I have three kids, all with final exams looming in May, and one that is taking his first PSAT and another that is taking the May SAT. Last year at this time, the house became a chaotic mess and I felt like I was working harder at getting them ready than they were. It caused me to fall behind at work and I spent June catching up. I want to help my children be successful, but I cannot go through that again; any advice for me? more

I have some questions regarding what is proper to ask my administrative assistant to do. For instance, last week I missed my niece’s birthday because of my workload. Is it okay to have my assistant track my personal to do list? I know some executives have their assistant’s do everything from washing their car to picking up dry cleaning. I have always felt funny about some of these personal tasks—I don’t want to take advantage... more

As a working mom, I struggle when it comes to going out on the weekend.
Both my husband and I have to leave the house on weekdays by 8am and
don’t come home until 5:30pm. We get some limited quality time as a
family in the morning, and a bit more between dinner and bedtime, but
it’s hard to justify cutting out on them on a weekend evening just to
get what equates to more grownup time. What’s more important, quality
time as a couple or as a family? more

I’m struggling to find an effective means of syncing my calendar with my husband’s and my child care providers. Yesterday, the day before I was supposed to leave for a two-day business trip in the Midwest, I realized my husband and my babysitter had absolutely no idea I was planning on being away! There are other instances where my husband has been in a similar situation, or our kids have scheduled events that we find out about at the last minute. I feel like I’ve tried every “interactive” calendar product on the market, and nothing is working. Help! Any ideas? more

I have a secret fantasy that I’m able to pull off home cooked meals five nights a week. But somehow, putting together a meal has proved as challenging as anything I have ever faced at work. The one night I do cook, I end up making the same basic meals time and again. I want dinner to be a family time, especially since all of our kids are in grade school and not as dependant as they used to be, but right now I spend the evening in the kitchen while my family waits patiently in other rooms. How can I make time-to-make-dinner time less overwhelming? more

I’m struggling a bit to teach my children to pack for themselves. I want them to learn how to be self-reliant, but I also want to make sure they have everything they need for the day. If I don’t triple check every detail, they’re likely to be fully prepared for snack time but missing important papers or sports equipment. What’s the right thing to do? more

Like all working moms, I have more to do than I can possibly get done in a day. One of my friends recently suggested I look into hiring a personal assistant to help me get more things done at home. Honestly, it sounds like a dream someone to pick up my dry cleaning and do the shopping or make sure birthday cards are ready to sign and send? more

Every year, the personal days I plan to use to do at least one thing for myself seem to slip away as a day here or there taking care of minor emergencies as they come along. For example, I used the last three to do things like take the kids to the dentist and my mother to the doctor. more

This weekend, while standing in checkout line at the supermarket, I couldn’t help but be reminded of my failure (so far) to stick to my healthy New Year’s resolution to get back in some semblance of shape. Even my favorite guilty pleasure, US WEEKLY, featured Trista of Bachelorette fame beaming from the cover with a perfect, size 2 beach body – complete with ripped abs – a mere 5 months after her baby’s birth. more

OK, I don't want to sound like a cliche here, but how the heck can I keep myself on track with my New Year's Resolutions? Every year, I say, "this is the year I'm going to stick to my goals." And every year they fall to the wayside sometime around mid-January. Any advice for some additional motivation? more