The birth of Chic Mom has been a roller coaster of a ride. I remember the moment I uttered the words out loud to my husband, “There should be a magazine for moms and it should be called Chic Mom.”

I remember the passion I felt for it then, passion that I basically feel – for mothers. I had been a Social Worker and Counselor prior to making the decision to stay at home full time with my children. The feeling I had when I uttered those words was one of advocacy similar to how I felt for clients I served in the past. It seemed so simple.

I was a totally normal (well, maybe a bit neurotic as this blog will show) educated, American mom who thought and felt deeply about things. And I couldn’t find a magazine on the stands that spoke to me.

I wondered how the media world could be so blind as to not see the power of this emerging market right before their eyes; the market of moms who were still women, not Stepford wives or Carol Bradys. I mean, who does EVERYTHING that pertains to spending money but these very real women who are moms?

We do the shopping, the vacation planning, the researching about any issues that come up with our children, the worrying that leads to lots of talking and referring to various solutions which then spreads the word about anything from dance shoes to organic eggs. Moms are the backbone of society. Let’s face it. Without the devotion to growing and nurturing our kids, it would be a very sad place – and often is in situations where this occurs.

So, I took my passion, and my idea and went ahead and did the magazine locally. I think my family thought I was crazy, but for some reason, I had to get this message out there. It took an entire year to make it happen, but happen it did. And my life hasn’t been the same since.

The best benefit of doing that issue was that I finally felt like my true soul was revealed to the world. I am someone who has struggled with a heavy personality and low grade depression that has weighed me down and stunted my joy.

Pushing through all of the internal demons who told me, “Stop this nonsense! People just don’t start magazines! Who do you think you are?” has forced me to grow much further towards being what was revealed in this first issue of Chic Mom, my authentic joyful self.

But even though doing the magazine locally brought me such personal joy, and I was so happy to be lifting up and honoring moms, the realities of the business were just too demanding in a life with small children.

I felt like my family was suffering because of the amount of work it took. I made the decision which so many of us make on a regular basis – to let my passion go for awhile because I knew my time with my ‘little nubs’ (what we called them) was brief.

The fire has remained alive, though, and I kept at learning the business and planning on coming back all the while hearing that little voice that said, “You cannot do this! Stop thinking you can! It will never be the right time! Life just gets busier as they get older. Just have another baby and move on!”

I also noticed several things over the course of the 2 years since I have stopped. There is just so damn much to do when you’re a mom. I know we’ve all heard the cliche’s before: “A woman’s work is never done” being the one I that has most resonated with me these past few years. It’s true.

As far as we have come as women through the feminist movement, education, success in politics, etc., it still seems to remain that the bulk of domestic responsibilities falls on us. I don’t want to start a ‘bitch session’ because I take some responsibility here. If my standards weren’t so high, and I wasn’t so hard on myself as a mom, maybe I wouldn’t be running around taking care of things so much.

The problem is, since there is so much that needs to be taken care of on a regular basis, resentment can build up. It is so important that we quiet the lists of things to do and take a long look at what is knawing at our souls and tend to it in some capacity.

This is no easy task, ladies. I am here to tell you. BUT, after spending gobs of time (our most valuable asset) on doing this magazine, a very enlightening moment occurred the other day. I was guiltily finishing up the design of the logo with my designer (who is a very chic mom) on my computer when my 8-year-old daughter walked up and said, “Wow mom. That’s really cool!”

It occurred to me at that moment that I can switch gears in my thinking about this project from one that is taking away from my kids to one that is taking them with me on this journey of creative expression. I can only imagine that this will encourage them to take risks in life and have the courage to stay in touch with their dreams – and pursue them with vigor.

See the next blog entry ‘In a Nutshell’ for the original ‘Letter From the Editor’ when Chic Mom was a local magazine in print. We are happy to now offer the voice of Chic Mom to moms everywhere.