Parenting Survival Tips

Cubical Decorating Competition Gets Serious!

Hi Parents,

Ok - this time of year definitely brings out the kid in all of us! At my work, we just launched a "holiday cube decorating contest" and my team is out to win! Here are the cube ideas we have generated so far and I welcome your input as to other ideas or how we can bring one of these ideas to life! This is also a great way for working moms to interact with their children this holiday season while baking cookies or preparing decorations for their office.

1) Holiday Sports Theme - each cube in our row could host a different winter sport, such as ice skaing, sledding, luging (sp?), hockey, skiing - it could either just be a fun display OR it could be a game at each desk that they can play and if they "win" they could get holiday cookies or candies (yes - no worries - I will bake the cookies...or bring in the candies)...we could also possibly raffle off ski lift tickets if the play every game they can get entered into the ski ticket drawing.

2) Candy Land Theme - We discussed having a hop scotch type trail on the floor in our row and have a deck of cards at the front cube and anyone that wants to come into our row has to pick a card to see how many spaces they can advance! :-) or do something else with this theme - and of course have plenty of holiday candy hanging from the ceiling!

3) Gingerbread House Theme: We could make a giant gingerbread house....see visual of somemone who implemented this idea last year in her office and won!

http://diannawilliams.wordpress.com/2007/09/30/the-gingerbread-cubicle/

4) North Pole: We could set up our row as the North Pole with a Santa and allow "guests" to write down what they would like from Santa and pass out candycanes and have a workshop environment where we are all "making toys"...

5) The Gift Code Zone: Ok - I mentioned in my last blog post about the gift code concept where I do not put names on the gifts under the tree at my house, I instead create a code assigned to each person and they have to break the code before they can open the presents. We could put up a tree with empty gifts under it and have a tough code puzzle and whoever breaks the code gets a fabulous gift (wine or chocolate perhaps...).

Help! Any and all ideas are greatly appreciated to help us turn our office into a winter wonderland while having fun and of course winning the competition! :-)

Thanks!

Julie
aka: Hopeful Creative Parent

Elizabeth Edwards Hangs With the BlogHer Crowd!

Hi Moms,

Do you blog? Have you ever thought about blogging? If not...YOU WILL! :-)

It is one of the best ways to keep in touch with other moms, to tell your stories to protect your sanity, to share your tips to save others' sanity, and to perhaps make some money working from home...so many reasons that blogging and in particular the "mommy blogs" are taking over CyberSpace!

According to TechCrunch, there are already 93 million active blogs in the world and 175,000 new bloggers are joining the race every day!

BlogHer, www.blogher.org,  is one of the leading blog networks for females and I had the pleasure of attending their annual conference, BlogHer07, this past week in Chicago where 750 female bloggers soaked up the latest blogging technology, tips, trends, and networking sites.

I attended the conference representing Simply Hired, www.simplyhired.com, who recently launched a new free product called Job-a-matic, www.jobamatic.com, that allows bloggers to add relevant and valuable content that they can monetize to their site(s).  If you are a blogger today - check it out and start making money today!

Elizabeth Edwards (wife of presidential candidate John-yeah, that one) took to the stage for her keynote speech with Lisa Stone and then graciously joined us at our cocktail party. The woman hung out with us bloghers all night. She met everyone and answered questions about anything and literally was one of us. She impressed me with her genuine grace, passion for community involvement and the sheer fact that she writes all of her own blog posts without an editor is simply the icing on the cake for this amazing influential women!

Many of the bloggers asked Elizabeth advice on how to make change regarding more prominence for blog sites via the major search engines.  Elizabeth passionately suggested that all bloggers need to rally together (see photo) and email the major search engines like Google and Yahoo! and as a united voice insist that blog search become more prominent on their sites. Even though Google was a sponsor of this event, Ask.com is the only major search engine that I am aware of that is already doing this today and we hope the rest will follow to acknowledge the importance of this growing media channel.

Check out the event photo in my photo album here!

Please comment here on what blogs you are reading and if you are a blogger please share a description and link to your site so others can benefit!

Thanks,

Julie
aka: mommy blogger

 

Who Are The New MySpace Moms?

Hi Moms,

Do you have a MySpace profile?

The media is all over the fact that MySpace is just for the under 25 crowd and infiltrated with "bad guys" , but in a recent MySpace survey, it appears there is a growing network of MySpace Moms that are extremely active in the social network and for a variety of reasons.

Here are the top reasons moms joined the most popular social networking site:

• 37% to keep in touch with their friends
• 23% to meet new people
• 26% to keep an eye on their kids

This astounding feedback indicates that 37% of the MySpace Moms visit the site 3 or more times daily and spend more than 30 minutes on the site every single day.  Ninety-two percent of the moms also indicated they would recommend the site to other moms.

43% of the MySpace moms are reading friend's blogs and 45% take time to post comments.

These stats show that MySpace is not just a teen fad, but it is a revolutionary social network medium for all generations and all lifestyles and it is here to stay and that Moms are becoming a growing and increasingly active segment of this network!

The MySpace Moms survey consisted of moms 35+ years of age with a majority having 2 children under age 18 and only 25% are stay-at-home moms.

I would love to hear from you if you are a MySpace Mom and why you joined or if you think this is something you might consider in the future?

GO Moms!

Julie
aka: mom

Where are all the female bloggers?

Chicago!

800 femal bloggers rally together at the third annual BlogHer, www.blogher.org,  event in Chicago this week and it is truly amazing to see the long list of Mommy Bloggers that are sharing their stories and tips online. I have met some amazing women and some have millions of readers visiting their site which calls out the need and demand for such sites to exist.

I find it interesting that most bloggers are spending 40+ hours a week on researching, writing for their blogs, etc. and even though it is truly a full-time job, less than 10% are actually monetizing their blogs. Many of the mommy blogs started as a hobby, a journal of the live of their little ones, a sanity break from the mommy world, etc. and have never thought about making money from their site.

It has been fun to share with them the cool product launched this year by Simply Hired called job-a-matic, www.job-a-matic.com, which allows bloggers for free to set up a job board on their site and to start earning money for their efforts! Everyone I met has been extremely interested and exciting about adding relevant jobs to their site as valuable content for their readers while making some money in the process.

Some of the cool moms I met at this conference are running the following mommy sites that you may want to check out as we are all "sisters" in making a difference in the lives of our children.

http://fishygirl.typepad.com

www.scrapblog.com

www.plainjanemom.com

www.simplyrecipes.com

www.svmoms.com

www.chicagomomsblog.com

www.schulala.com

http://wheresmycape.blgospot.com

www.amommystory.blogspot.com

www.momready.com

www.WIMonline.org

BlogHer's Coming - Female Bloggers Unite! Join us!

Hi Moms,

I wanted to let you know that next week I will be blogging LIVE from the BlogHer conference that is taking place at Navy Pier in Chicago July 27-29th. BlogHer is the leading organization for pulling together female bloggers on a wide variety of topics. If you are currently a blogger or if you are interested in started a blog you won't want to miss this event!

Read on to enter to win a FREE TRIP to this amazing event!   

Win a trip to BlogHer Conference ‘07! Scrapbog will pay for your airfare, hotel and conference admission!

Sound too good to be true? Not if you are in touch with your inner scrapbooker. BlogHer has partnered with Scrapblog, the premiere multimedia scrapbook creation tool, to offer BlogHers a chance to win a trip to BlogHer

Visit blogher.scrapblog.com to participate!

Entering the sweepstakes is easy. Simply create a scrapblog, publish it, and tag it with “blogher07”. The more views your scrapblog gets, the more entries you have in the sweepstakes. Simple enough, right?

Ready to jump in? Here’s how to get started…

1. Go to blogher.scrapblog.com and create a scrapblog. The step-by-step instructions make it easy or you can take a quick tour.
2. Publish your scrapblog and tag it with “BlogHer07”. You will be automatically entered into the sweepstakes.
3. Go back to blogher.scrapblog.com and list the link to your scrapblog in the comments section, start generating buzz around your scrapblog, and let your friends know that you’ve posted it.

Since you are the first to know about this sweepstakes, Scrapblog would also like your feedback on the experience of creating a scrapblog. Feel free to offer your feedback in the comments as well. Scrapblog will start selecting outstanding entries and posting them to a contest page on Scrapblog.com and Flickr.

Keep checking back at BlogHer.org, as they will be linking announcements regarding the official contest rules, outstanding scrapblogs, and the winners which will be announced on July 17!

What are you waiting for...enter today...and I hope to see you in the Windy City next week!

Julie
aka: Mom

My CEO is a Four-Year-Old

Hi Moms,

So many little girls dream of one day becoming a mom. Whether a mom works in the home or outside of the home, I think we can all agree and appreciate that we have one of the most important roles in the world and that is to be called "mom".

I read this poem by Carol Frink and it rang so true for me that I wanted to share with all the moms out there that always knew they wanted to be a mom.  Please share this link with all of your friends that are also proud to be moms!

My CEO is a Four-Year-Old

My CEO is a four-year-old,
the V.P. is just one.
From what my friends have told me,
my "fun" has just begun.

When the work force day is ending,
mine just seems to start
with dinner, baths and bedtime,
and lessons from the heart.

I may not fax and copy
or play that "corporate game,"
but my hours are plenty long,
the work tiring just the same.

"Hostile take-overs" in my job,
involve a toy or two,
and most "successful mergers"
are done with Elmer's Glue.

My vacation time is little,
and sick days are no more.
And all important meetings
are on the bedroom floor.

While most can't wait to retire,
I hope my job NEVER ENDS,
Because in those smiling faces,
I've found my two BEST FRIENDS.

I now proudly distribute business cards to anyone who will accept one. They simply say:

                                           Nick & Luke's Proud Mom

Mom-Friendly Companies - they really do exist!

Hi Moms,

Let's face it - times have certainly changed since our parents were young and many moms today are faced with the reality of not only raising the kids but also finding a job to help support their family.  I recently wrote an article about "Why Start-Ups are a Great Place for Working Moms", but if a start-up is not an ideal fit for you, then here is another suggestion that may help you find a job at a "mom-friendly" company.

Simply Hired, the world's largest search engine for jobs, has more than 6MM jobs in their database that you can search on at no cost based on geography, occupation, industry, etc.  They recently launched a set of "specialty filters" to allow job seekers to search on the type of company that best fits their lifestyle. These filters include "dog-friendly" companies which is a list of companies that allow you to bring your pet to work with you. They also have eco-friendly companies, GBLT companies, and of course my favorite, "Working Mom Friendly Companies". This list identifies the top 100 companies in America that go out of their way to provide extra support and resources, such as job sharing and onsite childcare facilities, that cater to the working mom's hectic lifestyle.

If you are a busy mom and have to work, why not find a job at a company that understands your needs and supports your family lifestyle?

What are you waiting for - Check it out today and let me know what you find!

Good Luck,

Julie
aka: Mom

 

Why Start-Ups are a Great Place for Working Moms!

Many people have asked me how I could possibly work at a start-up company while managing my family and doing it all! Well, here is my response and the bottom line is thank God that I am fortunate enough to work at a start-up so that I am able to do it all! :-)

For me, it's all about the "F" word ---- Flexibility! I am a single mom of two young children and I thank God every day that I work at a start-up, and in particular, at Simply Hired. The Founders have made it a priority to create a culture that promotes flexibility, creativity, and fun!

Let's face it, work is a necessity for most of us, and whether you work at a start-up or a Fortune 500 Company, the pressure "to do more with less" is present now more than ever! With the constant corporate demands to out-perform last year, last month, last week - forget about trying to keep up with the Jones, we are all just trying to keep up with our own children! As for me personally, spending time with my children is the most important priority in my life and by working at Simply Hired - this is possible.

Some people avoid start-ups, stating it is too risky or too many hours. Well, I am here to counter that argument, with the known fact that "job security" is a thing of the past - no matter what size the company (unless you are a funeral director and then I guess it is pretty certain that you will always have business). Speaking from experience, any size company can demand long hours, but being a manager in a large company typically dictates a schedule of endless mandatory meetings where a start-up typically tries to avoid long meetings because the meeting attendees are also the ones getting the work done! :-)

I head up the Publisher Network team and I spend a lot of time on the phone, and since we live in a hyper-mobile society where the work/home boundaries are pretty much non-existent, my job can be done from anywhere. So after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays while I am coaching my seven year old's soccer team or while I am chaperoning my five year old's pumpkin patch field trip - I never miss a call!

Another main reason to work at a start-up is the other "F" word ---- Fun!  I have made incredible friendships at Simply Hired and it is primarily due to the continuous teambuilding activities, events, training sessions, etc. that are embodied into the Simply Hired culture. For example, last week I enjoyed Wafflemania one day, tye-dying class another and ended the week with the Simply Hired Olympics! It's True! I am sure most people have already stopped reading this post to go check out what openings we have, but if you are still reading, please finish, and then check us out at www.simplyhired.com, as it is an awesome place to work and we are hiring! :) I physically, mentally and emotionally love to exercise, but as a single mom, it is virtually impossible, so I am thankful that Simply Hired cares so much about the health and well-being of its employees that every week I look forward to attempting the eagle pose at the Bikram Yoga right in our own offices. It you have to work - why not find a place that makes it fun!

The phone is ringing and it's time to close some business so I must run, but I encourage everyone, especially working moms, to select a job that matches your own skills, interests and abilities and then select a company that supports a culture that fits your lifestyle. Remember - start-ups typically offer working moms more flexibility and fun which are essential ingredients to succeeding in the workplace while maintaining the family life balance!

Carpe Diem!

Julie
aka.Mom