Happy New Year!
At least it is for moms

OK, so it’s not January 1st. But the beginning of the school year signals a fresh start for moms, back to the comfort of a familiar routine; it is our new year! An what better time to turn over a new leaf and refocus on your life and what you’re doing with it?

Maybe you’re already among the lucky few who are doing what they love each day. If not, finding a career demands that you know what your natural gifts are. What brings joy and meaning to one person will be very different for another. Find your passions first and then think about the skills you have or need to hone in order to pursue this passion.

Your inner work  
For some moms, realizing your passion will be a no-brainer. For others, it may take some work to uncover interests that have gathered dust. You’ll need to do your inner work before developing a career plan you’re passionate about. Ask yourself, what comes naturally to me, what do I get excited about? If it’s been a while since you’ve really thought about your own interests, here are some questions to get the ball rolling:

• What is your favorite section of the bookstore?
• Which section of the newspaper do you read first?
• What TV stations or shows do you flip to?
• What magazine subscriptions do you have?
• What activities do you get so completely involved in that you lose track of time?

While this exercise will help identify your interests, you’ll also need to think about your core values. When value-based feelings meet your interests, something magical happens. Ask yourself, "Who do I want to be?" rather than "What do I want to do?”

Pay attention to the outside
Go through each day for a week being extremely aware of your reactions. Pay attention to what makes you happy and to when you’re really enjoying yourself. Start to notice what topics of conversation excite you. What do you find yourself thinking about when you can’t sleep? What things do you do each day that aren’t considered “must do’s”? Who do you admire and why? Who has a job that you’d love to have?
    
After you’ve spent some time taking inventory of yourself, start to identify some trends. Which areas of interest emerge consistently? If you can start to identify some possible careers that will align with what you have discovered about yourself, you’re well on your way to finding the work you love.   


Solution of the Month

• While school is now in full swing, you may still be having a tough time getting the family out the door each morning. If you find yourself taking on the role of “clock watcher” or “task master,” shouting out warnings and barking orders to motivate the troops, here are a few smart tips that will take the pressure off you, so you can enjoy your mornings again:  

• Put an alarm clock in the kitchen.
Set the alarm to go off 10 minutes before you need to leave the house. When it does, hit the snooze. That is the warning bell and time to get shoes on, backpacks ready and review final reminders for the day. The next time the alarm sounds, it’s time to leave. Now your kids can roll their eyes at the alarm clock instead of you!

• Create a soundtrack for your morning.
Download songs on your iPod or burn a CD of music to suit the various stages of the morning…from waking, to breakfast, to getting dressed, brushing teeth, packing bags and out the door. Each song should signal a change in what your kids should be doing. Help them get their groove on and on and on … right out the door.


New School Year Routines
At the start of every school year, there's an excitement that fills the air – new classes, new teachers, new friends and new routines! Unfortunately, new schedules and routines can wreak havoc on a family if they’re not prepared.


• Several weeks before school starts, find a visible spot in your home for a calendar to write in appointments, activities, sports schedules, meetings, school projects and anything else that competes for your family's time. Assign each family member a color-coded marker for writing in his tasks and events. 

    
• Encourage independence. Buy your child a daily planner and remind him to use it to write in assignments, activities, social events – even chores. Follow up with him until the habit is established.
    
• Foster open communication by holding weekly family meetings to discuss upcoming events and activities. Have your child bring along his calendar.
    
• To make morning “rush hour" run smoothly, have assignments in backpacks, clothing selected, lunches prepared and sports bags ready. Create an outpost where keys, backpacks and other gear can be stored for a quick exit. 

    
• Eliminate morning bathroom delays by rotating shower times so some family members bathe at night and others do it in the morning. Establish a bathroom-use time limit of 20 minutes per person. 


• To make study time productive, provide your child with a quiet study space that is organized and stocked with school supplies. Stress the importance of balancing study time, recreational activities, and free play, and set limits on how many activities your child participates in.

• Recognize that it takes time to adjust to a new routine. Be patient and offer lots of encouragement until your child gets into the rhythm of another new school year.


Denise Yearian is a freelance writer.


You go green, girl!
Cheers to your drink box!

 ‘Tis the season … for packing lunches! Lunches filled with handy little snack-packs and juice boxes – the same ones that go on to fill dumpsters and landfills across America.     

Recognizing that this is an awful loss of resources, TerraCycle, Capri Sun and Honest Kids are working together on a fantastic solution. TerraCycle, an eco-innovator, converts the used drink pouches into unique fashion bags, tote bags, and cases for kids and adults. Check out the ultra-chic tote bag at Target.com.     
    
You can also take your eco-efforts a step further and sign up your company or your child’s school to play an active part in the Drink Pouch Brigade. TerraCycle will mail out four prepaid collection bags to your address. Once a collection bag is filled with at least 100 drink pouches, seal it and take the filled bag to a UPS drop off location near you.
    
Capri Sun and Honest Tea will donate two cents per each Capri Sun, Kool Aid and Honest Kids drink pouch, and one cent per other drink pouch you collect to the charity of your choice. There are no signup fees, whatsoever.
    
To join the juice-drink recycling brigade, check out terracycle.com.


Pimp My Mini-Van!  
We live in the age where we can customize just about anything – from our cell phone ring tones, screen savers, and iPod case, right down to our sneakers. So it’s not surprising that now you can put your personal style on the outside of your car.
    
Sticars™ are magnetic graphics for the exterior of your car. They come in fun, artful and hip designs inspired by fashion and home design trends. They’re a contemporary take on the ordinary. The magnets can be easily changed or rearranged and prices range from $8 to $24.
    
Go ahead. Express your inner artist on the open road … vanity plates are so yesterday!  sticars.com


Tattoos for Safety
We all know the feeling of sheer panic when we’re in a crowded mall or at the park and our child, who was just there a second ago, has wandered out of sight.
    
Here’s a new way to put the odds in your favor for a safe return: SafetyTat. Designed by a mother of three, SafetyTat is a fun and colorful temporary tattoo uniquely personalized with your cell number.
    
When applied to the arm of your child, SafetyTat provides an immediate, highly visible form of identification that stays in place, even when wet, and lasts for 1-5 days.
    
Perfect timing for school field trips, after-school activities and the upcoming holiday shopping season! safetytat.com
$19.95 for 30 tattoos

Maria Bailey is a contributing writer and author of the best-selling book, “Trillion-Dollar Moms.”