Who is Ms. Magoo?
An authentic, clumsy, burnt out mom of three who wants to empower other women and remind them that they're not alone...
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The History and Mystery of Ms. Magoo - the burnt out mom
My loving husband has been calling me Magoo basically since we met. How exactly this nickname came about is debatable but most definitely has to do with my tendency to be accident-prone, my short stature and the fact that I am two years older than him (which he never lets me forget). But, similar to the original Mr Magoo, I have managed to stumble (literally) through life to find myself in very funny situations and with some good luck sprinkled in too.
The thing about being a “Magoo” is that I am FAR from perfect but I don’t give up and I just keep trying to learn new things to help myself and those around me improve. That’s where you come into the picture, dear reader. I’m what you would refer to in a job interview as a “lifelong learner” (yes, you can roll your eyes at that one). But, really, my too many years of schooling did not prepare me for much in life except for, well, being a student. That means I can research the crap out of a topic and write a pretty decent paper about it for you too. Personal development, parenthood, women’s empowerment, mental and physical health are all passions of mine. I spend a significant amount of my personal time reading about or listening to experts on these topics and many others to just find ways to understand life and try to make progress as a person.
Magoo…burnt out mom…and blogger?
So here we are, I am recovering from a pretty nasty case of being a “burnt out mom” that lead to me taking an official mental health break from work and many hours sitting in nature contemplating my purpose in life. The one true “purpose” I’ve always known is being a mom to my awesome three kids (twin daughters in elementary and a toddler son). But I realized that I also needed something that was just mine and that would include a community of like-minded women that I can share my crazy research obsessions with.
That’s where you come in. If you’ve made it this far, you’re my kinda person! I don’t take myself too seriously and will always be looking for moments of fun and humor to share in addition to the nuggets of knowledge and cool resources you’ll find here.
The real “Mr Magoo”
According to Wikipedia, Mr. Magoo is a cartoon character originally created in 1949. “Mr Magoo is an elderly, wealthy, short-statured retiree who gets into a series of comical situations as a result of his extreme near-sightedness, compounded by his stubborn refusal to admit the problem. However, through uncanny streaks of luck, the situation always seems to work itself out for him, leaving him no worse than before. Bystanders consequently tend to think that he is a lunatic, rather than just being near-sighted.”
There are definitely many differences between me, “Ms Magoo” and the original Mr Magoo but the one that matters the most to me (no, it’s not the wealthy or elderly part but I am neither of those either), it’s the near-sightedness. I am always looking to the future, I’m open to others’ insights and opinions and I’m only interested in honest, fair, growth and community.
Thanks for taking the time to read. Hope to see you back here soon!
With Love,
Magoo
From conversations with other women and my research during my mental breakdown awakening, I’ve discovered that I am not, in fact, as alone as I felt dealing with the pressures of being a professional woman and dedicated parent. Burnout seems to be spreading like wildfire and I’m desperate to find ways to help. Below are some of my favorite resources I found so far. Enjoy!
Brene Brown is the Queen of authentic living. You want to feel better about yourself? Even find a way to value your imperfections? Are you a fellow burnt out mom struggling with your imperfections? This book Imperfect: The Gifts of Imperfection will be just what you need and the audiobook is great to accompany you on walks too!
“Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It’s about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen.”
I am definitely not a medical expert in any way, but I do know there is a significant link between what we eat and how we feel. I am also addicted to sugar so was definitely intrigued by the title of this podcast episode. Marie Forleo interviewed Jessie Inchauspé, a French biochemist and award-winning author also known as the ‘Glucose Goddess’. I thought she had some pretty interesting things to say….like, did you know the order that you eat different foods can make a huge difference? Hopefully you’ll enjoy it too!
This one’s for the kids too! I am mildly obsessed with nurturing a growth mindset for my kids because I just believe it’s such a valuable skill that will always benefit them in life. The resources that Big Life Journal creates and all of the free content they share on social media have been so helpful in my mission! My older kids have one of their journals that is focused on gratitude and building self-esteem and confidence (all part of the growth mindset) and they enjoy using it and I enjoy the conversations that come from it. They also offer some really valuable courses to help you navigate the many challenges of parenthood. Give them a try and let me know what you think!
Quick story…I had to take all three kids to the dermatologist the other day and of course everyone needed to use the bathroom when we got there. It was chaos with my toddler singing at the top of his lungs and the other two bickering over who knows what. We did what we had to do and got the hell out of there. The nurses at the front desk took one look at me carrying jackets and water bottles and told me I could skip the self-check-in today, thank GOD! We had our appointment, everything went well. Fast forward to THREE DAYS LATER and looky here….what did I find in my pocketbook amongst random diapers and tissues?! The women’s bathroom key!!! Now good ol’ Ms Magoo has to find a way to return it without dying of humiliation!
UPDATE: Bet you’re wondering when/if I returned the key. Well, I did, about a month later after I had left my DRIVER’S LICENSE there. Yep, they called me after one of the appointments to tell me they had my license and since I was already embarassed, I figured why not return the damn key. We all had a good laugh at my expense and they were very happy to have it back. 😂
