I ran a panel this weekend at the Grub Street writer’s conference in Boston called, Moms Who Write. It was fun looking out over the audience and seeing all these women — most with little kids at home, and two who were pregnant — and watching their rapt faces. They soaked up all the information, eager to hear how to balance a life too short on time and too full of passions.

I felt pretty darn old among that group of bright-eyed women. Old in the sense of experienced. I’ve been about as low as low can get in terms of parenting. I have scraped poop off the walls. I have deloused my daughter (this just last week, by the way, in between the five interviews and another TV shoot!). I have cried in frustration more times that I would care to admit. I have raced across the desert with a child with 103 degree fever certain that he would die in my arms (I had no idea that fever this high is not a biggie in infants…!). At this point, what haven’t I experienced with my three kids?

It felt great to give hope to these women. To say: yes, you can do it if you want to! You can carve out a life for yourself and still be a great mom. You will sometimes want to pull your hair out, but who doesn’t? Life is by no means perfect, but it’s our responsibility to make it as good as it can be, not only for our families, but for US too.

• The color “coral” in a store looks neon orange in a TV studio.
• When my hair looks reasonably sleek from the front, from the side angle it looks like an animal made a nest on my head. A big yellow animal.
• I am thinner now than I have been in a while, yet I still managed to look pregnant on TV. Hmmm.
• Nodding eagerly makes you look a little like you have Alzheimers.
• LEAN BACK ON YOUR CHAIR when on TV or you will look hunchbacked.
• No one is more self critical than a German, no one.

No, seriously, we did our first TV news segment today and apart from a few style gaffes (we’re learning, OK?) we did pretty damn well! And get this: it was FUN.