As Mother's Day approaches it's a wonderful time to reflect on life, family and purpose. I absolutely adore being a mother. It's truly an amazing opportunity to share my love and give to my family. My husband and I actually waited over 10 years before having our first child Reagan. We intentionally needed to focus on other life priories (like med school for him), and decided expanding our family was best after a few more years.

I title this blog "Lessons Learned..." because if you're a parent or if you've spent time around children you know that kids can teach you a whole lot more than you bargained for. If you watch how they operate and make life choices, believe it or not there's a ton to be learned. See, I'm so grateful for my family and very thankful for my own upbringing with my mom. She is absolutely phenomenal and has always presented an awesome legacy to pass on to me.

So here's my lessons--

Let it go! I know you've heard this phrase more than you can stand but honestly it's to be said yet again (thank you Frozen). Isn't amazing how kids can be down one minute then bounce right back into playing and having a blast. I learned to quickly pick myself up off the pity party of life and simply enjoy and be grateful!
Go for it! As some of you know I'm not only a blogger but a career women. After reading the book Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg called out that women tend to hold themselves back compared to men. One of the books that changed my career was Knowing Your Value by Mika Brzezinski. This book motivated me so much early in my career I negotiated a large raise with extra vacation days. What I love about my daughter is that's her attitude right now! She really believes she can do anything. It's that no fear mentality I love so much that I try to emulate in my own career.
Enjoy Life! This is a tough one for me and honestly I just don't do it enough. There's always some list of to do's or things around the house that I feel are more important than simply enjoying a moment. My daughter loves it when I take time to play with her in her playroom, or catch a ball back-and-forth. Honestly, make a plan to have unplanned time. Meaning, go ahead and say Friday night I'm doing only what I enjoy. So that might be watching your favorite TV series, going to your favorite restaurant, enjoying a play or just catching up on hobbies you love. These times will help keep you motivated when you're in the grind of life. I love this quote from Stacia Pierce's book, Enjoy Life: