Full Time

family….work…home…self

Jun 16 7:00 am

Honoring those guys who mow the lawn

by Janine Barber

As we all know, Sunday is Father’s Day.  However, at my house, this is apparently “Father’s Weekend” and my husband has two action-packed days planned doing all of his favorite things:  mountain biking, drinking beer, hanging out with his buddies, more mountain biking and eating steak.

Living the dream

Somehow, I don’t think mowing the lawn is on his to-do list this weekend.    Since Nick is away at the shore for a week, I guess I could step up and deal with the lawnmower to cut our unruly yard.  I actually have cut the grass before…once, I think.  It didn’t go particularly well (apparently you don’t push a lawn mower the same way you do a vacuum cleaner) and we all agreed that I should probably never get near the mower again.  My daughter could do it…wait, I’m laughing too hard to continue that sentence.  Never mind.

Mad Skills

Lest you think I only value my husband for his mad lawn care skills, I assure you that he is appreciated for far more than that!  Besides being a loving partner and my best friend, he’s a great dad to our two kids and has been very involved with them throughout their lives as a coach, Scout leader and even serves on the local school board so that he can make a difference in their educational experience.  He’s really a good guy and deserves to have a great Father’s Day/Weekend filled with all of his favorite activities and food.

Besides, the mower will be waiting for him on Monday.

 

(Mom)ents Work/Life Balance

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Jun 8 7:00 am

Value yourself and find balance

by Janine Barber

Yesterday, I met a legend.

I attended a women’s leadership conference in Allentown and met the inspirational women’s rights leader  – Gloria Steinem.   Although her keynote speech focused on the women’s equality movement over the decades, Gloria also spoke about the importance of women finding balance in their lives – one of my favorite topics!

Before she entered the room to speak to the crowd, I had the honor of meeting Gloria in person.   My boss, also a women’s rights leader and director of a non-profit institute for women’s leadership, has known Gloria for many years and arranged a private audience with her before the keynote speech began.  I happened to be in the right place, at the right time, with the right people, and was able to shake hands and say hello to this iconic historical figure.  What a thrill! Read the rest of this entry »

Personal Development Work/Life Balance

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Jun 1 7:00 am

TV Moms Make It Look So Easy!

by Janine Barber

Carol Brady, Marian Cunningham, Claire Huxtable…for decades, TV moms have been the standard by which real moms judge themselves.

How do these moms make it look so easy?  Their homes are always clean, their kids are well behaved (except for some occasional hilarious TV hi-jinks) and they’re able to solve all family problems within 30 minutes, including two commercial breaks! Read the rest of this entry »

Work/Life Balance

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May 29 7:00 am

The “Family-Friendly” Workplace

by Janine Barber

You child’s school district closes unexpectedly for the day.  You have an important meeting at work and a report due by the end of the day.  You frantically try to line up childcare but are unsuccessful. Do you bring your child to work with you or call out sick? 

For working parents, this situation (or something like it) is bound to happen sooner or later.  That’s why it’s so important to have an employer who is understanding and supportive of your family obligations.

Unfortunately, many employers do not fall into this category.

However, there’s been a push lately all across the U.S. to increase awareness of the needs of working families and to improve workplace policies. Read the rest of this entry »

(Mom)ents Work/Life Balance

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May 25 7:00 am

Summer fun or summer stress?

by Janine Barber

My kids have only 13 days of school left.  Once their finals are over in early June, they’ll be free…at least for the next 2½ months.  I’m happy for them…I remember the joy of summer vacation – when the days seemed endless and full of fun, sun and friends. Yes, summer is a great time from a kid’s perspective!  However, for working parents, it can be stressful. Read the rest of this entry »

(Mom)ents Parenting Challenges Work/Life Balance

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May 22 7:00 am

“Me” Time

by Janine Barber

           I love Scrabble.  One of my Christmas gifts was the electronic version of Scrabble for playing on the laptop.  I had a chance to enjoy it a couple of times in the week between Christmas and New Year’s, but haven’t played it much since.   As I said in my last blog post, with the demands of work, school and home life, there just isn’t enough time in the day to get everything done and still have a few minutes left over for pursuing my own interests.  I’m not whining about it.  I’m just stating a fact.  It’s true for all working moms – we tend to give up some of our own time in order to be good employees at work and to keep our households in order.  In the scheme of priorities, our own interests and hobbies are outranked by almost everything else.

But this week, I’m going to try something new.  I resolve to carve out one hour per day for myself.  I feel giddy just thinking about it!   If the weather is nice, I’ll take a walk or sit on my patio (after I get home from work and dinner is over) and enjoy the evening sky.  If it’s rainy, I’ll curl up on my sofa and read or maybe play some electronic Scrabble.

Off to a good start

Since Sunday was such a gorgeous day, I decided to walk at one of my favorite spots – Pennypack Ecological Trust in Huntingdon Valley.   It’s a green, forested oasis in the middle of my township, only minutes from where I live.  The trees form a cool canopy of shade and the creek babbles through the forest.  It’s an amazing place and if you live in the Philadelphia area, I highly recommend it for walking, bird watching, hiking or biking. Read the rest of this entry »

Personal Development Time Management Work/Life Balance

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May 18 7:00 am

Time is more important than money

by Janine Barber

I wish I had more time.  Maybe then I really could do it all – work, study, enjoy my family, exercise, talk to friends, clean the house, and even get some sleep!  But there’s no denying there are just 24 hours in a day, which breaks down to only 1,440 minutes.  When you think about it that way, it easy to see why time is invaluable.

Since I started working full time a few years ago, I’ve gradually come to the realization that it’s okay to trade dollars and cents for time.  I think of it as outsourcing.  It’s not for everyone, though.  Paying someone else to do a job can be worth the cost, but every working mom has to decide how much outsourcing is in the budget

Today I’m going to talk about a chore that I outsource regularly – grocery shopping. Read the rest of this entry »

Organization Time Management Work/Life Balance

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May 15 7:00 am

Organization…a few strategies to make life easier

by Janine Barber

My life is crazy!  I’m often at work for ten hours a day.  I’m in school part time. And most importantly, I have a busy family with two teenagers, a husband, two dogs and a cat.  Without structure and planning, I would completely lose my sanity!   Luckily, I’m pretty good at staying organized so that tasks are completed, deadlines are met and dinner is on the table every night by 6:30 p.m.   But I wasn’t born that way (well, maybe I was – I used to sort my Barbie shoes by color!)  Instead, I’ve developed a few strategies to manage the chaos of daily life. Read the rest of this entry »

Organization Time Management Work/Life Balance

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