Tabla de contenidos para August/September 2017 en Working Mother

Style Star Have a flair for fashion or just looking to earn some extra cash? A side business selling statement jewelry and accessories might be worth your time. Here’s why this mom swears by it. KASEY MURPHY Dental hygienist and Stella & Dot associate director, St. Louis, MO, mom of Kellan, 6, and Kendall, 3 A few of my favorite things … I started my Stella & Dot side business four years ago when I was 12 weeks pregnant with my second child, Kendall. My goal was to fully fund a three-month-long maternity leave while still being near my then-3-yearold son, Kellan. Since I couldn’t attend my neighbor’s Stella & Dot trunk show (a pop-up boutique), I looked through a catalog instead. I saw how adorable the accessories were and…

Meals for Munchkins Food-subscription boxes have already simplified meal prep for grown-ups. Now, new companies are serving up similar options for tots. We asked working moms across the country to tell us if the services really deliver. Nurture Life nurturelife.com Serves: Ships to 22,000 cities, including Atlanta, Chicago and Dallas. Ages: 6-montholds to teens. Cost: Plans for babies range from $45 to $89 for eight or 14 meals a week, while plans for toddlers and up range from $47 to $119 for five or 10 meals a week ($5.63 to $12.40 per meal). Shipping is an additional $6 to $12 per week. About: Nurture Life’s pediatric dietitian and team of chefs create balanced pre-made meals, without preservatives, refined sugars or the most common allergens. They offer three stages of purees…

Pot fans have had a triumphant year, with more than a dozen states looking to legalize weed in 2017—in addition to the 29, plus the District of Columbia, where it’s already legal. But when you hear about the devastating impact that drug abuse has on families in our country, it can be difficult to make sense of the increasing use of marijuana, even medicinal strains. I previously had a black-and-white view on all federally illegal drugs: They’re habit-forming and ultimately lead to no good. Then I became a life coach for people undergoing chemotherapy for a variety of cancers. Recently I have come upon a community of people who use medicinal marijuana to ease pain from the terrible side effects of their treatment. I’m now re-evaluating my feelings on marijuana…

QI’m considering letting my increasingly independent daughter stay home alone after school while I’m still at work. How can I tell if she’s ready? How can I prepare her? If you’re relying on a sitter or after-school programs to bridge the gap between school and work, handing over the house keys to your growing child can be a relief. But if you take this step too early, it can be a burden. One sign to hold off? “If a child runs to you with the smallest of problems,” says Tim Elmore, Ph.D., author of Artificial Maturity: Helping Kids Meet the Challenge of Becoming Authentic Adults. “That may signal they’re not yet thinking for themselves.” And the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suggests asking yourself if your child consistently…

Q:I’ve just returned from maternity leave, and I got a job offer from another company. I’m worried my bosses and co-workers who covered for me will feel used if I accept. What should I do? You aren’t the first mom to be in this position, so you can ditch that guilt for considering leaving. To decide, Nancy Mellard, executive vice president and general counsel for CBIZ Employee Services and the national leader of CBIZ Women’s Advantage, a women’s career-development initiative, says to ask yourself whether your current job is still challenging and whether you can advance in the company. If not, then it’s time to go. Mellard says the fact that you’ve just returned from maternity leave shouldn’t deter you from accepting a new position. “As harsh as this sounds,…

Ask Chanda Macias’ 7-yearold son what she does for a living, and he’ll tell you Mommy’s a doctor. It’s not far from reality. The mom of four owns the National Holistic Healing Center and Marijuana Dispensary in Washington, DC, where possessing and growing small amounts of marijuana is legal. Roughly 1,500 patients depend on Chanda’s cannabis to relieve symptoms of everything from HIV to cancer to mood disorders. “I tell him I dispense medicine,” she says. “It’s the best analogy I can communicate to him.” Chanda became interested in marijuana while studying for her doctorate in biology in 2001—she traveled to Ethiopia, learning about natural remedies in areas with limited access to modern medicine. Then, after working as a research scientist for Colgate-Palmolive and as the director of the STEM…

Lawyers famously (or infamously) work long, hard hours—particularly as associates, when they’re proving their value to firms and hoping to make partner. Flexible hours and work-fromhome and part-time programs offer some relief, but only when taking advantage of them doesn’t signal that a lawyer isn’t serious about her work. The 2017 Best Law Firms list marks the tenth time we’ve celebrated firms that focus on retaining and promoting women; this year’s honorees encourage attorneys of every rank and both genders to work flexibly. How? Deborah Campbell, content and communications manager at Holland & Hart in Denver, says it starts with treating them “like adults. No one wants to micromanage anyone’s hours. We assume everyone is a hardworking professional, meeting client needs.” Some firms, though, are pro-flex only on paper. “Well…

“I Can’t Unplug from Work, and It’s Affecting My Colleague’s Job” CEO/Mom Lorrie oversees two companies and considers employee Katherine to be a part of her family. Colleagues for four years, they get along, but when Lorrie emails Katherine while distracted and off-duty, it leads to many misunderstandings. Can Lorrie stop wanting to always be available? Can Katherine understand how difficult it is for her manager to set boundaries when the company is her heart and soul? Lorrie’s Side “I run Web Marketing Therapy Inc., an agency that does website design, social-media management, content marketing and blogging,” says Lorrie Thomas Ross, an Atlanta-based wife, and mother to daughter Edyn, 5. “My other company is Wild Web Women. We coach women with Web businesses, offering a community where they can connect…

Making the Grade? In today’s divisive political atmosphere, it’s unusual for lawmakers from across the aisle to work together to create bipartisan legislation—which is why Republican Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Democratic Senator Patty Murray of Washington are remarkable. As chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the Senate education committee, the two managed in 2015 to dismantle the controversial No Child Left Behind Act—a feat President Obama dubbed a “Christmas miracle.” Its replacement: the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which, says Murray, “reduces high-stakes testing and gives states more flexibility, with strong federal guardrails to ensure students don’t fall through the cracks.” Perhaps their partnership is so successful because education hits close to home for both of them. Alexander’s mother was a kindergarten teacher, and he served as Secretary…

FOR: GLAMPING FIRELIGHT CAMPS Ithaca, NY The Deal: The Premium Girls Glamping Package gets you and three friends a two-night weekend stay on the grounds of La Tourelle hotel and spa, starting at $469 per person. You get continental breakfast at the camps, seats on Experience! The Finger Lakes full-day wine tour, and $20 toward wine. You’ll also get a drink at wine hour at the camp, a $50 gift certificate toward a group dinner at a restaurant in town and a $100-per-person spa credit at August Moon Spa on property. Why We Love It: Sleep outdoors, without sacrificing comfort, in safari tents on big beds with high-quality sheets. Wake up to birds chirping before you head to the outdoor lobby for breakfast. Need to freshen up? It’s a two-minute…