by Minette Riordan, Ph.D.

I am not sure when I have been so busy, had so many things going on or had so much fun or neglected my family so much… yes, I admit it. They did not get the best of me last week. I worked late every night (even though I was working from home, I was not really available.) My daughter made this very clear one evening after dinner, complaining loudly that I never PLAY with her. I freely admit that “playing” is not something that I am very good at, sitting on the floor dressing Barbie holds very little appeal. This week isn’t looking much better… but more on that later.

My daughter is always a barometer for me of when the pressure is building at home and I am not being present enough. So after her bout of complaining, we made a deal about when Mommy would be available to spend time with her and I explained to her all of the exciting things that I am doing that are, in her mind, taking me away from her. She didn’t really care until she learned that she would get to be on t.v. with me.

I love my role as publisher/owner of North Texas Kids magazine and I get to do a lot of cool things and meet some amazing, wonderful people. As a certified coach for parents, I do a lot of public speaking and meet lots of wonderful moms. My life is full of diversity, energy and activity, just the way I like it. But this was one of those weeks when all of that diversity hit like a tornado and overwhelmed all of us.

On Tuesday, I recorded a demo for a new radio show we will be launching in the next couple of weeks, with my dear friend Brenda Bonin as my guest. Brenda is the found of Get Career Fit and has great insight about life/work balance and how to transition from where you are to where you want to be.

I spent several days filled with appointments and craziness trying to get ready for our expo on Saturday, May 2 at Grapevine Mills Mall. Please come and join us, the details can be found here!

Then I spent my nights planning to speak at the International Nanny Association annual conference in Addison and I spent two fun days talking, training and visiting with wonderful people who care for our children from all over the country. What an education to meet all of the nannies and nanny agencies committed to caring for kids! I even got to meet the Nanny of the Year, who was busy taking pictures of everyone else!

This morning, I had the great fortune to be on the Kid’s Doctor radio show, talking about the upcoming expo. For great information on parenting, check out the Kid’s Dr. website and listen to Dr. Sue and Dina. They are awesome and so full of great. Today they were talking about the difference between raising girl and raising boys. Here’s a link to my interview this morning and a photo of me in the studio with Dr. Sue and Dina. http://1037litefm.com/THE-KiD-S-DOCTOR/603552

Tomorrow, aha! I finally get to spend some extra time with my kids, although we won’t be playing. Polly Harrison of MomsOutLoud.com and I are going to be on the Good Morning, Texas show with Paige Smith, the Not-so-perfect Parent. I am taking my kids with me. They get to be on t.v., skip school for the morning (yes, their teachers know) and have a great story to share. So watch us if you can, it’s going to be fun!

Then, once we get through the expo…I plan on spending the day playing Barbies, building Lego or cuddled up watching Bedtime Stories on the couch with my kid!