The BIG Experiment! What I've learned

Kim and I both believe that the BIG experiment was a great test of how we will spend our days once we go back to work.  It was a wonderful learning experience, both about us, and our families.  Here is what I have learned:

A blog is a wonderful way to get your husband to do stuff around the house without being asked.  Not only are they afraid of what we'll write if they don't help out, but they can see exactly what needs to be done because we write it in the blog!

I am going to make a point of teaching my children to be more independent and work on a schedule.  If I need to get up in the morning and take a shower while they are getting ready (and I don't want to wake up earlier) then they are going to have to learn to get ready without my constant reminders.  Likewise, I am going to have to come up with a system so that they can do their chores without being reminded.  Hmmm, a blog maybe?!

My house is a bit messier than I like to see it.  It isn't as bad as I expected, but I am going to have to lighten up a bit.  If I truly want to keep my weekends free from household chores, like laundry, I am going to have to make a point of doing them in the evenings during the week, and engaging the kids in helping after school.

I am out of milk.  I am going to have to learn to plan out my weekly meals and grocery shop. Grocery store trips are pushed by the wayside during the week... I'm gonna have to buck up and do this on Saturday, same as everyone else.  I am not too happy about this prospect.

I am out of wine... nuff said.

I didn't get my workouts in everyday as planned.  This was one of my biggest fears about going back to work, and it turns out it is well-founded.  I will have to work harder at scheduling this in, be more flexible with my workout routine, let go of a little guilt.

I am going to need to say "no" to some of those volunteer activities.  One thing I feel good about is that I am better at gauging my time when I am on a schedule.  Unfortunately, I have overcommitted and need to let some things go to find a balance.

Multi-tasking: Those little "oh, I'll just start a load of laundry quickly before I sit down to work" moments really add up to a big time suck.  The more distractions I allow myself to have, the more time that gets shaved off of my day, and my productivity actually suffers.

I am amazed at how much my family has pulled through this week.  The kids are aware that I have other responsibilities than just being mommy now.  But I don't think that they felt abandoned or unloved.  I did make a point of planning playdates and spending time with them, which made me feel good, and although it was less time than I normally spend with them, it was higher quality time.

I think I'm gonna keep the schedule going!

The BIG Experiment Day 5 TGIF by Kim

6:30-7:30 Get up 10 minutes earlier to get Shorty's spelling worksheet done. Neither one of us is especially excited to be awake this Friday morning! Totally my fault though for staying out late last night...

8:00-9:30 Answer emails, work on those slides that won't end...

9:30-10:00 Lightning fast shower. It ain't pretty but I'm clean!

10:00-12:30 Go with Honey to get allergy shots and then to grab some lunch. Pretty much ready to write off the rest of the day...but....

12:30-2:00 Sit my ass back down to finish the week out meeting my work hours goal. Didn't hit all the workouts OR the showers but I finished out strong with my work responsibilities!

2:00-ON Picked Shorty up from school and started the weekend... And that's all I have to say about that!

Tomorrow I will fill in what I observed about my parenting, the way this house runs, how my husband and I operate, and of course how work went...

Surely it hasn't been THAT long!? *@#!! I'm old!

This week we're continuing our focus on resumes, with special attention to the areas that make us want to pull our hair out, kick the cat, and consider a new career as a carny. Our guest blogger for this series is Sue Campbell, 1st-Writer.com, a professional resume writer and career strategist with over 18 years experience helping job seekers of every level achieve their career goals.

What about dates? Do I have to put the dates I received my degrees?

For employment, you don’t need to include months, you can just list years (i.e. 2005-2007), but you have to include dates.

For college degrees, you can omit dates in your résumé, but expect to provide this information at the interview or application process. Understand, too, that while your reader probably won’t give this too much thought, he or she is likely notice that the dates have been omitted.

The BIG Experiment!! Diane's Final Day!!

6:30-7:30  Wake up.  Let Wonderful Hubby know that it's time to get up.  Start coffee, wake kids.  Go take shower and get ready for 7:30 meeting at the school.  Upset to be missing another day of working out.  Decide to wear stretchy comfy jersey wrap dress.  Decide that dresses are the best!  Wonderful Hubby has gotten kids all ready to go to school.

7:30-8:15  Stop car and take kids into school.  Get stopped by principal in lobby who has questions about "very important stuff". Late to meeting.

8:15-2:30  Head to office.  Worried that I will not add value and sit there mute in the corner.  Meeting with client #1 goes very well.  Actually had valuable input!  Am amazed by my AMAZING friend and her abilities.  Office is fun and I like it.  Invited to join in meeting with client #2.  Call Mr. Wonderful to see if he can pick up the kids and a playdate after school.

2:30-3:00  Head home.  Drive like crazy person because I am running late.  Find that everyone has arrived home from school safely.  Kids are playing but have not had a snack.  Hubby is on iPhone.  Everyone survived.

3:30-4:00  Make appointment with vet for dog.  Feed snack to kids.  Loving the pre-packaged snack foods today.  Put kids on Wii.  Sit down to computer.  Check emails, blog about my day, which I have all forgotten by now.

4:30-6:00  Finally take dog to the vet.  Explanation for that terrible smell earlier in the week.  Feel really guilty that it has taken me this long to get the dog to the vet.  Wonderful Hubby takes kids to friends' house for dinner.

6:00-10:00  Drop off dog at home.  Feed dog.  Alone in my messy home.  Consider staying home all by myself, sigh...Grab all of the things that Wonderful Hubby has forgotten and head over to friends' house for dinner.  Enjoy house full of wonderful friends and a terrific dinner.  Extremely exhausted.  Head home with kids to go directly to bed.  Do not pass go, do not collect $200.  So tired I think I fell asleep before my head hit the pillow.

All in all the day was great.  Wonder how things would shake out if Wonderful Hubby wasn't there to pick up the kids, but figure we'll have to take each day one at a time.

The BIG Experiment!! Day Four by Diane

6:30-7:30 Wake up with small child in bed next to me. Wonderful Hubby calls. Make small child answer phone so that I don't have to get out of cozy bed. Happy there is smell of fresh coffee coming from kitchen. Get up and throw uniforms at children. Check email to see that I have another meeting this morning that I am unprepared for about "very important stuff", but throw papers in a bag and rush out the door.

7:30-8:15 Drop kids off barely slowing and rush back home to shower and prepare for presentation. Read email from enraged neighbor about "very important stuff". Put on LOTS of deodorant in preparation for presentation at school and subsequent meeting. Squeeze into terribly out of date clothing and rush back to school.

8:15-10:30 Have horrible presentation. Realize I am much better in small groups than in front of a crowd. Rush off to make 11:00 meeting. No workout today.

11:00-12:00 Meet with important people about "very important stuff". Worry that I'm not communicating my position on important stuff so that they hear what I am saying. Worry about performance when I go back to work.

12:00-2:30 Check emails, have string cheese. Sit down and actually do some work, finally. Schedule playdate for children. Feel like having a glass of wine. Have a glass of wine with lunch. (Hey, I'm a big girl, deal with it!) Return phone call. Have headache about "very important stuff"... or maybe it's the wine? Still have another hour to make goal of 3 1/2 hours of work/day.

2:30-3:45 Feed kids, help with homework, put dishes in dishwasher

3:45-7:45 Take kids to indoor play-gym with friends and then out to dinner. Kids have fun. Eat pizza for dinner, feel very guilty, but kids are happy. Get home, put them to bed. Find out I have to go in to "work" tomorrow, and can't work out, but Wonderful Hubby will be home to help me out in the morning.

7:45-8:00 Check emails, blog. I am exhausted and sore (shin splints from uphill walk yesterday). Would go to bed if it weren't only 8:00. Go to set up coffee maker for the morning. Accidentally brew coffee instead of programming it. Brain can no longer function. Think of staying in bed all weekend. Smile.

8:00-9:30 Fall asleep in front of TV.  Wake up when hubby comes home.  Go to bed exhausted.

The BIG Experiment Day 4 by Kim

6:15 - 6:35 Honey gets up to pee which fortunately wakes me up because I set my alarm for an hour later than I meant too. Rush to get dressed and out the door - put on yesterdays' workout clothes because all the others are downstairs in the basket of laundry I've been contemplating all week. Feel a little gross but whatever.

6:45-7:40 Walk with friend. It's a bit of a rough start since it's effing cold out but by about 10 minutes in I'm glad that we persevered. Legs are sore from the hilly (lost) portion of yesterday's walk!

7:45-8:00 Run into the school to drop off Cokes for the Open House for walking buddy so that she's not late for work. Run into people I know and am acutely aware of being a little ripe, try to keep downwind...

8:00-8:30 Clean up the kitchen a (very) little bit. Going to have to spend some time on the house this weekend. Discover that Honey cleaned the kitty litter - God I love this man!

8:30-12:00 Work on blog and other projects. Try to get signed up for Daddy/Daughter Dance but having problems with their website...#@&*! - I often miss the boat on these type of things so it really pisses me off when I get my act together and am thwarted!

12:15-1:00 Eat lunch with Honey then take a quick shower.

1:00-4:30 Work on Slide presentation for seminar - it seems never ending! Break it up with some Words with Friends. Incidentally, Jeff is a ringer and is soundly kicking my ass even as he claims "I haven't played in at least a year". Whatever Jeff - What. Ever.

4:30-8:15 Honey goes with me to pick the girls up from their AfterSchool. We drop La off and go in for a quick chat. That turns to a couple glasses of wine which then turns into dinner out with both families. I don't have to cook which makes 3 nights this week, Suzy Homemaker I'm not! I don't get the stuff done at home that I'd planned to do, like folding the laundry (haha who'm I kidding) and putting away the box of Christmas stuff still sitting in my office. It's worth the trade off though.

8:45 Realize that we didn't give Shorty her spelling test but decide that we can do it in the morning if we get up 10 minutes early. Not going to garner me Mother of the Year but still seems like a good plan since I'm walking into walls!

9:00 Early mornings and exercise have officially kicked my ass - I'm going to bed.

My Mission Statement: To get a job.

This week we are focusing on resumes, with special attention to the areas that make us want to pull our hair out, put on the stretchy pants, and consider a new career in competitive eating. Our guest blogger for this series is Sue Campbell, 1st-Writer.com, a professional resume writer and career strategist with over 18 years experience helping job seekers of every level achieve their career goals.

Is it absolutely necessary to have a mission statement? If so, how do you write a mission statement for your résumé (especially if your mission is to just get a job)?

First of all, never forget that your résumé is a marketing piece or that you’re writing your résumé for the sheer and complete benefit of your reader.

Imagine, for example, an ad for vacuum cleaners that begins with the statement, “We really need you to buy this vacuum cleaner so we can pay our electric bill.”

At this stage of the game, your reader doesn’t care what your hopes or aspirations may be. They simply want to know whether or not you’re qualified for the position and company you’re targeting, whether it’s in their interest to meet you, in person, to learn more, and how they may benefit by hiring you.

Later, at the interview stage, your needs and interests will become more important. But for now, it’s all about the reader.

So if you include a mission statement, or preferably a summary of qualifications section, keep the focus on what you bring to the table and how your skills, abilities and characteristics will benefit the company and meet its needs and expectations.

For example, a typical objective statement tends to focus more on what the candidate hopes to secure than what he or she brings to the table, but this can be altered by focusing on the reader’s interests:

“To secure the position of ________________________ at (Name of Company) where my skills in ______________________, _______________________ and _____________________ may best benefit (Name of Company)’s ____________________ goals and expectations.”

The BIG Experiment!! Day Three by Diane

4:38 am  Wonderful Hubby wakes me up with his snoring.  This is a recurring theme in our household.  Move to spare bedroom.  Spend half hour worrying about interview.  Fall back to sleep.

6:25 am  Woken by small dog who wants food.  Wonderful Hubby comes to wake me up as well, since my alarm has gone off, and then goes to wake the kids.  I am grateful for having prepared the coffee to start automatically.

6:30-7:30 Take out recycling, drip stale beer down my shoulder.  Not going to ruin my mood, however. Got the kids out the door on time and with most of their morning chores completed!  Even stopped the car before pushing them out at school!

7:30-8:45 Have a walk with Kim.  Good discussions of why our hubbies are helping out MORE than usual this week.  BOTH husbands have pointed out that they'd do whatever around the house, we only had to ask.  Strangely enough, we haven't had to ask them to do anything so far this week, they've just seen something needing to be done and done it.  Think the blog is great in more ways than one!  Got a bit lost and had to use the iPhone to find our way back to our cars.

8:45-9:30 Yikes!  Gotta hustle to shower and prepare for interview.  Try on aforementioned out of date suit.  Marvel that it still fits (see that scheduled exercise really pays off!) and looks okay.  It is a bit uncomfortable because it has a waistline that goes over the navel, and I have been wearing low-rise pants for the last 5 years, but, with the jacket on, no one will know but me!

10:00-11:00 Meet with a wonderful friend who has a need for some part-time contract work.  (It really is all about who you know!)  Work out a win/win for both of us.  If CFO agrees, I start next week!  Really great company with bright engaging professionals.  Got to use big words!  Head home, starting to really HATE suit and want to pull an Al Bundy.

11:00-1:15  Voicemail from teacher who says son might have pink eye.  Ignore it.  They'll call again if they need to send him home.  Panic about what happens now that Wonderful Hubby is traveling.  Emails from volunteers in a panic.  Get home, want a stiff drink, settle for what's left of the coffee, RIP off evil suit and throw it into a pile - climb into comfy jeans and slouchy sweater.  Sit down to work.

1:45-3:00  Realize that I forgot that I'd help out at kids' school and hustle out the door so that they don't wind up riding the bus home to find that I'm not.  Have kids do homework while volunteering.

3:30-5:00  Take kids to Toys R Us.  Need birthday gifts, and kids are dying to spend gift cards.  Curse gift cards given by well-meaning family members.  Tell kids only 1/2 an hour.  1 and 1/2 hours later, leave store.

5:30-7:00 Yay! Awesome brother comes to rescue and grabs kids for dinner.  Work on volunteer projects in peace.  Have glass of wine!  Forget to make to-do list for tomorrow.  Remark that I need to 1. take dog to the vet, 2. take car in for repair, 3. am almost out of milk.  Wonder when the heck I'm going to do that!?

7:00-9:00 Friend time!  Enjoy get-together at friend's.  Feel connected with other women/mommies.

9:00-10:00 pick up sleeping kids from Awesome Brother's and try to sneak them into bed before they wake up too much.  Have LONG conversation with emotional (and tired)7 year old. Realize I have only had string cheese, coffee, and wine to eat today.  Have another glass of wine, eat frozen dinner and a bunch of potato chips while catching up on DVR TV(so much for that workout).  Feel guilty, throw away bag of chips.

For the most part, this was a good fulfilling day.  Didn't spend enough time with children, which seems to show.  Plan on making up for that tomorrow!

The BIG Experiment Day 3 by Kim

6:30-7:20 Crawl out of bed and Shorty is already up - she's definitely a morning person unlike her old mom. Try to see if it's raining as Di and I text back and forth to see if we can walk. Decide to suck it up and do it - this is why having a workout buddy is so effective, no one wants to be the first to puss out. Drop Shorty at school after a breakfast of Rice Krispies over which we discuss why the milk should be put on before the sugar.

7:30 - 8:40 Walk with Di. It ends up being longer than we planned since we managed to get ourselves lost in the neighborhood. Wonder if maybe we should change our tagline. :)

8:45-10:57 Take out the recycling and chat with Honey about what our days look like. Sit down to finish and post The BIG Experiment Day 2. Answer emails about a project I'm currently managing and remember that I need to invoice them so I can get paid! Contemplate folding the laundry. Send Di a good luck text about her interview today!!!

10:58-12:30 Friends pick me up to grab a quick lunch. No one has showered yet so we take a table in the corner.

12:30-1:45 Work on a seminar presentation that's coming up in February - is closer than I realized.

1:45-2:15 Shower and contemplate folding the laundry.

2:15-4:15 Grocery store, enroll Shorty in the tumbling class, Trader Joes, and B12 shot, finish all errands with about 20 minutes until time to pick up kids, so crank up the music and just drive around singing and being blissfully alone. Wave sheepishly at the cars next to me who notice me singing.

4:30-5:30 Pick Shorty and La up at their after school program. Drop La off at home and go in for a quick glass of wine and some conversation.

5:45-6:00 Bring in groceries, kiss Honey, change shoes.

6:00-11:30 Go to a movie and dinner with girlfriends. Honey and Shorty seem happy to have me out and are able to hold down the fort without me. Reflect on how lucky I am.

11:45-12:15 Answer some design questions that have come up with a project in the Central time zone with a brief phone call.

12:30 BED!!!

Again, not so great with the actual schedule...BUT still hit my goal of the tasks that I wanted to accomplish , the number of hours I wanted to dedicate, and getting in the workout. Laundry is still being contemplated, maybe tomorrow, which will also include additional home stuff - like cooking dinner and some clean up since Honey carried the bulk of it today (but I'm pretty sure that he'll still clean up the kitchen for me!).

As much as I like to think I'm pretty disciplined, this experiment is teaching me the wisdom of clearly defining tasks and carving out the time to complete them. As well as making me notice how much time the little stuff can suck up if you don't group it together and actively limit the time you spend on it.

The BIG Experiment!! Day Two by Diane

6:30-6:45 Hit snooze button several times, wake up late

6:45-7:30 Find that wonderful hubby has done most of the laundry AND the dishes while I was in a coma last night! Wake up children who complain of stomach aches and cry about having to go to school. Check emails, try to drink coffee in between yelling at kids to get a move on.

7:35-7:45 Still in pjs, scramble into car and push kids out at carpool. Go back home. Planned to run this morning, but since it is raining, opt to stay in pjs and get to work. Sigh at the thought of having to workout on Saturday instead.

7:45-8:45 Look at presentation that I have to give this week and realize that I am SO not prepared! Anxiety runs amok and I decide to get ready for my 9:30 meeting (volunteer activity) instead.

9:30-11:00 PTA meeting.... get so much information and added to my to-do list for volunteerism.

11:00-noon Start going through all of the emails that have ended up in my in-box. Get caught up in it, send Kim a note that I am running late (gotta love technology)

12-12:45 Meeting with Kim at coffice very productive. Realize that I forgot to brush teeth this morning. Resolve to be better tomorrow. Go home and RUN mail to the mailman, who has decided to be kind and wait for me. Get upset at morons who can't do their jobs thoroughly and now have to make another phone call/write letter/send it in AGAIN.

1:00-2:15 Brush teeth. Eat. Blog. Determined to finish resume.

2:15-5:30  Kids come home and immediately ask what we are doing today.  Pout when I tell them "nothing".  After getting them settled with snacks and homework, pretty much ignore children.  Research and work on my resume.  Children interrupt on occasion, and I have a notedly short temper with them.  Resume working on my resume.  (remark that resume and resume are spelled the same, less the accent - I think it's time for a break!)  Youngest watching his 30 minutes of TV (turns into an hour).  Resolve to manage time better tomorrow for second time today.

5:30-6:00  Wonderful hubby is already preparing dinner.  Youngest upset that we couldn't go to Toys R Us today.  I set out to tackle the mount of folded laundry that covers the dining room table.  Enlist children to help, when I notice it's all MY stuff.  Put away laundry, have children set table, feed dog, etc.  Scan and email document to friend, return phone calls from friends.  File some of year's worth of bills so that I can finish taxes for accountant.

6:00-6:30  Sit down and enjoy wonderful dinner.  Food is so much better when someone else prepares it, don't you think?

6:30-7:00  Dishwasher still running (again!  this never used to happen!) so dishes are rinsed and left in sink for tomorrow.  Wonderful hubby irons his new shirt (?!)  I sit down to do more research and work on blog.  Kids playing Wii and don't interrupt.

7:00-7:30  Get kids ready for bed after tearing them away from Wii.

7:30-8:00  Write to-do list, check email. Panic about meeting tomorrow - more about fitting into my old business suits, which are probably VERY out of date, than the actual interview/meeting.  Panic about presentation on Thursday.  Resolve to take tomorrow one step at a time.  Have glass of wine to calm myself.

8:00-10:00 Exhausted and ready for bed, but somehow manage to watch film with subtitles in its entirety.  Overall an okay day.  I'll be better tomorrow!

"She said what?!?"

This week we are focusing on resumes, with special attention to the areas that make us want to pull our hair out, get loaded, and consider a new career as a rodeo clown. Our guest blogger for this series is Sue Campbell, 1st-Writer.com, a professional resume writer and career strategist with over 18 years experience helping job seekers of every level achieve their career goals.

What are some key words should you include in your resume? What words should you avoid?

Include terms that are relevant to the field, position and industry you’re targeting and the positions you’ve held in the past. For example, an engineer should use the verb “engineer” (or “engineered”) somewhere in his or her document. A manager should be using the verb “manage” (or “managed”) when describing his or her work. And yet you’d be surprised how often this doesn’t happen. Other strong verb choices for someone in a leadership role include: Guide, Direct, Drive, and Lead, among others, and yet you’ll see résumés that have bullet point after bullet point leading with “Responsible for…”

When you’re writing your statements of responsibility, lead these statements with strong action verbs that show your reader your direct role and level of responsibility. Avoid phrases such as “Responsible for…” or “Duties included…” which dilute the strength of the statement.

Avoid words that feel inflated or are words you’d never use in your normal speech. When I read “Elevated Customer Satisfaction,” I wonder, “Would this person actually say “elevated” in an interview or any other situation describing his work?” Probably not.

Despite a variety of career related articles suggesting that phrases such as, “Proven record of achievement in…” or “Extensive experience in…” should be omitted from the résumé, I disagree. Include these kinds of declarations, but back them up with proof. If you have extensive experience in any area that’s vital to the position you’re targeting, it’s good to let the potential employer know this, but don’t stop there; tell the reader how this expertise will benefit him or her. Example:

“Extensive experience in brand building and market share. Consistently penetrate competitive target markets and increase revenue growth, even in challenging economic climates.”

The BIG Experiment Day 2 by Kim

5:45 - 6:20 Curse as the alarm goes off but drag my ass out of bed. Get 4 layers of clothes on, eat a piece of PB toast, and head out the door to meet a friend for a workout.

6:25 Curse as the first raindrops hit my windshield pulling up in front of her house.

6:30-7:30 Walk and talk and walk and talk. It's what I needed - both the exercise and the camaraderie. Who cares if I'm looking like a drowned muskrat (no, I don't know what a muskrat looks like either but you know what I mean).

7:30 - 8:15 Hubby (from here forward to be known as Honey except when I'm ticked and then it'll be @#!Honey) took Shorty to school so I take the trash out, pour a cup of coffee and finish then post The BIG Experiment Day 1). Answer a couple of emails and make a list for the day.

8:15 - 9:30 Take Honey to get allergy shots. *He's allergic to cats (plus everything else - the man should live in a bubble!) and Shorty and I moved here from Thailand with 2 cats and then adopted a kitten a couple of months ago. The kitten pushed him over the allergy cliff he was perched on so we had to do something. Since he opted to get the allergy shots from the start and never even entertained the idea of getting rid of the cats, I feel like the least I can do is go along with him. Update our twitter and facebook feeds while I'm waiting. Swing by Fresh Market on the way home so there's actual food in the house that we want to eat.

9:30-11:00 Work on posts, read a couple of other blogs that I follow to be caught up, read through some business sites and journals to find future Post ideas. Still ignoring kitchen. Double fisting Diet Dr. Pepper and coffee...starting to twitch.

11:00-11:45 Have a meeting with Di and our graphics person today at 12:00 at the coffice, so a shower is necessary.

12:00-12:45 Meet with Di and Helen - make huge strides in nailing down a logo. It's pretty cool - we're almost legit. Di and I reflect that with the spotlight upon them both of our already helpful husbands have stepped it up into SuperHusband territory...contemplate a recurring piece on this topic....

12:45 - 1:00 Pick up the drycleaning, drive it home and haul all 900 lbs upstairs to the closet. Wonder how long it's been since one of us picked it up...

1:00 - 2:10 Researching other blogs/websites that operate in the same arena that we do - both inspired and intimidated.

2:30-4:15 Picked Shorty up from school and came home. Managed a healthy snack of smoothies and hummus - yay me!

*For people (like me) who are incapable of keeping fresh fruit alive and edible, the Yoplait packaged smoothies are AWESOME - the berries are already portioned out and it has frozen chunks of vanilla yogurt in it. (Disclosure: Yoplait has never heard of me and isn't paying me to endorse their product, however should they decide they want to I wouldn't say no.)

Then homework - more fractions...did we do fractions in 2nd grade? It seems that it was much later....

I cleaned up the kitchen and sat down to try and find a gymnastics program for Shorty since I didn't get it all together to get extracurricular activities planned for her once the cheerleading season ended. Found one but am going to have to go by tomorrow to register since their website doesn't allow for that...that's obnoxious.

4:15-5:15 Veg with Shorty. Contemplate folding laundry.

5:15 - 6:30 Go out for dinner. Try Ethiopian for the first time - it's awesome!! Not sure which one us has the most fun eating with our hands.

6:30-8:00 Contemplate folding laundry especially since Honey has kept it running all day and it's now done. But instead flop on the couch and watch the end of a DVR'd movie as a family. Recall at 8:00 that I'm not sure when Shorty had a shower last but it's too late to do anything about that now as she's got to go to bed.

8:00-8:15 Receive (and answer) some complimentary emails about the blog, marvel at the fact that one of the founders of iRelaunch has become a twitter follower (how cool is that!) and put together my To-Do list for Wednesday.

8:15 - 10:30 Contemplate folding the laundry. Watch a movie with Honey and have a glass of wine (or 2)

11:00 Bed and to sleep

Again, the thing that I noticed the most about today is that by stating that I had to dedicate a set amount of time to work/family/self I was able to meet my goal. I didn't follow the schedule to a T as promised, but I did get all the important stuff in - including both a workout and work. I also am much more aware of grouping errands along with times that I'm already out, as opposed to making multiple trips, which has me feeling less frazzled. And I even showered! Feeling like a bit of a badass!

Function versus Form?

This week we are focusing on resumes, with special attention to the areas that make us want to pull our hair out, eat a tub of Ben and Jerry's, and consider a new career as a balloon animal engineer. Our guest blogger for this series is Sue Campbell, 1st-Writer.com, a professional resume writer and career strategist with over 18 years experience helping job seekers of every level achieve their career goals

How do you organize a functional resume, as opposed to a chronological resume? Is that the best way to go?

A functional résumé is typically used by job candidates who:

• Have gaps in employment they want to hide.
• Wish to bring relevant, but possibly less utilized, skills to the forefront.
• Want to bypass titles which poorly reflect actual work responsibilities or accountability levels.
• Hope to change career paths and therefore want the reader to recognize transferable skills.

All of which are great reasons. The problem with using a functional format is that most hiring managers and HR directors know why candidates use functional résumés, too, and often will look for the very problems the candidate is trying so hard to hide.

A functional résumé is typically organized by skill groups or areas of expertise, with examples of these skills applied (but not where or when), followed by a brief outline of job titles, company names, locations and dates (without description). Example of order of information:

• Name
• Contact Information
• Summary of Qualifications (brief)
• Functional Headings (such as: Marketing, Management, Project Leadership, etc.) in the order of their value and relevance to the position and company being targeted – with bulleted details showing these skills applied, and including the results of the candidate’s efforts and contributions
• Employment History (in reverse chronological format, with little or no detail)
• Education
• Relevant Professional Associations (optional)
• Community Service (optional)

The BIG Experiment!! Day One by Diane

6:30-7:30 Getting kids ready for school:  Went generally well for a Monday.  Reconsidering the chores assigned to children.

7:30-7:45 Slowed down, Opened car door= pushed them out

7:45-9:00 By some small miracle traffic was slight for a Monday. Had great work out, feel good!

9:00-9:45 I am clean and pretty.  Wonder what will happen when I have to wear something besides jeans and slippers, however.

9:45-11:30 Sit down in home office.  Odd smell in seldom used room.  Resist urge to investigate.  Resist urge to answer emails.  Post blog.  Read blogs.  Resist urge to look at emails.  Work on resume.  Hubby comes by to see what I am up to.  Response: "Working"

11:30  Finally succumb to incessant chiming of emails.  ACK!  Email from hubby (who works in the other room, no less) to check out some $10 socks he wants to buy.  Resist urge to scream.

11:35  Back to work on resume.  Research resume writing tips.

12:00  Hubby comes by to see what I am doing.  Response: "Working"

12:10  Hubby comes by to ask if he can make me a sandwich.  How nice- good husband.

12:15-1:15  Continue to work on resume and research.  Still wondering about that smell...

1:15-2:15  Proud of myself, actually did answer all of my PTA emails and worked on volunteer activities!

2:15-4:30  Was worried about this part of the day.  Fortunately, hubby helped son with homework and I continued to clean around the house, including finding and cleaning source of strange smell.  Got one load of laundry folded while children put their clothes away, and managed to return a phone call and some emails, most of which were volunteer related (so much for sticking to one hour).

4:30-4:40  Forgot to pay a bill due tomorrow.  Thank goodness for online banking.

5:00-6:15  Wonderful hubby prepares meatloaf while I fold laundry and order children to put it away.  Remind children of their chore responsibilities while making potatoes, salad and green beans to go with aforementioned meatloaf.  Play words with friends while cooking.  Pour glass of wine.

6:15-7:30  Clean up while wonderful hubby bathes kids.  Unfortunately the dishwasher is still running, so rinse dishes and pile in sink.  Wonder if I will get to them tonight, or wait until the morning.  Program coffee maker (bonus!) for early start.  Another load of laundry done. Pour second glass of wine

7:30-8:00  Read kids a book, worry that 5 year old will never read because his mommy never reads to him.  Check email and I have an interview on Wednesday!  Wow... then the panic sets in...ah, hell, lets have another glass of wine!   Make to-do list for tomorrow (finish resume!)

8:00- 10:00 Wow, today wasn't so bad.  I'm thinking that this might be do-able.  I still have laundry piled in the hallway, my bed isn't made, and the dishes are still in the sink, but feel I have accomplished more than I expected.  Then again... tomorrow is another day!

The BIG Experiment!! Day 1 by Kim

6:30-7:30 Hit snooze until 6:40 but fortunately Shorty is a better morning person than her mom - so smooth sailing for a Monday morning.

7:30-7:45 Slowed down and she remembered to tuck and roll!

7:45-9:00 Didn't make the workout as I was obsessing about the huge amount of crap that I had to do. Hubby gets all chatty while I'm typing but after a few grunted responses asks if I want to be left alone.

9:00-9:45 Still wearing the pj, yoga pant, hoodie combo that I pulled on when I got out of bed. Soooo pretty. But have whittled down my to-do list enough that I'm able to see the rest of my week being ok which feels like a decent trade off.

9:45-11:30 Have gotten SO much done! Only played words with friends twice and danced with the cat once...not too shabby!

11:30 Made some lunch and walked past all the dishes still in the sink where they were left by unnamed family members. Maybe they will put themselves into the dishwasher...

11:35 Chuckle at Diane's husbands' quest for $10 socks and marvel at her restraint. Thank Hubby for picking up prescription and feel slightly bad that I didn't wait to have lunch with him.

11:45 Back to work. Edited seminar materials, posted the resume blog entry, paid bills, and did some more research.

1:15 Decide that today I'm going to "volunteer" to shower and the "passion" that I'm going to focus on is making myself generally presentable. Feeling like a scrub, albeit an extremely productive scrub.

So my following of the schedule this morning wasn't too great, seeing as I didn't get the workout or the shower in - but tomorrow is another day! And I'm feeling pretty optimistic about this afternoon...

2:20 Got Shorty picked up and ran to Walgreens. Now she's putting her clothes away while I peck away on this and then it'll be time for homework. Fractions today - it's a little disconcerting when you're apprehensive about 2nd grade homework but she still believes I know everything. Do you remember fractions...I don't!

2:30 - 4:30 Shorty does homework and I putter around in the house, nothing especially constructive. Hubby loads the dishwasher and starts it. :)

5:30 Realize that I bought flounder instead of ANY other type of fish plus it's been a couple of days so it's a bit sketchy. Hubby cooks flounder and squash while I make a chimichurri sauce to disguise flounder. Comes out of oven - blech, not eating it!

6:30 Make spaghetti. Laugh about disgusting flounder as a family.

8:00 Shorty to bed and Hubby and I watch House.

9:30 BED!!!

10:30 To sleep.

The thing that made the most impact on me today is that if I block out the time to work and have the discipline to stick to that schedule, I get so much more accomplished and feel better about myself (and things in general) at the end of the day. I was disappointed that I didn't get a work out in but have to really work at making that a non-negotiable priority, hence I'm walking with a friend at 6:30AM tomorrow. I also will remember that I don't like sketchy flounder.

There are HOLES in this resume!!

This week we are focusing on resumes, with special attention to the areas that make us want to pull our hair out, crawl back into bed, and consider a career in origami. Our guest blogger for this series is Sue Campbell, 1st-Writer.com, a professional resume writer and career strategist with over 18 years experience helping job seekers of every level achieve their career goals.

How do you cover the "holes" in your resume for the time that you were out of the workforce?

Rather than trying to hide gaps in your résumé, fill them, instead.

If you haven’t been spending any of this time in self-improvement, it’s not too late to add a layer of current activity to your résumé through volunteer work or education.

Actively employed candidates will always be viewed as “more hirable” by hiring managers. And candidates with recent experience will appear more “current.” However, if you’re reentering the workplace after a significant time away, you can give the same impression of being current by showing recent activity in areas deemed relevant or valuable to the types of positions and companies you’re currently targeting.

First, determine what skills, abilities and characteristics (personal and professional) the potential employer is trying to secure in potential candidates. This information is usually obtained via job ads, recruiters or company research.

Next, consider in what ways you’ve actively applied these skills in the recent past. Consider personality characteristics along with applied skills and technical abilities, such as communication, problem-solving, time management and resource allocation skills.

Create a summary section that focuses on that which you bring to the table – TODAY – in relevant skills, abilities and characteristics, and then show the reader your most recent application of these skills – even if this was through a continuing education course (leading with your education) or via non-paid community service – early in your document.

The what, where and when is always going to be important – but what really matters is what you CAN DO, and how what you can do –your efforts and contributions – will benefit a potential employer.

The BIG Experiment!!

We've all been reading about Gwynnie's taxing daily schedule as a working mom, so we have busy schedules on the brain. In preparing the family, and yourself, for returning to work, Kim and I thought that it might be fun(ny) to have a sort-of trial run on how things might operate with mommy going back to work. Going off of the premise that if you're currently looking for work OR if you're starting a home business (as we are), there's a certain amount of time that you'll have to dedicate to the effort, we came up with the following schedule. (When we start working full time, there will be a WHOLE new schedule complete with a Survival Guide for our husbands.) For this whole week though, we are going to follow the schedule below to a T and report on how our kids, husbands, and selves fare as well as any casualties (I'm telling you right now that I don't see laundry pulling through!):

6:30-7:20 am Get up and get the kids ready for school/get mommy ready for the gym

7:30-7:45 am Slow down the car and push the kids out the door at school

8:00-9:00 am Go to the gym/workout - this is essential to plan into your day for your own well-being (so that you aren't sobbing as you try to squeeze into that business suit from pre-baby days)! Do it!!

9:00-9:45 am Home from the gym to shower (conditioning hair while stretching muscles a la Mrs. Rock-star's wife and movie star mom)

9:45-1:15 pm WORK: work on blog, work on networking, work on resume! 3 1/2 hours - DO NOT MULTI-TASK! - no house cleaning, laundry, errand running - only working!)

1:15-2:15 pm Volunteer activities and being involved at school (or whatever you are passionate about)

2:15-5:15 pm Kids are home from school: help with homework, fix healthy snacks (or throw goldfish at them), have playdates, extra-curricular activities, etc. Try to engage the kids... try not to play words with friends... resist urge to allow children to watch hours of TV.

5:30-6:00 pm Fix dinner (see our "For Meals on the Fly" on the sidebar or just have the local fishmonger deliver as GOOP suggests)

6:00-6:30 pm Eat dinner together as a family (pour first glass of wine)

6:30-7:30 pm Clean up and get the kids ready for bed (pour second glass of wine while children are bathing)

7:30-8:00 pm Check emails (make sure there aren't any important messages) and make To-Do list for following day

8:00-10:00 pm Grown-up time. Whether it's Couple-time, Friend-time, or Me-time - make sure to schedule at least one night of each this week!

10:00 pm Bedtime

Notice that we haven't built in specific time slots for house clean-up, laundry, errands, grocery shopping, dishwasher emptying...yep, we're curious to see how that's going to shake out too - husbands, maybe?

Anyone else out there ready to take the challenge with us??!!

Snow Days

As many of you know, the East Coast is stuck in a huge "weather" situation.  Being in Atlanta, this is extremely difficult, as we are not used to snow and ice, and the whole city sort of shuts down.  We have now been stuck home for 3 days, school cancelled, meetings postponed, appointments re-scheduled.  While the kids and I have had a great time playing in the snow, sledding, and snuggling next to the fire, I am ready for them to go back to school!  I have things to do!!

So, tell me, what do you do, when you can't do your absolute best?  When the inclement weather makes you miss a deadline, or keeps you out of the office?  Do you just apologize and move on?  I spoke with one of my friends, a working mom, who has also been stuck at home, missing work, playing in the snow with her kids and not getting anything done.  She hasn't been into the office all week, but neither has anyone else.  This, she says, helps her to reconcile the guilty feelings.  She is also one of the only people I know who does not have a work issued laptop computer.  (wonder if she'll get one after this snow-storm?!)

But, what happens when you're the only one who is missing the deadlines, meetings, and work, due to a sick child or other child-related responsibility?  In a discussion that I recently had with several of my married, working mommy friends, they said that this responsibility usually falls to them, and NOT their spouses.  Their husbands just say, "Sorry, I have to work".  Hmmm... definitely something to think about, and probably something to discuss with the husband before going back to work....

"Step away from the cabinets, Ma'am!" by Kim

Diane's post brought back the agony that I went through when I had to redo my resume this past summer - by the time that it was all said and done I think that the whole thing took me well over a month. My previous resume was LONG gone on the hard drive of a long gone computer; fortunately the resume that landed me the life-changing job in Asia had been written by Sue Campbell, a wonderful resume writer who is infinitely more organized than I. I asked her to email me a copy and *poof*, there it was in my inbox. I opened it, looked at it, closed it and went to clean out my bathroom cabinets. :)

A couple of days (weeks) went by and I opened it again and started the process of adding the past 3 years of experience. But even with a model right in front of me (of my own resume no less), I couldn't spend more than 10 minutes without getting frustrated and walking away from it. Finally, with input from Husband, family, and friends I had enough *stuff* to fill out the questionnaire that Sue had sent me and quickly dropped it back in her lap to make me sound fabulous!

All told it took me about a month to get to that point - it's silly as I sit here thinking about it now but the paralyzation was vividly, painfully real at the time and now it's time to update it again, sigh. Writing this blog and getting to talk with all sorts of other women facing similar challenges has been incredibly cathartic for me - it's great to know I'm not alone, I mean I'm sorry for them and all but....you know what I mean.

We'll be talking with Sue this week to get some input and practical advice for rewriting, recreating, or just freshening up your resume. In the meantime, if you want to start some forward momentum or can't stand the idea of cleaning out those bathroom cabinets again, here are a couple ideas to get you moving:

1. Start small - just a rough list of all of your personal qualities (both good and "challenging") that you can think of. Don't forget to incorporate the items from your career in MomWorld that Diane identified in "Thoughts for the Interview". Now...ask husbands, friends, family members - only people who will be honest but not brutal. Live with your list for a couple of days - add to it but don't take anything off, we tend to edit ourselves way too much. It's your opportunity to brag, do it!

2. At the same time, especially if you're starting from scratch, start working on a VERY simple timeline of your career - dates, places, titles. It seems excessively easy but after a couple of years at home, I'm lucky if I can recall what I had for dinner last Tuesday, much less where I was and what I was doing in 1998.

3. Once you've identified the places/times that you worked, start sketching out the details of the jobs and responsibilities that you held while there. Again, this is the very simple 65,000 foot view of things, the bare bones.

Our expert, Sue Campbell of 1st-Writer, will give us some pointers on how to get from here to there later in the week, so we can start to pull all of this together.

We're going to do this together in baby steps, so....get off your ass, leave those cabinets alone, and get started!

New Years Resolution #1 - write resume!

Well, it's a brand new year! The holidays have passed and we moms can get cracking on that job search! A week ago, I spoke to a friend of mine about my past career-life. I told her about what I did and how I did it and then she asked if I would be interested in doing some consulting work for her company. Sure! I thought, just what I need! Then, the other shoe dropped... she asked me for my resume... YIKES! Resume? What resume??

Procrastination, my current bff...

For many of you already out there and ahead of me on the job search, resume writing was a daunting task. But, when you have had at least 3 different computers over the last 8 years and haven't bothered to save your resume file, let alone update your resume every year or so, the task is down-right overwhelming! It is one of the things easily shoved in the back of a drawer somewhere, with the thought that you'll eventually get back to it... I'd rather clean out my bathroom cabinets than work on my resume! I have now been avoiding my friend, with a paying job for ME, for a week!!

Why on earth is this such a difficult thing to do?! Maybe it is because it is so hard for most women to brag about themselves? Maybe it is because it takes focused thought that most of us don't have time for (but need to make time for)? Maybe it is because all of my pre-child memories leaked out of my brain during the birthing process??

Sure you can hire a resume writer, or download a resume template, but you still have to THINK about what to put on your resume. And what happens when you can't remember what it is that you used to do, or for whom you used to work??

I'm looking for tips??? Anyone??? Please comment with any helpful suggestions!

Well, at least I have a very neatly organized bathroom!