THE RESULT OF SAYING "YES" TO MY FAMILY

Last August I wrote a blog post about saying YES to my family. My son was entering his last year of high school and I wanted to enjoy every moment before he left for college. I called it "The Year of Matthew." (If you didn't read that post, you can find it here.)

Of course, saying YES to my family meant saying NO to a lot of things. Today I'm sharing the results with you.

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WHAT I SAID "NO" TO:

• Eleven new students. (In fact, I cut back on my private lessons at school, so I actually taught less.)
• Late teaching hours. 
• Several speaking engagements. 
• Extra Upbeat work. 
• Blog posts.
• Facebook. It was a rare day that I was on FB last year. 

THE RESULT

Saying NO gave me extra time (and energy!) for other things.

Here's what I did instead:

1. I cooked my son’s favorite meals. Well, until I tripped over the cat’s tail in early April and broke my wrist. Yep - that was fun. The good news is that Matthew got to help me in the kitchen. (Good cooking experience for him!)
2. I was AVAILABLE for my son. Of course, he didn’t always want to spend time with Mom - but that wasn’t the point. I simply wanted to be available for those rare times he wanted to hang out. 
3. College travel trips. We visited a couple of schools twice, just to make sure he was confident of his selection. And of course, once he made his choice, we had fun at orientation!
4. Smiled more. Since I didn’t feel overwhelmed by a super-busy schedule, I was more relaxed. There was no guilt. I was more joyful. There’s truth in the idea saying “when mom is happy, everyone is happy.” (FYI...This also makes for a happier, more energetic piano teacher.)
5. Spent a weekend away with friends .So. Much. Fun.
6. More family activities. We did everything from art classes to movies to another Comic Con. Matthew got to meet Danielle Panabaker (aka Killer Frost from The Flash!)​

    7. Baked more sugar cookies than I ever have in my entire life! (Well...until I broke my wrist!) We had so much fun decorating them! 
     8. Got inspiration for my new webinar: Upbeat Moms (Get an exclusive coupon here!) 

This past year was full of enjoying the moment, but also taking a look back. I'm so thankful that God somehow enabled me to balance work and family. It's never easy, but so totally worth it. 

If you have children still at home, please hear me -  The days are long, but the years are SHORT! 😥 I don't know who first said that, but it's SO true. Find a way to prioritize your family because you'll blink and they'll be grown. (Go back and read this paragraph again!)

This is how I got the idea for Upbeat Moms. It's full of experienced moms who share their best tips for balancing work and family. I also interviewed young moms who are right in the middle of it! My guest experts talk about ALL stages of parenting - babies to toddlers to teens!

Best of all? The experts are honest and transparent. They're sharing their biggest mistakes and regrets so you can learn what not to do.

Mark your calendar for launch day July 9th! Click here to get a coupon for $20 off and a surprise bonus! I can't wait to share Upbeat Moms with you!