I started volunteering at MANNA, a Philadelphia-based meal preparation and delivery service for people with life-threatening illness, over the holidays. For each three-hour shift, I chopped vegetables, sliced bagels, and stirred cake batters—a pretty fun and relaxing form of “work,” in my opinion at least.

I could probably write a couple of pages on what I love about this non-profit organization, but my favorite thing about MANNA is that they understand the true nourishing power of real food. With the goal being to provide their immunocompromised clients with as much nutrition as possible, MANNA prepares all of their meals from scratch for food that is healthy as well as delicious.

While the holidays are a popular time to volunteer, just as much help is needed after they’ve passed. So the next time you and your family are cooped in the house with some free time this winter, consider donating some of time to a local organization. Your hard work will be appreciated!

Marygrace Stergakos, KIWI intern and avid volunteer

The power to create the life you want resides within you. If you seek change you must put forth actions that reflect the results you hope to obtain, not the patterns of behavior that breed the same old, same old.

Many Kiwi Moms already know that the only thing you really have any control over is your own thoughts and actions. We can’t force others to respond as we would like them to, but we can create very different results simply by implementing new actions or behaviors to achieve the change we are seeking.

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Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve undoubtedly felt the effects of the economic slowdown in recent months. Gas, groceries, meals out–even movie theater popcorn–cost more than ever lately. Despite the gloom, there’s a silver lining: growing support for telework (a.k.a. telecommuting) and other flexible work arrangements.

Telework is a “green” win-win for employers and employees. Work options that allow employees to work from home make for happier, less stressed, and more productive employees (think, improved work/life balance, less time commuting, fewer work-related distractions, and more time for family). Studies suggest that telework is a good thing for employers’ bottom line. Like employees, employers can save money through telework options, including the costs of overhead and lost productivity. Importantly, telework is a huge plus for the environment (e.g., cleaner air) and goes a long way toward resource conservation (e.g., fossil fuels).

But assuming you actually have a job that can be done from home and your employer doesn’t already have an established protocol for telework arrangements, how do you convince your employer to go “green”? Here are five strategies to help you land that “green” work arrangement:

1. Jump on the green momentum. Green is hot right now and it’s a color your boss has probably heard something about or understands. This means that whether you’re asking to telecommute one day a week or twice a month, there’s probably never before been a better time to ask for a telework arrangement. Plus, it probably doesn’t hurt your case that “everyone is doing it”, right?

2. Come up with a plan. Before you approach your employer for a telework arrangement, think about why you want the arrangement, what schedule you want (e.g., will your schedule be fixed?, will you work beyond 9-5 hours), and how you plan to get your job done logistically (e.g., what technology or equipment do you need, and what about the kids, will they be home with you or will you have childcare in place).

3. Appeal to your employers’ interest. Let your employer know what she gains by letting you work from home. As cool as it may be to wear your pajamas and bunny slippers to work, be prepared to explain, if necessary, the benefits the arrangement confers to your employer in terms she understands (think, dollars, productivity, and availability).

4. Offer a trial run. When dealing with a reluctant employer or one unfamiliar with telework, suggest a “trial period”. Use this period to show your employer that you can get it done–and well, too. If you know your employer has particular concerns about the arrangement, use this time to address those concerns.

5. Write it down. If your employer doesn’t already have a policy for handling telework requests and/or prepared documentation, create your own paper trail. You’ll want to make sure you’ve memorialized the terms that you and your employer have reached, just in case….

–Julie Tower-Pierce, J.D./M.S.E.L is a lawyer, mom of three, and author of Staying at Home, Staying in the Law: A Guide to Remaining
Active in the Legal Profession While Pursuing Your Dreams (American Bar Association, 2008).

In a very busy mommy world, it is easy to feel less than perfect, lost, or just “out of balance”. In particular for women, who do so much for those we love, work with, or feel obligated to, that we often forget to replenish our “wells.” Without sufficient replenishing we soon deplete ourselves of the essential elements that we need to function as “happy campers” and our “nasty evil twin” begins to rear its ugly head! Depleting ourselves can happen so unconsciously that one may not even recognize the signs until it has stripped away the vibrant person who we used to be and left behind a tired, dissatisfied, numb or angry version of our old self.

For those of you who need to add just a drop more fun and time for self-care or for those of you who need to be pulled, pushed and dragged out of the quicksand that your busy life has created, KIWI’s new Seeking Balance blogs are here for you!

Much wisdom can be gained by sharing your own challenges and success in the journey to live life fully with passion and balance, while maintaining an awareness on raising our families with an eye towards a cleaner environment and a healthy, natural lifestyle. Actively making time to feed your spirt is paramount!

The following starter kit of ideas can be considered little mini life jackets to use as you seek to obtain the balance that brings inner peace, glow and spark back into your life.

Give up perfection.

Find time to exercise.

Replace negative “self talk” with positive affirmations.

Stop apologizing for your feelings.

Do something fun that you used to enjoy.

Make a date with yourself to hear yourself think.

Don’t sacrifice your dreams.

-June Grushka-Rosen M.Ed. is a mommy of two, psychotherapist, and the owner of ExtraordinarYou, a life coaching and educational services business. To contact: June@URextraordinary.com