Lady Boss :  is confident, charming, a powerhouse.

I am SUPER excited to share with you this little project I have had in the works for sometime now.  This Lady Boss Series actually started years ago when I began a fun ‘momepreneur group’ on Facebook.  I invited local Chicago business women to share their thoughts and ideas on running a business and manage their home.  I had no idea the amazing response I would receive from fellow career women and decided to use this little corner of the web to share these amazing businesses, products, and services geared towards parenting, newborns, pregnancy, babies, childhood, families, and more!

Every week, here on my blog, I will be featuring inspiring MOM BOSSES, LADY BOSSES and WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS that offer products and services catered towards fellow parents, mamas, families, new dads, etc!  These blog features are going to be a great resource for new parents and include different services and vendors ranging from local doulas and postpartum care to nursery designers, clothing lines, and online baby products!  This week, my Lady Boss Series will be featuring The Everyday Mother created by the amazing Jackie Mangiolino!  This is an incredible resource for parents struggling to keep their baby tracking in order!

I can not WAIT to share this amazing series with you and I hope these parenting essentials help you along your journey through parenthood!  Check in each week for a new feature!  Cheers Lady Bosses!  If you are a powerhouse woman that has that boss hustle down, and would like to contribute to this amazing series, CONTACT me!  I would love to hear from you!

Lady Boss Series Featuring The Everyday Mother

Thank you Jackie Mangiolino with The Everyday Mother for participating in this series!  Jackie created a beautiful baby tracking system and is a book for feeding, diapers, naps and more!

When did you start this business?  Share your story on how you began!

On May 26, 2016 my husband and I welcome out beautiful baby boy, Richard Peter. Little Richie weighed 2lbs 2oz, was 14 weeks early, and his birth literally saved my life. I had developed HELLP Syndrome, an extremely rare, potentially fatal pregnancy complication that can only be cured by delivery. We spent family spent 99 days in the NICU with Richie, and it was there that The Everyday Mother was born.

During our NICU stay, I had to keep meticulous notes on my pumping, which is when I discovered there was nothing physical on the market that I could use. Yes, there were apps, but I needed something I could bring to and from the hospital (where cell phone and wifi service was poor). Even more, I wanted it to be BEAUTIFUL, you know, to perk up the oh-so-glamorous task of pumping. This is when I first decided I needed to create something for myself and other NICU mothers. I created a simple template that I printed at home. I gave the template to my lactation consultants and nurses, who then gave it to other NICU moms, and before I knew it, I was sitting in the pumping room next to a mother who had hole-punched my template and was telling me how much it helped her! After leaving the NICU, I had to track even more baby details, so I decided to expand the original  template and make it into a beautiful, spiral bound notebook that ALL families could use. Enter, The Everyday Mother. My husband and I (and our sitters!) use The Everyday Mother as our baby command central and we LOVE it. It’s made our lives much simpler, and we’re still using every day, 20 months later.

 

Describe the product(s) you offer and why they would benefit new moms.

There are SO many things to remember when you have a new baby. When was the last time baby ate? Had a diaper change? Napped? Burped? Got a bath? Was given medicine? Vitamins? Which breast is baby favoring? How long is baby feeding? How many days has that diaper rash been there? What day is it, today, anyway?

 

So much of this information lives in mom’s brain, which then means that everybody (dad, grandparents, sitters, etc) has to ask mom all of these questions, constantly. They mean well, but it’s head spinning, and never ceases, day in and day out.

The Everyday Mother is simple beyond belief – a template to capture ALL OF THOSE THINGS. Every day. For months. It’s the most efficient baby brain dump tool. It easily tracks feeding, naps, diapers, tummy time, medications, notes, and more.

When did baby eat last? Check the book.

How long has baby been sleeping at night? Check the book.

How many dirty diapers every day? Check the book.

If anybody asks mom anything, she doesn’t need to reach deep into her overwhelmed mind to answer, she can simply say, “check the book”.

And even better? Everybody can write in the book. If a grandmother gives baby a bottle, she just writes it in the book. Easy, peasy – yet sort of lifesaving.

The book is the most useful baby tool I’ve had, ever! It lives on my kitchen island and everybody who helps us with my son uses it. Given how loved it is, I wanted to make sure it’s beautiful and well made – because not much is glamorous when it comes to newborns, but The Everyday Mother can be.

How do you keep yourself organized as things get busier and busier?

There are a few key things that help me manage everything:

I set really clear boundaries, communicate those boundaries.

Systems, systems, system! I use systems to help automate as much as possible, so that I can focus my time on the things that need my attention, and my systems can handle the things I don’t need to be personally involved in.

Asking for help when I need it. People are always willing to help, and I’ve learned that it’s OK to put my pride aside and ask for a hand when I need one (or five).

 

Do you have the mom boss thing down ?  How do you find the balance between motherhood and running a business?

I think what I described above applies here too. I have a studio outside of my house, which helps create those ever-helpful boundaries. It is hard to leave my little boy at home on the three days a week that I am at the studio, but it’s the only way for me to be productive. On the days that I am home with my son, I am HOME WITH MY SON – no emails, no work, no calls – just my precious son and I. If I can grab some time during a nap or before I go to bed to take care of an important work project, I will, but I try to make that a rare occurrence.

Where can we order these planners?

You can order The Everyday Mother from www.theeverydaymother.com.

 

How can people connect with you?

Website: www.theeverydaymother.com

Instagram: @everydaymother or me personally @jackiemangiolino

Facebook: facebook.com/everydaymother 

Would you like to be featured?

If you are a fellow career woman and have a business specializing in motherhood, parenting, babyhood, etc.  please CONTACT me today to be featured!!