Tips on living a calmer life as a working parent sent to your inbox every weekend Meal Planning Got You Down? Dear Working Parents,Ah, meal planning. Say the word, and a parent who was previously in a good mood will likely give you a death stare. Gosh darn it, why do we have to keep feeding these kids (and ourselves) every day! If meal planning ever gets you down, this fun summer read by Jane Yamaykin, Mindful Return alum and also Mindful Return’s Director of Employer Experience, is for you....
6 days ago • 2 min read
Tips on living a calmer life as a working parent sent to your inbox every weekend Women CEOs + Products that Support Moms Dear Working Parents,My husband Jason, co-host with me of the Parents at Work Podcast, is a devoted reader of the Washington Business Journal. Every now and then, he rips a page out and puts it at my spot at breakfast table for me to peruse. One morning, I discovered an article entitled, "Alexandria baby brand Lansinoh appoints Julie Talbot as new global CEO.""Wow," I...
13 days ago • 2 min read
Tips on living a calmer life as a working parent sent to your inbox every weekend Slow Down, Summer!! Dear Working Parents, The July 4th holiday in the US always feels to me like the mid-point of summer...the downhill part of the roller coaster flying forward after that, until the start of school. I don't think I'm mathematically correct that it's a mid-point for my kids, given they don't head back to school until late August, but for those of you whose kids got out in mid-May, perhaps it is?...
20 days ago • 3 min read
Tips on living a calmer life as a working parent sent to your inbox every weekend Tolerating Mixed Feelings in Parenthood & Life Dear Working Parents,I have mixed feelings as I write this. I’m about to head out the door in a few hours to attend my 25th college reunion with my family. And when I ask myself how I’m feeling about going, the answer is: ALL the things! I’m excited and really happy to get to hug my roommate and some dear friends. I’m delighted to get to see all our kids together...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Tips on living a calmer life as a working parent sent to your inbox every weekend Work Travel + Parenthood = Many Feelings Dear Working Parents,If you've ever packed your bags and headed out of town for work after having kids, you know the rules of the game changed drastically from those trips you took before you became a parent. Now there's not only more logistics to juggle, but many more people's feelings about the travel (including our own). I'm approaching (gasp!) the fifteenth...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Tips on living a calmer life as a working parent sent to your inbox every weekend Do You Know a Mom Who's "More Than Blue"? Dear Working Parents,I've been in that dark place postpartum, feeling “more than blue” and undiagnosed with a perinatal mood disorder. In retrospect, it should have been easy for my medical providers to spot my incredibly tearful and anxious state. That is, if anyone had screened me for it. The Mindful Return program probably wouldn't exist if I hadn't fallen into a hole...
2 months ago • 3 min read
Tips on living a calmer life as a working parent sent to your inbox every weekend Summer Sanity for Working Parents Dear Working Parents,Ah, the thought of summer sanity! Long, calm evenings outdoors. Carefree days. Relaxing vacations. National Parks. Beaches. Unplugged time without a care in the world. Kids playing harmoniously with one another. Cue the orchestra… Well, no, not exactly. If you've lived through a summer with a kid (or kids) in tow, you know how complicated this season of the...
3 months ago • 5 min read
Tips on living a calmer life as a working parent sent to your inbox every weekend Pick a Community + Deepen Your Connection Dear Working Parents,If you're anything like me, you "belong" to a number of communities... maybe professional associations, book clubs, alumni networks, neighborhood or religious or political groups. But the word "belong" doesn't tell me anything about how much interaction you actually have with that community or organization. There are some groups I'm all in on and...
3 months ago • 6 min read