About Us/About You

THIS SECTION:

As we sat in the playroom of a local fast food restaurant—one of us folding 1200 brochures and the other stapling them—we kept one eye on the spiral slide, waiting for Judy’s four-year-old to descend. This had become a way of life for us, doing two things at once. It seemed with “spare time” as a thing of the past, that this was the only way for us to accomplish anything.

A friend caught us in the act and asked, “What are you up to now?”

We listed our upcoming weekend retreat for writers, Mary Jo’s plan to move (even if it was just around the corner), and the 50th anniversary bash scheduled for Judy’s parents. And on top of that, we had booked back-to-back speaking engagements, leaving only a few weeks until the harried holiday season.

“You make my head hurt,” our friend continued. “How do you do it all?”

We froze in a cartoon-like motion, staring at each other. Why did people continually ask us that question?

Because somehow, despite all we had piled on our proverbial plates, we ended up licking the dish clean and going back for seconds. Other more frenzied women continually pointed out how we were always where we needed to be, when we were scheduled to be there, wearing, saying and doing the right thing.

With a laugh, Mary Jo said, “It’s easy. We’re a hybrid of Martha Stewart and Lucille Ball.”

“We’re the balance between perfection and chaos,” Judy added.

“Which one of you is which?” the friend ased.

“We’re both BOTH,” Mary Jo said.

“And at times, neither of us is either,” Judy chimed in.

“Huh?” The woman shook her head. “Now, that’s a Lucille Ball statement if I’ve ever heard one.”

Even though the mood was light, it was at that moment when we realized our days were loaded with doable details, short-cuts and tips that granted us lives that most people envied. We could achieve “it all” during even the busiest of times and still meet the demands of working, mothering, maintaining our households and making them home.

What followed? The creation of FranticWoman.com!

Who Is the Frantic Woman?

Who is the frantic woman and why is she frantic?

The frantic woman is every woman who cares about the people in her life and the goings on around them. She is unselfish and kind and wants the best of everything for everyone. You’re thinking, but this sounds like a good thing! Well it is! Being frantic means you’re unselfish and—unfortunately—spread too thin.

You might have come to this site wanting to determine whether you are a frazzled woman or not. But if you’re here, chances are good that indeed you are a frantic woman. You’ve probably locked your keys in the car on more than one occasion. You’ve forgotten to let the dog out or neglected to bring him in. You might have done a U-turn on the way to an important meeting because you forgot to turn off the stove or neglected to grab your portfolio.

You know you’re frantic if you’ve experienced even one of the following scenarios:

A smoke detector activated, or better yet, the fire department arrived at your house, because you were involved elsewhere and forgot about the dinner you had cooking.
A late fee was accessed to your monthly mortgage, charge, or utility statement. It’s not as if you weren’t going to pay it—the payment due date slipped your mind with all your other demands on your life.
You received a graduation invitation, glanced at the time & place, and then filed it in the rubbish. On the party day, you reached the destination with gift in hand, but the graduate you’re ready to kiss, doesn’t quite look familiar. After a split second, you realized he hasn‘t dramatically changed, but you’re at the wrong graduate’s party.
In a rush to complete laundry, you skipped checking the pants’ pockets. As you switched the load from washer to dryer you discovered shreds of paper throughout the machine and clothing. Later you realized the little shreds of paper were once your paycheck.
You searched your house over and over and still couldn’t locate the car keys. A possible thought flashed through your mind. You rushed to the vehicle parked in the driveway. Upon reaching your car, you discover not only are the keys inside the ignition, but the windows were left down and it poured rain the night before.

If upon this reading, you found you are a character in any or all of these one-acts, don‘t worry. It’s the first step in realizing you are a frantic woman. And from there—take it from us—everything is uphill. Each step you take to overcome your harried life makes every phase of your life better. And you’ve come to the right place. The FranticWoman.com site has much in store for you.

Frazzledly,
Judy and Mary Jo