(From Philly Moms Blog) Happy Halloween! The Swine Flu is Lurking at Our Pre-school!

10/30/2009 

Here is my latest Philly Moms Blog Post....

I can't even believe I'm writing about the swine flu again! I wish I were a sports fan so I could intelligently write about the Phillies and the Yankees playing in the World Series.


But In the midst of filling up 16 pumpkin treat bags for my son's class and baking 18 spooky cupcakes for my daughter's Halloween party, my daughter brought me "the note." Yes, it came home with her latest glittery Halloween paper craft- the DREADED "swine flu" letter from the pre-school director.

I guess I knew it was coming. This virus has been spreading all over Bucks County the Philadelphia area. And now there has been 1 confirmed case of H1N1 virus at my kids' pre-school and several other kids are out sick with "flu-like" symptoms. The note says,"the absentee rate is not alarmingly high at this point. We will keep you informed."
Then, the phone rings....

CLICK HERE TO FINISH READING ON PHILLY MOMS BLOG

Are you vaccinating your kids for Swine Flu?  Leave a comment and let me know.  

We're still deciding...

Working Moms: What Did You Do Before Work Today?

10/21/2009

Just curious to see what you all did before work today- wake up time for me 6:00 a.m. I somehow changed a poopy diaper, drank my coffee, packed up two book orders, found matching socks and got the kids dressed, nursed the baby, changed another poopy diaper, made breakfast for the big kids, packed lunches for a class trip to the zoo with Daddy, folded a load of laundry, checked my e-mail, french braided my daughter's hair (because I promised her yesterday when I didn't have time) and now getting up this overdo blog post. No wonder I haven't posted anything in so long!

Tell me what time you got up and what you did today. I'm always so curious what other people are up to before leaving for work. Thank goodness I'm having a home office day....no shower necessary...Shhh!! I'm still in my pajamas studying Oncology information for my new job!

Disclosure Statement: My pjs aren't nearly as cute as the Mommy in this picture and our waffles were frozen Eggos!

Art copyright Pat Achilles- not to be used for any reason without written permission.

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

Role Mommy Event for Budding Authors

8/1/2009

On July 29th, I was happy to participate in a Role Mommy University Event. Role Mommy had a conference call for authors about how to write, publish or self-publish, build a platform and sell your book or manuscript.

Author and Self Publisher, Stacey Kannenberg, of Let's Get Ready for Kindergarten who has sold more than 70,000 copies gives some awesome advice on her success! Take a listen to her recent interview with Role Mommy and get to know her!