Since my son was a little over 1.5 years old, I have been a working, stay at home mom.
I have built a global luxury handbag business, manufactured right here in Manhattan, which I started out of my 2 bedroom NYC apartment in 2006. Since then, my bags have been sold within prestigious stores including Nordstrom and Intermix, have graced the pages of magazines including Elle, Lucky and Instyle and seen on the arms of A-list celebs including Sarah Jessica Parker, Cameron Diaz, and Cate Blanchett to name a few.
There have been awards, the production of a documentary and most recently a collaboration with Audi. The film challenged me further, to explore the idea of producing a more affordable American made product that could be produced at high volume, with the launch of Soak this summer! Yet with all this, I feel strongly that my biggest accomplishment to date has been being able to balance work and child rearing... something I so desperately wanted to succeed at.
I have had the great fortune of being there for first words and steps, school drop off and pick up, hockey practices, school field trips and so much more... all while pursuing my passion for fashion. I have been blessed to be able to have both. I am not going to lie, it has not been easy and so I am always trying to evaluate things to make sure I am not missing a beat.
It occurred to me recently that although I get to physically see them a lot more than if I were checking into an office each day. I don't always get to be entirely present in the moment with them and I don't often get a chance to have one on one time with each of them, doing something fun. Hockey practice sometimes equals conference calls and pick up can sometimes turn into an unforseen run to the factory or showroom with kids in tow.
This summer I decided to do something to address this. I committed to taking a few days off, in an effort to spend time with each of my little ones separately. To go out and enjoy this great city that offers so much, but one which can also swallow you up with its fast paced work environment.
My son and I weren't able to do as much as I would have liked since he was signed up for hockey camp in preparation for the upcoming season. However, we did get to have an entire day of shopping and a frozen yogurt detour without interruption. It's fun to see his style evolve from year to year and I was grateful he was finally starting to heed my advise. I still wasn't able to completely dissuade him from the athletic wear, but he at least seems to have taken to the idea of matching. We both love frozen yogurt from our local shop Yorganics in Tribeca, which my daughter does not really care for, so it was nice to be able to enjoy this moment without a pleading child challenging the idea.
My daughter and I spent our days with a little more girly flair! Pedicures were definitely a must do and shopping too! As all of you parents know... if you do for one, you must do for the other, or sibling rivalry will most definitely ensue.
On our last day, we had an unexpected impromptu visit with my niece. I had taken both my daughter and niece to tea time in the Eloise shop at the Plaza last year and they had a a particularly nice time. It was great to see them having fun, but it wasn't exactly the kind of tea a mom gets the liberty to enjoy too! I pondered whether to take them back, thinking maybe just maybe, they could handle a proper high tea instead! I remembered being told by the Plaza that they offered an Eloise children's menu in the Palm Court and so we decided to give it a try. It was absolutely lovely and totally exceeded my expectations.
I decided on the champagne tea for myself thinking... why not! It was perfectly pink experience with different shades ranging from tea, to lemonade, to champagne to cotton candy. In addition, there was a plethora of other tasty treats like fois gras and cavier bites for mom and child friendly tea sandwiches for kids and oh... the scones!
After a little too much indulgence, we had a long stroll into Central Park. And as the kids climbed rocks and explored, I enjoyed the peace and clear blue skies with a great sense of gratuity, looking back and realizing... you really can have it all. It's with great sacrifice and awesome commitment, but it can be done.