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Want to commiserate about the Monday back to work blues or get tips on scheduling playdates from your desk? This is the place to quench your thirst for all things work/life related. Around the Watercooler is a column written by a group of moms that work full time outside the home. Check back often to hear them dish about the trials and traumas of the work/life balance battlefield. Our column's host, Lauren Young, is an editor for BusinessWeek Magazine and a regular contributor to the BusinessWeek Working Parents Blog. She is joined by Elizabeth Horn, a full-time nurse and author of the candid and funny blogs, Busy Mom, Career & Kids and GenBetween, Susan Wenner Jackson, who works for an advertising agency in Cincinnati and blogs about her working mom life on Working Moms Against Guilt, and Amy Smith, a full-time executive by day, poopy diaper changing/teenage problem solving mom by night and author of the blog Milk Breath and Margaritas. |
Never Let Them See You Sweat.
Remember that cheesy deodorant tagline from the 80s: “Never let ‘em see you sweat”? For the past few months, as part of my New Year’s get-fit resolution, I’ve been breaking that rule of female empowerment at the office. more
Daycare Kids & Myers-Briggs.
We put our 15-month old son in the nursery at church Sunday. When we picked him up the nursery workers were gushing about how sweet he was and how well he had done being with them for the first time. more
Green Guilt.
Going “green” is the social mandate of the times. Everywhere you look, there’s advice about how to reduce your carbon footprint, reuse items and save energy. All worthy pursuits.
How Does The Recession Factor In All This?
Despite the title of this column, my office doesn’t actually have a watercooler. (Much to my dismay, I might add.) Instead, we have three water fountains strategically situated around the office. Therefore, the watering hole is actually a Flavia single-serve coffee machine in the break room, which serves up more than 10 different kinds of coffee and tea combinations.
The Second Guess.
I got a letter in the mail this week from my OB/GYN. She’s been my doctor for 10 years and she delivered my two sons. As a matter of fact, we have both been having babies for the last five years. We were pregnant in 2006 (she had twins!) and had preschool age sons at home. more
Working Mom Face Time.
Am I investing enough in "social capital" at the office? I'm a social person by nature. From a very young age, I've enjoyed chatting, yukking it up, and dishing dirt with my fellow human beings. Especially with the folks at my office—an ad agency where smart, creative, and, most importantly, funny people seem to flock in droves.
Big Decisions.
How I decided to quit my job and what I’m going to do with my life
I’ve been out of the workforce and a stay-at-home mom for six weeks now and I’m still getting asked the inevitable question: Why did you decide to quit your job? more
Outstanding in my Field.
I'm outstanding. Really I am.
No, I've not had a sudden attack of narcissism, I'm the working mother among the parents at a small private school. more
Order From Chaos.
Most people make personal New Year’s resolutions: Eat better! Lose weight! Exercise daily! But at the start of the year I came up with some workplace resolutions. When I moved cubicles in early January, I vowed to keep my new space clutter-free, which means putting my shoes in a drawer rather than kicking them into a pile under my desk. more
The Calling.
Being a parent means not all of your workplace phone calls are business related.For some people, getting a call from your kids is an issue while you're at work, for others, it's not a big deal. more