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I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13 |
I am so excited to feature Frances Amper Sales here at Cruisin’ Mommyhood’s Super Mom! Who doesn’t know her!? If you are a mom like me who is active in social media, I am quite certain that you follow her blogs and her Twitter account.
She is successful in her career, she owns popular blogs with impressive page views and loyal followers and above all, she has a happy family. She is Vince’s wife and Vito and Iñigo’s mom. She is a writer. She works as Editor-in-Chief of OK!
I love seeing the latest photos of her gorgeous sons, reading about her recommended products and brands and of course, Fashion Friday. But I read her blogs, especially Topaz Mommy, because she is humble, sincere and honest. She writes from the heart. Anyone can set up a blog and write about anything and everything. But only a few can inspire, motivate and influence. Needless to say,
Enjoy reading as much as I did... I'm sure you will learn a lot!
Belle
Describe your typical day.
Frances
My days are never the same! As a magazine editor, I get pulled to many events and meetings. As the editor-in-chief, I can actually work from home or from my mobile phones. As a blogger, I have a lot of events to check out, too. As a wife and mommy, I have to go on many errands! No day is ever the same but most days usually go like this:
My life starts at 5 in the morning because my 2-year-old Vito and 5-month-old Iñigo wake up at the crack of dawn. They wake each other up! Then they wake me up. By then, I've only had 3 hours of sleep since I sleep at 2am. Anyway, I hand them over to their yayas and I sleep. I wake up at around 8 and I express breast milk. My kids are at the playground so I have a quiet breakfast, usually alone, sometimes with my husband, writer Vince Sales. I usually use this quiet time to check the articles I wrote/edited the night before. I do a final edit and then I email them to my magazine staff or to my clients. This is also the time I email to-do lists to my staff.
The kids come home at
9am and we play! Then I breastfeed the baby and chat with the toddler. Then
they nap. This is when I start preparing to go to work. I shower quickly, dress
up, then eat lunch with my husband. Then off to the office or to meetings and
events I go. After 2-3 hours at work, I go home to breastfeed the baby and
check on Vito, who's usually busy with Papa Preschool! At around 4pm, the kids
go to the playground and I go back to the office. I work a couple of hours more
then I go home again.
If I come home early
enough, I play with the kids at the playground. Evenings are a noisy affair.
Bath time for the toddler, preparing dinner, eating dinner, watching TV with
Vince. We tuck the kids to bed, Vince and I squeeze the babies between us. We
talk about our day with hushed voices. It's my favorite time of the day. By
10pm, we go our separate ways—our home offices! We both write for a living.
Vince is a book author and freelance writer, I do magazine work plus blogging
and other writing jobs. And we both manage a small eBay business.
Anyway, I do eBay
(check payments, send invoices, pack products for shipping), then I edit
magazine articles, then I blog. All these are interspersed with breastfeeding
sessions! Finally, at 2am, I crawl into bed!!!
I'm really lucky to
have the job that I have. It allows me so much freedom and I am very
grateful.
Belle
You are a wife and a
mom of two, you are a writer and own 3 blogs plus you work as editor in chief
of a popular magazine, what is your rule of thumb in managing time and
setting priorities?
Frances
Prioritize
the family. Always. A lot of women are very proud of multi-tasking. In my
experience, it doesn't work. I tried. I really really did. But I can tell you
that preparing dinner while giving your toddler a bath is a very bad idea. I've
brought the baby to meetings and while the people in the room are very
understanding, breastfeeding the baby or rocking him to sleep definitely
distracts from my image as a professional. I have friends who have their nanny
cam live on their work PCs and they confess to me that they just stare at the
live feed instead of working!
What
works for me is be extremely efficient. Do the task well and finish it as soon
as possible then move on to the next. And while you're doing that task, focus
on that and that alone, whether it's work, errands or the kids. For example,
when I'm editing or blogging at night, I am really focused on the task. But
when Iñigo cries, I drop everything and breastfeed him. I focus on nursing him
instead of feeling annoyed that I was taken away from my work. I don't see this
as a distraction or a bother because above all else, family comes first! Once
you know what your priorities are, things fall into place. This is the only way
my life is possible.
Oh,
and the help and support of my husband. Plus, really trustworthy yayas!
Belle
Who is your role model? How was she able to influence your character as a mom?
Frances
Gwyneth
Paltrow. I love her. She's my role model. She was a movie star and then she
turned her back on her career when she got married and had her kids. She was
gone from the spotlight for 5 years, which is eternity in Hollywood . Everyone said she was a has-been.
This never bothered her. She said (and I wish I had the exact quote) that she's
already reached the pinnacle of success in her mid-20s so it was time to move
on to the next great adventure—marriage and kids! And now she's this huge star
again, but not as a movie star but as a lifestyle guru and cookbook author.
She's created a new career from her devotion to her family!
I
want that. I've already reached the pinnacle of my career in my early 30s.
What's next? I think it's time for me to slow down, breathe, love. I just want
to be with my kids. They grow up so fast! That's why, even with my flexible
work schedule, I'm leaving the magazine world and focusing on being a wife and
mom. I've had my fun being a career woman. Now it's time for me to enjoy fully
all that marriage and motherhood has to offer!
Then, maybe if I'm lucky, a few years from now, I can create a career from being a mom, just like Gwyneth! Actually, being a mom isn't going to stop me from writing. I have my blogs, which earn me decent money. I can still write articles for magazines and websites. I can still write a book! I really see motherhood as my next career move and being a writer allows me so much freedom! I'm grateful this is the work that was given me.
Belle
So
don't feel guilty when you're at the office all day. You don't need to hover
over your kids for them to realise your love. Just be there when they need you.
And most times, all they really need is a hug, a kiss, a smile, a tickle.