I’m finally back home in Montreal after traveling a little too much lately- it feels great to be settled.

I am still jet lagged and pretty tired from my trip to LA. It was, to say the least… a whirlwind. Highly productive, fast, fun, and full of living outside my comfort zone. Just the way life should be if you ever hope to accomplish your dreams.

A few memories of the week…

Some time off at Rodeo Drive
Santa Monica Pier - Beautiful.
I found this in a store while buying a little gift for my boys. I also have it in a magnet in my office. One of my favorite quotes.
A spoof of Goodnight Moon. Check out the couple.
Lunch at the Ivy. This was my dessert. If you read closely, you can probably guess the book I was reading.
Only cuz I'm a foodie, here's a pic of The Ivy chopped salad. To die for.
And finally, I treated myself to a new pair of shoes. Cute right? Notice my toenail - which got clipped off on the airplane. ;(

While in LA, as I was walking into a meeting, I got a call from my husband that my son was vomiting. Murphy’s Law– of course he would get sick the minute I leave. Isn’t that the way life always works?  Obviously I was devastated that I couldn’t be there for him. I felt like a terrible mother. Running through my head was, “Erica, you were just in New York last week at Blogher, now you’re away again. Where are your priorities?” I felt like I needed to be home.

But, there I was, walking into a meeting, so I tried to stay as emotionally present in my work as possible, and had a great meeting. But when I left, my heart went immediately to my son, and I called my mom and my husband to see what was going on at home. Later on that day, I was at my best friend’s house, and proceeded to tell her about my little guy at home, and the guilt I felt to be so far away with everyone else caring for him.

Her response, “Erica, you have amazing support at home- a mother, a mother-in-law, a husband. You’re here to work. And you know what? You are a wonderful role model to your boys. You have showed them the value of hard work, and chasing your dreams. You have showed them, that if they can dream it, they can do it. And that is a gift not everyone gives their children.”

And in that moment, I had an AHA moment. Because I had never thought of it that way. We working moms feel such guilt – guilt to leave work to be home for our child, guilt to leave our child at home to be at work. It’s the forever losing battle. But I never think of the impact that my work has on my kids– that they see a mommy who writes, and speaks, and tries to be of service to others around the world. I always feel the guilt – I never see the value in showing them that I am a person trying to make a difference, and so should they. I never realize that chasing my dreams is something that is a positive for them to see, rather than a negative.

So today, my blog is to teach you, what I learned myself. That you must follow you dreams. Because so many people never do.

While I was flying home, I looked out my window, and the sky looked so high, and boundless. I snapped a photo of the peaceful scene. It reminded me that the sky is my limit…  and it should be YOURS too.

What do you think? Did what I say make sense to you? Do you ever suffer from working mom’s guilt? Are we women entitled to chase our dreams, or is it selfish to do so, and does it make us a bad mother? Where is the line between being a present mom, and not neglecting our own interests and passions? I’d really love opinion.

I will pop in next week. My kids are off until they return to school next Friday. They will be my priority next week. Happy weekend.

xoxEDxox