Tips for Career Moms

Career women who are also mothers can require a better work/life balance more than most. Fortunately, there are a few simple steps to follow to decrease stress and make life easier.

One good tip is that if you have children who are old enough, give them chores to do. That’s a few less things that you will have to worry about.

Another important tip is to schedule some time both for yourself and for you and your partner. Find an hour in a day that is time for you, and schedule you and your partner some “couple” time as well.

Another good idea is to take what has been referred to as the “mindfulness” approach. This simply means that when you are at work, you are the employee 100 percent and when you are at home, you are the parent 100 percent, and never the twain shall meet. This is a good way to avoid the stress from one aspect of your life interfering with and causing stress in the other.

It’s National Grandparents Month – What Are You Doing to Celebrate Grandparents?

Grandparents are special people both in our lives and in the lives of our children. And while, yes, we are celebrating Grandparents Month, doesn’t it make sense to celebrate these wonderful people while they’re still with us? Here are a few ways to celebrate grandparents, both on their special day and throughout the year and make a lifetime of memories at the same time:

• If many miles separate your children from their grandparents, it doesn’t have to mean that you can’t communicate – particularly with the technology we have at our disposal today. Set up a Skype video chat between your children and their grandparents.
• For grandparents who live close by, a grandparent/grandchild walk in the woods or a local park is a fun way to spend an afternoon. Spend the day looking at wildlife, flowers, trees and any other treasures that you happen to notice.
• Children typically like to see what their grandparents were like as children. Share a special book or get out the photo album from the past and ask the grandparents to explain who the people are, what they did as children, etc.
• Plan the grandparents favorite meal and have the children help prepare it. Even younger children can help with things like setting the table or other non-cooking tasks.
• U-pick farms seem to be quite popular with grandchildren and grandparents alike. Spend the day picking raspberries, beans or grapes.
• Have grandchildren and grandparents spend the day at a local museum learning something new!

There are plenty of ideas that can make any day spent with a different generation enjoyable. Get creative with the ideas and remember, you don’t have to wait for Grandparents Month to celebrate those special people!