjoy the video, please make sure to share it! We know lots of people out there are working to find their Better Way Bodies, too. Michelle is here to...
Read MoreGrit and Integrity
Several years ago, when I was living by myself in Manhattan (side note: Some of the best years of my life! Young women, please make sure you spend some time living by yourself. It’s so important to get to know yourself!), I was taking a self-improvement course, you know, like I do. And one of the things I had done during this class was promise everyone in the class that I would get up every morning at 6:00am and go running in central park. Yep, I did that. Now, running in the park was something I did sporadically. It’s not like this promise was an out-of-the-blue blurting on my part, but it certainly was NOT something I did every single day. I didn’t really enjoy running. I mean, it was “fine”, but good heavens, it’s running. How fun could it be? Every now and then I would help friends train for marathons, or races, by running with them for the last few miles of along run. I would do the inevitable 3k, 5k, or 15k, but at this point, I did not consider myself a “runner”. But there I was, up in front of this class, and I made a promise. I said I was going to get up every day at 6:00 and go running before work. I did that. I said that. In front of real, live people. Then 6:00 the next morning came, and my alarm went off. I didn’t like the promise so much then. But it did get me out of bed and dressed in my running clothes. And I wasn’t happy about it. I grumbled to myself the entire time, mumbled things like, “You crazy woman, why did you say you would do this?” I ate my half of a banana, and slowly walked out my front door and down to the lobby of my building. I stared at those lobby doors, and the dawning world outside them. Then, I had a thought: “No one will know if I don’t go. No one. I could just say I went for a run this morning…” I had my hand on the door. I took it off. I stood there for a minute, putting my hand on the door, looking behind me towards my warm apartment and my comfy bed. Hand off the door. Hand back on the door. Then in a moment, a push...
Read MoreWash with Water
One of my greatest joys is discovering moms who have found their own “better way†and sharing their amazing stories with my Better Way Moms. The founder of Wash with Water is absolutely one of those moms, and I am thrilled to bring you her story. And there she is, pictured on the left. Let me start by telling you that every single product is packed in virgin HDPE resin bottle, free of BPA, PVC, and Phthalates. The cap is made with virgin polypropylene and is 100% recyclable. In addition (as if that weren’t enough), the products themselves are made in the USA, 100% vegan and cruelty free, and free of Petrochemicals, Phthalates, Sulfates, Parabens, Synthetic Colors, TEA, DEA, Silicons, PEGS, Dairy, Nuts, Gluten, Soy, Egg, Oat, Phenoxythanol, Lactoperoxidase, Citrus Seed Extract, GMOs, Triclosan, Synthetic Dyes. Turns out, she’s a corporate refugee like yours truly here, and she has done something amazing with her time, energy and passion. And because she’s done such a good job, she was featured in Earnshaw’s Magazine ultimate 2014 Baby Gear Guide (in the Tub Time category), and in The Giggle Guide® the ultimate online destination for information related to today’s children’s marketplace. Stephanie was with her husband and child in Pennsylvania visiting the Amish country when she realized there was something they were doing right. The kids were involved with the daily work, and families expected their children to pitch in on the workload and offer help wherever it was needed. After letting this sink in, she decided to talk to her husband about her vision for a more sustainable world, a changed world, by empowering children to make a difference in our world, while protecting the world for their future. So she started creating organic, beautiful soaps and lotions for children and families. These are no ordinary soaps and lotions, let me tell you. They are easy on delicate skin, and the environment at the same time. And you will love the results. In fact, my daughter loves the lotion so much that she was upset when it was gone. (Little did she know how thrilled I was to know that the container is made from sustainable materials!) When I met Stephanie, she put the Sweetpea & Me Shampoo and Body Foam in my hand and I couldn’t believe how good is smelled and how soft and pure it felt. It didn’t...
Read MorePermesso
I wait with them…the mass of humanity standing in line to achieve permission. Permission to legally live in Italy. Officially our permit is called a Permesso di Soggiorno. We are united in our morning haziness, under the first streaks of daylight, as it’s not yet 7:00 a.m. Together we wait outside the red brick building to secure our place in line. A line that will ultimately move forward and give us a number, which will then direct us to a window, where someone behind that window will determine whether or not we have sufficiently met all the requirements for permission. We have secured a Visa from our home country, but now we ask our new country for it’s permission. To me, the entire process feels more like “stand up, sit down, jump here, turn around, now sit down againâ€. But what do I know? The line begins to move, thankfully, as it’s warmer inside the corridor. We are each given a number, and are directed to two different lines. The men that work here speak only Italian, and I try to process what I’m told. “Here’s your number, and after 8:00,†is about all I comprehend from the officer’s Italian. Unsure as to where to go, I turn back to ask. Too late, someone else has already moved up, and there is no time for questions. I see another long line, and dutifully take my place in it. An officer comes by, taps me on the shoulder, and says something to me in rapid Italian. Seriously, does he think I’ve had enough coffee or Italian to understand that? The wheels slowly start to turn…something about “non la sua linea”. Got it! I’m in the wrong line, I’m supposed to go inside instead and find a seat. I have worked so hard to be here. Each person I see has probably done the same. Each one of us arriving on our appointed day, ticket in hand, has a personal story of desire. The desire to make our life in a country in which we were not born. A woman approaches the seat next to me and begins to vigorously wipe it down with sanitizer. Apparently she knows something I do not. I just plopped myself right down. A beautiful woman from the Middle East, her head wrapped in a scarf, sits down across from me with her young daughters. I wonder how early they awakened today to all be here before 7:00....
Read MoreSkinny Girl Problems
I’ve always been thin. When I was a little girl, it was cute. When I was a pre-teen, it was borderline weird looking. In my twenties, it’s fun to buy clothes. Postpartum, it’s a pain in my skinny ass. The other day, I went to get my nails done. And by get my nails done, I mean pay thirty dollars to have a woman tear off my acrylics because the amount of diaper rash cream that had accumulated underneath them was appalling. There is nothing like licking that leftover Nutella off your finger just to be bombarded with the taste of Desitin. A woman at the salon overheard me telling my nail tech about how wonderful my baby is. She asked me if I had a boy or a girl and I told her a girl. She asked me how old and I told her three months. Then, I made the same mistake I had made a hundred times in the last three months; I expected something other than: “Oh my God, you gave birth three months ago? You’re so tiny already!†Don’t be fooled, this is not a compliment. What she’s essentially saying is, “You bitch†because it took her months to lose her baby weight. I know this because that’s all she talked about for the next five minutes. The culprit? What else, but the media? Everyday, talented people are reduced to “Body After Baby†headlines. Angelina Jolie is not only an incredible actress, but she is literally Supermom. Yet, after birthing twins, the very first question asked was “What are you doing to lose the baby weight?†I’m sorry, I’d rather know what she’s doing to raise six children, help all of those less fortunate and maintain a career of superstar status. Princess Kate Middleton? Really? Before anyone offered her a royal congrats, they were counting the days before she could fit into her old dresses. Gisele Bundchen. That woman leaves the hospital with six-pack abs. But what mere common folk like us sometimes forget is that fitting back into your jeans has a lot to do with your genes. (Thank you, I’ll be here all week.) Gisele Bundchen is a model for a reason: she wears the same pant size as bamboo. Kate Middleton admits to doing nothing differently postpartum, the weight just came off. And for the first time ever, I’m going to put...
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