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	<title>WIRL Project &#187; Stay At Home Mom</title>
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	<description>What It&#039;s Really Like.</description>
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		<title>By &#8220;Work/Life Balance&#8221; You Must Mean: All Work, Bye Bye Life, and No Balance</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/by-worklife-balance-you-must-mean-all-work-bye-bye-life-and-no-balance/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/by-worklife-balance-you-must-mean-all-work-bye-bye-life-and-no-balance/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 30 Apr 2015 09:00:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sara Brennan]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life/Leisure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Balance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Career]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lonely]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Motherhood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new mom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stay At Home Mom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Work]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Work/Life Balance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Working Mom]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=5675</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Since becoming a mom, I&#8217;ve learned that there are NOT enough hours in a day. Many people often wish for &#8220;super powers&#8221; and mine would be the ability to survive without sleep! I actually hate going up to bed at night. Why do we NEED to do this!? There are so many more &#8220;productive&#8221; things I could be doing instead of laying down in a bed for 7-8 hours doing NOTHING resting! Before becoming a mom, I used to be a middle school science teacher and my day was filled with talking/socializing/teaching all day long, followed by the freedom to do whatever I wanted. I loved a good shopping marathon or DIY home project; I was very independent. When I decided to transition to the &#8220;glamorous&#8221; lifestyle of a stay-at-home mom, nobody prepared me for the difficult transition I was about to face. Everyone KNEW I&#8217;d made the decision to stay at home once I had the baby and not one person warned or prepared me for the emotions and changes I was about to face. I would hear comments such as, You will never regret staying at home with your kids or It&#8217;s such a great experience, I wouldn&#8217;t have traded it for the world.  I understand they probably didn&#8217;t want to &#8220;rain on my parade&#8221;, but seriously, I wish someone would have been honest with me and talked about how difficult it can be! So, I left my job, had my son (who I love and adore more than anything), and knew I &#8220;should&#8221; feel bliss, but after a few weeks and months I started to feel alone and trapped in my own home with this baby who couldn&#8217;t tell me what he wanted or needed&#8230; I started to lose it. My work &#8220;friends&#8221; got busy and didn&#8217;t care too much about me anymore. I take that back, in my crazy, emotional, tired, and slightly lonely head, that&#8217;s probably a lot more of what it felt like than the truth. To their credit, I wasn&#8217;t exactly contacting them regularly either. I just felt like nobody could relate to me anymore and that I was very uncool. I couldn&#8217;t go on shopping marathons, mani and pedi outings, or to cocktail hour anymore (unless I brought my baby!) because I was breastfeeding/pumping&#8230;I sometimes felt like a prisoner. I&#8217;d always been a very driven and &#8220;Type-A&#8221; person, so I decided to bottle this strange and unexpected negative energy and put it towards something more positive. I dreamt up an idea, built a website, started my own internet business, and became an entrepreneur! I created a website where real people could share real stories about life and what it&#8217;s really like (WIRL) and I called it WIRL Project. I knew I wasn&#8217;t the only one who had been slapped in the face with this reality that nobody wanted to talk about, so I created an online place where people could cut the crap, be real, and share their stories about life. Since it&#8217;s taken off, I am super busy doing work that I LOVE, but I also have a 19 month old toddler. Sure, I get out of the house several days a week and do something for myself, but now I am faced with GUILT beyond explanation. When I voluntarily leave the house to &#8220;work&#8221;, it means being away from my son. When I&#8217;m with my son and not working, I am constantly thinking about my business; it&#8217;s the epitome of a catch 22. Who knew motherhood could cause such drama (lol)! To avoid the guilt, I try to work as much as I can while my son is sleeping. But, often times this leaves very little time for my husband and I to hang out. Oh, and date nights? Few and far between. I am used to be really fit, I don&#8217;t hardly work out at all anymore, there just isn&#8217;t time for it! I know, I know, everything I&#8217;ve talked about so far comes with the territory of being a (new) mom&#8230; the sleepless nights, the guilt, the exhaustion, the multitasking, all of that, and I don&#8217;t really know how it would have changed things if I&#8217;d known this in advance, but I still wish people would be more realistic about this transition and stop making it out to be so &#8220;beautiful&#8221;. So, back to my super power&#8230;if I had an extra 8 hours per day to accomplish &#8220;life&#8221;, I&#8217;d be much better off! Sleeping just doesn&#8217;t fit into my schedule anymore and I wish that could be the thing I &#8220;quit&#8221; doing! But, unfortunately, my son doesn&#8217;t know (or care) that I&#8217;ve stayed up late, so he wakes up at his regular time every morning, ecstatic to see me, and I go through everything all over again the next day! Don&#8217;t get me wrong, I absolutely love my son and being his mom is awesome. But, if you were to ask me about a work/life balance&#8230; I&#8217;d say there really isn&#8217;t one, not for me anyway, each day is different, yet the same, and crazy! But, I&#8217;m not going to cover it up and make my life seem something it&#8217;s not. I work, I have a life, I balance it as best as I can and I&#8217;m honest about it. That&#8217;s the best I can do right now, take it for what it&#8217;s worth.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.wirlproject.com/by-worklife-balance-you-must-mean-all-work-bye-bye-life-and-no-balance/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Please Help Me Not To Look Like An Umpa Lumpa!</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/please-help-me-not-to-look-like-an-umpa-lumpa/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/please-help-me-not-to-look-like-an-umpa-lumpa/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2015 18:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Kristin Cogan]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Products/Shopping]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dream job]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[glow]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[no inventory]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[no parties]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rodan and fields]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[self tanner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Skincare]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stay At Home Mom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sun kissed skin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sunless tanner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tanning beds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Work from Home]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=4810</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; Ok so you want a nice tan glow, but everyone is telling you to stay out of the sun.  &#8220;It will give you wrinkles! You will get skin cancer!&#8221;  Yes I agree with their advice!  But we can get that sun-kissed glow without the sun or tanning bed &#8211; please people &#8211; get out of the tanning beds!   All those self tanners 10 years ago gave the future of self tanners a bad rap.  Most people turned out with streaky color all over or worse, they looked like an Umpa Lumpa (not a good look!).  I myself have used a lot of self tanners in my day.  So I feel pretty educated on it.  The #1 product I have found is the Rodan + Fields Sunless Foaming Tan. Here is why: Foam based.  That means it dries fast.  No more walking around naked around your house for 1/2 hour or touching anything! No orange color! For all skin colors.  Fair skin folks can use 1 pump and darker complected can use several pumps and several applications to get the color they want. Non greasy!  This is what really sold me.  I can put it on in the morning, and then apply my SPF and makeup.  By lunch, I was nice and tan! For me, I just look better with a tan, and now I don&#8217;t have to get it from the sun (and all the wrinkles and cancer that comes with that!) &#160; &#160;]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Using Every Ounce of Talent I&#8217;ve Been Given</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/using-every-ounce-of-talent-ive-been-given/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/using-every-ounce-of-talent-ive-been-given/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 01 Apr 2015 09:00:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Misty Hovis]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Love/Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[God's Help]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Homeschooling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stay At Home Mom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Talent]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Thirty-One]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=4707</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; Quiet&#8230; I sit here alone enjoying this moment. Ahh another day goes by, five sweet little blessings tucked into their beds, but this mother still has much to do before I lay down to rest. Time to prepare, time to pray, and time to reflect. A while ago, I came across a quote that read: This quote really touched my heart and opened my eyes to a lot of things. Being a wife, stay-at-home homeschooling mother and Director with Thirty-One Gifts I wear many hats. From the moment I get up, I am nonstop being pulled in one direction or another. It&#8217;s not always easy and I will let you in on a little secret, some days I feel like the biggest failure and not worthy to be in the roles I hold. Then, I realize I am exactly where I am suppose to be, blessed with exactly the children I am suppose to have, and doing exactly what God has called me to do. He alone has instilled talents and gifts in each of us&#8230; what we chose to do with them is up to us. I chose to use every bit of them for His honor and glory. To reach deep within myself and give my all, in all I do, so at the end of my life I can look back and say I used every bit of talent He blessed me with. I hear often words from strangers and even friends, &#8220;Boy, do you have your hands full!&#8221; Or &#8220;Wow, you must be super woman!&#8221;. I am far from being super woman, or mom for that matter, I struggle just like the rest. My hands are full, but not in the way most would think. My hands are full when I have a child close by to hug, a little hand to hold, and a child in my arms dancing and singing around the kitchen, just to name a few. This is my life&#8217;s greatest joy and accomplishment. Even though the moments of silence are refreshing, I look forward to tomorrow when I can continue to use my talents with God&#8217;s help until every ounce of it is used up. Loving my journey!]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.wirlproject.com/using-every-ounce-of-talent-ive-been-given/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>SAHM &amp; Business owner?</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/sahm-business-owner/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/sahm-business-owner/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 24 Mar 2015 22:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Kristin Cogan]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dream job]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[my why]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[R+F]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rodan+fields]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Skincare]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stay At Home Mom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Work from Home]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=4529</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; Hi, I am Kristin Cogan and I am a wife and stay home mom to my 3 1/2 year old son and 14 month old daughter.  I wasn&#8217;t “looking” for a part-time job but I was introduced to Rodan &#38; Fields by a few of my good friends. But, after hearing that I could partner with the doctors who created Proactiv Solution, didn&#8217;t have to host parties or stock product, and make my own hours, all while staying at home with my small children, I jumped right in. I immediately was so intrigued by this is ground-floor opportunity and that I could be among the first to offer this great product line. I have found something I truly love and that I don&#8217;t consider &#8220;work&#8221;. The best part of this business is working with incredible friends, meeting new people, and helping them meet their goals. I feel more empowered and I feel more alive than I ever have before and that is because I get to help people achieve financial freedom and success on a regular basis. Being able to contribute to my family financially and to have my children look up to me as a mom and a successful business owner is why I am loving this business. It has made me a better wife and mom because I have found the perfect balance between those roles while having my own outlet with R+F.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.wirlproject.com/sahm-business-owner/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>My Life Right Now: The Real Story</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/my-life-right-now-the-real-story/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/my-life-right-now-the-real-story/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 10 Mar 2015 10:00:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sara Brennan]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Life/Leisure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneur]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Guilt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[My Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Parent]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Schedule]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stay At Home Mom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[What It's Really Like]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WIRL Challenge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Working Mom]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=3959</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What is it really like to be me? Often times I wonder, does anybody care? But then, just as I&#8217;m feeling insecure, something or someone comes along and makes me feel really special and important. For example, when I shared last week that I had created and announced WIRL Project &#8211; the flood of emotions totally outweighed any doubt I&#8217;ve ever had in how much people love and support me &#8211; last Tuesday was one of the most awesome days to date! But even in the ordinary times, like every morning when I see my son for the first time, he smiles at me and there is truly no way to describe that level of happiness. But, as we all know, life isn&#8217;t always happy&#8230;it&#8217;s not always rainbows and butterflies (which social media likes to make people think). And actually, to be honest and &#8220;real&#8221;, before WIRL Project, my day-to-day life was kind of a mess. I struggled with feelings that I NEVER anticipated as a new mom&#8230;I sometimes felt &#8220;trapped&#8221; in a playroom with a toddler watching The Wiggles, feeling sad that I&#8217;d &#8220;lost&#8221; my independent, outgoing life that I once had. Then it would smack me in the face because I was sitting and playing with the most beautiful little human being on this earth (yes, I&#8217;m biased), and I felt shitty about it. Damn &#8211; that reality sucks when you feel something but know you shouldn&#8217;t. My day-to-day life became so focused around the baby, that I was really losing my sense of who I was as a person and I didn&#8217;t know what to do about it. Throughout all of these arguments I would have with myself, I didn&#8217;t really want to admit to my husband, friends, or family that I wanted to escape in some way, shape, or form. I felt guilty for wanting to get a babysitter or put my son in school because I was perfectly capable of taking care of him&#8230;but didn&#8217;t always want to? Wow &#8211; that was even hard to write&#8230;but it was true. So, for a long time, I didn&#8217;t say anything and then, one day, after having breakfast with my son, watching Wiggles or Pooh, and having snack time for the 1,000th time, I realized that I needed to face reality and stop living a life that was &#8220;perfect&#8221; for most, but not for me. So, I talked with my husband and we decided it was time for me to take a leap of faith and pursue something I&#8217;d had brewing in my head for such a long time. We decided that it was time that we enroll Mason into a &#8220;Mom&#8217;s Morning Out&#8221; program on Tuesday mornings, and that I get a sitter another morning (or two) of the week so I can venture into something of my own. Did I feel guilty, yes. Was I afraid, yes. Was it hard to say goodbye to the every-day-is-the-same kind of life we were living, yes! But, as I got into the groove of things, I started to get a pep in my step again and I started to feel a confidence that I&#8217;ve never felt before. I learned that I was not choosing to walk away from my son, or my &#8220;life&#8221;, but that I was choosing to do something for myself&#8230;which is what was missing all along. And, crazy as it sounds, it has made me a better mom, wife, and overall person. I can&#8217;t sit here and tell you that walking away from my sweet boy three mornings of the week, as he cries and yells out &#8220;Mama&#8221; as I&#8217;m walking away is easy, but what I can say is that I am 100% a better person for being strong and allowing myself to face the reality of what I was feeling and actually do something about it. So, what is it really like to be a full-time mom, wife, and entrepreneur? Well, it&#8217;s hard, crazy, frustrating, rewarding, and tiring, but most of all&#8230;it&#8217;s perfect for me. I can&#8217;t wait to share with you my journey as I continue down this new, awesome road; I can promise you there will be ups and downs and things are going to get crazy, but I can also assure you that with me, you will always get the REAL story, because in the end, when you&#8217;re real and honest with yourself and how you feel about your emotions, life, etc. then, I believe, you will be better equipped to love and be passionate about the people in your life and the things you do. From all this, I&#8217;ve learned to take a break if you need one, in fact, take several if you&#8217;d like; they don&#8217;t make you look weak and people will admire your courage and strength. Listen to the &#8220;whispers&#8221; in life, and if they sound crazy, talk to someone, act when you&#8217;re ready, and don&#8217;t be afraid to take chances. Life is too short to be anything but happy; it&#8217;s cliche, but so, so, so true!]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Setting Business Hours While Working from Home</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/setting-business-hours-while-working-from-home/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/setting-business-hours-while-working-from-home/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 26 Feb 2015 23:00:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Heather]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Work/Money]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Hours]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Owner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Career]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Consultant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Direct Sales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Direct Seller]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Director]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Home Party]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stay At Home Mom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Thirty-One]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Work]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Work from Home]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Work From Home Mom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Working]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=3432</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I’m not exactly sure when it happened, but sometime in the past few months I realized something… I’m a small business owner! It’s true! I am! I’m sure many people in Direct Sales go through this odd transformation. Most people start Direct Sales companies as a hobby, a way to make an extra $100/month, or maybe just to get a discount on some of their favorite products. I definitely did not purchase my Thirty-One Enrollment Kit with the intention of it turning into a business. I just wanted the best deal in the catalog! A little over a year after joining Thirty-One and I have a team of 29 amazing women that I get to celebrate, encourage, reward, train, and lead! How awesome is that!?! While I don’t write their paychecks, I like to think that I do have an influence in them. (And I’m ALWAYS up for helping one of them get a raise!) I’m sure that most people in direct sales have gone through that stage where they’ve had someone say that what they do isn’t a “real job”. Yep, you’re right! I LOVE what I do! I love that I get to hold Facebook Parties while I’m sitting in the living room with Devon watching American Idol. I love that I know that I never have to miss one of her soccer games because of “work”. I get PAID to PARTY! Whatttt?!?! Oh, and have you heard that nonsense that you can’t make any money with Direct Sales. That one REALLY makes me giggle.  Did you know that over 80% of women who make over $100,000/year do so in Direct Sales??? WOW!!! Ok, I’m getting sidetracked (what’s new?). A few weeks ago or even a month ago it really hit me that I’m a small business owner. I started noticing that I felt I needed to be glued to my phone in case a customer, hostess or team member needed something. What if there was  a purse emergency!?! It wasn’t until Dave, Devon and I were at volleyball game watching some of Devon’s friends play when I realized that I needed to set “Business Hours”.  We were at the game and I was cheering the girls on when I realized that I was the only person in the gym cheering. I looked around and saw EVERYONE else on their phones! I made a promise then to myself that when Devon’s soccer games start up I wouldn’t be one of those parents. I wouldn’t miss one of her goals because I was too busy checking my Facebook messages to see what pattern someone wanted their new purse in. I wasn’t going to let “work” get in the way of my family. That’s why most women do Direct Sales… to be able to enjoy their families while also earning an income. Setting Business Hours was something that I struggled with. To be completely honest, a year ago I would have thought it was narcissistic for someone who “sold purses” to have business hours. Boy was I wrong. Setting business hours should be a MUST for those in Direct Sales. It elevates that constant feeling of having to be available for everyone. Trust me, there is no such thing as a purse emergency. Business hours allow me to ENJOY my family time more without having to constantly check my phone. It has even made me more productive during the times I designate for my business. Currently, my business hours are Monday – Friday 9am – 2pm. I have parties on week nights and I DO NOT work on the weekends. I’m sure my hours will change, especially when summer comes and Devon is out of school. For now I tell my team and my customers that if they contact me after business hours that they shouldn’t expect an answer until my next set of business hours. Will there be times where I do some work outside of my business hours? Of course, but it will be something planned, not something that interrupts family time. I was nervous that everyone would think I was being rude, but have experienced nothing but support of my business hours, my team and customers understand that it’s so I can enjoy my family! If you’re in Direct Sales or work from home, do you have your own business hours set? How did you announce your business hours to your team and customers?]]></description>
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