Parallel
lives
By Elena Perri
Special to the CS&T
The similarities between Debbie Lillard and Claudine Wolk are striking.
Both women attended Nativity of Our Lord School and Archbishop Wood High
School in Warminster. When they graduated from Archbishop Wood in 1985,
Lillard was the valedictorian and Wolk was the salutatorian.
Both got married and had three children. They also chose to work part-time
in order to be stay-at-home moms. And now, at age 40, Lillard and Wolk
have published books that offer helpful tips for making the lives of busy
moms easier.
Wolk’s humorous book “It Gets Easier!... and Other Lies We
Tell New Mothers” was published last month, and Lillard’s
book “Absolutely Organized: A Mom’s Guide to a No-Stress Schedule
and Clutter-Free Home” was released last November.
Lillard, a professional organizer since 2003, had a goal to write a book
by the time she was 40, but she didn’t know what the topic would
be. The idea for the organizing book came from being a busy mom of three
children: April, 11; Ian, 8, and Eric, 5.
“It’s a sort of a self-help book,” said Lillard, a member
of St. Anastasia Parish in Newtown Square. “There are step-by-step
instructions for organizing paperwork, photos, toys and clothing. The
book gives people a way to work on one problem at a time.
“If you have some order to your life, you can be less stressed,”
she added. “If you segment your days where you’re not cleaning,
washing clothes and shopping every day, you can have days to just be with
your kids.”
Wolk, a certified public accountant, said she decided to write her book
soon after giving birth to her son Joseph, now 14 and a freshman at Archbishop
Wood.
“Going from a professional life and having a baby right after that
was a huge adjustment for me and a big shock,” said Wolk, a member
of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Doylestown. “It was amazing
to me that after studying for so many years I could go into a venture
— motherhood — and not have any directions.”
A few weeks after Joseph was born, Wolk said she was struggling with her
son’s feeding and sleeping issues so she turned to her mom, Peg
Feledick, for advice. Feledick asked a longtime friend, Barbara Koletty,
Lillard’s mother, for the 1960s sleeping and feeding schedule Koletty
received from her pediatrician Dr. Robert J. Kressler.
“I followed the schedule to the letter, and it proved helpful,”
said Wolk, who also has two daughters Casey, 10, and Alyssa, 7. “I
decided I needed to get this out there for other women.” The schedule
is downloadable from her Web site: www.help4newmoms.com.
Wolk, who interviewed hundreds of mothers over a 12-year period, said
the goal of her book is to provide valuable information for new moms in
a positive and humorous manner. “I hope this book offers information
that is truly helpful, that really gives them a leg up on the experience,”
she said.
When Lillard and Wolk found out about each other’s books through
their mothers, they did a swap.
“Her book was funny, and it was so frank,” said Lillard, who
has been married to her husband Chuck for 15 years. “It brought
back memories, and I definitely could identify with a lot of what she
said.”
Another parallel of these longtime friends and mothers is that faith and
family are top priorities in their lives.
“I just feel like I pray all day long,” Lillard said. “When
I’m in my car driving, it’s one of the only times I’m
alone and there’s quiet. In my head, I’ll say, ‘It’s
a beautiful day.’ I think sometimes appreciating nature and appreciating
things is a form of prayer.”
“Going to Mass together is such an important part of our family,”
said Wolk, who has been married to husband Joe for 17 years. “Sometimes
it’s the one time that the five of us are together and we have the
opportunity to sit together and hear the same Word.
“If you don’t have your faith to hold onto, you’re in
big trouble, especially when you’re a new mom,” she added.
“It is such a challenge, and it’s important to be able to
pray and say, ‘Please, God, help me get through this.’”
For more information about these books, visit www.spacetospare.com and
www.help4newmoms.com.
Claudine Wolk will be doing book signings at the Barnes and Noble on Rittenhouse
Square in Center City on Thursday, May 8 at 7 p.m. and at the Doylestown
Bookshop on Saturday, May 10 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Elena Perri is a member of Sacred Heart Parish in Havertown and a
freelance writer.
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