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All Hail Michelle!
Michelle Obama, that is. I could not have imagined a better First Lady for the times we are in. She has it all and she's in control of her time and energy. She models balance. She epitomizes power and achievement and tender maternal care all in one. An article in the Chicago Tribune (Chicago, IL) on Feb 26, 2009 states:
"She's going to put the right emphasis on job and accomplishment, plus raising children," Baldridge said. "That's where she can inspire women of today, who are frantically trying to work their way up in the world and be compensated properly. Michelle is always going back to her kids ... She will help women realize that a woman can juggle the two, that she can find that division between family and job, and experience joy in both places." I couldn't agree more and in tribute to Michelle on this prelude to Women's History Month, I'd like to share my top 20 reasons I admire Michelle: 1) She's a working mom 2) She does not hesitate to ask for and accept help 3) She 'stands by her man' 4) She makes her daughters priority 5) She holds her husband accountable for being a good father 6) She's a classy mom 7) She's an African-American woman women of all races respect 8) She genuinely loves people 9) She carves her own path - doesn't feel obligated to 'fit the mold' 10) She shares her perspective honestly 11) She teaches her daughters to be responsible 12) She values community 13) She dresses very well (couldn't leave that one out) 14) She's in great shape 15) She is the picture of work-life balance for high-achieving women 16) She can relate to the common person 17) She can relate to the elite 18) She is a leader 19) She is a great speaker 20) She is committed to bringing all she has to the table, but unwilling to compromise her family's well-being I could go on, as I'm sure you could. So, please do... What do you admire about Michelle Obama?
Fall in Love With Your Kitchen!
I admit to stealing this idea from Oprah, but I love it when someone suggests great products or tried and true ways to save time and money. Here is a list of items or ideas that have proven their worth to me over the years.
Kitchen tools I can’t live without:
1.A few good knives and a sharpener are at the top of my list. You don’t need to spend tons of money or have a bunch of different sizes taking up all your space. An 8” chef’s knife, a boning knife, a serrated bread knife and several sharp paring knives are a great start. If you cook a lot you may consider a good quality cleaver. Using a wall mounted magnetic knife rack clears counter and drawer space.
2. A large wooden cutting board. Forget the fancy plastic and Lucite boards, they dull your knives and make a horrible scraping sound when you cut on them. A wooden board will last forever, is easy to clean and sanitize and just may need a little mineral oil rubbed in once in awhile if it starts to dry out. I’ve had mine for about 15 years, and have never had to oil it.
3. I suggest using whisks, spatulas, and spoons made of a material that is heat resistant to avoid scratching your pots and pans, especially if they are coated. Oxo, Chef’n, and Le Creuset are some good brands.
4. I could go on forever rhapsodizing about different cookware, but that can be very overwhelming for a beginner. Just try to have a decent set that is not too light in weight or scratched up. Checking the internet for consumer ratings is a good idea to avoid poor choices. I do not like coated (like Teflon) pans, I prefer non coated.
5. A selection of Pyrex casserole dishes, pie plate and mixing bowls. Can’t go wrong with Pyrex, I love it and it is very inexpensive. Some of mine are from my mom, over 30 years old.
6. Cookie sheets, muffin pans, cooling racks and cake pans. Cuisinart and Analon are good brands.
7. I am going to throw this idea out there and you can make your own decision based on how much you bake. A counter top Kitchen Aid mixer is invaluable if you bake often. I don’t even use a hand held one anymore, I use my counter top mixer for everything. Cakes, dense cookie mixes, mashed potatoes, frostings..the list is endless. I do use an immersion blender quite a bit, but that certainly is not necessary right away. If you don’t do a lot of “thick”mixing, then a good quality hand held mixer is adequate. Kitchen Aid or Cuisinart are my favorites.
That’s a start, maybe next time I’ll tackle suggestion some good kitchen appliances!
Hiring a Personal Attache for a few hours can help you immensely. We can do the research for you, find the best prices and bring the items to your home. We can organize your kitchen and weed out the clutter. You will be amazed how much more you will love your kitchen.
Peggy Sparks Personal Attache
Don't Sweat it! Plan it!
Some days, it just feels like too much, doesn't it? Besides your regular job, all those little projects around the house just keep creeping up on you from behind. Before you know it, you've got a honey-do list with over 20 items on it. How can you possibly get caught up, especially under a tight budget? Take a deep breath. You don't have to do everything at once, and you don't have to break the bank hiring professionals to do the job for you! Does the baby's room need a new paint job? Do your gutters need to be cleaned out before Spring arrives? My advice to you is to start small, picking one or two projects to start with.Then, gather up the rest of the family or a few good friends and make a play date out of it! I had a friend once whose kitchen caught on fire. Instead of hiring a professional to clean up the smoke damage, she threw a "painting party." I thought this was a genius idea. Each person brought one paintbrush or scrub brush and together they finished the job in just under two hours! Plus, it only cost her one bucket of paint and a Saturday afternoon! A few "project party" ideas: * Painting Party - Does your daughter want to paint her bedroom hot pink? Invite her friends over to help her do it so you don't have to! Ask your best friend to help you repaint the dining room, offer to make her dinner after the project is complete. Then, suggest doing the same for her dining room. * Outdoor Extravaganzas - Gather up your friends to help you mow, weed, clear gutters, pressure wash the outside of the house, then be sure to offer to help them do theirs! Or, ask the local neighborhood kids if they want to earn a few bucks, it's much cheaper than hiring a gardener, and it encourages them to work for their money. * Fashion Show - Do you need to purge your children's closets to make way for the bigger sizes? Have a Fashion Show! Invite your children's friends over to play along. Ask your son or daughter to try on their outfits, modeling them down the hallway. Determine if the clothing is "keep" or "donate". This way, your children are involved in their clothing decisions and feel a sense of ownership.And, you get to clean that closet out! * Wash 'n Dry - Need that car washed? Don't go to a car wash company, ask your family to help you out! Tag team this project: On small pieces of paper, write down a different area of the vehicle, mix them all together and ask each family member to draw one. For example: "Inside Back Seat", "Outside Side Doors", etc. Then, have a race to see who can finish their section first. This encourages bonding with your family and teaches your children responsibility. * Neighborhood Meeting - Gather your neighbors together for an afternoon bar-be-que. Ask each of them, either individually or together, what they enjoy doing. Does the woman that lives across the street enjoy gardening? Ask her to plant a flower box for you, and in return do a small project for her that you enjoy doing. Do you have a friend that enjoys sewing? Offer to scrapbook her latest vacation in return for a few hemming projects. Around the house projects don't have to be an expensive nuisance. Consider the importance of community, friendship, and bartering! That honey-do list will dwindle down in no time, which I'm sure will make your husband very happy. :) Brandi Lee Personal Attache Helping Professional Women Achieve Work Life Balance
Stop multitasking! Be present. 100%.
Is it really a badge of honor to have so many balls in the air at once?
TV, cellphone, internet, desk/home phone...Email, Instant Messages, Text Messages...Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, MySpace...Economic crisis, foreclosure, layoffs...Parents aging, children growing up, work to do, home to manage, rest to get...
With all these things going on, it's EASY to see why so many find themselves multitasking. But is multitasking really a good thing?
Top 5 Reasons to STOP multitasking:
1) It slows you down
2) You don't do your best
3) You miss important information
4) You hurt your relationships
5) You feel busy but unproductive
Focusing on one thing at a time will allow you to commit, mentally and physically, to that one thing. So, your spouse gets 100% of you. Your children get 100% of you. Your employer gets 100% of you. Your personal time is 100% yours.
This is critical for work-life balance, especially in an era where technology allows us to participate in a seemingly unlimited number of tasks at once.
Resist the temptation to mutlitask. Practice FOCUS - even if for one day. Comment below and tell us how it worked for you!
Alicia Anderson
Recovering Mutlitasker
Founder and CEO
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