Kristy Sumichrast

Yes, I am letting my 11-year-old daughter wear makeup to school. Let me rewind and start from the beginning. My daughter is entering 6th grade, and a lot has changed from the second half of fifth grade to today. She used to wear dresses every day to school and now she is sporting jean shorts and t-shirts. And while she still plays with dolls, she is also getting into more junior high-type activities, like bracelet making and texting with her friends.

I am sorry not sorry summer break is coming to an end. In fact, I dread the calendar slowly rolling toward June in the first place. As a work-from-home mom, summer beginning equals the dreaded wake up at 7 am to secure camp sign ups, the chess game of lining up rotating babysitters and my organized schedule coming to an abrupt stop.

I was at the bus stop waiting for my three elementary school kids to come strolling off the bus. While waiting, I was scrolling aimlessly through my Facebook feed. I suddenly stopped on a post with a comment about working from home, where the mom was lamenting that her family didn’t understand her working remotely, and didn’t think she needed a babysitter for her kids during her work hours if she was at home. As a parent who works from home, this really struck a chord with me. I have received s

Ranked #1 in: Marketing > Research E-commerce > Auctions & Small Business This book presents proven marketing, growth hacking, PR and brand strategies that any entrepreneur can put immediately into action. Marketing Growth Secret is not another AirBnB or Uber case study, but an actionable guide on how to scale your startup or small business and make money. Whether you are a digital marketer looking for innovative techniques or a business owner looking for new ways to bring clients to your d

I was filling out new patient forms at the doctor’s office and got to that question: What is your occupation? I never knew how to answer this question. Do I leave it blank? Do I say stay-at-home-mom or do I say, homemaker? All of these answers seemed to make me feel less of a person than I was and make me feel like I wasn’t doing a “job” job.

Before I had my first baby, I read several baby books and talked to some of my friends about breastfeeding. I felt completely prepared. But just like when I was in college and reading about a career, it’s completely different when you read an example in a book versus applying it to real life. The first surprise came when my baby was three weeks early. She was still considered full-term, but she was barely 37 weeks and a small six pounds. Side note to expecting moms: have your hospital bag packe