My iRelaunch co-founder and I recently heard from two acquaintances who landed jobs using some of our favorite strategies. Although their stories are unique, their strategies can be used by almost anyone. Here are their stories and strategies:

Erica's story (Erica is a 15-year Wall Street veteran who had taken a long career break):

"After 9 years out of the corporate world raising my family, I interviewed intensely for months with several financial services firms, only to have each job filled by an internal person who was about to lose his/her job. So I decided to switch angles. I volunteered for Resources for Children with Special Needs as a Parent Educator (I have a special needs child myself, and they had been extremely helpful to me in the past), and after the agency received additional funding they offered me the choice of a full-time or part-time job as a Parent Educator. I opted for a part-time position, since my youngest still requires homework attention and transportation to after-school activities, and the agency was willing to accommodate me. At Resources, I work with parents and conduct workshops. Recently, I've been busy giving presentations about the agency at Department of Education fairs and conferences. I never thought I would end up in this field. However, I find it extremely rewarding and love the flexibility."

Strategy: Volunteer for an organization you like. When a paid position opens up, you'll be well-positioned to get hired.

Martine's story (Martine worked in the financial services industry for almost 10 years prior to becoming a career counselor and career coach five years ago)

"After running my own career counseling and coaching business, I have accepted a position with a university career office focusing on MBA students as a career consultant and program director. I'll work four days a week during the fall and winter recruiting seasons and 2-3 days a week during late spring, summer and holidays. It's pretty flexible and fits my needs at this time. I got the job by simply emailing the director my resume. I wasn't responding to an ad or posting. I just researched them and thought I would be a good match. It turns out, they were actually expanding the office without advertising, called me a week later for a phone interview, invited me in for a face-to-face, and then offered me a job right then and there. It was a unique situation, but I'm certainly glad I took the initiative to contact them."

Strategy: Research organizations you're interested in. Pinpoint the department where you think you're a fit, and email the department head a brief cover letter, along with your resume. This strategy works more often than you might think, but is best suited to targeting smaller companies, nonprofits and educational institutions.

Note: The names and university mentioned have been changed for privacy reasons.

Originally posted on Yahoo Shine.

Carol Fishman Cohen and Vivian Steir Rabin are the co-authors of the acclaimed career reentry book Back on the Career Track: A Guide for Stay-at-Home Moms Who Want to Return to Work, and the co-founders of iRelaunch, a company that produced career reentry programming, events, and content for employers, universities, organizations and individuals. Download our webinar on LinkedIn. If you're on career break in the Tri-State area, register for our Career Relaunch Forum October 29, 2009 at Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ. Carol and Vivian can be reached at info@iRelaunch.com.

Often, reporters come to us interested in talking with our wonderful candidates. ForbesWoman has the following request... Please contact them directly if you would like to be involved in the story. ********************************

In the course of reporting an article for ForbesWoman, a Forbes spin- off, about women and alcohol, I'm looking for women's experiences with work-related drinking. Have you ever felt compelled to order a drink because others had? Have you felt pressure to keep up with the guys in order to be accepted? Or do you abstain -- or watch what you drink closely -- in order to avoid getting yourself in a potentially embarrassing situation?

Please contact me, Bonnie Rochman, directly at dovbon@earthlink.net or 919-280-4392.

"But who would want to hire me? I'm not worth anything, am I? Really?"

This is a question I hear over and over from women who have chosen to stay at home to raise their families. They've made big contributions to our society, often unrecognized and unpaid, and are now ready to become significant contributors in our workforce.

Here are 5 specific reasons why returning Moms make the best employees:

1. Professionalism: She will not distract your clients from the business at hand by showing her cleavage, tattoos, body piercings, flip flops, by flipping her hair, or saying "UM" or "LIKE..."

2. Schedule Coordination: You will never meet a professional better equipped to manage multiple schedules than a Mom. Conflicting sports and activities, travel schedules along with the huge amounts of paperwork associated with each, make them pros at this. As a matter of fact, they are so adept at this that they know how to face complete chaos in a calm and professional manner.

3. Organizational Ability: None of the above happens without keen planning. Uniforms must be washed; bags must be packed- water bottles, completed homework, snacks and sunscreen, permission slips and bathing, including checking/ clipping 20 finger/toenails per person must happen in advance. If one detail is missed, the entire schedule can fall apart and they will be called on the carpet- either by a disappointed child (much more painful than a disapproving boss), or by a school and/or coach (too embarrassing to mention). The level of accountability far surpasses any business environment I have ever worked in, which includes Fortune 100 companies.

4. Loyalty: If any one demographic knows and understands the importance of loyalty and "giving back", this is it. These women know how to appreciate a job and flexibility. As an employer, if you can offer what this employee needs, you will get it back four-fold. They will treat your business as though it is theirs. And they will tell all their friends about you- so you see? Free marketing built right in!

5. People Management: Anyone who has ever managed people knows that one of the most difficult groups to manage has to be volunteers. The variety of personalities and agendas among people who are not being paid and are emotionally involved could drive a person nuts. The volunteer leader's intuitive ability to "see all sides" and maintain harmony within a group like this is definitely worthy of international acclaim. And, they know how to manage their own demographic, in addition to understanding how the minds of the Millennials and Gen Y-s tick!

Here's some more good news: There are companies out there looking for our demographic. They are not opposed to flexibility, and they do recognize our value. So when you're out there, be sure to find the right "fit"- a company or organization that understands and appreciates your value, and respects your experience. That's where you'll be the happiest, and you deserve that!

Linda Waters is a wife, mother, career coach, and the founder of Back to Business LLC. Located in Franklin, Massachusetts, Back to Business provides a full range of services for women returning to the workforce or seeking a better professional "fit" and more fulfilling career. By providing powerful self-assessments, career exploration and coaching, resume and interview preparation, and professional image development, Back to Business helps women reach their goals with clarity and confidence.

For more information, check out www.backtobusiness.org or call 508-520-4100.

© Copyright 2009 Back to Business LLC, All rights reserved

To all Mothers, Moms, Mama's, Ma's, Me-maw's and any other titles given to you as the caregivers, and nurturer's in life. It's Your Day! Let's begin by saying hands down that motherhood alone is by far the most difficult and demanding job in the world. We often think that being the president of the United States may come close. But mothers even have the president beat. I mean after all, he has a cabinet of people around him that will take the fall for him if necessary. He has veto power, 24-hour security, maids, cooks, advisors, speechwriters, informants, a mansion, and he doesn't even have to walk his own dog if he doesn't want to. He not only has one driver, but there are several cars in the motorcade, just in case his driver were to get weary.

On the other hand, we have to begin by sharing our body with another human being, who can never appreciate that until they have to share their body. So forget telling your pregnancy stories to your kids. They can't possibly comprehend it. We are completely responsible for their life, food, clothing, and shelter. We have to cook, clean, wash, iron, shop, groom, clean up poop, wash walls, sign permission slips, coordinate schedules, taxi every child to every event, and oh did I mention wash. The tips below are to help you achieve emotional wellness and balance.

1. Organize Your Day
There is something to be said for organization. Things that are organized can flow more naturally and save a tremendous amount of time. Know what things that you have scheduled at work and home so that you won't find yourself being overwhelmed by time eaters.

2. Lose the Guilt
This emotion alone can weigh you down. It is like an invisible weight that tugs at your heart. Some working mothers feel guilty leaving their children because they have to work, while others feel guilty leaving their kids because they want to work. In either case, you wrestle with the fact that you may miss your babies first steps or you miss the school play because of a late night meeting, and heaven forbid you miss tip off at the basketball game. Understand that guilt comes along with being a mother. We can't be everywhere, do it all, and control all situations.

3. Plan Quality Family Time.
Quality family time has become a lost art. We think about family time when we plan our family vacations. That is the epitome of family time. Okay, but the vacation usually only last for a week or two. What happens with the other 50 weeks of the year? If you don't plan it, it won't just happen. Here two suggestions to get you started. 1) Plan at least 2-3 days a week where you can sit down and enjoy dinner together. That may mean the weekends but I recommend time during the week. It's a great time to keep in touch with your kids. 2) Schedule at least one day a month for family game night.

4. Set up Chores for the Family
In my last book, If I Have to Tell You One More Time, 6 Keys to Motivating Your Kids, I discuss how get kids to love to do their chores. Assigning chores and teaching your children how to clean up will not only save you money and time from having to hire someone or doing it yourself, but it also teaches them how to be responsible and prepares them for the future.

5. Don't Try to Be "Super Mom"
It's official; I give you permission to take your cape off. Somewhere in the early 80's after the commercial, I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan and never, never, never let you forget you're a man, cause I'm a woman broke onto the scene, gave us this indelible notion that we can "do it all." Well, I am here to say, we can't. There are only so many hours in the day and we only so much energy to accomplish before we run out of steam. We are not like the super heroes who have been given extraordinary powers to conquer the world. So stop comparing yourself to other mom's who you may think have it all together. Just focus on what you can do and let the rest go.

Copyright- Dr. Lawana S. Gladney 2009
Excerpts from 50 Tips to Emotional Wellness For Working Mothers
For more information or to purchase a copy of You Can't Be Sick... I Have to Work – 50 Tips to Emotional Wellness for Working Mothers go to www.emotionalwellnessinc.com.

Here I sit – my one-month old sleeping peacefully beside me, my three-year-old napping in the next room - as a giant pile of laundry waits to be folded. Rather than tackle the apparel threatening to overtake my bed, I flip open my laptop and catch up on blogging.

I vowed at the beginning of my maternity leave that I wouldn't let my creative juices run dry just because I wasn't at the office. If anything, I decided to use this time to branch out into new areas of creativity, making connections with new publications, blogs and websites, and hopefully jazzing up my resume in the process.

Don't get me wrong – between two kids, I am finding it a bit more difficult than I anticipated to devote time each day to writing projects. So I pride myself on even just 15 minutes spent writing or connecting with new people about writing.

In the time I've enjoyed at home, I've come across a number of websites that I highly recommend. They keep me entertained; connected to people in my profession; and abreast of the latest events in my area, as well as the world. Here they are in no particular order:

Mamasource
This site, affiliated with Mamapedia.com, is a great go-to space for any question you can think of regarding just about anything you can think of. Simply create an account, post a query based on your zip code, and watch the responses/recommendations flood in. Most queries are parenting-related, but I have also found my lawn service via Mamasource, as well as gotten advice on a number of pregnancy-related topics.

Mamasource.com is currently looking for bloggers to be featured on Mamapedia.com, on Twitter, and via its daily e-newsletter – a great way to get some blogging under your belt and help other moms in the process. Follow @mamasource on Twitter for more info, or contact Mary McBride at blog@corp.mamasource.com for more information.

Twitter
And speaking of Twitter, it is now my (@SmyrnaGirl) favorite social networking website, hands down. My time is limited, so 140 characters worth of communication is just right for my attention span. There are definitely some things to know about how to use the site, but you can easily pick them up once you start following people, and gain followers yourself. Connections begin to snowball once you start sending out updates. A few of my favorite people to follow, in terms of staying connected to like-minded professionals, are @StephanieALlyod, @RachelWriter, @swfrost, and @Keppie_Careers. This is based on the fact that they tweet useful information often.

It was through Twitter that I found out about my very first tweetup – the Atlanta Chicks Tweetup, a networking event hosted by the first three ladies mentioned above, taking place July 16th in Buckhead. Visit http://anyvite.com/0kum8ug60l for more info.

There are also some great people/organizations to follow that will help keep you informed of family friendly activities in the metro area, such as @AtlantaParent, @centennial_park, @downtown_atl, @PopRadar, and @ATLINtownPaper.

Of course there are also LinkedIn, Facebook and MySpace – though some techies are quick to relegate it to the same bin that contains NetScape and AOL. All three are great tools for keeping in touch with professional and personal acquaintances.

You might find yourself becoming addicted to any of these sites if the only person you've got to talk to all day is your newborn!

Contributed by Jenn Dennard, http://jenniferdennard.blogspot.com and http://www.twitter.com/SmyrnaGirl.

Personal finances used to be a very private matter - something we rarely discussed in detail with anyone but our spouses and financial advisors. Today, however, personal finance is on everyone's minds – especially those of moms. With the country deep in recession and unemployment at record levels, moms are no longer thinking about long-term financial goals. Our minds are now on how do we feed a family of 4 on an ever-tighter budget? How do we tell our friends that going out to eat just isn't an option this week? And how do we tell our kids that we've had to cancel the trip to Monkey Joe's just to make sure we can fill our gas tanks this week?

So how can we avoid smashing open that piggy bank and cut back in the short-term, while still preparing for the long-term?

Galia Gichon, founder of Down-To-Earth Finance, offers these helpful tips in a recent JobsandMoms.com article (http://www.jobsandmoms.com/gichonarticle.html):

1. Take a financial snapshot.
2. Deal with your debt and credit report head on.
3. Create a spending plan.
4. Make saving for retirement a priority.
5. Set up automatic savings.
6. Take a look at how you plan to save for your children's college education.
7. Examine your insurance.
8. Change a money habit.

Citi Smith Barney Vice President of Wealth Management Lisa Boone (http://www.fa.smithbarney.com/callawayboonegroup/) and Clearbridge Advisors Product Specialist Director Caroline Smith (http://www.clearbridgeadvisors.com/) brought the disparity between short-term and long-term financial planning into sharp focus at a recent Atlanta Woman Magazine event, Personal Finance 101. The overall theme was that just because times are tough doesn't mean we should completely ignore the future.

This theme was summed up best by Smith's quote from Warren Buffet: "Bad news can be an investor's friend." The core message being that despite current volatility in the markets, there is still opportunity.

To take advantage of that opportunity, it is important to find a financial advisor you can trust, someone who can guide you through the process of identifying:

* Your specific investment needs
* How your assets are allocated
* Your short-term and long-term goals and priorities, and
* Investment strategies that will help you meet your goals.

When looking for an advisor, Boone recommends seeking out money managers with consistent track records who can take the emotion out of the market. Ask for referrals from friends, look for credentials such as financial planning certification, and understand how they get paid on your investments so that there are no conflicts of interest.

Personal finance doesn't have to be an overwhelming, confusing thing. There are plenty of resources out there for women looking to fully take control of their wealth:

* AtlantaWomanMag.com's Financially Sound section
* Newspapers - Boone recommends staying up on the latest investment events so you don't have to totally rely on other people's advice. Check out "Seven Questions to Ask When Picking a Financial Advisor," recently posted at WSJ.com WSJ.com .
* Self-help books such as "A Woman's Guide to Financial Planning: The Seven Essential Ingredients for Your Best Financial Recipe," by Shak Hill, founder of Lantern Wealth Management LLC. (Yes, it's written by a man, but one who was inspired by his mother's financial hardship to write this book.)
* Websites. Check out "You Can Find Easy Money Management" on CNN.com CNN.com.
See how you stack up against other moms by taking the Top Money Wasters quiz at http://www.themomsbuzz.com/moms_buzz/personal-finance-tips/. I discovered my biggest spending blind spot was spending too much on groceries. Someone please show me how to master the art of clipping coupons!

Contributed by Jenn Dennard, http://jenniferdennard.blogspot.com and http://www.twitter.com/SmyrnaGirl.

I couldn't believe it, I was in a store yesterday and they were busy marking down bathing suits and putting out sweaters. How dare they rush us through the seasons? According to my calendar we have two more months left of summer!

I have a lot of things I still want to get done this summer -- don't you? What is your plan to get it done?

Summer is a unique time of year. For a few short months everything changes. It's time to relax, enjoy picnics and barbecues with family and friends. There are so many people on vacation that phones stop ringing and offices are nearly empty.

With fewer people around to bug you at work and no homework to worry about, many people figure that the summer is the perfect time to get those long term lingering projects done -- but then September comes and those projects are still lingering.

The main ingredient for getting those projects done is not time -- although that helps! - It is to know what you want to do. With this in mind, here are a few steps to make your summer more productive. It's not too late!

1. Create a wish list. Allow yourself to dream big; imagine you had a magic wand, what would you like to accomplish this summer?

2. Review your wish list. It would be great if you could do it all, but it is probably unrealistic. So ask yourself -- If only a few of these projects can get done which would make the biggest difference in your day to day life?

3. Look at your SHORT list of high priority projects. Define what each project means. Get really specific. For instance, if "get organized" is on your list do you mean go through the paperwork on the desk? Get rid of the unnecessary papers? Find homes for what's left? If "redecorate" is on your list, what do you need to do? Pick a room to start in? Empty a room out first? Pick out furniture? Measure the room? The more specific you can get the better.

4. It's action time! What is one step you can take to move your well defined project ahead? When are you going to do it?

By creating a plan that prioritizes, defines and schedules what you want to do, you will enable yourself to get it done. Come September you'll be able to look back on your relaxing AND productive summer.

So before summer passes you by, go ahead and create that master plan.

About the Author
Carrie Greene is a Coach and Professional Organizer. Work with Carrie to declutter, get organized, be on time and cross things off your lists. Break the hopelessness cycle! Carry through & get things done.

Go to www.CarrieThru.com for free resources & Carrie's 4-part ecourse to calm the overwhelm and get you organized today.

"Salad Days" was a termed coined by William Shakespeare to describe a time of youth and innocence. Today the phrase "salad days" could just as well describe the first few days on a diet since one of the first things people do when they take the plunge into the routine of a weight-loss program is to buy fresh vegetables. Armloads of leafy greens, carrots, broccoli, and bean sprouts are purchased, washed, put away and. forgotten.

"I really planned on having a salad every night with dinner," a client told me in a typical scenario, "but by the time I would get home, I was too tired to start cutting up vegetables. Yesterday I opened my vegetable bin because I needed an onion and it was full of disgusting rotting lettuce and shriveled up carrots."

Just as typical is the individual who is committed to eating a large salad sprinkled with nothing but lemon juice every night. Predictably within a week or so, eating the salad becomes more an exercise in self-discipline than enjoyment. " I used to love salads," another client told me, "but what I really loved was the avocado slices, sugar- coated pecans, chunks of goat cheese, and, of course, the salad dressing. Eating lemon juice-coated lettuce leaves does nothing for my taste buds. I am thinking of getting a rabbit so the veggies do not go to waste."

So as the diet progresses, the salad days are just a memory or a soggy mess at the bottom of the vegetable bin.

Vegetables that have to be cooked usually don't even make it home from the supermarket. We may look at the rows of raw beets, parsnips, cauliflower or gigantic bunches of leafy kale and mustard greens when we are food shopping and leave them staring back at us. We say to ourselves: "The kale looks like it comes from a rain forest; the beets will turn my hands red; parsnips look like anemic carrots. And I hated cauliflower when my mother overcooked it."

"I wish supermarkets would run a video of how to prepare some of the vegetables I see in the produce section. Each week I tell myself that I am going to cook parsnips or turnips but then I lose my nerve and end up buying only string beans, carrots or tomatoes," said a friend. I responded with my own story of going to a nearby Asian supermarket and being afraid to buy much of the produce displayed there. "The shelves are filled with dozens of items that I am sure are very nutritious and taste good but I don't know whether I am supposed to use them in a stir-fry, or soup, or steam or boil them," I told her. " I limit myself to buying vegetables I recognize from eating in Chinese restaurants. "

Here are some suggestions that might get these foods out of the supermarket and onto your dinner plates:

• Buy fresh vegetables that are ready to eat. Grape tomatoes, bagged mixtures of leafy lettuces, grated or baby carrots, cut-up cauliflower and broccoli and packaged slices of green and red peppers require only removing from plastic before eating.
• Put your salad bowl on the counter before you leave for work in the morning to remind you to eat salad when you return.
• Invest in good extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, a pepper grinder and peppercorns. These are the basis of a good salad dressing that you can make faster than unscrewing a bottle of salad dressing. And the olive oil and vinegar will last for months.
• Buy or sharpen a paring knife and make sure you have a vegetable peeler. The really cheap ones without the fancy handles work best. Get a chopping board and make sure it can be cleaned easily. Now you have the tools to prepare your own salad vegetables when you are ready to move beyond buying them already prepared.
• Making salads and salad dressing is an activity easily shared with other members of the household. I remember doing this when I turned 7 or 8 and could handle a peeler and knife under supervision. Most kids are able to handle tablespoons and measuring cups and all of them love to toss a salad.
• Salad ingredients do not have to be confined to vegetables. Apples or pears sliced thin, hard-boiled eggs chopped up, and leftover chicken, ham or turkey will turn the salad from a side dish to a main dish for lunch or a light supper.
• Frozen vegetables can be steamed or prepared in the microwave. But avoid the ones that come with sauces; they are high in calories and artificial ingredients. Avoid them.

There are also flavor strategies you can try which take only seconds:

• Lemon juice. If you don't have fresh lemons, use the juice that comes in the plastic lemon. Many cooked vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, string beans, and carrots perk up with a sprinkle of lemon.
• Roast vegetables. Microwave vegetables until almost cooked and put them on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Drizzle on a little olive oil and a sprinkle of kosher salt and roast them in a hot oven for 5-10 minutes. You can also microwave sweet potatoes until almost cooked. Then slice and roast them. They taste better than French fries.
• Use herbs, fresh or dried, to bring taste to cooked vegetables. Fresh dill snipped over string beans, cauliflower or carrots makes them smell like crunchy pickles and fresh basil chopped over steamed vegetables gives them a gourmet touch . Try adding slivers of fresh ginger to frozen broccoli before microwaving; it makes them taste sweet.
• When you have time to do more than a few minutes of vegetables cooking, consider making soups. Pureed soups are perfect for those of us who hate measuring anything when we cook. All you need is a big pot to cook whatever vegetables you want to put into the soup, along with some store-bought broth and herbs. This is particularly useful for those vegetables that may be a little too old for the salad bowl. Once everything in the pot is soft and a little cool, put it into a food processor and blend.

Also:

• Add yogurt or fat-free sour cream to cold spinach, carrot, broccoli or cucumber soups. Add small pinches of curry and cayenne pepper for a different taste.
• Too little time to cook the vegetables? Try a trick I learned when I had babies. Use pureed baby vegetables. They need salt and spice but do not need a food processor.
• Buy prepared soups (low sodium are best) and add your own vegetables to the pot.
• Use a rainy Sunday afternoon to put up soups that you can freeze.
• Keep the food processor or blender handy. A gazpacho, which is a soup containing fresh tomatoes and chopped summer vegetables, can be made in minutes and is great for those overripe tomatoes you haven't gotten around to eating.

When you have lots of time to experiment with vegetables, do two things: ask friends or neighbors who know how to cook vegetables that are unfamiliar to you (like artichokes or spaghetti squash). I have a Russian neighbor who told me how to prepare beets without staining my hands red.

Go to the Web and look up recipes. There will be more than you can use. If the recipes have reviews, read them. The reviews will tell you how easy or hard the recipes are to follow and whether they are worth doing. Print out one or two that you might use immediately and follow them. Don't put them in a drawer. You will forget you have them.

If you follow some of these suggestions, your "salad days" will turn into a permanent way of eating.

Judith Wurtman is the author of "The Serotonin Power Diet".

It's been proven that women launch businesses much different from their male counterparts and oftentimes for very different reasons. Call it unconventional, but women across the country are proving that it's okay to launch in the feminine way. What's been discovered is that:

Women don't want to sacrifice their desires for financial success. Women launch businesses first and foremost to enjoy a better lifestyle. They also want to express their creativity and enjoy the process of launching in whatever manifestation that means.

Networking comes natural to women. They're constantly talking and meeting new people. They enjoy making connections. Relationships are a priority for women and they're great at using those relationships to help move their ideas forward. Women rely on their connections to get information, seek advice and to have social interaction.

Women become emotionally attached to their creative projects. In other words, they fall in love with their ideas and making them happen. Similar to caring for children, women nature and tenderly care for their projects. They are extremely careful and guarded and find it difficult to give away equity in their businesses. Women find passionate personal fulfillment in their ideas and define themselves through their ideas.

Women do not typically invest time and energy into a project unless they have passion. Likewise, they are not willing to climb the corporate ladder for the promise of money or prestige. Many times women do not want to grow their business because they want to maintain balance and happiness in their lives and extreme growth can negatively impact this balance. In fact, many women list money or financial gain last on their priorities for starting their own business.

Multi-tasking is a women's secret weapon. Because women tend to take on many things and are time constrained, they are completely comfortable and efficient at juggling the responsibilities of family, business and their personal interests. Have you ever seen a woman talking on the phone, cooking dinner and holding a baby in her arms (probably while also giving out tasks to the rest of the family)? Women want and crave everything in their lives and they are discovering (and gaining the confidence) that they can have it all. Women measure their success in these terms. Women also tend to have and enjoy multiple careers (all at once). With varied interests and that desire to "try everything life has to offer", women are learning that it's okay (and even good for them), to have multiple business interests and multiple business cards.

Women are oftentimes able to think in non-linear terms. Which means that they may not know exactly where they are headed when they start a project. At the same time, they are completely comfortable with that notion. Relying upon natural intuition, they move forward with a gut feel and see where it takes them.

And finally, women are unmistakably tenacious (think pregnancy and childbirth). Even if a woman has never given birth, those genetics are hard-coded into a women's body, mind and spirit. Women work hard when they are inspired and won't stop until a task is completed. Coupled with innate creative talents, a women business owner is a force to be reckoned with. For these and many other reasons, women are starting businesses at three times the rate of men. As a result, there are 11 million women-owned businesses in the United States and the number is growing. There's no wonder the term, "You go girl" resonates with women everywhere.

Lynn Toomey, a wife and mother of three children is the chief creativity officer of her own business called Let's Gogh Art, a mobile creative enrichment services company now offering a worldwide licensing program: (www.letsgoghart.com).

She also offers marketing consulting services to small businesses under the name, Let's Gogh Marketing (www.letsgoghmarketing.com).

If you would like to connect with Lynn, she can be reached while cooking dinner, helping with homework, cleaning the house, or checking emails from customers at: 978.833.6067 or 1.877.ART.GOGH.

10 Things I Learned While My Kids were Tugging at My Suitcase

Business trips are rough on kids. Yet they are an almost inevitable part of a professional woman's career. Whether you travel often or just once in awhile, you, your kids, and the caretaker left behind are put to the test as you head out for the airport.

The defining moment for me was when my oldest daughter was three. I had traveled for work since she was born, but for some reason, this day – this trip – was different. She wailed. She pounded her tiny fists on the floor. She braced her little body against the front door. She was very clear – I was leaving and she was mad. The worst part was that after many good-byes, when I finally had to leave or risked missing the plane, she followed me out the front door and onto the driveway, begging me not to leave. Standing on my front porch, with my daughter back inside the house and the door locked so she couldn't follow me out again, I could still hear her crying. It broke my heart. I thought to myself that no child, or parent, should have to go through this.

I am not alone, unfortunately. Since the launch of my children's book, My Mommy's on a Business Trip, working parents across the country have been telling me similar stories. The guilt is enormous. So is the stress of trying to balance what needs to happen while you're gone with the work responsibilities you're headed towards. Not to mention that in today's times, if your trip is important enough to take you away from the office, you can't afford to be worried about what's going on back home.

There is a better way – for kids and their parents. Make your next trip easier on everyone, including you, by following these easy, no-tears tips:

• Plan for Fun – For trips longer than two nights away, arrange with the caretaker a special night out while you're gone – a trip to the movies, a play date with a special friend, pizza for dinner, etc. Activities will depend on the age of the child, but you'll know what your child holds special in his or her heart.

• Take Flight – If someone can drop you off, have the kids come with you to the airport to say good-bye (this works especially well with Sunday departures and if you live relatively close to the airport). Many kids find airports exciting and it will help them to visualize what you're doing. Moms love it, too, because of the last minute hugs and kisses they get.

• Prepare Together – A simple, but important thing to do is create or decorate a calendar to show your departure and when you'll be back home. Try something new - glue Hershey Kisses to the calendar for a special treat each day you're away.

• Pack Together – let your child/ren pick out a special stuffed animal or token you can take with you. One mom I spoke with has her three-year old pick out a special hair ribbon to tie on the suitcase, and it changes with every trip. BFF bracelets, or other special things that both you and the child will have while you're gone, help them feel connected to you.

• Create a Ritual – if you're gone often, ask the caretaker to do something with your kids that's extra special and only happens when you're away. It could be going to a special place or as simple as getting to sleep in sleeping bags on the living room floor.

• Be on the Lookout – Place special notes or cards in the children's room, on their car seats, in the arms of their favorite stuffed animal, and other creative places they're sure to see.

• Get Some Lipstick – If you won't be gone long, put on bright red lipstick and give the kids a great big kiss on their tummies – no one will know it's there but them! A preferred method for most dads: let the kids pick out a temporary tattoo and put it on them as a special reminder of you.

• Be Silly with Skype – with videoconferencing, you can play peek-a-boo, I Spy, read stories, or look at the calendar you made together and talk about when you're coming home. Have fun!

• Call Early – So often it's hard to catch the kids in the evening, with meetings running late or business dinners. Kids are often already asleep before you can make the call. Instead, call when the kids are just getting up. That's when they're in that lovey, snuggly mindset and you can start their day off with a smile. Kids won't talk? Try reading them their favorite story (be sure to pack a copy of the book in your suitcase!)

• Capture Their Minds – Show the child/ren where you are going and tell them how you're going to get there. Your goal is to position the trip as an exciting adventure you can't wait to tell them about when you get home. Once back, don't forget to share the fun – spend time talking about the famous or typical things you did in the area of the country/world where you were. Go over the maps again, pull out your camera, or bring home some postcards and really capture their imaginations.

Once the kids feel better about you being away, you'll feel better. As you head out the door for your next trip, feeling more relaxed and focused (thanks to these tips) you'll also start to see a glint of business travel's silver lining. Whether it's the fact that you'll get an uninterrupted night's sleep for once, or that the kids and their caretaker get some important bonding time, or that you're modeling for your kids how to handle a busy, successful career, there are lots of benefits to being away for a few days. What's critically important is that parents remember to position work always in a positive light – not something that is taking you away from your kids – as these young hearts and minds will eventually enter the workforce themselves one day.

Phaedra Cucina is the author of the highly acclaimed children's book, My Mommy's on a Business Trip. Available exclusively at: www.mommytrip.com.