Help End the Horror of Puppy Mills

It is estimated that over 500,000 puppies sold every year in pet stores have come from the horrific conditions of puppy mills. Please, don’t buy that puppy in the window…

What You Can Do to Help End Puppy Mill Cruelty

Sign the Pledge. Join the campaign to help end animal cruelty for profit.

Spread the Word. Send this page to your family and friends. Knowledge is power, and we want the power to save as many lives as possible.

Adopt a Pet. Visit your local shelter to find your new best friend.

Support Our Mission. Make a tax-deductible donation today. North Shore Animal League America works every day to help end animal cruelty, and your contribution will support all the work we do, including regular out-of-state rescues to save countless pets from kill-shelters and puppy mills, the cost to operate our medical center where thousands of animals are treated each year; and most importantly, the shelter we provide for pets who are waiting for their next loving home.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 31st, 2010 at 3:53 pm and is filed under Home. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Get creative with scheduling and tap into the experience and talents of women seeking a mom-friendly workplace.

By Lisa Druxman  

Since I started my company seven years ago, a majority of my employees have been moms, women working the majority of their hours from home.

After I became a mom, I quickly realized that few workplaces understood the demands of motherhood and were supportive of mothers. I figured if I could offer supportive opportunities through my company, I could create a dedicated and loyal team.

It worked. I have created a flexible work plan so my employees can work within and around motherhood. We have seen each other through pregnancies, new babies and a host of different life experiences. I feel good that we can break the rules about what hours constitute a work schedule and where work must take place. But sometimes, our greatest blessing can also be our greatest curse.

Children often take precedence over work. Naps fall through, nannies cancel and tantrums get in the way of a typical work day. Plus, with most work being done outside of our corporate office, it’s hard to get a feel for how our employees are doing. That’s why I asked some of my favorite mom entrepreneurs for their tips on managing a mommy force.

Lesley Spencer Pyle
“I’ve found it very important to clearly communicate expectations and make sure those are realistic for the mom who will be working for me. I also try to give plenty of lead time, so there isn’t a lot of stress or rush to the job or project,” Spencer Pyle says.

“I do recommend moms have some type of outside help for their children if they work over 10 hours a week. I feel it is not good for mom, baby or business if you try to do it all without outside help.” If moms go it alone while trying to work more than 10 hours a week, Spencer Pyle says, “it can create an atmosphere of stress and pressure instead of fulfillment for the mom who is looking to use her creative talents while bringing in some additional income.”

Donna Bliss
President of Mymiraclebaby.com

“I’ve been in business for nearly eight years, and we now have four employees–all moms with homes, families and this job. I pay the girls a fair wage but cannot offer benefits. So I believe that giving them the flexibility to work when they want and when they can is as important as a 401(k),” Bliss says.

Bliss does have a schedule for her employees but keeps it very flexible. When they can’t come in because of a class play or a brownie meeting, she just asks that they check e-mail and help with phones or follow up on issues with customers.

Julia Tanen
President of The Tanen Group

“When hiring a mom who works from home, make sure she has a good office setup, separate telephone line and office, as well as child care. Obviously you cannot get anything done when you are supervising your children. However, you need to make sure you say that. You never know,” Tanen says.

“Second, let them set their own schedule and then tweak it to fit yours. After seven years of working with moms who work for me from home, I’ve found that people work best on their own schedules. Just agree on the number of hours per week. Then ask them for a schedule.” Tanen’s company keeps a spreadsheet of everyone’s schedule and updates it weekly. “It works very well,” she says.

She adds, “It is easiest if people work the same hours every week. However, if they cannot, they need to let you and the team know when they are available.”

More than 5.4 million mothers put their careers on hold to stay home with children.

“That adds up to a lot of talented women with experience, education, skills and the motivation to find flexible work that can be done from their home office,” Spencer Pyle says.

It’s true that not many careers are supportive of motherhood. But as mom entrepreneurs, we have the opportunity to create those careers and change the status quo. What we might lose in traditional hours or work space, we gain from hard work, loyalty and talent. And the best part is: We have given children a chance to be with their mom and moms a chance to be with their children.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 12th, 2010 at 11:19 am and is filed under Home. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

In 1950, the Cold War was heating up, Perry Como’s Hoop-Dee-Doo was No. 1 on the music charts, the Betty Crocker Picture Cook Book was a bestseller, and women were minor players in the American workforce. A half-century later, things have changed a bit.

The Cold War symbolically came down with the Berlin Wall, Hoop-Dee-Doo has been replaced by Hip-Hop, diet books outweigh cooking literature, and American women have firmly established themselves in the labor pool.

Women in the workforce have multiplied from 18.4 million in 1950 to 69 million in 2004, according to Bureau of Labor statistics. As of last year, women make up 46.6 percent of all workers, compared to 38.1 percent in 1970. The dramatic increase has not only changed the job environment but the family model as well, creating the culture of the working mother.

Balancing work and family really wasn’t considered part of the American fabric before the 1970s and received little media attention. Now it’s an issue that millions of women tackle every day. From late-night feedings, to bedtime stories, to dressing kids for school, mothers have to tackle the traditional roles of child-rearing and family obligations while maintaining vital positions in the working world.

The real evolution of the working mother has become more defined in the past five years, as the balance between work and life have almost become one entity. The skill of multi-tasking has become more of an art form. An invaluable tool that working mothers have been forced to master.

As the idea of the working mother has become more intertwined with society, the business side has been forced to adapt. The workplace has been redefined as some companies have decided that it makes good business sense to provide arrangements for working mothers that were unheard of 20 years ago. Flexible hours, the ability to work part-time, family leave, on-site childcare and other advantages that benefit working mothers have become commonplace in many companies.

However, one common theme that hasn’t changed is the psychological factors surrounding the working mother and what the impact is on the family. Guilt is often a side effect associated with many women who take on the dual role of mother and employee. Some experts maintain that the working mother environment – which forces more children into daycare – has had a detrimental impact. But most research shows that has not been the case. A study done by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development showed that a child in daycare was no better or worse off than a child who has a stay-at-home mother. Not surprisingly, the main factors found in the study showed that what influenced a child’s development were the family’s environment and financial status.

Another major development during the age of the working mother has been a shift on the role fathers play. The days of the 9 to 5 dad who went out with the buddies after work while his wife handled all the family responsibilities have become a distant memory. Many fathers are taking an active and equal role in everything from raising children, to doing housework, to fixing meals. A recent study by the Families and Work Institute found that fathers in their 20s and 30s are spending an hour more per day with their children than fathers did 25 years ago. More dads are changing their work habits as well, going on paternity leave or cutting down to four-day weeks so they can fulfill traditional duties that mothers would normally take on.

The one universal truth about being a working mother is that it’s hard work. But there are ways to control the chaos of balancing work and family.

An obvious first step is to map out a schedule. Time is precious for a working mother and a routine will smooth out the rough edges of a hectic day. In the morning, if the kids are old enough to dress, eat and basically fend for themselves, let them. Take the time for yourself and organize your day. If the children are younger, make sure you wake up in plenty of time to get yourself ready before focusing on doing all the necessary tasks for the kids. Don’t try to be a superhero. Keep things basic.

When working with a husband, divide responsibilities and compromise on which ones work best for each spouse. And when it comes to the husband, don’t forget your relationship with him. A job, kids and household can be an overwhelming force. It’s critical for the survival of the marriage to schedule time for each other. The same applies to a single working mother. Use friends, relatives, nannies or babysitters to take a break and enjoy your life outside the home.

In the past half-century, the workplace has experienced major changes through technology, labor laws and communication. But by sheer numbers, nothing has altered the way America works more than the impact of the working mother.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 12th, 2010 at 11:09 am and is filed under Home. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.