Tuesday, December 13, 2011

New Study Shows Women Are Better Multitaskers - DUH! But is Multitasking Always a Good Thing?

Ok, whether you are a working Mom or Stay at Home Mom, you know being a Mom is hard work. It's exhausting. I am a working Mom, an attorney with my own firm. Working for myself allows me flexibility to work when I need to, while still being available to my kids. It's great. I can go to the office and get a "break" - you know, pee when I want, eat when I want, talk on the phone without a kid hanging on me - all the stuff you can't do at home with the kiddies. I can also be there for my sons' school programs, playdates, and sick days. It's a scenario I always wanted and always thought I could manage. And I do. Some days are better than others chaos-wise, but I enjoy the ride.

So, if you are like me and literally collapse into your bed at night, sigh, and go off to NeverNeverLand, you will not be surprised by this piece of info. A new study finds that working moms are multitasking more than working fathers, but here's the kicker - the moms don't always enjoy the experience. Working mothers spend 10 more hours each week multitasking than working dads, 48.3 hours versus 38.9 hours, and they report more negative emotions about the experience than their male counterparts, according to the new study published in the December issue of the American Sociological Review.

"Our findings provide support for the popular notion that women are the ultimate multitaskers and suggest that the emotional experience of multitasking is very different for mothers and fathers," said Shira Offer, the lead author of the study and an assistant professor at Bar-Ilan University in Israel. "Only mothers report negative emotions and feeling stressed and conflicted when they multitask at home and in public settings. By contrast, multitasking in these contexts is a positive experience for fathers."

Personally, I enjoy cooking dinner, folding the laundry, and checking my email while watching a the Food Network. It's the only way I can watch TV without feeling guilty.  And when I drive to work, I enjoy catching up on the phone with my family. However,  these days I'm trying to be cognizant and resist the urge to NOT multitask when I'm with my kids. Yes, admittedly, this was partly inspired by a great show on Oprah (Oprah rocks, even though I always cry when I watch it!  Seriously, how does she do that?) The Oprah show stressed being in the moment with your kids. You can't take it for granted. This spoke to my inner Mommy who already knew but needed a reminder that time with the kids should be about just that, not laundry, cleaning up, or my I-phone.

What is your experience of multitasking? Do you do it more than your children's father does? Do you enjoy it, dread it, or simply accept it as a fact of life? Most importantly, is your quest to multitask and to be efficient taking some quality moments away from you and your child? I hope that we all try really hard to remember to take the time to turn off the craziness, stop and breathe, and just be there with the kiddies.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

One Word -Resinol. A Miracle Cream for Diaper Rash and Mysterious Bumps and BooBoos

I couldn't tell if it was bug bites, some sort of eczema or hives. But my son mysteriously would get these little red bug bite type of things. I even thought it was bed bugs and went nuts cleaning the crib and house. Turns out, it's not bed bugs, but the origin of the little red bumps remains unknown. Even the doctor is unsure. But here's the good news - ta dah- RESINOL! You can get it at the drugstore. It was recommended by our family friend who happens to be a doctor. It's awesome for any type of bump or rash. Get it! Bumps and rashes will literally disappear within a couple of days. (No, I'm not being paid by the Resinol company. It's just really good stuff).

Saving at the Grocery Store- No, You Don't Have to Coupon All Day!

I have always thought "couponing" was a pipe dream. Really, who has time for that? I admire the moms that can swing it but I just can't. Maybe I'm just too tired, have too many excuses, or just disorganized. But I'm not a coupon Mom. However, I've found a few ways to save a lot on your grocery bill without a lot of time, headaches, scissors, or printer ink. These techniques have saved my family from $25 to $50 a week, approximately $200 a month! Here are my tips:

1. Plan out your menu for the week -sort of. It doesn't need to be specific but know, for example, that you are going to make 2 chicken dishes, 1 pasta dish, and 2 beef dishes, breakfast for dinner and pizza one night. Then have "generic" must have cooking ingredients on hand so you can make it happen, i.e. garlic, celery, carrots, onions, salt and pepper, pasta sauce/tomato sauce, pasta, rice. etc.
2. Be Flexible. Yes, you should go the grocery store with a plan so you don't have to run back to the store several more times that week but if you see another kind of meat on sale, one that wasn't on your menu for the week, get it! Go with what's on sale and save the other item for next week.
3. Look for Buy One Get One Free. Those deals are the best.  These days BOGOF items are not just junk. You can find good, healthy, and even organic items on sale. Stock on on pasta sauce, pasta, coffee, cereal, bagels, juice, etc. It may not be on your list this week, but it will be eventually, so stock up.
4. Look for Coupons in the Mail. I'm not talking about gathering all the newspapers and mags in site and sort for hours. I'm talking about checking out what's in your mailbox. Sometimes you'll get some good stuff - $10 off you entire ticket at Publix, for example.
5. Stay on the Outside Aisles as Much as Possible. When you're at the store, go with your "list" and menu, stay focused on those items and don't go into the "inside" aisles unless you have to. All the good stuff, the produce, dairy, bakery items, and meats are on the outer rows. Stay there as much as you can. And just keep your eye out for the Buy One Get One Free stuff as you pass from one side of the store to the other - that sale stuff is usually on the outer part of the aisles anyway. If you go on the "inside" rows, you'll find alot of processed, unnecessary, and expensive stuff you don't need. So, run "in" for your toilet paper, pasta, and popcorn every once and a while but make it quick and go back to the outside!
6. Buy Store Brand. Did you know Publix oj is made solely from Florida oranges? It's fresh and delicious and cheaper then the fancy competitors. Check store-brand ingredients. For example, Publix Greenwise is also a healthy and less expensive alternative - all meats and dairy are antibiotic free. So, go ahead buy the big jug of OJ- just make sure it's store brand!

Friday, December 2, 2011

Ode to Chik Fil A

Oh I love you Chik Fil A
When I'm too tired to play or do much more,
I can take them right to your door.
Strapped in their carseats, happy as can be,
I know I can take a break, albeit breif,
a break is a break and that is the key.
In your playground, they run with delight,
I sit and watch with a sigh of relief,
keeping myself from passing out, is no longer such a fight.
Your food is tasty and they all eat it all, which is something to see,
After all,
you made it into the small list of foods they'll actually eat,
and Lord knows, that list is pretty small (luckily for you and me, nuggets make the cut!).
Your staff is so courteous and I love the little touches like kids placemats and Purell,
A half hour messing up your place for dinner, rather than trying to feed and clean them up at home,
sure is swell.
So thanks to you Chik Fil A,
my go-to-place on a tired day.

Yesterday I survived, Today I don't know if I'm going to make it

Every Mom knows that some days are cake. You think, "I'm good at this...I rock." Then other days - disaster. The disaster days are the days you are late (again) taking your kid to school because he moved as slow as molasses and refused to get in the car without his spiderman toy (which of course can not be found).  And where are his shoes? You're also late because your baby just had a huge blowout in his diaper and managed to dump all the food off his highchair onto the floor. You pause to contemplate cleaning it up but that would make you even more late - and you can't bear to get any more of those looks from the teachers as you drop off your kid 20 minutes at school - so you keep moving. Oh, and of course, you arrive at school to drop off your kid late with your hair going in 17 different directions, no makeup, and did you remember to brush your teeth? Who knows. All you know is your tired and it's only the morning and it's going to be one of those days...

Well, yesterday was a good day. Everyone got off on time and smoothly. The "schedule" we pride ourselves in maintaining on those good days was actually maintained. There were no blowout diapers, no spills, no injuries, no tantrums or meltdowns, everyone was happy, dinner was on the table, the house was vacuumed and I was actually nice to my husband in the evening.  Yes, I was pretty proud of myself. You know what that means? Today is another disaster day - oh yes, you know the good days, the days where you think you got this mom thing down pat, are only followed by yet another day of craziness, the kind of day where your life feels like a whirlwind and you wonder how you're going to survive the day.

Disney=A Magical Place for Poop

The first trip to Disney for my 4 year old and 15 month old.  We are enjoying are second day - everyone's first visit to Animal Kingdom. Yes, we are tired from spending the previous day at the Magic Kingdon and from starting another fun filled day at the Animal Kingdom park with two excited, albeit still exhausted from the previous day, kids.  We try to navigate towards the attractions with the shortest lines. We learned our lesson at the Magic Kingdom- "Fast Passes" only work if you're willing to stay at the park until night time. Really, how helpful is it to have a designated time to get on your favorite ride when it requires you to come back 8 hours later? And we learned that you wait and wait and wait, for a 30 second ride? Really, I remember Dumbo being longer? Anyway, we navigated towards the rides we could realistically get on at Animal Kingdom when my husband looked at me while his mouth agape. I said, "What"? No answer. I looked around. I looked down. And then I saw it. Not just a little blowout. I'm talking BLOWOUT. My baby had been on antibiotics the week before, which clearly was still affecting his little tummy, and there was poop all over him (face! fingers! hair! uck! and how is that even possible?), all over the stroller, a complete and utter blast of poop had erupted. So, we were those people. Those people who are stripping their kid naked in the middle of the park, dumping clothes and shoes straight into the trash, going through a pack of wipes and begging vendors for napkins. No restroom was nearby and there was no time. This was a situation. We're wiping and cleaning (me, the baby, my husband, the stroller) with everything and anything we could get our hands on. Yes, we purelled our child. I'm sure it's not good for him but come on. Poop everywhere! I managed to only get it on my arm and shoes so after the panic had gone, I wiped myself off with napkins. We all happily got into another long line and went on a ride. Isn't that what it's all about? Just clean up the mess, and keep going, go on the ride.