Moms Pursuing Dreams

There used to be two camps. Moms who work and moms who stay home. I've always found it ridiculous that there was any animosity between the two groups. We are all doing our best—succeeding in some moments and in others, falling flat on our faces in a guilt ridden swamp. It's called motherhood.

Around the mom blogs, there's a new trend, a new camp of moms. Women are branching out of their comfort zones, going beyond the daily life of raising kids and keeping house. Some are taking photography classes and starting businesses, others are making jewelry or crafts and opening businesses via Etsy stores. Others are learning to snowboard or writing novels. *grin* They are working from home in a completely new paradigm. They aren't taking "some job" they can do from home to help support their families. Rather, they are creating their own jobs out of their passions. How beautiful is that!

The talk is of pursuing dreams, being brave, living creatively.  I think that the Internet has everything to do with it. Simply watching another mom take a chance is inspiring and blogs have a way of shining a light on what's possible.  Beyond that, while at home, caring for kids, women can access the world from a computer screen. This creates a whole new freedom for moms.

The other day, I was able to take a seminar (called a webinar) via my laptop from one of the top children's literary agents. The whole time I was folding laundry, feeding Little Bear lunch and doing dishes.  And listening of course.  I'm so grateful that doing both is possible.

My heart for every woman I know is for them to live purposefully, living out what they are passionate about. For one, it might be creating lovely meals or a fantastic living space or playing ball with their child. Others might want to do a triathlon or volunteer at the local shelter. No matter what it is, why not try? What is stopping you?

Tomorrow, I'll talk about balancing dreams and family and what we give when we live.