Beyond Folders : working mothers

Women & Work

Community Manager — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 15:24:00 GMT

March is Women's History Month and this March comes on the heels of the 50^th anniversary of the publication of what is widely considered a seminal work of American feminism, Betty Friedan's "The Feminine Mystique." Much has changed since Friedan first wrote her book in the 1960's and much has not. To wit: the New York Times recently ran a fascinating opinion piece titled, "Why Gender Equality Stalled." Has gender equality stalled? Read the piece and draw your own conclusions. But no matter your viewpoint, what is without dispute is that women make up nearly half of the American workforce and are on track to be an even larger percentage in coming years.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, women in the workforce in 2010:

Comprised 47 percent of the total U.S. labor force.
Are projected to account for 51 percent of the increase in total labor force growth between 2008 and 2018.
66 million women were employed in the U.S.--73 percent of employed women worked on full-time jobs, while 27 percent worked on a part-time basis.
And of 123 million women age 16 years and over in the U.S., 72 million, or 58.6 percent, were labor force participants-working or looking for work.

Here's to the women who make work work, both at home and in the workforce.

School's Out: How Working Parents Deal With Summer Downtime

Community Manager — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 13:22:00 GMT

School's out: two simple words that elicit such joy in kids and corresponding dread in parents, especially working parents. How to fill those summer days when school's out but work continues?

Now What?

In The Cost of a Working Mom's Summer Non-Vacation, , Huffington Post blogger Stephanie Losee estimates that it costs her approximately $1,400 in babysitting and camp fees per summer week to keep her three kids, aged 2 to 12, occupied so she can work. That's a pretty hefty price tag.

Camps and babysitting may work for some families but not all can afford such arrangements. Other ideas for childcare include staggering vacations with your spouse to maximize parental (i.e. free) childcare blocs of time. This may not cover the entire summer but can buy you a few weeks. Likewise, tap willing family members for "Camp Grandma" or trade weeks with a working sibling; kids get quality family time and the adults get needed coverage.

Or consider creating a babysitting co-op with working families in the same boat. If two or three families team together, it can be possible to reduce childcare costs by splitting them several ways or to have participating parents cover the days. Creative neighbors can also band together to create a mini-camp within a neighborhood. Read Turning a Neighborhood into a Playground to learn how two Palo Alto moms run a neighborhood camp a week at a time.

Parents can also broach flexible work schedules with their jobs. By working longer four day weeks, it's often possible to take Fridays off. Some jobs may even be open to summer sabbaticals.

Finally, we leave you with an article with ideas on summer activities to keep kids engaged and learning while on break from school. While these ideas won't help solve the summer childcare conundrum, they will help make whiling away the long days a tad easier.

How do you balance your children's summer schedules with work? Share your thoughts here and at the Pendaflex Facebook page.

Working It Out As A Work-At-Home Mom

Community Manager — Fri, 06 May 2011 12:47:00 GMT

Work-at-home moms enjoy a paycheck and a more flexible schedule. But there's nothing enjoyable about an office that's equal parts play dough and presentations. Work-at-home moms looking to organize their work life at home should look no further. We've got tips to make you the CEO of your home office.

Establish a Dedicated Workspace. Don't make your kitchen table your home office. Find a quiet area of the home for your office (preferably with a door) and let kids know that a closed door means do-not-disturb. Establish a hands-off policy for work supplies in this area to prevent computer paper from becoming art projects or the lap top from being commandeered for video games.

Rules Made by Mom Are Made to be Broken (But Only By Mom): A caveat to the "dedicated workspace" rule of thumb is that sometimes work needs to be done while kids are supervised (in the basement/backyard/frontyard, etc.) Set up a portable office for just these occasions. Be sure to have a wireless ready lap top, using either a wireless card or a router in the house. Keep a file tote/box that has your office basics (pen/paper/etc.) and be sure to have a cordless phone with a headset.

Set Work Hours. By establishing set work hours, you can signal to your family the times when you are not accessible. Setting up a framework of regular work hours and sticking to it as best as possible will both decrease stress and allow you to carve out protected family time. Try not to fall into the trap of always "on" for work just because you are always home.

Nanny 911: Have a stable of babysitting options on speed-dial. Working from home doesn't mean you can work while the kids scamper about or while you drive carpool. School-aged children require babysitting after 3pm and the nursery school set needs constant supervision; be sure to outsource that task to paid help so you can concentrate on work. In a pinch? Call in a favor from a work-at-home-mom friend. What goes around, comes around.

Open in Case of Emergencies: When all childcare options fail and there is a pressing deadline or a conference call that can't be missed (or muted) break open the emergency box of treats. Stock it with inexpensive items such as sticker books, new crayons, a matchbox car, and even, gasp!, lollipops. We did say it was for emergencies.

Need more ideas for making the juggle work? We assembled some useful resources for working parents in our posts earlier this week: The Thank You For Being a Working Mom's Toolkit and Social Moms: Best New Media Tools for Busy Moms. Think of it as an early Mother's Day gift.

by Carly Fadako

Social Moms: Best New Media Tools for Busy Moms

Community Manager — Thu, 05 May 2011 12:43:00 GMT

Moms love their children, and...their phones. Fully 91 percent of all moms never leave their house without their cell says a research study by leading parenting site BabyCenter.

Smartphones, and other social media, are smart moves for today's busy mom. Recipes, reviews, time-management tools and even Dr. Mom medical advice is all just a click or a scroll away.

This Mother's Day take time to amp up your social media mavenhood with these resources. You'll soon be texting to the beat of a more productive drummer.

10 Essential Smartphone Apps for Working Moms: Time-management tools to apps to occupy toddlers during deadly waits, (line at the DMV anyone?) this list has something for everyone.

15 Ways for Moms Can Use Social Media: Three-part series chronicling why social media matters - to you. Read it for what you're missing.

Four iPhone Apps a Parent Shouldn't Live Without: Quirky tools (time-out timer!) that make parenting easier.

The Best in Mom Networking Sites: Comprehensive rundown of the best social media sites for moms at all ages and stages of motherhood.

5 Social Media Tools for New Moms: Welcoming a new bundle? Bring on the I-never-knew-I-need-that-information.

What are your favorite social media tools? Which ones help you navigate the motherhood and work? Share your thoughts here and on the Pendaflex Facebook page.

by Candie Harris

The Thank You For Being a Working Mom’s Toolkit

Community Manager — Tue, 03 May 2011 16:56:00 GMT

Mother's Day is fast approaching with its glitter embellished cards and kitchen-wrecking breakfast creations. The sweet offerings of children (often aided and abetted by dad) make motherhood worth it. What makes it possible is a whole other story.

Working moms pull double-duty, managing both paying work and labors of love. Pulling it all off requires patience, planning and frankly, luck. Well this is your lucky-day: we've assembled a list of our go-to resources that every parent can use in a pinch. It's our "Thank You for Being a Working Mom" Tookit.

Finding Child Care for Sick Kids: A Working Mom's Guide to Sick Kids: Daycare for sick kids? Yup, it exists; here's how to find it before a little one's fever coincides with a can't-miss-meeting.

Stress Management Tools for Parents: Stress-free working moms don't exist. Come to think of it, stress-free stay-at-home moms don't exist either. So moms, take a deep breath and read on for stress-busting tips, everything from parental date-night to effective time management tools to help keep stress at bay.

Working Parents: A clearinghouse of information from leading web resource BabyCenter providing tips for working parents on topics ranging from childcare to managing mom-guilt.

25 Parent Productivity Tools for Busy Moms, Dads and Kids: Comprehensive list of productivity resources ranging from pet care to allowance trackers. Offers a productivity overhaul for virtually every aspect of family life.

Mom Puts Family on Her Meal Plan: Healthy, home-cooked dinners every weeknight? You heard me right. This helpful article takes you through the planning process for dishing up dinner after work. And a new favorite blog Dinner: A Love Story is a charming, nightly walk through healthy, foodie home-cooked meals made by a pair of working parents every night.

What tools do you use to help balance the demands of work and motherhood? Share your thoughts here and on the Pendaflex Facebook page.