Real You: Check out the 30 Second Mom for fun, fast tips!

As a mom of four, I'm so honored to be one of the featured contributors to a fun, mom-focused new site created by a dynamic mom Elisa All. My latest: If you're one of the 27 percent of working moms who say they have a HIGH level of stress related to balancing work and family demands, please remember you aren't alone. There are 80 million moms in the workforce today. Too many of us lose ourselves, taking care of everyone else. Don't feel guilty about taking time for yourself, and have some fun. Too many of us rush from work demands to home demands. At the end of the day, the number one thing your kids want? A happy, healthy mom. So go to yoga. Don't miss book club. Call a friend and talk. Go for a walk. Enjoy life - now. You are worth it!

Go check it out and meet some of my fellow contributors including Alisa, Allison Peacock, Ally Ritt, Beth Aldrich and many more dynamic women! http://www.30secondmom.com

Taking the time to plant a tree

As I helped out with my son's 6th grade class Tree Planting Day, I looked around at all the other "parent leaders" and noticed the diversity represented in the volunteers. Of course, there were a couple dads, but I was focusing on the moms. We represented the reality of moms today. Some of us work full time, some are full-time stay-at-home moms (SAHMs). Many work part-time. Most all have more than one child. We were a wide range of ages - from early 30s to mid-50s. We were, with our shovels, today's moms. One took a call from work while we dug; another a call from a nurse about a sick child at elementary school.

There are more than 82 million moms in the U.S., (82.8 as of 2004 - and I'm sure there are more current figures but these stats were on the cover story this Sunday for a Mother's Day piece in The Columbus Dispatch.) A full 80 percent of women ages 40 to 44 were mothers in 2006, with each mother having 2.1 births (?). The number of SAHMs in 2008: 5.3 million.

We are a powerful group, and if you're part of it, congratulations! If you're marketing to us, know we are diverse; and if you see one of us with a shovel and a big smile, that would be me.