Belly Ballot

The idea for Belly Ballot first came about in 2009 when I was pregnant with our second baby. At my baby shower, we played a fun game, having guests write down potential baby names and submit them in a "belly ballot" box. Everyone really got creative and it was the hit of the party. I have always been curious about our loved ones opinions for our baby names, and this was the fun, social way to do it! We officially started Belly Ballot in the fall of 2011. After a brief beta period, we fully launched our site in early July 2012. It has a been such a fun ride so far!

I was inspired by all my friends and family who live all over the country (and overseas!). I wanted to create something that fostered a sense of community around such a fun and important time in a pregnant woman's life. Now, in under 2 minutes, mom's can choose from our extensive lists of baby names, and have their loved ones all over the world place their vote for their favorite name.

I would probably say time! The time it takes to create a start-up. The time spent waiting for all the pieces in your business to fall into place. The time spent reading, researching, and responding. I knew it would be a challenge from the start, but it has surprised me much more than I had thought. Of course it is all worth it in the end!

I always put my family first, no matter what. By making sure their needs are met first, it actually provides me with added energy and excitement for my business. I have had to do some prioritizing, like running more errands on the weekends (my husband loves errands, ha!), and more online shopping. In a weird way, my life is actually more simple since going back to work. I have come to many realizations about what is and is not important in life. It has been a win-win!

Procrastinate! Why is it that when I have the most do to, I usually want to do the least? It is so frustrating, which just creates more stress! I just force myself to do one small task and a time, and that usually gets me over my hump.

Don't forget to take some time everyday to do something just for you. A quick workout, a bubble bath at the end of the day, or a girls lunch date. Taking even the shortest amount of time just for you will pay off big in the end. Ask any mom and they will tell you that we are constantly worrying about meeting everyone else's needs. Don't forget about your own.

I just got back from a five day backpacking trip in Colorado with two other mommies. It was a wild, adventurous, taxing trip, but so rewarding. I can now check it off my bucket list, and who knows, we might try to go again next year. I will probably need that amount of time to recover.