power of moms

100 intense and deliberate mothers are blogging this week about a conference we attended in Park City at the home of the rather prolific and famous Jim and Linda Eyer. Andrea, Betsy and I joined these women for two days of professional development entitled "Power of Moms," a cheesy title for a powerful concept. I was a skeptic when I arrived, but exited a changed person. I cannot write as cleverly or creatively as most of the bloggers out there, and my dismal photography skills mean no cute pictures to accompany this post. Nevertheless, I was inspired. Here's what moved me.

I want to engage in deliberate parenting not routine parenting.
I want to participate in present parenting not distracted parenting.
I want to have thriving parenting not surviving parenting.

A deliberate mother strives for peace, order, joy and purpose. She keeps the end goal in mind: raising helpful, functional members of society.

A mother is content with material things because it enables her to be discontent with divine things.

It is imperative that a mother live with margins. Margins in life allow for receiving inspiration, and recognizing the most important parts. Margins can be achieved by: inaccessibility, routines, deadlines, simplification and deletion. Margins are not laziness.

Big Feelings are OK.

When I feel insecure or inferior to another mother, I can close the perceived gap by offering a sincere compliment.

These 5 ideas organize and bind families: Family Economy, Family Legal System, Family Trips, Family Traditions and Family Motto.

I can feel guiltless when home decorating projects are process driven versus project driven.

A woman named April Perry taught an organizational technique specific to mothers. Just 24 hours after implementation, it has significantly settled the buzzing of millions of thoughts and ideas in my head. Here are the pearls I gathered from her presentation.

A current project is something requiring time and thoughts. My limit for current projects is 8. Each project gets a binder and no new projects can be added until another is complete. I review these current projects at least once a week and develop my "immediate action list" from them.

All thoughts, ideas, papers, assignments and "stuff" goes straight to the "In Box." It is sorted weekly into the following places: current projects, immediate action folder, need-later folder or tickler file.

If something can be done in less than 2 minutes it must be done immediately. If it is something barely worth doing, barely do it.

There were 100 woman in that room as intense about parenting as the lemon sisters. I am sure those woman also represented every sadness, trial and difficulty on the earth known to women, but the feelings of hope and faith and desire to make a difference were the overwhelming emotion. There was no denying the Power of Moms.