by Donna Maria on March 12, 2010
I maintained the Lifestyle CEO blog from September 2005 to September 2006. I recently reviewed it for content I could share with you here. I was delighted to discover that nearly every post is more relevant today than it was when I originally published it. This one, from November 10, 2005, is one of my favorites. I hope you enjoy it.
Yesterday, my husband and I taped the Lifestyle CEO cable television show, and we did it with our kids at our sides. We waited until the last minute to secure our usual sitter, but she was not available so we were stuck. At the eleventh hour, a next-door neighbor agreed to help us, but since she was too young to stay in our home alone with the children, we piled into the car and went to the studio to tape the show.
Seeing my children sitting just feet away from me as my husband and I taped our television show reminded me that we really are creating the life we love. We are not bowing to traditional notions of what parenting should be like. We are making up our lives as we go along, doing things we love to do on our own terms and including our children every step of the way. The whole experience reminded me that you can either make things in your life the way you want them to be, or you can allow the world to dictate how your life should be. Continue Reading…
by Donna Maria on February 28, 2010
A few weeks ago, I posted about enjoying lunch with my daughter at her school. For such a short post, it generated a lot of discussion, perhaps in part because it struck a nerve with other women who simultaneously perform professionally and as mothers, without compromising either “career”. I’ve posted in depth about these issues before, here and here.
The post shared how glad I am that I quit my traditional job because doing so put me in the position of being able to have lunch with my daughter in the middle of a workday without having to answer to anyone. What I didn’t say is that I have to turn her down sometimes too. In fact, I did it last week. Twice. Continue Reading…
by Donna Maria on February 20, 2010
When my children were babies and toddlers, they were so cuddly. Whenever I wanted a hug, I got one. Whenever I wanted a snuggle, I simply started snuggling. It didn’t matter where we were or what was happening, mommy always got the warm fuzzies. Today, my 8-year old daughter still jumps at the chance to hug her mom. But my son, well, he’s a bit of a different story.
My husband took these pictures today within a few minutes of each other at Reid’s Fine Foods where we stopped off for lunch after a visit to the Levine Museum of the New South’s “Cotton Fields To Skyscrapers” Exhibit. When he asked my daughter to pose with me, she came over and gave me a sweet hug, as you can see. But my son was not having it. Continue Reading…
by Donna Maria on January 8, 2010
I enjoy working in a family business. After spending so many years fighting rush hour traffic and toiling away in the corporate jungles of Washington, DC, I am thankful for my lifestyle. I don’t have to jump through administrative hoops to take my children to the pediatrician’s office. I have more control over how my intellect and leadership skills are used to serve others. When I’m super busy, my husband picks up the slack, and I do the same for him when his cup runneth over.
Perhaps the best benefit of all is the peace of mind that comes from being able to center my work around my home, instead of the other way around. I am not as splintered as I would most likely be if I had a traditional job. Even so, integrating business and family can be a real challenge. It is not all sunshine and roses. Continue Reading…
by Donna Maria on January 6, 2010
UPDATE: 1/29/10: While this is an informative post, I discovered that it is against FaceBook’s Terms Of Service to have more than one FaceBook account, so I deleted the personal account.
Last September, I shared my new FaceBook social networking strategy, designed to help me stay connected to business colleagues and friends, as well as intimate friends and family members. Because FaceBook presumes that each person will only have one profile page, it can be challenging for small business owners like me to fully portray the numerous aspects of our personalities online. In September, I thought my new strategy would allow me to wear a business hat and a personal hat without compromising either. I was wrong.
So, I’ve adopted a new 3-pronged approach to FaceBook, and this time, it’s one I can work with (at least until FaceBook changes something that forces me back to the drawing board). In order to put this into context, a little of my FaceBook history is in order. Read About My 3-Pronged Approach To FaceBook
by Donna Maria on December 25, 2009
On my first Thanksgiving as Mrs. Johnson, I prepared a batch of freshly made cranberry sauce for family dinner at my new husband’s grandmother’s house. The taste of my “from scratch” creation left much to be desired, but hoping the flavor would improve during the hour-long drive to “Gema’s” house, I decided to take it anyway. After all, I had promised to bring homemade cranberry relish and I didn’t want to let anyone down. Long story short, hours later, I returned home with about the same amount of cranberry relish as I had left with. Since then, without success, I have hunted for the perfect cranberry condiment.
The other day, when I saw these beautiful fresh cranberries at The Fresh Market, I knew I would have to give it another try. This year, I hit pay dirt! I served Martha Stewart’s Cranberry-Ginger Relish with the rest of the goodies at Christmas Dinner 2009. It’s the easiest thing in the world to make, and you will love it especially if you are a ginger lover who likes a strong sweet-tart combination with your holiday meal. Get the Cranberry-Ginger Relish recipe now!
