Most Moms Would Like to Work Part Time, Surprised?

I'm sure it comes as no surprise to any of you moms that most moms would like to work part time. Though even a part time schedule can be a challenge. The issue is that most companies will not hire people into part time positions. I believe that this comes from the corporate mentality that if someone is not willing to spend all their waking hours at work then they are not loyal to the company. But, times, they are a changing.

As women have their children later in life, they are usually well established in their profession. Companies have invested time and money in training these women, also. After entrenching themselves in their profession, women have their first baby, then elect to stay home because their priorities change and they cannot find a suitable schedule. Because of this paradigm change, companies are beginning to feel the talent pinch. Some companies are starting to take notice and offer more flexible schedules for professional women. Staffing agencies, like 10 til 2, as well are picking up on the trend and specializing in placement of professional women in part time and flexible positions.



In fact, an Arizona newspaper reports, that a poll suggests that moms are more inclined now to want to work part time than ten years ago. It also lists the Top 10 part-time jobs for moms as:

• Administrative or executive assistant.
• Accounts payable/receivable.
• Appointment setters.
• Accountant or bookkeeper.
• Data entry.
• Legal secretaries.
• Marketing specialist.
• Sales.
• Office assistant or manager.
• Graphic or Web designers.

The task of balancing a full-time job with all of its demands and a family, because, let's face it, children need their mommy, is stressful. The stress is what forces women to leave the workforce if they cannot cut back the work schedule. Companies now are beginning to realize that they are missing out on a talent pool that they had available to them ten years ago. This realization is what is prompting companies to offer more flexible schedules for moms and dads alike.

My experience proves that most moms want to work. It gives them an outlet in other areas of life so they can feel successful on those days that being a mother makes us doubt our abilities. There are no rules for parenting (as we all know) and therefore the ability to work in an environment where there are boundaries and the possibility of positive feedback on the job that we perform is critical.

As the next few years pass, I hope that more opportunities arise for people who wish for the part time schedule become more abundant. I think it might just make as a more rounded society. Oh, how I am hoping that this really takes off.

The Value of Education

I sit here this morning at home after dropping my children off for school. On Fridays I volunteer to correct math timed tests in both of my children's classrooms but I cannot start until 8:30 which gives the children time to get settled and take the test, then I can sneak in and correct them while the children move onto their next activity.

Last year I tried to volunteer to do things from home but nothing ever was sent home and my children constantly reminded me that "so and so's mom came to the class today". So, this year I decided that even though I do work more than full time I would show my children that I think what they are doing at school is important, important enough, in fact, that I will go to work late on Fridays. Don't get me wrong, I have never missed a performance or an important school event, I just did not volunteer in the class before. I thought in being there for the important events I was showing my enthusiasm for their school achievements but I have to say I was wrong, at least in their eyes.

Each week when I show up in class my son beams, comes over and gives me a hug, and checks on me several times while I am there. My daughter is so happy that I come to her class, too. She checks with me each week to see when it is I am coming to her class. I have to say that if I had known that it meant so much to them I would have tried to swing it before now.

I think it also gives me a good perspective on what the children are actually learning. I sometimes forget that my children are only seven and they still have so much more to learn so actually going to their class and seeing first hand what they are working on brings me back to reality, sometimes.

In addition, I always tell the children how important education is to them which is probably a difficult concept to grasp as a child. But, now I feel like I am involved directly in showing how important I think it is and I think they can see it too.

Being a Member of the PTA: $23
School Spirit Wear: $86
Classroom Donation: $60
The Value of Education: Priceless

Dinner Decisions

I mentioned that I was home for a few days and one of the things that I really enjoyed while I was home was deciding on preparing dinner for my family. Since I was not working for those few days I had the luxury of scoping out the fridge to see what was in there and then plugging the ingredients into Epicurious to see what popped up. I had several successful meals, successful in the sense that the children and my husband all enjoyed the dinner. I have to admit that the best part for me was all sitting down together and chatting and eating which is something that I usually do not get to do since my working hours are quite long.

Even though I normally do not get to sit and eat with the rest of my family because I am a working mom working long hours, I have been in the habit of making meals that my husband can heat up or, better yet, I put something in the crock pot that is ready when they are ready to eat. I found this great website, Saving Dinner, where you can purchase menus for a week or a season or you can purchase one of their books but, I prefer the weekly version because, whether or not it's true, I feel like it offers a wider variety of selections. They offer weekly menus and not only give you the recipe for the main dish, it suggests all the sides to go with the main dish and provides a weekly shopping list. If you visit Saving Dinner you can print a sample menu for any of their many categories that include vegetarian menus, low carb menus, frugal menus, heart healthy menus, time saving menus (however I found that just receiving the menu and the shopping list was time saving in and of itself), my favorite, crock pot menus, and many others.

Happy and healthy eating.

Commuter Chaos

I was so angry last week I could not even put my frustration into words. Here's what happened: I boarded the local commuter train at 7:30 AM to ride the 30 or so minutes to my office. Well, my 30 minute commute became an almost three hour nightmare!

You see, the area in which I live has okay transit but when visiting a city like New York you get really spoiled at how the transit can take you where ever you want to go either within or outside the City limits. Here, there is really only one convenient way to travel and two not so convenient and almost tricky ways to travel. And when the main route is balled up (which seems to be happening more often as the system ages) there is no hope.

Apparently someone thought it was a good idea to check on the track switching in the middle of the morning rush hour. Of course, the tracks switched but no one could switch them back. And the racks are located on a main artery of the commute. They ended up having to force the tracks back into alignment and then bolting them in place. What a disaster!

Meanwhile, the train I boarded was re-routed from a destination of downtown to a destination of a suburb the complete opposite of the direction I came from. Then re-routed again, then again before I finally disembarked with the umpteen thousand others to try and get on the right train. The problem: no one, not even the train attendants, knew which trains were going where. All the while the platforms were filling with potential passengers with no trains to board.

I finally boarded a train that announced it was going downtown and once boarded with the others packed in like sardines the train attendant announces that she *thinks* we are going downtown but after several stops she will let us know for sure. Well, as it turns out, we did end up downtown without having to transfer to another train, again. And three hours later I arrive at work just in time to jump onto my first conference call of the day.

These kinds of commutes make me wonder why I commute...

Are you working for Scrooge?

I find I have always been interested in how actual employees feel about where they work. Of course, the place I work is wonderful but I often wonder what others think. I found this website, JobVent, where you can look up your employer or any other employer and see what the employees have to say about their work situation. You can also leave a comment and score your employer or a past employer.

It also is probably a good place to look if you are thinking about taking a job with a specific company, it may give you some insight into what goes on behind the company logo. I always want to go into a new venture fully prepared and the information found here may be a piece of the puzzle that I may not otherwise have.

Routine - Hugs, Kisses and Misses

As a mom who works, I have to drop my twin children off each morning and I usually do not see them at night because I am almost always home after they are asleep. To make it a little easier on us all we have a little morning routine. I wake them each morning with hugs and kisses. I help them with their sunscreen then while they get dressed I make their to go breakfast, something fast and easy like a waffle, yogurt, fruit, or an English muffin. Then it's off.

I drop them at school where they can sit and eat their breakfast. As they are sitting I give my daughter hugs and kisses which she still seems to thoroughly enjoy, tell her I love her because I don't think anyone can ever hear that too much, and I move on to my son, who is six, too. As I lean over to give him a hug and kisses, he squirms in his chair and tries to crawl under the table. I tell him I love him and he whispers back that he loves me too. Then I'm off for another day of work.

It's funny, while I was home with them I was continuously looking for something to do for work, now that I am working in an office environment again, I am trying to develop something to allow me more flexibility. I guess the grass is always greener!

Hello

I have started this blog to portray the life of a mom of twins who works outside the home. I intend to share with you the rantings, ravings, and observations of my daily life, so no focus on any real area of interest, just general occurrences during my commute, activities, and interactions (or non interactions) with different people during my day. I hope you enjoy a look at life through my eyes.