The “Boundary Setting” Issue

Saying NO never felt so good.

The Carry All

Edition #118 | Read time: 5 Minutes

Alright, let’s talk about boundaries. 

You're juggling deadlines, school pickups, and maybe even a rogue Lego or two under your desk. Sound familiar? 

It's time to reclaim your sanity. Or like… at least try to.

Here’s the thing: Setting boundaries isn't just about saying "no" to extra projects (though that's a power move in and of itself), it's about honoring your time, priorities, and sanity. It’s also about saying “YES” to things that bring you joy. 🤗

So, whether it's carving out "me time" for that well-deserved bubble bath or firmly declaring "office hours" to your co-workers (because let's face it, your living room isn't the office break room), remember: boundaries aren't just a suggestion, they're your superhero cape in the chaos of modern mom-hood.

This week in The CARRY™ ALL:

  • ⚖️ Practical Tips to Cultivate Work-Life Balance

  • 🙅🏻‍♀️ How to Say No When You’re at Work 

  • 🎥 Our Latest Movie Recommendation

Do you think you have a good "work-life balance"?

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There’s still time to enter! We’re giving you 30% off our new CARRY™ ALL bag, plus gifting you our FAVORITE THINGS to go in it. Beginning this Thursday, use CARRYMOM30 for 30% off the entire ABLE site between April 17th and May 8th.

When you order The CARRY™ ALL bag (for 30% off!) — you’ll have a chance of being one of ten winners selected to get a gift box of ALL of our favorite goodies to keep in our bag like:

Want to enter? Just use the code and buy the bag! We’ll take care of the rest 🎉 (NOTE: Anyone who has ordered from March through May 8th will be entered! Keep an eye out for a special email later this week with all the deets)

THE BIG 1️⃣ 2️⃣ 3️⃣

1️⃣ ⚖️ Practical Tips to Cultivate Work-Life Balance

We know what you’re thinking: there’s no such thing as “balance.” And we totally agree. But there are ways to not feel so crazed all the time as you’re momming one minute, and working the next. Here are a few things that might help, from a great Forbes article on the topic:

  • You’re likely a better mom and partner because you invest in your career. The guilt will come and go - just ride the wave. 🌊

  • Whether you use a daycare or nanny, remember that childcare is never guaranteed. The sooner you can accept that waitlists exist, people quit or get sick, and “life” happens, the more ease you’ll feel when you’re scrambling to find a new solution.

  • Flip the script on failure and learn to re-frame it

And our personal favorite: “You can’t be present at both, at the same time.” Focus on being present in whatever you’re doing at the moment, otherwise you’ll burn out and feel the guilt big-time.

2️⃣ 🙅🏻‍♀️ How to Say No When You’re at Work

Saying “no” is HARD - but if we’ve learned anything the last few years, boundaries are important for preventing burnout and staying present. 

We love the ideas in this article by Alicia Raebrun on how to say “no” at work. Our favorites? Lead with positivity, which can show your appreciation for an opportunity before declining to take it on — and offer a different solution so that no one is left in a lurch. Brilliant!

3️⃣ 🎥 Unsung Hero

It's nearly impossible to find a great movie that's both entertaining AND clean these days, right? But UNSUNG HERO? It's a game-changer. It's the story of a MOM who's determined to keep her family together after they’ve lost everything. UNSUNG HERO hits theaters April 26—take your family, as tickets already are on sale! Trust us, you won't wanna miss this one, mama.

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT 🤎

for working moms with older children
  • Speaking of boundaries, which ones have you set in place for your tweens? This mom faced backlash on TikTok for setting some pretty strict rules for her twin 12-year-old daughters. But honestly? No phones (hello stats about kids on social media!), no soda (does anyone need soda?), and no allowance for doing chores they should already be doing anyway doesn’t seem so out of line. What do you think?

  • Is your teen clamming up when it comes to talking about the important stuff? We loved this mom’s approach to getting your teen to talk to you. Spoiler: Remain calm and approach them with curiosity instead of hostility. Our founder, Paula, gets her teens to open up by asking “how can I support you right now?”.

  • If it’s impossible to get your teens and tweens to take a “civilized picture”, you’re not alone ❤️

Last week’s poll revealed 57% of you believe that summers as a working parent aren’t the best OR the worst. They’re somewhere in between… Keep reading for a few of your thoughts and comments!

➡️ “Feeling immense pressure to create a perfect memory-making summer full of fun activities for my elementary school age children so they don't feel like their friends had a great summer and theirs was lame, while also trying to work full time remotely from a home office and not run into too many distractions and pickup time issues since camp hours often don't run for a full work day.”

➡️  “My son is now old enough to stay home alone. But that means he’ll be on more technology than I would like. We have summer camps in the area but start and stop times make it difficult for working parents.”

➡️ “Sadly, my kids will never have the carefree summers that I had growing up. I have my school-aged child in camp for the entire summer.”

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