A Sugar & Swank History Lesson

While married I was happily able to live my dream of being a stay-at-home mom. But once I got divorced in 2001, staying home with my son was no longer possible. Out into the workforce I went, leaving my sweet baby boy in the care of others. I actually didn't mind working - I enjoyed using my brain. But I absolutely hated the fact that my son and I had gone from spending all day together to being apart for the majority of it.

For several years there was no way around it - I had to work and that meant working for others. I always felt I did neither my professional job nor my mommy job well enough because I could never give either 100%. My boss would say, "I need you here right at 8 am. I consider 8:05 late." Or, "Isn't there someone else who can stay home with your son when he's sick?" And my favorite: "Jennifer, you're not detail oriented."

I wanted to say, "I leave my sleeping son with a nanny at 7:15 am, before he's even awake, and fight horrible traffic to get here by 8. So it might be 8:05. Nope, there's no one else he can stay with when he's sick. And you would literally topple over if you had to balance the details I successfully manage on a regular basis. I'm just much better at managing said details when they benefit me rather than you." But I didn't fight back until 2006.

That's when I had enough and decided it was time to work for myself. My biggest goal in doing so was to have the ability to drive my son to and from school on my own. And I'm happy to say that by creating Sugar & Swank Skincare I consistently meet this goal. Even more, I also get to volunteer in my son's classroom, help out in the school's office, go on field trips and drive the carpool.

So what else do I strive for with regards to my career? In addition to offering the most effective treatments possible, Sugar & Swank strives to be a place where women can take a break for a moment and have their chance to be nurtured.

But after being a single mom for such a long time I know firsthand how hard it is to get to the spa. So if your son is in the hospital with cancer and you want a brow wax I'll bring the wax to you. If you can't drive due to a fall I'll come over to custom blend make-up right in your kitchen. I've done facials on women while they've breastfed and have fed and rocked babies while massaging their mom's shoulders. Today while I gave his mom a bikini wax a four-year-old watched Spongebob on my I-Pod and played with the toys I stash under my spa bed. It was the only "me time" she was going to get, so we made it work!

I always admire those who perservere in times of difficulty. I always wonder how I'd handle those times, and in writing this blog I see that I was actually faced with such challenges and pushed through until I created a new and better situation. Not just a situation, but a lifestyle. I am not just being. I am being Sugar & Swank.

You can do it too. Go after your dreams, my friends. Make it happen. I know you can.

And in the meantime, take care . . . of yourself.