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Take a walk over and see her...

The No Phone Zone- What Do You Think?

February 22, 2010
My Latest Philly Moms Blog Post... What do you all think?

Making My Car A No Phone Zone Is Just NOT For Me.

Cell phone I'm a huge fan of being a safe driver, NOT a distracted driver. I'm also a huge fan of Oprah. But I'm just NOT on board with her recent campaign to make our cars No Phone Zones. I've been in sales for 15+ years and have had a cell phone since as long as I can remember. I've had BIG phones, speaker phones, flip phones and now have a blackberry and an iPhone (yes, I have two phones!) I'm on the phone so much that I generally get a new phone every year. Verizon...LOVES me.

Talking on my phone while driving makes all the travel I do bearable and time efficient. It's lonely and tough being on the road so much, especially when I'm missing my three kids at home and thinking about all of the things that I need to get taken care of for both work and my personal life. And if I pulled over to the side of the road to make calls, I'd be there all day. If I waited until I got home, I'd be ignoring my kids and be a distracted parent. I'm all about time management. My car is my second home and my office. Would you take the phone out of your home or office?

I did think about signing Oprah's no phone pledge. I clicked on her website and when I thought about it, I just could NOT check all of the boxes. There were three boxes. The first, to agree to NOT text while driving. The second, to only use a hands-free device while talking. And the third, to completely agree to NEVER text or talk while driving- making your car a NO Phone Zone. I could only agree to the first.

Continue reading "Making My Car A No Phone Zone Is Just NOT For Me." »

Interesting link from BabyCenter

1/27/2010
kristie@mommyworkshop.com has sent you this BabyCenter link.

Here's something I found on BabyCenter -- take a look!

Working parent's guide to weekend fun (ages 2 to 4)

http://www.babycenter.com/0_working-parents-guide-to-weekend-fun-ages-2-to-4_65393.bc
(If clicking doesn't work, simply cut and paste the link into your Web browser.)

BabyCenter is the leading destination on the Internet for new and expectant parents. To receive our free personalized e-mails written especially for your stage of pregnancy or your child's age, take a minute to join BabyCenter. It's free!

Find out more about BabyCenter membership:
http://www.babycenter.com/

Couldn't have said it better- A Working Mom's Courage

9/5/2009

It's been at least a month since my last post, but for a good reason.  I had our third baby (a girl) on August 5th!   I'm also about to start a new job in about a month so have been sucking up every last minute doing fun things with two older kids (who both are in pre-school next week) and snuggling this little baby!  Yes, my three year old little guy is about to start his first year of pre-school!  My almost 5 year old daughter starts her last year of pre-school.  It's amazing how quickly the 5 years have just flown right by.  It really does feel like yesterday when I brought her home from the hospital and was pushing her around the block in the stroller.  

Finding the time to write has been particularly challenging.  Usually, I'm up late writing and catching up on e-mails.  But lately, just keeping my eyes open past 9:00 p.m. has been a bit tricky.  

About a week ago on Twitter I stumbled upon this article:  Working Mom's Courage (click here)  Really, I couldn't have written a better article!   I know the few weeks I have left of maternity leave are just going to fly right by.  And it is exactly this "courage" I'm going to need when I go back to work.  Yesterday, I received two enormous boxes of training materials for my new Oncology sales job.  I'm trying to gather up the courage to open them!

Check this article out and let me know what you think!

Fessing up to being a mom can backfire on job seekers - The Boston Globe

8/3/2009

Fessing up to being a mom can backfire on job seekers - The Boston Globe

Due to the recent status of my job, naturally this article was of great interest to me. What do you think? Do you think letting employers know that you're a working mother helps or hurts your opportunities for landing a new job? Do you think that your employer hasn't given you opportunities that they may have otherwise if they didn't give you a "Mommy" label?

I'm not sure how I feel about it all at the moment. On a recent interview (interviewed while on maternity leave at 36 weeks pregnant) there was no hiding that I was at least a mother to be. During a discussion regarding my performance with the company, it came up that one year (out of 6), I did not receive the sales achievement award. I mentioned that I was on an extended maternity leave that particular year (and I'm talking only taking an extra 6 weeks unpaid). I continued that sales numbers qualified me for the achievement award, but I did not receive it because being on unpaid leave disqualified me. I discussed the things I did while out on leave (which were all NOT required) to keep in touch with my customers (i.e. sending out mailers, keeping in touch with my biggest customers and continuing to answer all of my own phone calls) to maintain my great numbers. In my eyes, this demonstrated my strong work ethic & dedication to my position. Who cares if I got the "official" award?

When I mentioned maternity leave, one of the managers asked, "Oh, how many kids do you have?" I answered open and honestly, "Two, this will be my third." And that was pretty much the end of that conversation. Literally, my life is an open book. I don't think I would try to hide the fact that I am a mother on an interview, even if I wasn't interviewing with an enormous belly. But the fact is- I had it all out in the open (literally).

How would you answer the question, "What is your proudest accomplishment?" I wasn't asked this question on this particular interview, but have been asked this in the past. Would you talk about an award you won or promotion you got? Maybe a competitive sport you excelled at? Or would you be honest and say, "My kids!"

My kids are my proudest accomplishment, but would that be the "right" answer? They are the reason I work hard and the reason I continue to be successful. And if a man was asked that question and answered, "My kids!" would he be judged or would that make him an even stronger candidate for the position? I can truly say that because of my children, I get more done, work harder and can balance more. Have you ever heard the phrase: "If you want to get something done, ask the busiest person in the room."?

Tell me what you think! Read this story....

Artwork copyright of Pat Achilles

As a working mom, do you have this problem? I do!

4/28/20009
A writer and virtual friend, Jodi, from DC Metro Moms Blog recently told me she is writing an article about a working mom and wanted to know if she could use some artwork from my book. Of course, I said yes!

I just read her post: When you are the Only Mom who has a Job on the DC Metro Moms Blog and it turns out that I have had the same issue at my daughter's pre-school. Being one of the only working moms was more of a problem last year than this year though. The school always seems to plan events like field trips or the mother's day lunch at the last minute and then I have to scramble and have to re-arrange my entire schedule or miss it (Boo!).

This year, I asked the Director at the beginning of the year to let me know ahead of time when the events are because I love them so much and hate to dissapoint my daughter by not being there. I feel lucky because the Director (Thank you Joan!) even checked with me to check my schedule before arranging the pumpkin patch trip. I do find that I have to be very pro-active and positive in communicating my needs as a working mom though- which does add more to my to do list. I forgot to check in about this year's Mother's Day event, but luckily didn't have to re-arrange too much! Playdates with friends from school are another story....

A New online Shop for Working Mother essentials

Here is a new online shop for working mother essentials. This online shop offers everything from breast pumps, baby bjorns, diaper bags, books & gifts for those important people like teachers or nannies who make such huge differences in our lives. More products coming soon...
Here is the link: http://www.mommyworkshop.com/mwsamazonstore.htm

So who am I?

I am a full time working mother of two children (Katie: 3 1/2 and Cole is almost 2), the daughter of a Mom who worked when I was a child, and lucky to be friends with many other working mommies. I graduated Penn State with my BS in Nutrition and got my RD (registered dietitian) cerification up in Boston, MA. However, I did switch careers and have been a sales professional for 12 years and wear high heel shoes to work everyday! I am lucky to work for a company on the top 10 list in Fortune magazine for "Best Places to Work" and a company that was voted in the top 20 for best companies for working mothers by Working Mother magazine. I will say that I am very grateful and blessed to work for a company that truly encourages work/life balance. In addition, I have written a children's book called Mommy's High Heel Shoes. It is a book that workng mothers will love to share with their children and will be available in September 2008. I am also an active member of the SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) and the Womens Business Forum (Doylestown, PA) where I am thrilled to make so many connections with smart, talented and fabulous women! Most importantly, my children are my inspiration and have made my books and MOMMYWORKShop.com my passion! Last, but not least, I am married to an extremely caring husband and amazing father. Thank you to Chris for putting up with my late hours at my computer and being so supportive! I am also thrilled to be a columnist for www.grumpymoms.com My goal is to give quick/easy everyday tips for the busy working mommy. I will try to have relevant "today" topics and hopefully my advice will help us feel less grumpy! Post a comment,send me a message, tell me what you want and need information about and I'll do my best to find it! Please visit MOMMYWORKShop.com for more working mommy information!

Cell phone in the lunch box!

So the other morning, I called my girlfriend Yolanda. Yolanda is really an amazing friend! She is the kind of friend that always has something wonderful to say to you when you call like, "I was just thinking about you!". You can hear the smile in her voice. She is the kind of friend that sends her friends chocolate cakes on mothers day-just because. She is also a co-worker and a busy working mom with two young kids. So back to my call...Well, no answer- all morning. Very unlike Yolanda not to pick up. So she finally calls me back laughing hysterical telling me that she lost her phone and was searching everywhere all morning. Of course, being a working mommy in sales you are pretty much just lost without your phone! It's your lifeline. She then proceeds to tell me that she gets a call from her son's school. No problem with her son, but his lunch box was ringing! Apparently, her son was playing with her phone that morning and it got packed in his lunch box!

Celebrate being a working mom!

We "work" for many reasons: we love our jobs, need the income, need the benefits, enjoy making a difference in the world, etc. No matter what the reason, let's try to feel good about life. Let's Feel good about working! Instead of feeling guilty or sad for not being with our children all day, let's focus on the great times we have with them! Instead of putting our focus on what we don't get to do with our kids or get done in a day, let's celebrate how much we accomplish and how successful we are! Let's All Celebrate Being Mommy! Let's celebrate being a working Mommy!
Tell us about you! How many shoes do you wear?

www.mommyshighheelshoes.com