October 15, 2013 2:28 pm Meet Kelly Speiser! This Week’s Mom of the Week!
What do you love to do with your children? How old are they? And what is your greatest wish for them?
I am a proud Mom of two amazing little boys, Frankie (age 5) and Marcus (age 4), who are growing up faster than I ever imagined possible. I love to do everything with them, including my turn at “meltdowns”, but specifically, I like to play what games and activities they are interested in. Currently, it is bike riding, Minecraft, and Batman. My greatest wish for them is to find love. I think through the various forms of love we experience, whether through friendships, family, and/or significant others, we discover who we really are, who we really want to be, and how to be our best.
When and where are you the happiest?
Like my Mom always says, “You’re only as happy as your unhappiest child.” It’s true! Happiness is a mindset. I am happiest when our family unit is collectively aligned and everyone is thinking, saying and doing what they set out to do – no matter how different the activity or idea may be from one another. Geographically, I like to relax in Cape May, New Jersey. It’s where I spent my childhood with my family, where I married, and where we celebrated Marcus’s first birthday.
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Our world is so full of wonder with new and amazing places discovered every day. Different geographical locations, climatic conditions and even seasons offer the widest variety of natural wonders: pink lakes, bamboo forests, stunning lavender or tulip fields, breath-taking canyons and mountains, and other places I can hardly believe actually exist! Ideally, I want to see them all! While this is all interesting, if I had only one place to go, it would be home to my two boys and loving husband.
What quality do you most admire in a mother? And what woman has had the biggest impression on you?
The quality I admire most is intuition. To know what’s right for one child may be completely wrong for another and treat intuition as a muscle and strengthen it with use is by far the best quality. In my opinion, the definition of a mom is a woman who takes on the selfless and unconditional responsibility to nurture the emotional, mental, and physical well-being of her kids. And any woman who manages to do that successfully amid the chaos of running a household and often juggling a career is someone who impresses me. Most notable mom’s I’ve admired in my life have been Donna Bradley, Dolores Hartford, Janet Somerville, Deena Smith and Evelyn Speiser.
What is your favorite book? Movie?
Hands down, my favorite movie is, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” This movie makes you think that everything is more complicated than you think and that there are a million little strings attached to every choice you make; you can destroy or enhance your life every time you choose. Fate is what you create. “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen is a great book, but my favorite is, “50 Shades of Grey.” Just kidding.
What do you feel is your strongest talent? And what personal achievement are you most proud of?
The important thing in life is to have a great aim and to possess the aptitude and the perseverance to attain it. Professionally, I have been lucky to have a successful marketing career helping business-to-business companies worldwide improve sales and marketing effectiveness. My best talents have been re-crafting company messaging and positioning, integrating acquisitions, creating demand generation engines and building strong global teams. Personally, I have been able to value love, loyalty, and motherhood. In this case, my talent is being able to prioritize.
What do you like to do for fun?
I take pictures, I go biking, play board games with my family, play with my children. I spend time with my friends having drinks, I read, I research everything that peaks my interests, I learn to cook new meals and I dance and I make costumes, and I listen to my husband’s political rants.
What is your favorite time of the day and why?
You know that time in the middle of the night when you wake up and look over at the clock and you discover you still have several hours before you have to get up and you can go right back to sleep? That’s mine!
Where is your favorite place to Party with Moms and what do you like to drink?
Outside in warm weather with good friends and family with a glass of red wine is how I Party with Moms.