Wow, a year passed already.  One year ago, I hit the publish button, poured a glass of wine, set up Facebook Live and took the plunge on an idea that nagged at me for five years.  In the midst of a total freakout over exposing myself and inviting strangers into my world, you guys showed up.

Before I go any further in reflection, allow me to thank everyone who has taken the time to read, comment, like and follow.  If I said my skin was rhino-thick and I didn’t care, I’d be totally lying.  I adore hearing from you all, and I’ve been touched over and over by the notes and emails. You guys have given me confidence to step into a career I not only never dreamed of, but one that LITERALLY didn’t exist when I was choosing a career 1,000 years ago.  You’re telling me what’s relevant–what works and what doesn’t.

Back to the beginning

A year ago today (3/14), I published a post called Turn up the Volume .  In a nutshell, a Siri autocorrect to “life muted” inspired so much thought about how we as moms (and dads) shut off our life’s passion during child-rearing years. Many of you shared that this piece had you really thinking about what dreams you’d stepped away from to support those of your kids.  As well, I’ve gotten messages where you guys are stepping OUT and trying new things which makes me too happy for words.  Keep sharing those moments!

Another post that you guys REALLY responded to was Going Rogue.I spent ALL of 2017 just shaking it up!  I have this amazing troupe of boss babes who told me they saw a lot of disruption in their careers too. Keep riding that energy and we are UNSTOPPABLE.

Reality Bites

While Moxie Mama covers a lot of style and fashion, I learned to own the super duper ugly days too.  We talked a LOT about setting boundaries on our very precious time and learning to say the HARD NO. A year later, I’m hearing that we are learning, as a community, to hold that line.  And of course, for the days it just all gets overwhelming and the only option is to laugh at the insanity, I did this:

Thank you to everyone who admitted to me their feelings of overwhelm and who responded to the surveys.  I will talk so much more about this because parents of teens are SO F*CKING OVERWHELMED.

What I’ve Learned: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

I came to this with some preconceived notions.  I thought blogging was super spontaneous and well within my wheelhouse.  I was advised by my friend Jen Mann (best-selling author of People I Want to Punch in the Throat and general hilarious badass) to write ahead before I launched.  I think she told me to have at least 5-10 posts in the hopper in case of writer’s block, emergencies, etc.  Did I listen?  Mmmmmmm, yeah, no.  I think I had TWO saved and after three weeks doing this, my elder son had surgery and I realized why she advised that.  Consistency has been a challenge, as it is for probably everyone reading these words, but I have more focus now that I’ve cycled one.  So let’s call that the bad.

The ugly, I hesitate to admit, is that women can be mean.  I wish I had an answer about why we do this, but even at age 48, many of us seem to have carried our middle school selves into middle age.  Has social media caused us to regress?  Maybe.  But my great takeaway is that I will continue to be happy for the success of every person I know who is out there hustling to be their best self.  We ALL have stuff we are weighed down with or carry, but NO ONE finds success without hustle and I will always have solid respect for that.  Kudos to the boss babes–just support each other. I am not available for anything less. And that’s all I have to say about that…

Mine’s super pretty….;-)

But the GOOD….It’s soooooo GOOD!  I have connected with insanely driven, kind, collaborative women in the fashion and blogging community.  While most are millennials, they’ve supported MY old lady efforts and impressed me by challenging the stereotype gen x-ers have of them.  I’ve pushed MY style and my voice while standing firm on my boundaries with this group of (ridiculously stylish and adorable) cheerleaders.  In a world perceived as too glossy and filtered, I’ve met some of the most real and down-to-earth people I have EVER known.

Also, the clothes!  I’ve played with everything from designer duds to thrift store finds to my grandmother’s vintage couture–with lots more in store in the coming weeks and months.  I’ve developed a much truer, but braver, version of my style and feel better equipped to support my clients in exploring an improved version of themselves.

The adventures…the summer bucket list was such a fabulous experience with my boys.  We explored the everyday and epic of our city and I crave the sun and free time to do it again. I took a helicopter ride, I met Stacy London, and I got into a twitter fight with Pittsburgh Dad over a hamburger onesie.

 

What’s to come?

First, more consistency (fingers crossed).  While part of Moxie Mama is being truthful about how challenging life can be for moms of teens, I desire routine right now.  I plan to schedule occasional spontaneity (ha)!

MORE style–from closet clean outs to style challenges to incorporating vintage–I’ve got so much to share!

MORE giveaways (I’ve got one on FB right now, and more coming on IG too–make sure you’re following on both platforms).

MORE reality–the good days and the bad and how to freaking deal.

MORE parenting.  I have promised some info on what to look for on your kids’ social media (coming soon, I swear), how I stay connected with boys (It’s not all sports either), and our upcoming college searches (hold me).

MORE building each other up.  More supporting our tribe.  More girl time and adventure.  More protecting our boundaries.  And when someone calls us bitches for saying we are unavailable for their negativity or drama, MORE being totally fine with that.

At the end of the day I am just so stupidly happy with today and what’s to come, and so completely grateful for you all who share the journey with me.

 

xo,

 

Sam