Working Mom of the Week - Nicole Leinbach Reyhle

This week's Working Mom of the Week is Nicole Leinbach Reyh. She is the mother of 7 month old little girl and a three year old dog. She can be found at www.retailminded.com and www.retailminded.com/blog.


To me, success is defined as being happy. And up until the ripe age of 30, I thought working hard and climbing up the corporate ladder was success. And it is – just not for me, anymore.

After ten years of working in fashion and footwear wholesale for such companies as Franco Sarto, Via Spiga, and Adidas, I decided I needed to find a job that would allow me to feel the rush of success I craved while also allowing me to be a “successful” mom. In my previous marketing management roles, I was traveling up to 60% of the time and working well over 40 hours a week. In addition, I was an adjunct faculty instructor of Fashion and Retail Business at Columbia College in Chicago. This left me little personal time and definitely no mommy time. Something had to change.

Just after my 30th birthday I was blessed with the news that I was pregnant. Around this same time I was offered a promotion that meant moving to New York City from our current home, Chicago. Though my husband and I discussed the possibility of moving and changing both of our lives, we decided to stay put and slow things down. I quit working for corporate America and enjoyed a healthy, care free 9 months of pregnancy that allowed me to also build a small business dream of mine. During this time, I founded Retail Minded, which is a boutique style retail consulting firm. My goal was to use what I had learned working with the nation’s leading retailers, media and wholesale brands to help support smaller, independent retail and wholesale businesses. Nearly two years later, Retail Minded has grown, reaching not just Chicago businesses but small retailers and wholesalers across the US. In addition, I launched a professional blog in January 2009 in an effort to reach out to more stores and wholesalers as well as link retailers and wholesalers together through my IN THE SPOTLIGHT section. The blog has grown tremendously and has followers all over the world. I love that I can offer businesses great advice regarding marketing, merchandising, publicity, e-commerce, and more while still being an active mom and still getting to teach three classes a semester.

I have a nanny two days a week, which allows me to get to campus to teach class but also gives me some time to meet with clients and do some work for Retail Minded. The best part, though, is that the majority of my time with Retail Minded is completed when my now almost 8 month old daughter is asleep. I feel like I have found my balance of both work and mommy-hood that allows me to feel success the way in which I believe success should, through happiness. But it can get busy and it does get overwhelming sometimes. My passion for work and my love of being a mom have conflicted sometimes and I know I will always have to make decisions that will affect both as a consequence. But being able to make these choices and still have both is what amazes me. My daughter is the most important part of my life and as her mother, I am proud to show her that I can work and be a mom and still be good at both! And even despites some sleepless nights and way too early mornings, I wouldn’t trade the “juggle” of work and being a mom. Working allows me to be a better mom because I feel a sense of success in a different way than the success of being a mom brings me, but it only feels great because I have my little girl and husband to share it with. And who knows, maybe one day I will switch things up again. But for now, this is the best balance there is for me and more importantly, for my daughter, too.





If you are interested in being featured as my Working Mom of the Week, please email me (laura@pinklikethecolor.org).

Working Mom of the Week - Tara Z

This week's Working Mom of the Week is Tara, the owner of Feels like home. Tara is a quirky, busy momma who is balancing a full-time job as a public high school science teacher with her passion for blogging and hanging out with her husband and their precocious toddler. She is the Chief Managing Editor for FoodieMama.com, author of the Etsy Elite column at Blissfully Domestic, and Family Eden's Home Cooking blogger. Whew! In her "spare time," Tara loves food, photography, and crafts.

I am a lucky woman. I live in a time and a place where I was encouraged to attend high school, college, and graduate school. I chose the career I wanted, just because I wanted it. I'm allowed to vote and drive. I was able to buy a house and live in it by myself. I'm fully aware that some women in the world today do not have these options, and hoards more have been denied these options in the past.

I am proud of my achievements, and I have always been thankful that others (including my parents and grandparents) paved the way for me to have choices and make the decisions that I wanted to make.

I want badly to change my mind. I want to spend my time and energy raising a curious, smart, energetic toddler. I want to show her the world and inspire her the way my mother inspired me, and I don't just want to do it for a couple of hours in the evenings. I want to quit my full time teaching job and be a full-time, stay-at-home mom.

But I'm not quitting my full time job.

I was devastated when I first came to this realization, but I'm feeling mostly okay about it now. Being a stay-at-home mom is the hardest job I've ever had. In my whole life. And I have worked at McDonald's.

So truth be told, teaching in a public high school every day is like a little vacation.

Okay, that's a stretch.

In reality, the reasons for me to keep working are entirely financial - the furnace had to be replaced, we have to have medical insurance, and I have to pay for the master's degree hanging in my hallway.

I'm almost at peace with this. Really. My daughter goes to daycare during the school year. Her teachers love her. They call our house when she's sick. They hug and kiss her. She misses them when there's no school.

A week after school was out last summer, Joe and I attended a church service for the first time. We were apprehensive about leaving Grace in the church nursery with strangers, but we gave it a shot.

As soon as Joe put Grace down, the nursery worker stooped down to Grace's level, introduced herself, and welcomed Grace to the Ladybug room. Grace took her by the hand, and they walked into the room together.

Leaving Joe and I gaping in the doorway.

Grace never looked back.

We collected ourselves and sniffled our way to the sanctuary.

That little episode in the church nursery weighed on me for a long time. Clearly, Grace likes daycare.

For months, I prayed for a sign, and then it showed up in the church nursery. And I didn't quit my job.

Thanks to Tara for being this week's working mom of the week. If you are interested in being featured, please email me at laura@pinklikethecolor.org.

Working Mom of the Week - Misti Ryan

Misti Ryan is happily married and the mother of three sons (no, she's not crazy and yes,she still has her hair). She's currently employed with a large health system as a revenue analyst in northeastern Oklahoma. Her days are full of dealing with corporate vice-presidents, sales reps, and consulting firms, as well as carting kids from one activity to another, all while managing to cook dinner every night. Sleep is overrated. You can find her at www.goobersmoochx3.blogspot.com.

Not the Mom You Think I Am...

Today at work, a software consultant was in our office, schmoozing with my boss. She brought him around to introduce to everyone, and when she got to me, she repeated the same introduction I've heard time and time again.

"This is Misti! She's the baby around here. She takes care of all of us. She's going to come visit us in the nursing home in a few years to pluck our chin hairs and make sure we aren't drooling on ourselves. And she's Super Mom! She has three boys, and she cooks every night! She is just amazing because this entire health system wouldn't run without her, and then she goes home and takes care of her kids and her husband..."

When she starts this intro, I usually quit listening after "baby"...I don't particularly care to be labeled as the youngest person in the office...being the youngest carries the stigma that I'm inexperienced and incapable, when it really should be saying that I am actually in possession of a sharp mind and the ability to complete my tasks in a timely and efficient manner.

And secondly, I don't particularly enjoy being singled out...Its embarrassing!!! And its a lie!!! Lord knows I don't feel like Super Mom. My exceedingly essential (though dejectedly unacknowledged) role in the administration of the health system keeps me there later than I would like some days, and it requires my attention when I am at home as well. It works out fine with my husband's schedule, because he gets off in time to pick the kids up after school every day. And for the most part, he is fairly helpful around the house, doing the dishes and starting some laundry. He's hoping for a SAHD gig someday soon. However, his version of a "clean house" isn't necessarily the same as mine. He can look at a room with stacked piles and think its tidy, whereas I would prefer the stacked piles be dispersed to their correct locations.

When I finally get home from work, its time to make dinner, which I actually enjoy doing, and it gives me something mindless to do after a stressful day. However, once dinner is finished and I take inventory of what needs to be done around the house, I often find myself overwhelmed with the mounting tasks that are looming, and, more often than not, I feel so inundated that some nights I sit on the couch and do nothing, drowning my sorrows in a bowl of Cap'N Crunch and watching Rock of Love Bus, all the while accepting defeat and saying to myself, "If only I were a stay at home mom..."

But then I think to myself, even if I was a SAHM, there's no guarantee any of this stuff around the house would get done. I would probably acquire a whole new set of to-do's, ones that I can't do because I work, like homeroom mom, or Cub Scout leader, or perhaps I would be able to get a PTA set up for Cutie Pie and Pot Pie's school since my past attempts at starting one have failed. And without my job, we wouldn't have access to the fantastic child care center where Pumpkin Pie attends, and I would most definitely end up home-schooling him every day to get him ready for pre-k and Kindergarten. Would I absolutely love to do all of these things? You betcha! But I'd probably still have a messy home. Laundry and dishes and general organization always take a backseat to everything else that I have going on. I do my best to get things done around the house, but I am very aware of the fact that there are only 24 hours in a day. Do I wish my house was more organized? Of course. But I'm more concerned with helping my kids with their homework and spending time with them having fun, as well as quality time with my Sweetie Pie. Sure, most of the time I feel somewhat like an undisciplined failure in the homemaker department, but I'm coping. One of my goals for 2009 is to get more control over my house. I've had some helpful tips from friends, who've made a number of suggestions, including subscribing to FlyLady.com, which offers a plan and tips to get us moms on track for having the clean and organized life we desire. If unkempt houses were an addiction, FlyLady is the rehab, with a 31-step program to a cure, as well as daily emails. I'll probably never stick with it completely, but every little change that I make gets me a little closer to Super Mom-dom than I was before, leaving me feeling that much more accomplished at the end of the day, and who could ask for anything more?

Thank you, Misti for being this week's Working Mom of the Week. If you are interested in contributing to my weekly Working Mom of the Week, please contact me. Thanks!

Working Mom of the Week - Sandie Law

This week's working mom of the week is Sandie Law of Macaroni and Peas. Sandie is a busy mom and food lover. She offers customized menu plans, grocery lists, and one on one coaching for busy parents. Her focus is on healthy, kid friendly solutions that save you time and money.

Life Lessons Learned

To save you from doing the math, I'm 31.

I started dating the man who would become my husband when I was 17. We were married less than two years later (that's 1996, if you're keeping track). Many many people were counting the months and watching my belly to see if I was pregnant. Nothing could be further from the truth. At 19, I was certain I didn't want to have kids. I joked with my family that I'd get a cat...if it lived, I'd get a dog...if it lived, I'd think about having a baby.

No, I wouldn't recommend getting married so young. Yes, we're still married and very happy.

Over the years, I watched my coworkers get pregnant and have babies. Everyone I knew had an easy pregnancy, labor, and delivery. I heard no horror stories about colicky babies, difficulty breastfeeding, or emergency c-sections. I was young and naive.

Right after our fifth anniversary (that was in 2001), we decided to start trying for a baby. My husband wasn't entirely certain we were capable of dealing with a child. He's always been the more pragmatic of the two of us.

I told myself it could take ages to get pregnant. I told myself I wouldn't seek outside help until we'd been trying for over a year. I told myself I'd wait three months after going off the pill before we started trying (i.e we'd use some other form of protection for three months).

Apparently, I'm pretty good at lying to myself.

After five days, we stopped using other methods of birth control. Four weeks after I stopped the pill, I was peeing on a stick. When it didn't tell me I was pregnant, I was devastated. I know...so many people struggle for years and years to get pregnant and here I was, freaking out that I didn't get pregnant after 3 weeks of trying.

Thirty five days later, I was peeing on another stick. This time it told me I was pregnant. I was elated. I checked again. I was so excited, I couldn't help but tell everyone I knew that I was pregnant.

Right away, I had lower back pain. I was told it was a kidney infection and was given antibiotics. The infection went away...the pain didn't. My doctor kept insisting that my baby was way too small to cause nerve pain. That lovely back pain was just the beginning.

I was lucky in that I didn't have morning sickness. Instead, I was ravenously hungry all the time. I ended up gaining 20 pounds during the first trimester.

The back pain? Oh, it never went away.

My bouncing baby boy blessed me with stretch marks on my arms, legs, breasts, and belly. I realize it's not his fault. I gained 65 pounds during my pregnancy. That's gonna give anyone stretch marks. My belly was ginormous. Yes, there was itching. Yes, I tried all those fancy creams and no, none of them helped.

I had sciatica (pinching on the nerve that causes pain and numbness that runs down your legs). My fingers and feet swelled up beyond my wildest expectations. I was so swollen, I started snoring and my face got all puffy. I had heartburn and migraines for the first time in my life.

And then there was the birth.

Even after my less than delightful pregnancy, I clung to the idea that I'd have a natural labor and birth. Looking back on it, I can see how silly that was.

Thanks to my less than exact conception date, my due date was pretty variable. My doctor chose to induce me by breaking my water a few days after my due date. I had no idea how horrible amniotic fluid smelled. I was given disposable panties with a really big pad to wear while I strolled the hallways in my nifty hospital robes and Eeyore slippers while dragging an IV rack behind me.

I was surprised by the mildness of my contractions. They started in my back and felt no worse than the cramps I had when I was a teenager. After a few hours, the contractions came closer and closer together. Turns out, my contractions were too close together and not strong enough to do much. I was given a very mild dose of Pitocen to get things moving, but it didn't do much. They were concerned about giving me more lest I start hemorrhaging.

After 13 hours of extremely unproductive labor, I caved in and asked for an epidural. I was given one while lying on my side...I think that might be why it didn't take as well on my right side. Eventually, I was able to start pushing. Three hours later, my doctor announced that she could feel my son's ear. Babies are supposed to come out crown first.

In my delerium, I thought my son had an ear on the crown of his head. I panicked. I was frantic. My doctor tried to hide her giggles while she explained that my son's head was tilted to the side. She gave me two choices...remove the epidrual and try squatting to see if that helped or they could do a c-section. Even if I chose to remove the epidural and squat, it might not work. They didn't want to keep my son in the birth canal much longer. He was stable, but there was no telling how long that would last.

I had been in labor for 24 hours straight. I was exhausted and hungry. I asked for the c-section.

I am surprised at how much I remember about the c-section. The nose hairs of the anesthesiologist who was standing at the head of my operating table waiting to dispense morphine...the reflection of my operation in the surgical lights...being strapped down to the table. That was one of the most terrifying things I've ever experienced. My husband watched over the curtain the entire time. I could feel everything they were doing. It didn't hurt, but I could feel it. It was like having a baby sized tooth pulled.

My husband said that I asked for the baby's APGAR score over and over again. It was 9.5 in case you're curious. I don't remember asking at all. I vaguely remember seeing a baby in a blue hat waved in front of me before I was wheeled away to recovery.

Oh, the baby...

My baby was (I'd say is, but he's not a baby anymore) wonderful. He was perfect in every way...no colic, very laid back, slept through the night at 6 weeks, and ate like a champ. I couldn't have asked for a more wonderful baby. As he grew, he took on new challenges and changes without much fuss or trouble. With the exception of ear infections (he inherited tiny ears and the subsequent ear infections from me), he is a spectacularly healthy child.

There were drawbacks. I had a major case of the baby blues. I felt like a bad mom for needing to be induced, for having an epidural, for having a c-section, for not being able to breastfeed, and for feeling like a bad mom. I realize that doesn't make sense. It doesn't have to. It took me two years to realize I actually had post partum depression. It took another four years to get my meds right and find a therapist I clicked with. Finally...this summer...I feel human.

People say your life will change irrevocably and in ways you can't expect. They're right and they're wrong.

Aside from the depression, I have changed in ways I never expected. I am good with kids. I joined the PTA. I have become crafty. I watch Spongebob. I always assumed I'd want to go back to work after my son was born. I figured I'd be bored at home and that I wasn't the "mom" type. I was dead wrong. I crave nothing more than spending time with my son. My biggest goal right now is to find a way to stay home with my son without filing for bankruptcy.

On the other hand, I still have a lot of the same hobbies I had before my son was born. My son's been exposed to role playing games since he was concieved. I still love movies and books and music. I've shared that love with my son. I am proud to be a geek and I'm proud that my son is a geek.

The moral of the story?

I was shocked beyond belief by the depth of my love for my son. I love my child more than anything or anyone else in this world. Yeah, even more than my husband. He's the smartest kid on the planet (isn't yours?). He's sweet and gentle, he's funny and inquisitive, he's like me and like his dad.

I learned something really important about myself thanks to my son: I'm a good mom. I learned to trust my instincts and accept the constant change that comes with kids.

Thanks again to Sandie for being my Working Mom of the Week. If you are interested in being featured, please contact me. Thanks!

Working Mom of the Week - Julie Roads

This week's Working Mom of the Week is Julie Roads. She is a writer, blogger, mom, social media addict/consultant, my passion is helping moms grow their businesses online with social media and genuine relationship building (as opposed to SPAM nastiness). She can be found at Writing Roads and Blogging Roads.

I am a working mother who also happens to work outside the home. I have to say this because I think the assumption that a mom who doesn’t don a suit and bring in a paycheck isn’t working is insane, to say the least.

My work outside the home is my copywriting/marketing/social media/consulting business, Writing Roads, and it mostly takes place in the most adorable 120 sq. ft. post and beam shed in my backyard.

I take my shower, get dressed, pack up my bag, grab my lemon water, give everyone huge kisses and hugs, put on my coat, walk out the door...and walk 40 steps to my office door.

But, somedays it isn’t quite so easy-like today. Sophie started it. She’s going to be 3 next week, but when you ask her how old she’s going to be, she says ’45’ and I’m starting to think she’s on to something. (Mind you, yesterday when I asked her who our next president was going to be, she dismissed my weeks of training response, “Barack Obama!”, only to replace it with arms lifted, pointer fingers aimed at the sky and a proud, “Sophie is!”)

Anyway, this morning when I started to get ready to go, Sophie said, “Don’t go to work Mama J.”

Uggghhh, the pain, the agony, the rise of the tears (all mine).

“I have to go,” I say. “It’s a good thing, work is fun, I love it and if I don’t go, we can’t eat.”

She seemed satisfied with this answer, and I finished my goodbye routine and headed to my office.

I opened my computer and got one tweet out before, “Mama J! I’m lookin’ for you!”

This time it was Jack, just over 2 and a true escape artist. He had left the house and made it to my office completely undetected. We walked back inside, and I tried to give him a snack. But he said no to a banana, no to an apple no to grapes. “Well, what do you want?” I asked.

“I want you,” he said.

More tears (mine). I want you too, Jack...and Soph and spouse and dogs...and work (because I really do love it).

Just another working mother wanting to have it all, satisfy herself and do good in the world...and endlessly searching for just a little more time.

Thanks again to Julie for being the Working Mom of the week. If you are interested in being featured as the Working Mom of the week, please contact me.

Working Mom of the Week - Kelly Moore

This week's working mom is Kelly Moore. Formerly self-possessed, Kelly Moore is a new wife and even newer mother, adjusting to life as third priority (or – if you count clients – fourth). She quit working for the man in December 2004 to become an independent PR consultant. It's the one thing she knows she's good at and the one thing she'll never take for granted. Kelly also recently launched DesMoinesFamilies.com for local parents.

Let Me Tell You Why I Suck As a Mother

Sometimes I wonder if I'm cut out to be a working mom. I have the working part down; it's the mom part that keeps me guessing.

It's not because I lack nurturing characteristics or because my house is always a mess. It's not because I can't bake the perfect cupcakes or my son never seems to have the "it" developmental toy of the week. It all comes down to the fact that I can't seem to remember anything.

Thirty days ago, I signed up to bring napkins for my son's Grandparents Day party. (Thank you, September Kelly, for not volunteering to bring cupcakes.) I was then reminded yesterday (via the daily reminder sheet personally handed to me every night at 5:15) to bring said napkins for the party at 4:15 today. Did I remember? No.

The party was in Outlook, I just forgot to set a reminder. It was on my daily reminder sheet. I just didn't read it. The party was even on our refrigerator calendar. I just forgot to glance at it in between teaching my 3-year-old how to draw a pumpkin, making chicken pesto for dinner and answering the 57 emails I didn't get to because I was rescheduling double-booked hair and doctor appointments.

It all worked out, as my son's daycare provider reminded me verbally this morning. But someday I'm going to really disappoint someone.

This is why I suck as a mother.

Thank you Kelly for this post. I think all moms can relate to this on some level. If you are interested in being featured as my "Working Mom of the Week", please contact me. Thanks!!