https://www.facebook.com/972678822597019/

Melissa Porcelli Official, Ringwood, NJ (2026)

08/31/2026

“Who’s going to build the fire?!”

Right before I left for Shenandoah National Park with my boys, I mentioned to a woman I really look up to that we planned to make campfire s’mores.

Her immediate response was, “Who’s going to build the fire?!”

Ummm… me? 😂

Even though I’ve built fires before, her doubt got in my head.

What if I couldn’t get it started? What if my kids were waiting for s’mores while I failed at making a fire? 😂

Fast forward to our cabin.

The boys and I had our firewood and gathered kindling and marshmallow-roasting sticks. When I started setting up the fire, the gentleman staying next door called over, “I have some lighter fluid if you need help getting it started!”

Oh COME ON. 😂

I politely declined. Now my kids were watching. The neighbor was watching. And apparently, my pride was riding on this campfire.

The pressure was ON.

And let me tell you…

🔥 I MADE THE PERFECT FIRE. 🔥

A little while later, the husband staying on the other side of us sheepishly walked over.

He couldn’t get his fire started and asked if he could share ours.

OF COURSE. 😂

We all sat around my glorious campfire and made s’mores together.

It sounds like a silly little story, but this entire trip was about getting outside my comfort zone and reminding myself that I’m capable of doing things on my own.

And that fire reminded me:

Sometimes no one has to actually tell us we can’t do something. All it takes is one doubtful question or one person offering help we didn’t ask for.

Suddenly, we’re questioning ourselves.

I almost let someone else’s doubt become my own.

Don’t do that.

You probably know how to build the damn fire. 🔥

And if you don’t?

You’ll figure it out!

08/23/2026

I am really freaking proud of myself today and not just because I climbed a mountain.

Somewhere over the last decade or so, I feel like I lost a little piece of myself.

Before I was someone’s mom. Before I was a business owner. Before the volunteering, schedules, responsibilities and the million people who need something from me…

I was fiercely independent.

I was adventurous. I went skydiving, bungee jumping, cliff diving, etc. I wasn’t afraid to try something new or figure something out on my own.

And don’t get me wrong—I LOVE the life I’ve built. I love being a mom. I love my business. I love being involved in my community.

But somewhere along the way, I became the person who calls her husband to do the “guy stuff.”

Landscaping. Fixing things. Opening the impossible jar. 😂 Things I absolutely used to figure out myself.

And lately I’ve been realizing…I want some of that girl back.

I want to do things that make me uncomfortable. I want to try things without automatically looking for someone else to help me. I want my boys to see that side of me, too.

So I decided I was taking my two littles on a trip.
Just the three of us.

I drove us five hours to Shenandoah National Park, and today we went on a pretty awesome hike.

Was this something I would normally do by myself with two kids?

Nope.

Did I question my decision a few times?

Absolutely. 😂

But then we reached the top.

And the three of us stood there looking at what we had just done, SO proud of ourselves.

I realized I wasn’t just proud of them.

I was proud of me.

Today wasn’t really about climbing a mountain.

It was about proving to myself that the independent, adventurous girl I used to be is still in there.

Maybe she didn’t disappear.

Maybe she just got really busy taking care of everyone else.

And I think it’s time I start making a little more room for her again. ❤️

08/12/2026

I walked past these socks today.

Then I walked past them again.

And again.

And at some point I started wondering…

How many people in my house have ALSO walked past these exact socks? 😂

I mean, everyone sees it, right?

But apparently there is an unwritten rule in my house:

If they’re not MY socks, it’s not MY problem.

And for a brief moment, I considered conducting an experiment to see just how long it would stay there if I didn’t pick it up. 😂

But it got me thinking about something we hear at work all the time:

“That’s not my job.”

Whose job is it to pick up the random socks in the family room?

Apparently, based on how long it can sit there… no one’s. 😂

And there’s something to be said for the people—in families, workplaces and communities—who don’t constantly ask, “Whose responsibility is that?” before helping.

Because we do the same thing at work.

“That’s not my job.”

“That’s not my customer.”

“I didn’t leave that there.”

“That’s not my responsibility.”

And technically… maybe you’re right.

But some of the best employees, coworkers, leaders—and honestly, family members—are the people who don’t always stop to figure out whose job something is before they help.

They see the socks.

They pick up the socks.

Not because it’s their socks.

Not because someone told them to.

But because they’re already standing there, they’re perfectly capable of handling it, and it needs to be done.

Now, before anyone comes for me 😂, I absolutely believe in boundaries. At work AND at home.

One person shouldn’t constantly be cleaning up everyone else’s messes or taking on responsibilities that aren’t theirs.

But there’s a BIG difference between healthy boundaries and refusing to help simply because something isn’t technically your responsibility.

Sometimes being part of a family, a team, a workplace or a community means doing something simply because you saw that it needed to be done.

Even when it isn’t technically yours.

So now I need to know…

Are you the person who picks up the random socks… or do you walk right past it because IT’S NOT YOURS? 😂

Be honest. 👀😂

08/08/2026

I was talking to a friend this morning about something I think every business owner has said at some point:

Why doesn’t anyone just look around to see what needs to be done. Why do we have to tell them?”

And I realized… this is not just an employee problem.

I’m currently trying to teach this same life skill to my children.

And cough cough…husband (love him). 😂

My favorite example:

If you go to throw something away and the garbage can is completely full, what should you do?

A. Take the garbage out.
B. Balance your garbage precariously on top and walk away.
C. Wait until Mom/Wife/Manager finally tells, “CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TAKE OUT THE GARBAGE?!”

Apparently this is a harder question than I realized. 😂

But then something happened today.

On the way home from picking my youngest up from camp, he noticed all the bags of mulch I had picked up from Home Depot.

When we got home, he jumped out of the car, opened the trunk and started unloading them.

I didn’t ask him.

I didn’t even THINK to ask him because I honestly didn’t think he could carry them.

He just saw something that needed to be done and did it.

And I was SO proud.

It also made me realize that initiative isn’t necessarily something people either have or don’t have.

Sometimes we have to teach it.

At home AND at work.

Teach people to look around.

Ask, “What do you think needs to happen next?” instead of always giving the next instruction.

Give them enough freedom to make decisions without worrying that they’ll get in trouble for doing something differently than you would.

And when they DO take initiative, recognize it because the goal isn’t to have kids or employees who are really good at following instructions.

The goal is to help create people who can notice, think and act without someone constantly telling them what comes next.

Today, apparently, one of my kids got the memo.

Now if I can just get everyone on board with the garbage can… 😂

Anyone else feel like they’re constantly saying, “Just look around and see what needs to be done!” 🙋‍♀️

08/07/2026

Every year, the last few weeks of summer humble me.

Not because business slows down…

Because the schedule speeds up.

One kid has camp from 8:00–3:00.
Another has a completely different camp from 9:00–12:00.
My oldest is working part-time and has activities that seem to pop up at random.

When you work from home, people assume you have all this flexibility.

And I do. I’m incredibly grateful for it.

But flexibility doesn’t always mean more time. Sometimes it just means your workday gets broken into little pieces.

I’ll sit down to start a project…

Then it’s time for pickup.

Answer a few emails.

Back in the car.

Take a client call from the parking lot.

Come home.

Finally get back into a groove…

Only to leave again.

By the end of the day, I’ve worked a full day, but it feels like I’ve started over ten different times.

Over the years, I’ve learned to work with the chaos instead of fighting it. A few things that have made a big difference:

• Batch similar tasks together. If I’m making phone calls, I make all my phone calls. If I’m answering emails, I answer as many as I can in one sitting instead of bouncing between tasks.

• Protect your biggest block of uninterrupted time. I save the projects that require the most focus for the longest window I have that day.

• Use the “in-between” time. I’m writing this while I wait for my curbside delivery at Home Depot. If I’m waiting in the camp pickup line that is when I return phone calls, answer emails, or review my to-do list instead of scrolling social media.

• Accept that this isn’t your normal schedule. These last few weeks of summer aren’t forever. Instead of expecting a perfect 9-to-5 workday, I adjust my expectations and focus on what absolutely needs to get done.

The business still gets taken care of. The kids get to experience new camps, jobs, and activities and before I know it, we’re back into the rhythm of the school year.

Sometimes productivity isn’t about having more hours in the day, it’s about making the most of the ones you have.

08/04/2026

For a long time, I would set up a temporary office right here in my kitchen.

I told myself it was the best of both worlds.

My kids could see me.
I was close if they needed me.
And I could still get work done.

At least… that’s what I thought.

The reality?

I was constantly interrupted.

I’d lose my train of thought every few minutes, simple tasks would take twice as long, and before I knew it, I was frustrated because I wasn’t getting anything accomplished.

The worst part wasn’t that I was less productive.

It was that I started getting cranky.

Looking back, I worried my boys weren’t seeing “Mom working.” They were seeing a stressed-out mom who always seemed distracted. So many of us think that if our kids can see us, we’re being more present. But sometimes all we’re doing is being physically available while mentally pulled in two directions. That often leads to frustration—for everyone.

So I made a change.

Now, when I need to work, I work in my home office.
I’m more focused, I finish faster, and when I’m done, I can come downstairs and actually be present instead of trying to do both at the same time.

Sometimes the best thing we can do for our families is give our work our full attention for a little while… so we can give our families our full attention afterward.

08/02/2026

With my boys’ birthdays coming up, I realized something that hit me harder than I expected.

My babies aren’t babies anymore. Time is flying, and the guilt has started to settle in. Have I been present enough? Have I been doing this right?

Some days it feels like I’m doing everything halfway…work 50%, kids 50% and still falling short in both places.

This summer, while my kids were at camp, I realized something that shifted my perspective. If I used that extra hour and a half to truly focus and finish my work, I could be fully present when they got home.

Instead of sitting at the kitchen table trying to be “visible” while still working, I could just be done. Not perfect. Not everything checked off. But enough.

Maybe I’d still have to finish something later, but I’d get real, uninterrupted time with them when they walked through the door. Not distracted time. Not half-there time. Real time.

Because they won’t remember that I returned a phone call in five minutes instead of fifty.

They won’t remember that I squeezed in one more quote before dinner.

But they will remember me.

The hard part is that, as a business owner and a parent, I feel guilty no matter what.

We’re constantly pulled in two directions, never feeling like we’re giving enough to either one.

I don’t think the goal is perfect balance. I think the goal is intention.

To put the phone down during the soccer game. To really listen when they talk about their day. To laugh a little longer at the dinner table.

Because there will always be another email…

But there won’t always be another summer your seven-year-old wants to build a sandcastle with you, or another season watching your teenager play the sport he loves.

Those moments don’t wait.

I’m writing this as a reminder to myself just as much as anyone else.

One day, I’ll answer my last email. I won’t know when I watched my boys play in the backyard for the last time.

So here’s to building the business, providing for our families, and remembering why we started.

Not to build a life we never enjoy—but one worth being present for. ❤️

08/01/2026

Congratulations to Shil Sam Patel and Scott Wells on the opening of The Greenwood Tavern in Hewitt, NJ!

I had the pleasure of attending their soft opening tonight, and it did not disappoint.

As a fellow business owner, I know how much work goes into opening something like this. The long days, sleepless nights, countless decisions, and hoping people walk through the door. That’s why I love supporting local businesses whenever I can.

The b**r selection was fantastic, the cocktails were creative, and the menu was filled with familiar favorites with an artisan twist.

The Thai chili wings were some of the crispiest I’ve ever had. They were so good I found myself breaking every etiquette rule and licking my fingers to get every last drop of sauce! The mac and cheese was pure perfection, and I was especially excited to find something that’s surprisingly hard to find in Northern New Jersey—poutine tots.

The artwork throughout the restaurant is another must-see. Local artist Rachel Jaffe Marko freehanded the incredible murals, and they’re worth the visit alone. See if you can spot the hidden smiley face in the octopus tentacles!
If you’re in the Greenwood Lake area, do yourself a favor and stop by. Great food, great drinks, and even better people behind it.

Congratulations again, Sam and Scott! Wishing you both nothing but success. Supporting local businesses isn’t just about buying a meal—it’s about investing in the people who make our communities special.

07/31/2026

I thought taking a vacation would teach me how to unplug.

Instead…

It taught me something about my business.

Before we left, I did everything I could to prepare.

We told our clients weeks in advance.
Updated our voicemail.
Set automatic replies.
Posted on social media.
Booked a little lighter than normal so we wouldn’t leave our team overwhelmed.

On paper, everything was ready.

But here’s what I kept thinking about…

Every time the phone rang and we couldn’t answer…

Was that customer calling the next company on the list?

As a small business owner, that’s a hard thought to shake.

One of the things I’m most proud of is the level of personal attention we give our clients.

When someone calls, they usually get me.

When they have a question, I answer it.

When they need advice, I take the time to help.

That’s part of what has helped grow our business.

But here’s what vacation made me realize…

The very thing that helped build your business can eventually become the thing that limits its growth.

If every customer needs me…

If every decision has to go through me…

If every phone call has to be answered by me…

Then I’ve created a business that depends on one person.

And that’s not sustainable.

That doesn’t mean we’re going to stop giving incredible customer service.

It means we need to build systems that allow our clients to receive that same level of care—even when I’m not the one providing it.

That’s a completely different mindset.

It’s not about caring less.

It’s about building a business that can care just as much without depending on one person.

I’m not there yet.

In fact, letting go is a hard lesson to learn as a business owner.

But if I want to continue growing, serving more families, and eventually have the freedom to step away without worrying that every missed phone call is a missed opportunity…

Then that’s exactly what I have to learn to do.

07/27/2026

The first day of vacation is always the hardest.

Not because of the drive.
Not because I forgot to pack something (which I always do).

Because my brain is still at work. 🧠

I’ll catch myself wondering…

Did everyone get their rentals?
Did someone answer that email?
Did I remember to change the voicemail?
What if a client needs me?
Did the crew remember everything?

Even when my body is sitting on the beach…

My mind is still sitting at my desk.

I think a lot of entrepreneurs can relate to this.

When you’ve spent years building something from the ground up, it becomes part of who you are. You don’t just leave work at work because your business isn’t just a job—it’s something you’ve poured your heart into.

But eventually something shifts.

The second day is a little easier.

By the third day, you’re laughing more.

You’re present with your family.

You notice the sunset instead of your inbox. ☀️

You remember what it feels like to simply enjoy the moment.

And then you realize something important…

The world didn’t fall apart because you took a few days off.

Your clients survived.
Your team figured things out.
Your business kept moving.

Sometimes the best thing you can do for your business is to step away from it.

Not because you don’t care…

But because you care enough to come back rested, recharged, and ready to lead again.

If you’re a business owner, tell me I’m not the only one…

Melissa Porcelli Official

08/31/2026

08/23/2026

08/12/2026

08/08/2026

08/07/2026

08/04/2026

08/02/2026

08/01/2026

07/31/2026

07/27/2026

Address

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Listing takedown request