Working Mother

Lots of moms like to think out loud and CaliChic is one of them. In her latest post to Work It Momma she looks for a vacation from her Winter holiday.

Not sure about everyone else, but I am still recovering from the holidays. Unlike my 20s though, it wasn’t the travel or the booze that beat me up. This year it was the obligations, the traditions, the dinners . . . all of which ended up feeling like a full time job! When I returned to the office on Monday, January 3rd, I was actually relieved for a little break from the chaos.

The family traditions that grew in my husband’s family over the last 20 years are beautiful. But they are not the traditions of a family with small children. They are the traditions of adults -- late dinners, wine, presents late on Christmas Eve, and big roaring fires. Through the eyes of the mother of a toddler they became events certain to stretch the limits of both my daughter and myself.

This year I spent the holidays running interference on fire places with no safety screens, stair cases with no gates, piping hot ovens, hors d’oeuvre plates with all manner of choking hazards magnificently arranged, and glass ornaments hanging at exactly two feet from the ground. All of us were sleep deprived . . . sometimes because the events started approximately an hour after my daughter’s bed time, and sometimes because it simply did not cross aunty’s mind that turning on the lights in the spare bedroom and flushing the guest bathroom toilet would wake the baby. By the end of the holiday season, I declared that I was starting a new round of family traditions that were kid friendly and the rest of the family could come see the baby on the baby’s terms next year. Meanwhile, my husband declared me the Grinch who was trying to steal his family’s Christmas traditions.

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Lots of moms like to think out loud! CaliChic is one of them. In her latest post on her OnSugar blog Work it Momma, she continues her postpartum makeup bag reinvention with a face cream.

Every so often one discovers a miracle in a bottle or a jar. In this case, I found mine in a tube that fits in any travel bag.  Between the hormones and the fatigue, my skin visibly changed post-baby and I really struggled with keeping my face clear and fresh. After trying several exfoliating treatments on the market, I stumbled upon Kate Somerville's ExfoliKate. This treatment works. It really works. And the best thing about it is that you can apply it in the shower. Perfect for the time-crunched working mom! I use it 2-3 times per week in between my shampoo and my conditioner, and my skin has never glowed like it does now. My face is as soft as Olivia's when I emerge from my Kate showers. It's been four months for my face since Kate Somerville first entered my life and I can truly say that now that I've found her, I just can't imagine life without her. Thanks Kate!

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Lots of mamas like to think (and rhyme) out loud, and CaliChic is one of them. Mourning the Four Letter Word comes from her OnSugar blog, Work it Momma.

The first child surely finds a way
Tto change the way we live our days.
Mostly for good
Though if I could,
Some things would never go away.
In the life of the working mom,
Nothing quite supplants the f-bomb.
It’s used to profess
Our level of stress
So we can go home cool and calm.
Now I mourn the four-letter word
and the fist, and the honk, and the bird.
I never knew
I would bid them adieu
‘Til the day something shameful occurred.
On the day our baby could walk,
it turned out he also could talk!
A parrot on cue,
he chirped one F – U
And left mommy and daddy in shock.
My message to parents out there,
someday you will learn not to swear.
Even habits this deep
you’ll replace with a beep
the day you have your little scare!

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I think having two TV gigs definitely qualifies actress Alison Sweeney as a working mother. Besides her longstanding gig on the soap opera Days of Our Lives, she's also the host of The Biggest Loser. Alison recently sat down with Working Mother magazine to discuss balancing home and a demanding career, her lifelong struggle with weight, and the controversy surrounding The Biggest Loser. Here are the highlights:

• On going from struggling with her weight to getting fit and healthy: "From the time I was 12 I was overweight, and as a teen I definitely struggled with my weight. I tried very extreme diets, like the papaya diet. It was about me feeling insecure and lacking confidence. Overcoming that was a long process. It involved changing my mindset from wanting to be skinny to wanting to be healthy — and that allowed me to reach my goal."
• On staying in shape: I eat healthy meals — my husband is a great griller. I schedule going to the gym into my days. I do a lot of cardio, especially spin classes. I also run, hike and do circuit training and yoga. I typically work out four or five days a week. Of course, sometimes it’s three days, sometimes it's seven days. In my new book, The Mommy Diet [available in October], I encourage moms to take care of themselves."

To find out what Alison has to say about the rapid weight loss of Biggest Loser contestants, and what's in store for the finale, read more