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		<title>Why working moms don’t treat their depression</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIntegratedMotherBlog/~3/p0S2oJ6I648/</link>
		<comments>http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/working-moms-dont-treat-depression/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:12:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Michele Dortch</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Balance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[depression]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mental health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[working moms]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/?p=2772</guid>
		<description>Between work and family responsibilities, working moms carry quite a load. The pressure to juggle it all can lead to depression. Yet, a recent study shows that more than 65% of working moms are leaving their depression untreated. Although the study cites long work hours and lack of adequate health insurance as contributing factors to [...]&lt;p&gt;&lt;p style="font-size:11px;"&gt;&lt;font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"&gt;Current News: I recently read &lt;em&gt;The Power of Respect&lt;/em&gt; by Deborah Norville. Win a copy, &lt;a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/the-power-of-respect/"&gt;enter now&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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Related posts:&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/working-moms-want-to-know-should-i-work/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Working Moms Want to Know: Should I Work?'&gt;Working Moms Want to Know: Should I Work?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/the-toughest-question-working-moms-face/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: The Toughest Question Working Moms Face'&gt;The Toughest Question Working Moms Face&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/announcement-new-phoenix-working-moms-examiner/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Announcement: New Phoenix Working Moms Examiner'&gt;Announcement: New Phoenix Working Moms Examiner&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-2773" title="Depression hurts working moms" src="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/depressed-250x166.jpg" alt="Depression hurts working moms" width="250" height="166" />Between work and family responsibilities, working moms carry quite a load. The pressure to juggle it all can lead to depression. Yet, a recent study shows that <a href="http://news.health.com/2009/10/27/depression-often-goes-untreated-working-moms/" target="_blank">more than 65% of working moms are leaving their depression untreated</a>. Although the study cites long work hours and lack of adequate health insurance as contributing factors to this trend, I wonder if it&#8217;s something more.</p>
<p>In 2003, I was treated for depression but it took many months of denial and avoidance before I decided to get professional help. Why? I was embarrassed and ashamed that I had a mental illness. Yes, depression is a <a href="http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/women-and-depression-discovering-hope/what-is-depression.shtml" target="_blank">mental illness</a> that affects approximately <a href="http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/index.cfm?objectid=C7DF952E-1372-4D20-C8A3DDCD5459D07B" target="_blank">12 million women</a> in the United States each year. And as a very successful, highly regarded working mom I didn&#8217;t want to face the fact that I had a mental illness and needed help (<em>Even typing those words today, causes a visceral response in my body.</em>).</p>
<p>So I ignored the signs:</p>
<ul>
<li>Feelings of hopelessness and sadness;</li>
<li>Spontaneous outbursts of anger or fits of crying;</li>
<li>Inability to concentrate or focus;</li>
<li>Constant exhaustion and fatigue;</li>
<li>Loss of interest in things I used to enjoy.</li>
</ul>
<p>I ignored the results of my symptoms too: I had crashed my SUV into a stationary cement pole that I swore just appeared out of nowhere. I had also collapsed in my kitchen late one night, hitting my chin so hard on the counter that I wore a purple bruise on my face for days. But, I told myself I was okay. I was strong. I could handle it. My denial was so powerful that at one point I went to my primary care physician, convinced I was having a heart attack. She examined me, performed an EKG, and then said, &#8220;I think you&#8217;re depressed Michele. You need to get help.&#8221; I stormed out of her office &#8211; angry &#8211; and called my friend to ask for the name of her doctor since mine was clearly an idiot for diagnosing me with depression when I was having a heart attack! (<em>Yea, I had lost my mind.</em>)</p>
<p>It wasn&#8217;t until my then two-year-old daughter pulled on my shirt during one my depressive tirades and innocently inquired, &#8220;Mommy? Why are you always so mad?&#8221; that I snapped into the realization that I really did need help.</p>
<p>I hate telling people about my experience with depression, even today. There&#8217;s a part of me that sees it as an admission of my weakness or a personality flaw that reveals all of my inadequacies. But I tell you anyway because I know that I&#8217;m not alone and someone needs to tell you that neither are you.</p>
<p>Depression sucks. But depression is <a href="http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/women-and-depression-discovering-hope/how-is-depression-diagnosed-and-treated.shtml" target="_blank">treatable</a>. Besides, the sunny side of depression is what you uncover on the other side of its dark cloud. For me, it was a renewed passion for things that depression had taken away, like <a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/depression-and-exercise/MH00043" target="_blank">running</a>, <a href="http://www.micheledortch.com" target="_blank">writing</a>, my family and&#8230;myself.</p>
<p><p style="font-size:11px;"><font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Current News: I recently read <em>The Power of Respect</em> by Deborah Norville. Win a copy, <a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/the-power-of-respect/">enter now</a>.</font></p>
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<p style="font-size:11px;"><font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">&copy;2005-2009 The Integrated Mother. All rights reserved.</font></p></p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/working-moms-want-to-know-should-i-work/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Working Moms Want to Know: Should I Work?'>Working Moms Want to Know: Should I Work?</a></li><li><a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/the-toughest-question-working-moms-face/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: The Toughest Question Working Moms Face'>The Toughest Question Working Moms Face</a></li><li><a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/announcement-new-phoenix-working-moms-examiner/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Announcement: New Phoenix Working Moms Examiner'>Announcement: New Phoenix Working Moms Examiner</a></li></ol></p><div class="feedflare">
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		<feedburner:origLink>http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/working-moms-dont-treat-depression/</feedburner:origLink></item>
		<item>
		<title>5 ways to take the stress out of doctor visits</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIntegratedMotherBlog/~3/wd2rRhY0zzc/</link>
		<comments>http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/5-ways-to-take-the-stress-out-of-doctor-visits/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:40:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Michele Dortch</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Parenting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[doctor visit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[stress management]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/?p=2766</guid>
		<description>As a mom of three kids, one of whom has a chronic condition that requires seeing a cadre of doctors spanning four specialties, I&amp;#8217;ve spent a fair amount of time at a doctor&amp;#8217;s office. I know the frustration of waiting more than an hour after a scheduled appointment only to be pushed through the hurried, [...]&lt;p&gt;&lt;p style="font-size:11px;"&gt;&lt;font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"&gt;Current News: I recently read &lt;em&gt;The Power of Respect&lt;/em&gt; by Deborah Norville. Win a copy, &lt;a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/the-power-of-respect/"&gt;enter now&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="font-size:11px;"&gt;&lt;font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"&gt;Current Sponsor(s):
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&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=97002&amp;u=278459&amp;m=14338&amp;urllink=&amp;afftrack="&gt;momAgenda&lt;/a&gt; - the &lt;b&gt;only&lt;/b&gt; planner for busy moms&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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Related posts:&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/the-speed-of-motherhood/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: The speed of motherhood'&gt;The speed of motherhood&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p><img class="size-medium wp-image-532 alignright" title="Get the most out of doctor visits" src="http://www.momsofhue.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/doctor-visit-300x234.jpg" alt="Get the most out of doctor visits" width="240" height="187" />As a mom of three kids, one of whom has a <a href="http://www.apfed.org/ee.htm" target=")blank">chronic condition</a> that requires seeing a cadre of doctors spanning four specialties, I&#8217;ve spent a fair amount of time at a doctor&#8217;s office. I know the frustration of waiting more than an hour <em>after</em> a scheduled appointment only to be pushed through the hurried, five-minute doctor&#8217;s exam. I understand the confusion of receiving unclear doctor&#8217;s instructions and leaving the office with more questions than answers.</p>
<p>Visiting the doctor&#8217;s office can be a stressful, confusing experience especially if you&#8217;re bringing your kids, but it doesn&#8217;t have to be. Here are my tips for getting the most out of those visits:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Understand what you need</strong>. Of course, the main reason for any doctor&#8217;s visit is to treat a symptom; you need medical attention! But beyond that basic treatment, what do you <em>really</em> need? My son has a condition for which there is no known cure. I&#8217;ve come to terms with that. When I see one of his many specialists, I need to be reassured that everyone is doing the best they can to treat him given the resources available. I need reassurance. What is your unique need? Knowing your needs ahead of time helps as you move through the next steps.</li>
<li><strong>Document the symptoms</strong>. I feel for doctors, especially those who treat children. Often they must diagnose and treat ailments with very little help from the patient besides, &#8220;I don&#8217;t feel good.&#8221; Take time to document symptoms in detail. If you&#8217;re having a hard time describing the symptom, try using metaphors, &#8220;It feels like someone is ringing a church bell in this part of my head…&#8221; Also write down what happened before or after the onset of the symptoms. Doctors can use even the smallest details to pinpoint the best diagnosis and treatment for you or your child.</li>
<li><strong>Formulate questions in advance</strong>. Most doctors will ask at some point in your visit, &#8220;So, do you have any questions for me?&#8221; Usually they say this as they&#8217;re rising to leave the exam room (<em>Oy, that irks me.</em>). I always bring a short list of questions and usually they are addressed during the exam. But, before the doctor leaves the room I always ask for a brief moment to review my list and ask any unanswered questions.</li>
<li><strong>Hunker down for a wait</strong>. It&#8217;s rare, but every now and then, my name (or my child&#8217;s name) is called within minutes of signing in at the front desk &#8211; hallelujah! Though more often than not, we wait 20- 50 minutes before seeing the doctor. I don&#8217;t like it, but I understand the nature of doctor&#8217;s offices so I prepare for a wait. That means allotting at least two hours for a doctor visit on my calendar, rather than one, so I&#8217;m not stressed about missing the next thing on my schedule. It also means making sure my kids are well-rested and fed before the visit. To help pass the time, I bring along distractions and entertainment (i.e. favorite books, toys, electronic games, movies, etc.) too.</li>
<li><strong>Be kind, be patient, be understanding</strong>. Sometimes I feel like a number. At the end of the day, I&#8217;m just a diagnosis code on the insurance form. In the busyness of running a medical practice, the administrative staff, nurses and doctors can forget to acknowledge the human behind the condition they&#8217;re treating. But instead of throwing a fit to demonstrate just how human I can be, I offer my kindness, patience and understanding to them (and then I vent briefly on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/MicheleDortch" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, heh). My hope is that by offering a smile rather than a scowl, or a compliment rather than a complaint, that they will see that we&#8217;re human and treat us as such.</li>
</ul>
<p><small><em>Cross-posted at <a href="http://www.momsofhue.com/2009/11/getting-the-most-out-of-doctor-visits">Moms of Hue</a> on November 4, 2009.</em></small></p>
<p><p style="font-size:11px;"><font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Current News: I recently read <em>The Power of Respect</em> by Deborah Norville. Win a copy, <a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/the-power-of-respect/">enter now</a>.</font></p>
<p style="font-size:11px;"><font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Current Sponsor(s):
<br><a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/can-we-do-it-again/">WNBA</a> - get a discount code for WBNA game!
<br><a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=97002&u=278459&m=14338&urllink=&afftrack=">momAgenda</a> - the <b>only</b> planner for busy moms</font></p>
<p style="font-size:11px;"><font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Connect:
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- <a href="http://integratedmother.ning.com/">The Integrated Mother Network</a></font></p>
<p style="font-size:11px;"><font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">&copy;2005-2009 The Integrated Mother. All rights reserved.</font></p></p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/the-speed-of-motherhood/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: The speed of motherhood'>The speed of motherhood</a></li></ol></p><div class="feedflare">
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		<title>The power of respect</title>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:49:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Michele Dortch</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Giveaways]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[book review]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[deborah norville]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[the power of respect]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/?p=2747</guid>
		<description>Scroll down to the bottom of this post for instructions on how you can enter to receive a free copy of this book!
Title: The Power of Respect: Benefit from the most forgotten element of success
Author: Deborah Norville
ISBN: 9780785227601
Pages: 224
 Release Date: October 13, 2009
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Genre: Self-help, personal growth
Rating: 3 out of 5
Summary:
Veteran journalist, Deborah [...]&lt;p&gt;&lt;p style="font-size:11px;"&gt;&lt;font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"&gt;Current News: I recently read &lt;em&gt;The Power of Respect&lt;/em&gt; by Deborah Norville. Win a copy, &lt;a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/the-power-of-respect/"&gt;enter now&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p style="font-size:11px;"&gt;&lt;font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"&gt;&amp;copy;2005-2009 The Integrated Mother. All rights reserved.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



Related posts:&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/danson-an-illustration-of-childhood-wisdom-for-the-ages/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Danson: an illustration of childhood wisdom for the ages'&gt;Danson: an illustration of childhood wisdom for the ages&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/the-scramble-giveaway/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: The Six O&amp;#8217;Clock Scramble &amp;#8211; Giveaway'&gt;The Six O&amp;#8217;Clock Scramble &amp;#8211; Giveaway&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/ziggy-marley-brings-music-to-little-people/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Ziggy Marley Brings Music to Little People &amp;#8211; Giveaway'&gt;Ziggy Marley Brings Music to Little People &amp;#8211; Giveaway&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p><small><em>Scroll down to the bottom of this post for instructions on how you can enter to receive a free copy of this book!</em></small><strong></strong></p>
<p><strong>Title</strong>: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0785227601?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=integratedmother-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0785227601" target="_blank">The Power of Respect: Benefit from the most forgotten element of success</a><br />
<strong>Author</strong>: Deborah Norville<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0785227601?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=integratedmother-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0785227601" target="_blank"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-2752" title="The Power of Respect by Deborah Norville" src="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/51paQJBhK1L._SL160_.jpg" alt="The Power of Respect by Deborah Norville" width="107" height="160" /></a><strong>ISBN</strong>: 9780785227601<br />
<strong>Pages</strong>: 224<br />
<strong> Release Date</strong>: October 13, 2009<br />
<strong>Publisher</strong>: Thomas Nelson<br />
<strong>Genre</strong>: Self-help, personal growth<br />
<strong>Rating</strong>: 3 out of 5</p>
<p><strong>Summary</strong>:<br />
Veteran journalist, Deborah Norville, encourages readers to treat people like they really matter in her new book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0785227601?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=integratedmother-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0785227601">The Power of Respect</a><img style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=integratedmother-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0785227601" border="0" alt="" width="1" height="1" />. Her core thesis is that the simple act of giving respect can boost sales, create healthier families, improve your confidence, and more. Norville blends scientific evidence, real-life stories and common-sense advice to build her case for respect.</p>
<p><strong>Review</strong>:<br />
Companies are investing thousands of dollars to improve sales. Individuals are committing their hard-earned money to improve key relationships and quality of life. We&#8217;re spending a lot of money to have more and be more! Yet, Norville suggests that we each have a free resource available to solve our most complex problems &#8211; respect. In <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0785227601?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=integratedmother-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0785227601">The Power of Respect</a><img style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=integratedmother-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0785227601" border="0" alt="" width="1" height="1" />, Norville asserts that many of life&#8217;s biggest challenges can be corrected by consistently and genuinely giving respect to those around us. It sounds too simple. But Norville consistently proves her point by bringing in evidence from her research. One such story is that of Zappo&#8217;s CEO Tony Hsieh, who has built a thriving business by showing respect to customers and employees alike.</p>
<p>The book is easy to read and offers common sense advice that you know, but may not practice daily. For instance, &#8220;reinforce positive behavior with praise, &#8221; and &#8220;model the behavior you want to see.&#8221; These are great reminders, especially for working mothers who can unintentionally convey disrespect in the midst of the work-life juggle. I appreciated the practical nature of Norville&#8217;s advice, though it quickly became repetitive and trite as chapter after chapter reframed the same concept in different scenarios &#8211; respect at home, respect at work, respect at school, etc. Every now and then, Norville would slip in a popular Bible verse (&#8221;Do to others what you want them to do to you&#8221; Matthew 7:12, NCV), which I found to be a bit cliche and an ineffective device to appease a Christian audience without alienating a secular reader.</p>
<p>Overall, the book has a good message that is important for us to all remember. There are nuggets of wisdom that you&#8217;ll find valuable and put into everyday practice. Yet, the book attempts to tackle too much, offering cursory advice to problems that deserve greater depth and discussion. Read the book, but check it out from the library (or enter my giveaway).</p>
<p><strong>Want to receive a free copy of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0785227601?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=integratedmother-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0785227601">The Power of Respect</a>?</strong> Just leave a comment describing how you think respect can help in your business or life on or before Thursday, November 19, 2009. I&#8217;ll send the lightly read copy of the book I received from Thomas-Nelson to one randomly selected person.</p>
<p><small><strong>Giveaway Guidelines</strong><br />
This giveaway is open to US residents only. I’m giving away one (1) copy of Deborah Norville&#8217;s book, <em>The Power of Respect</em>. You must enter a valid email address when submitting your comment; entries will be verified. Please note, any comments that simply say “enter me,” “pick me,” or something similar will not count. Entries must be received by 11:59 pm EST on Thursday, November 12, 2009. Winners will be chosen at random by Random.org and announced here by Friday, November 12, 2009. Winner has 48 hours to respond to my e-mail request for their mailing address before forfeiting their prize. Forfeited prizes will be given to another randomly selected entry.</small></p>
<p><p style="font-size:11px;"><font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Current News: I recently read <em>The Power of Respect</em> by Deborah Norville. Win a copy, <a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/the-power-of-respect/">enter now</a>.</font></p>
<p style="font-size:11px;"><font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Current Sponsor(s):
<br><a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/can-we-do-it-again/">WNBA</a> - get a discount code for WBNA game!
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<p style="font-size:11px;"><font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Connect:
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<p style="font-size:11px;"><font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">&copy;2005-2009 The Integrated Mother. All rights reserved.</font></p></p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/danson-an-illustration-of-childhood-wisdom-for-the-ages/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Danson: an illustration of childhood wisdom for the ages'>Danson: an illustration of childhood wisdom for the ages</a></li><li><a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/the-scramble-giveaway/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: The Six O&#8217;Clock Scramble &#8211; Giveaway'>The Six O&#8217;Clock Scramble &#8211; Giveaway</a></li><li><a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/ziggy-marley-brings-music-to-little-people/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Ziggy Marley Brings Music to Little People &#8211; Giveaway'>Ziggy Marley Brings Music to Little People &#8211; Giveaway</a></li></ol></p><div class="feedflare">
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		<title>Work is a relationship</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIntegratedMotherBlog/~3/Ea8Tvh4jkPw/</link>
		<comments>http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/work-is-a-relationship/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:29:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Michele Dortch</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Balance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Career]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[employment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[national work & family month]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[work life balance]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/?p=2709</guid>
		<description>I&amp;#8216;ve been reviewing a ton of job opportunities in the last few weeks as part of my effort to return to &amp;#8220;traditional&amp;#8221; work. I&amp;#8217;m taking my return to work seriously in that I don&amp;#8217;t have time to waste applying for jobs willy-nilly. It&amp;#8217;s ineffective, especially since I&amp;#8217;m still operating my business and raising a family [...]&lt;p&gt;&lt;p style="font-size:11px;"&gt;&lt;font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"&gt;Current News: I recently read &lt;em&gt;The Power of Respect&lt;/em&gt; by Deborah Norville. Win a copy, &lt;a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/the-power-of-respect/"&gt;enter now&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="font-size:11px;"&gt;&lt;font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"&gt;Current Sponsor(s):
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&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=97002&amp;u=278459&amp;m=14338&amp;urllink=&amp;afftrack="&gt;momAgenda&lt;/a&gt; - the &lt;b&gt;only&lt;/b&gt; planner for busy moms&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="font-size:11px;"&gt;&lt;font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"&gt;Connect:
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&lt;p style="font-size:11px;"&gt;&lt;font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"&gt;&amp;copy;2005-2009 The Integrated Mother. All rights reserved.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



Related posts:&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/recession-doesnt-mean-less-work-life-flexibility/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Recession Doesn&amp;#8217;t Mean Less Work-Life Flexibility'&gt;Recession Doesn&amp;#8217;t Mean Less Work-Life Flexibility&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/love-what-you-do/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Love what you do'&gt;Love what you do&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/job-resources-help-moms-work-part-time/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Job Resources Help Moms Work Part-time'&gt;Job Resources Help Moms Work Part-time&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p><span class="drop_cap">I</span>&#8216;ve been reviewing a ton of job opportunities in the last few weeks as part of my effort to return to &#8220;traditional&#8221; work. I&#8217;m taking my return to work seriously in that I don&#8217;t have time to waste applying for jobs willy-nilly. It&#8217;s ineffective, especially since I&#8217;m still operating <a href="http://www.micheledortch.com" target="_blank">my business</a> and raising a family alongside my search. Plus, I see employment as a relationship worth investing time to get right. So, every job opportunity is filtered through these three criteria:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Job-skill fit</strong>: Does my education, experience and background align with the core job responsibilities?</li>
<li><strong>Job-personality fit</strong>: Can I picture myself doing this job on a regular basis for this employer?</li>
<li><strong>Job-life fit</strong>: Will this job integrate well with the way I want to lead my life?</li>
</ol>
<p>As you can imagine, this three-part criteria weeds out a fair number of prospective jobs and some have advised me to &#8220;cast a wider net,&#8221; or in other words, reduce my level of expectation. I find this to be an interesting employee mindset, especially when you compare it to the increasingly high expectations of employers.</p>
<p>For instance, yesterday I  ran across an interesting position for a Marketing Manager at an interactive media company. As I read more about the job description, responsibilities and company I was intrigued. There was a definite job-skill fit and given the entrepreneurial nature of the company, job-personality fit was high as well. Then I saw this at the end of the job description, under the heading, &#8220;Additional responsibilities&#8221;:</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;As much responsibility as you can handle&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;8-5 (minimum expectation)&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<p>Here&#8217;s how this translated to me: &#8220;Forget about your life outside of work.&#8221;</p>
<p>Still curious to know more, I visited the company&#8217;s corporate Web site to learn about their values and philosophy. There was the usual corporate rhetoric about attracting top caliber employees, having fun in a positive, upbeat environment, and the well-worn cliche, &#8220;we work hard and we play hard.&#8221;</p>
<p>Clearly expectations are very high at this company, and rightly so. Companies today are operating much like many American families &#8211; less money, higher bills. They need hard working, success-driven individuals to sustain themselves in this competitive economy. Yet, in the drive to succeed some companies have adopted a self-centered employment approach that says, &#8220;You need us (this job),&#8221; rather than, &#8220;We need each other.&#8221; Conversely, some employees hold their skills for ransom, threatening to take them elsewhere (or not perform beyond the bare minimum) if their employer doesn&#8217;t meet their demands for more money, or whatever other personal need they have.</p>
<p>The disconnect between employer expectations and employee expectations is one that causes issues in organizational effectiveness for companies and work-life effectiveness for individuals. Kathie Lingle, executive director of Alliance for Work-Life Progress (<a href="http://www.awlp.org" target="_blank">AWLP</a>), describes it well as she urges employees and employers to <strong>remember the exchange relationship that connects their mutual needs, interests, and satisfaction</strong>.</p>
<p>The whole work-life puzzle isn&#8217;t all that complicated when we remember one basic tenant of employment: <strong>it&#8217;s a relationship</strong>. We give. We take. We unite to create something that we couldn&#8217;t have done independently. When we&#8217;re in a healthy work relationships, work-life issues are lessened to some degree because we <a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/love-what-you-do/">love what we do</a> and feel valued by our employer. Employers benefit from the health of these relationship as well because of increased employee retention, productivity and engagement, which ultimately drives their business success.</p>
<p>Developing a quality employment relationship is a priority for both employees and employers. So as October and the celebration of <a href="http://www.awlp.org/awlp/nwfm/nwfm-home.jsp" target="_blank">National Work &amp; Family Month</a> comes to a close, I urge employers, and employees alike, to reexamine how they value work-life effectiveness as a priority that holds tremendous value for us all.</p>
<p><p style="font-size:11px;"><font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Current News: I recently read <em>The Power of Respect</em> by Deborah Norville. Win a copy, <a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/the-power-of-respect/">enter now</a>.</font></p>
<p style="font-size:11px;"><font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Current Sponsor(s):
<br><a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/can-we-do-it-again/">WNBA</a> - get a discount code for WBNA game!
<br><a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=97002&u=278459&m=14338&urllink=&afftrack=">momAgenda</a> - the <b>only</b> planner for busy moms</font></p>
<p style="font-size:11px;"><font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Connect:
- <a href="http://twitter.com/integratedmom">Twitter</a>
- <a href="http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/The-Integrated-MotherR/23114666975">FaceBook</a>
- <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/118950">LinkedIn</a>
- <a href="http://integratedmother.ning.com/">The Integrated Mother Network</a></font></p>
<p style="font-size:11px;"><font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">&copy;2005-2009 The Integrated Mother. All rights reserved.</font></p></p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/recession-doesnt-mean-less-work-life-flexibility/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Recession Doesn&#8217;t Mean Less Work-Life Flexibility'>Recession Doesn&#8217;t Mean Less Work-Life Flexibility</a></li><li><a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/love-what-you-do/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Love what you do'>Love what you do</a></li><li><a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/job-resources-help-moms-work-part-time/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Job Resources Help Moms Work Part-time'>Job Resources Help Moms Work Part-time</a></li></ol></p><div class="feedflare">
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		<title>How to raise good, kind, ethical kids</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIntegratedMotherBlog/~3/cEu6U6QsnT4/</link>
		<comments>http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/how-to-raise-good-kind-ethical-kids/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:45:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Michele Dortch</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[For Moms]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Parenting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lynne kenney]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[the family coach method]]></category>

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		<description>Most of the conversations on this blog focus on you, the mother, and how you effectively manage your work alongside your kids. I rarely spend time directly discussing the most important &amp;#8220;work&amp;#8221; we do &amp;#8211; raising our children. That doesn&amp;#8217;t mean developing parenting skills isn&amp;#8217;t a priority for me, it is. In fact, every day [...]&lt;p&gt;&lt;p style="font-size:11px;"&gt;&lt;font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"&gt;Current News: I recently read &lt;em&gt;The Power of Respect&lt;/em&gt; by Deborah Norville. Win a copy, &lt;a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/the-power-of-respect/"&gt;enter now&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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Related posts:&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/prepare-to-get-a-raise/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Prepare to get a raise'&gt;Prepare to get a raise&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/managing-work-kids-summer-break-resources/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Managing Work, Kids &amp;#038; Summer Break: Resources'&gt;Managing Work, Kids &amp;#038; Summer Break: Resources&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/managing-work-kids-summer-break/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Managing Work, Kids &amp;#038; Summer Break'&gt;Managing Work, Kids &amp;#038; Summer Break&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p>Most of the conversations on this blog focus on you, the mother, and how you effectively manage your work alongside your kids. I rarely spend time directly discussing the most important &#8220;work&#8221; we do &#8211; raising our children. That doesn&#8217;t mean developing parenting skills isn&#8217;t a priority for me, it is. In fact, every day I wake up and ask myself, &#8220;How can I be a better parent today?&#8221; Most days I don&#8217;t have much time to thoughtfully figure it out, so I leap in, do my best and hope it&#8217;s enough.</p>
<p>I have three children &#8211; age 8, 6 and 4. People often say to me, &#8220;Oh, that&#8217;s perfect. They&#8217;re so well spaced,&#8221; as if the timing of their birth makes parenting them easier somehow. From my perspective, it&#8217;s a wild ride. My eight year old daughter is <a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/the-speed-of-motherhood/">entering puberty early</a>; and my six year old daughter is caught between wanting to emulate her maturing sister, while longing to romp and play with my very active four year old son. Managing the differing life stages of three young people alongside my own growth as a woman and mother, is a lot of work. Add the chaos of everyday life and suddenly parenthood becomes a very messy endeavor.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0981961509?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=integratedmother-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0981961509"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-2722" title="The Family Coach Method book" src="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/familycoach-book-166x250.jpg" alt="The Family Coach Method book" width="166" height="250" /></a>That&#8217;s why I was so grateful to have met <a href="http://www.lynnekenney.com" target="_blank">Lynne Kenney</a>, a mother of two and practicing pediatric psychologist who has a unique ability to simply and practically address the most challenging parenting problems. To speak with Lynne is like sitting down with your best girlfriend and trusted expert, all in one amazing package. Although we live just minutes from one another, our busy lives make it difficult to find time together.</p>
<p>Thankfully, Lynne&#8217;s latest book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0981961509?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=integratedmother-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0981961509">The Family Coaching Method</a><img style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=integratedmother-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0981961509" border="0" alt="" width="1" height="1" />, was released earlier this month and reading it was almost as good as sitting down with her in person (because nothing can replace the warmth and joy that emanates when she&#8217;s in the room). The book addresses children age 3 to 8, which are the foundational years when children develop values and behavior patterns. The purpose is to help you raise good, kind, ethical kids.</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s what&#8217;s unique about Lynne and her Family Coach Method: In practice, Lynne is a hands-on psychologist who isn&#8217;t satisfied meeting parents in the insular walls of an office. Instead, she meets parents and their children where life happens &#8211; in their home, on the playground, in the classroom. By engaging parents and children in the areas where their family challenges lived, Lynne is able to more effectively and efficiently address the issues. Her book combines this work into a systematic, easy-to-use approach that promotes you from desperate client to empowered expert. </p>
<p>As you read the book, you&#8217;ll feel Lynne&#8217;s encouragement and compassion as she expertly guides you through a process where you will:</p>
<ul>
<li>Define your family&#8217;s unique culture;</li>
<li>Establish family rules that support rather than constrain;</li>
<li>Develop a family flow to keep family members organized and inspired.</li>
</ul>
<p>And that&#8217;s just in the first three chapters, which alone can powerfully change the way you act and feel about parenting.</p>
<p>Lynne is committed to improving the lives of moms and children, which she more than demonstrates in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0981961509?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=integratedmother-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0981961509">The Family Coach Method</a><img style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=integratedmother-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0981961509" border="0" alt="" width="1" height="1" /> book. If you&#8217;re curious to know more about Lynne, I encourage you to listen to a recent teleconference recording she did with a group of moms: <a href="http://www.twittermoms.com/profiles/blogs/the-family-coach-method-one" target="_blank"><strong>Click Here</strong></a>.  Also, consider joining her for <a href="http://www.lynnekenney.com/?page_id=30" target="_blank">Mommy Mondays</a>, starting in November, an opportunity to engage in The Family Coach Method live over the telephone with Lynne.</p>
<p>Learn More:</p>
<ul>
<li>Sign up for Lynne&#8217;s newsletter: <a href="http://www.lynnekenney.com" target="_blank">www.lynnekenney.com</a></li>
<li>Follow her on Twitter: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheFamilyCoach" target="_blank">@TheFamilyCoach</a></li>
<li>Send a video question via YouTube to Lynne at <a href="mailto:thefamilycoachmethod@gmail.com">thefamilycoachmethod@gmail.com</a> and she&#8217;ll respond back via video.</li>
</ul>
<p><p style="font-size:11px;"><font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Current News: I recently read <em>The Power of Respect</em> by Deborah Norville. Win a copy, <a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/the-power-of-respect/">enter now</a>.</font></p>
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<br><a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/can-we-do-it-again/">WNBA</a> - get a discount code for WBNA game!
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<p style="font-size:11px;"><font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Connect:
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<p style="font-size:11px;"><font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">&copy;2005-2009 The Integrated Mother. All rights reserved.</font></p></p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/prepare-to-get-a-raise/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Prepare to get a raise'>Prepare to get a raise</a></li><li><a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/managing-work-kids-summer-break-resources/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Managing Work, Kids &#038; Summer Break: Resources'>Managing Work, Kids &#038; Summer Break: Resources</a></li><li><a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/managing-work-kids-summer-break/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Managing Work, Kids &#038; Summer Break'>Managing Work, Kids &#038; Summer Break</a></li></ol></p><div class="feedflare">
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		<title>Prepare to get a raise</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIntegratedMotherBlog/~3/kOznZco4eeA/</link>
		<comments>http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/prepare-to-get-a-raise/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:26:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Michele Dortch</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Career]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[For Moms]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[get a raise]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[negotiation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pat katepoo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[workoptions.com]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/?p=2713</guid>
		<description>There are plenty of pessimists who will tell you that now isn&amp;#8217;t the time to do anything that might shake an already tenuous employment outlook. Despite news that the economy is rebounding from the recession, many employers are less optimistic in their actions. Some continue to cut back on staffing resources, while others have yet [...]&lt;p&gt;&lt;p style="font-size:11px;"&gt;&lt;font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"&gt;Current News: I recently read &lt;em&gt;The Power of Respect&lt;/em&gt; by Deborah Norville. Win a copy, &lt;a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/the-power-of-respect/"&gt;enter now&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="font-size:11px;"&gt;&lt;font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"&gt;Current Sponsor(s):
&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/can-we-do-it-again/"&gt;WNBA&lt;/a&gt; - get a discount code for WBNA game!
&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=97002&amp;u=278459&amp;m=14338&amp;urllink=&amp;afftrack="&gt;momAgenda&lt;/a&gt; - the &lt;b&gt;only&lt;/b&gt; planner for busy moms&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="font-size:11px;"&gt;&lt;font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"&gt;Connect:
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&lt;p style="font-size:11px;"&gt;&lt;font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"&gt;&amp;copy;2005-2009 The Integrated Mother. All rights reserved.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



Related posts:&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/how-to-raise-good-kind-ethical-kids/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: How to raise good, kind, ethical kids'&gt;How to raise good, kind, ethical kids&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/job-resources-help-moms-work-part-time/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Job Resources Help Moms Work Part-time'&gt;Job Resources Help Moms Work Part-time&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/telecommuting-isnt-an-impossible-request/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Telecommuting isn&amp;#8217;t an impossible request'&gt;Telecommuting isn&amp;#8217;t an impossible request&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p><span class="drop_cap">T</span>here are plenty of pessimists who will tell you that now isn&#8217;t the time to do anything that might shake an already tenuous employment outlook. Despite news that the <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703298004574459403222100882.html" target="_blank">economy is rebounding from the recession</a>, many employers are less optimistic in their actions. Some continue to cut back on staffing resources, while others have yet to lift salary freezes and reductions implemented earlier this year. This creates an obvious strain for working moms especially when cost of living and child care expenses are steadily rising. </p>
<p>Getting a raise may be something you want (or desperately need), but is now the time to pursue it? Yes!</p>
<p><a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?ii=295135&#038;c=ib&#038;aff=75801&#038;cl=26417" target=ejejcsingle"><img src="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/raise-workbook.jpg" alt="Get a Raise Workbook for Women" title="Get a Raise Workbook for Women" width="156" height="205" class="alignright size-full wp-image-2714" /></a>According to Pat Katepoo, founder of <a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?cl=26417&#038;c=ib&#038;aff=75801" target="ejejcsingle">WorkOptions.com</a>, &#8220;You can work toward a raise during a recession,&#8221; and in her <a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?ii=295135&#038;c=ib&#038;aff=75801&#038;cl=26417" target="ejejcsingle">Get a Raise Workbook</a> for Women she guides you through a step-by-step process to help you elevate your pay.</p>
<p>Women have historically <a href="http://womendontask.com/stats.html" target=_blank">struggled with negotiating salary</a>, which is why Pat&#8217;s workbook is so timely and necessary today. In this comprehensive, 64-page guide, Pat clearly describes the <em>process</em> to getting a raise and helps you create a well-defined path toward a higher salary.</p>
<p>One of the many &#8220;ah-ha&#8221; insights I gained from her workbook was the key difference between a COLA (&#8221;cost of living adjustment&#8221;) and a raise. Often, we interchange the terms, but there is a distinct difference between the two that makes a huge difference in your pay. Most women are selling themselves short.</p>
<p>There are many more helpful insights included in the workbook. Here&#8217;s what you&#8217;ll love about the <a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?ii=295135&#038;c=ib&#038;aff=75801&#038;cl=26417" target="ejejcsingle">Get a Raise Workbook</a> for Women:</p>
<ul>
<li><b>It&#8217;s accessible</b>: The workbook is a virtual guide, or eBook, that is available as a <a href="http://get.adobe.com/reader/" target="_blank">PDF file</a> for immediate download after purchase.</li>
<li><b>It&#8217;s accurate</b>: I&#8217;ve been a fan of Pat&#8217;s resources since 2001, when I first used her <a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?cl=26417&#038;c=ib&#038;aff=75801" target="ejejcsingle">Flexible Work Proposal</a> templates to negotiate a telecommute/flex-schedule with my employer. She is a trusted expert who has helped people negotiate for more time and money since 1993. You can count on her advice; it&#8217;s backed by both experience and research.</li>
<li><b>It&#8217;s user-friendly</b>: The workbook, comprised of  seven chapters and a content-rich appendix, includes clear advice and instruction, along with worksheets, templates and resources to ensure you are equipped and empowered to earn more money in your current (or new) job.</li>
<li><b>It&#8217;s guaranteed</b>: Pat stands by her advice. If you&#8217;re not completely satisfied with the multiple return on investment you receive after you&#8217;ve applied her pay raise process, just let her know and she&#8217;ll refund 100% of your money up to a year after your purchase.</li>
</ul>
<p>By the way, this workbook is not limited to women, nor is it only useful for those wanting to get a raise with their current employer. Men can benefit from the advice (though the content relates to women&#8217;s negotiation style) and I&#8217;m employing the strategies to negotiate pay during my current job search. </p>
<p>The Get a Raise Workbook for Women is a career development how-to resource that you must have in your library. <a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?ii=295135&#038;c=ib&#038;aff=75801&#038;cl=26417" target="ejejcsingle"><b>Click here</b></a> to learn more on the WorkOptions.com site.</p>
<p><p style="font-size:11px;"><font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Current News: I recently read <em>The Power of Respect</em> by Deborah Norville. Win a copy, <a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/the-power-of-respect/">enter now</a>.</font></p>
<p style="font-size:11px;"><font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Current Sponsor(s):
<br><a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/can-we-do-it-again/">WNBA</a> - get a discount code for WBNA game!
<br><a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=97002&u=278459&m=14338&urllink=&afftrack=">momAgenda</a> - the <b>only</b> planner for busy moms</font></p>
<p style="font-size:11px;"><font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Connect:
- <a href="http://twitter.com/integratedmom">Twitter</a>
- <a href="http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/The-Integrated-MotherR/23114666975">FaceBook</a>
- <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/118950">LinkedIn</a>
- <a href="http://integratedmother.ning.com/">The Integrated Mother Network</a></font></p>
<p style="font-size:11px;"><font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">&copy;2005-2009 The Integrated Mother. All rights reserved.</font></p></p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/how-to-raise-good-kind-ethical-kids/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: How to raise good, kind, ethical kids'>How to raise good, kind, ethical kids</a></li><li><a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/job-resources-help-moms-work-part-time/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Job Resources Help Moms Work Part-time'>Job Resources Help Moms Work Part-time</a></li><li><a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/telecommuting-isnt-an-impossible-request/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Telecommuting isn&#8217;t an impossible request'>Telecommuting isn&#8217;t an impossible request</a></li></ol></p><div class="feedflare">
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		<title>Write it down, make it happen</title>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:30:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Michele Dortch</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Balance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[For Moms]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[angela manzanares]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fitbook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fitness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health]]></category>

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		<description>If you&amp;#8217;ve followed this blog or my tweets for any length of time, then you know that I&amp;#8217;m a running momma and dropped about 20-25 pounds earlier this year.
My health and fitness has always been important to me, but there was a brief period (okay, nearly five years) when I let myself go and wallowed [...]&lt;p&gt;&lt;p style="font-size:11px;"&gt;&lt;font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"&gt;Current News: I recently read &lt;em&gt;The Power of Respect&lt;/em&gt; by Deborah Norville. Win a copy, &lt;a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/the-power-of-respect/"&gt;enter now&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="font-size:11px;"&gt;&lt;font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"&gt;Current Sponsor(s):
&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/can-we-do-it-again/"&gt;WNBA&lt;/a&gt; - get a discount code for WBNA game!
&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=97002&amp;u=278459&amp;m=14338&amp;urllink=&amp;afftrack="&gt;momAgenda&lt;/a&gt; - the &lt;b&gt;only&lt;/b&gt; planner for busy moms&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="font-size:11px;"&gt;&lt;font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"&gt;Connect:
- &lt;a href="http://twitter.com/integratedmom"&gt;Twitter&lt;/a&gt;
- &lt;a href="http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/The-Integrated-MotherR/23114666975"&gt;FaceBook&lt;/a&gt;
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&lt;p style="font-size:11px;"&gt;&lt;font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"&gt;&amp;copy;2005-2009 The Integrated Mother. All rights reserved.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



Related posts:&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/can-we-do-it-again/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Can we do it again?'&gt;Can we do it again?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/fight-the-frump-the-dont-be-a-hater-edition/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Fight the Frump &amp;#8211; The Don&amp;#8217;t Be a Hater Edition'&gt;Fight the Frump &amp;#8211; The Don&amp;#8217;t Be a Hater Edition&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/general-mills-nourishes-the-lives-of-families/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: General Mills nourishes the lives of families'&gt;General Mills nourishes the lives of families&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p>If you&#8217;ve followed this blog or my <a href="http://www.twitter.com/MicheleDortch" target="_blank">tweets</a> for any length of time, then you know that I&#8217;m a running momma and <a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/fight-the-frump-the-dont-be-a-hater-edition/">dropped about 20-25 pounds</a> earlier this year.</p>
<p>My health and fitness has always been important to me, but there was a brief period (okay, nearly five years) when I let myself go and wallowed in the misery of my &#8220;mom bod,&#8221; which was neither hot nor haute &#8211; trust me. My journey back into a healthy lifestyle began in 2007 when my dad challenged me to run a half-marathon, which I did in <a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/feels/">January 2008</a>. I can&#8217;t thank him enough for being the catalyst that got my health back on track because it also <a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/take-5-the-im-on-the-run-edition/">impacted my wellness</a> (of the mental kind) &#8211; <em>thanks Dad</em>.</p>
<p>By the time I ran my <a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/i-ran/">second half-marathon</a>, I was logging more than 22 running miles a week…yet still dragging around 20+ pounds of excess weight, which obviously affected my performance.</p>
<p>I knew something had to change, so I made a change that resulted in me shedding more than 20 pounds between November 2008 and February 2009. Miraculous results!</p>
<p>Of course there are a number of factors that contributed to my rapid weight loss (none of them involved weird drugs, supplements, or starvation…don&#8217;t panic), but the primary change I made was this: <strong>I wrote things down</strong> &#8211; my fitness and health goals, when I worked out or ran, what I did, how I felt, what I ate and when…everything.</p>
<p>There is plenty of academic, scientific and <a href="http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/jillian-michaels-motivates-3-reasons-you-should-write-down-your-weight-loss-goals-444001/" target="_blank">professional evidence</a> that describes why writing down goals works. Some studies report that people are 75-95% more likely to achieve written goals compared to those who do not. I didn&#8217;t do a major longitudinal study on these assertions, but you can take my layperson testimonial, &#8220;It worked for me!&#8221; <img src='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':)' class='wp-smiley' /> </p>
<p>Here&#8217;s what I learned by writing everything down: I ran a lot. I also ate A LOT. High fives to <a href="http://twitter.com/WeightWatchers" target="_blank">Weight Watchers</a> for helping me get my eating back on track because I had a serious issue around portion control.</p>
<p>What I wish I had owned back then, that I&#8217;m totally in love with now is <a href="http://www.getfitbook.com/" target="_blank">fitbook™</a> &#8211; a sleek, simple fitness and nutrition journal where you can track everything I was scribbling into uninspiring, spiral-bound notebooks.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">
<p><div id="attachment_2693" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 250px">
	<img class="size-medium wp-image-2693" title="fitbook" src="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/fitbook1-250x242.jpg" alt="Durable, compact style" width="250" height="242" />
	<p class="wp-caption-text">Durable, portable exterior</p>
</div></p>
<p><div id="attachment_2695" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 250px">
	<a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/fitbook3.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-2695 " title="fitbook-plan" src="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/fitbook3-250x124.jpg" alt="Set your goals, make a plan" width="250" height="124" /></a>
	<p class="wp-caption-text">Set your goals, make a plan</p>
</div></p>
<p><div id="attachment_2694" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 250px">
	<a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/fitbook2.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-2694" title="fitbook-track" src="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/fitbook2-250x124.jpg" alt="Easily track fitness activities &amp; nutrition" width="250" height="124" /></a>
	<p class="wp-caption-text">Easily track fitness activities &amp; nutrition</p>
</div></p>
<p>fitbook™ was developed by <a href="http://www.getfitbook.com/about-fitlosophy-s/44.htm" target="_blank">Angela Manzanares</a>, a woman passionate about helping people embrace a fit life. Her company&#8217;s mantra is simple and powerful: <em>live life fit</em>. What I love about the product is it&#8217;s portability, usability and savvy interior design. Plus, Angela recently released a new fitbook version: <a href="http://www.getfitbook.com/NEW-fitbook-junior-s/58.htm" target="_blank">fitbook junior</a>, which makes my heart sing as a mom who loves sharing my fitness and healthy habits with my children.</p>
<p>If you have a fitness or health goal, then fitbook is definitely a partner you&#8217;ll want to have alongside you for the journey.</p>
<p>Learn more about fitbook:<br />
<a href="http://www.getfitbook.com" target="_blank"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-2692" title="fitbook" src="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/fitbook-250x80.jpg" alt="fitbook" width="250" height="80" /></a></p>
<ul>
<li>Visit fitbook&#8217;s official Web site: <a href="www.getfitbook.com" target="_blank">www.getfitbook.com</a></li>
<li>Become a fan of fitbook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=38680973441" target="_blank">FaceBook</a></li>
</ul>
<p><p style="font-size:11px;"><font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Current News: I recently read <em>The Power of Respect</em> by Deborah Norville. Win a copy, <a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/the-power-of-respect/">enter now</a>.</font></p>
<p style="font-size:11px;"><font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Current Sponsor(s):
<br><a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/can-we-do-it-again/">WNBA</a> - get a discount code for WBNA game!
<br><a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=97002&u=278459&m=14338&urllink=&afftrack=">momAgenda</a> - the <b>only</b> planner for busy moms</font></p>
<p style="font-size:11px;"><font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Connect:
- <a href="http://twitter.com/integratedmom">Twitter</a>
- <a href="http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/The-Integrated-MotherR/23114666975">FaceBook</a>
- <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/118950">LinkedIn</a>
- <a href="http://integratedmother.ning.com/">The Integrated Mother Network</a></font></p>
<p style="font-size:11px;"><font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">&copy;2005-2009 The Integrated Mother. All rights reserved.</font></p></p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/can-we-do-it-again/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Can we do it again?'>Can we do it again?</a></li><li><a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/fight-the-frump-the-dont-be-a-hater-edition/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Fight the Frump &#8211; The Don&#8217;t Be a Hater Edition'>Fight the Frump &#8211; The Don&#8217;t Be a Hater Edition</a></li><li><a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/general-mills-nourishes-the-lives-of-families/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: General Mills nourishes the lives of families'>General Mills nourishes the lives of families</a></li></ol></p><div class="feedflare">
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		<item>
		<title>Love what you do</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIntegratedMotherBlog/~3/bmmhJDMzgN4/</link>
		<comments>http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/love-what-you-do/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:46:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Michele Dortch</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Balance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Career]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[career search]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[work life balance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[working mother]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/?p=2682</guid>
		<description>A few weeks ago, I was invited to participate in a &amp;#8220;mom blogger conference call&amp;#8221; with Anthony Edwards, one of the actors in the upcoming film, Motherhood. Edwards shared his views on being a father and working professional, as well as his role in the movie. In response to a question about how he balances [...]&lt;p&gt;&lt;p style="font-size:11px;"&gt;&lt;font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"&gt;Current News: I recently read &lt;em&gt;The Power of Respect&lt;/em&gt; by Deborah Norville. Win a copy, &lt;a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/the-power-of-respect/"&gt;enter now&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="font-size:11px;"&gt;&lt;font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"&gt;Current Sponsor(s):
&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/can-we-do-it-again/"&gt;WNBA&lt;/a&gt; - get a discount code for WBNA game!
&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=97002&amp;u=278459&amp;m=14338&amp;urllink=&amp;afftrack="&gt;momAgenda&lt;/a&gt; - the &lt;b&gt;only&lt;/b&gt; planner for busy moms&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="font-size:11px;"&gt;&lt;font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"&gt;Connect:
- &lt;a href="http://twitter.com/integratedmom"&gt;Twitter&lt;/a&gt;
- &lt;a href="http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/The-Integrated-MotherR/23114666975"&gt;FaceBook&lt;/a&gt;
- &lt;a href="http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/118950"&gt;LinkedIn&lt;/a&gt;
- &lt;a href="http://integratedmother.ning.com/"&gt;The Integrated Mother Network&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="font-size:11px;"&gt;&lt;font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"&gt;&amp;copy;2005-2009 The Integrated Mother. All rights reserved.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



Related posts:&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/work-is-a-relationship/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Work is a relationship'&gt;Work is a relationship&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/return-to-work/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Making a return to work comeback'&gt;Making a return to work comeback&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/reading-2009/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Develop a life-long love for reading'&gt;Develop a life-long love for reading&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-2683" style="margin: 3px;" title="Love what you do" src="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/10-18-09-168x250.jpg" alt="Love what you do" width="168" height="250" />A few weeks ago, I was invited to participate in a &#8220;mom blogger conference call&#8221; with Anthony Edwards, one of the actors in the upcoming film, <a href="http://motherhoodthefilm.com/" target="_blank">Motherhood</a>. Edwards shared his views on being a father and working professional, as well as his role in the movie. In response to a question about how he balances a demanding work life alongside marriage and raising four children he said something to the effect, &#8220;If you love what you do, it&#8217;s not a big deal.&#8221; I pretty much tuned out of the call after that statement because I was consumed with the simple wisdom of his words.</p>
<p>Edwards&#8217; response to the work-life balance question is especially meaningful today as I take steps to re-enter the &#8220;traditional&#8221; workforce and search for a <a href="http://www.visualcv.com/micheledortch" target="_blank">full-time job</a>. After being in business for myself for more than six years and enjoying a very flexible work-life, I&#8217;ve received mixed responses to my decision. My dad, a 22-year Air Force veteran and long-time government employee, almost sounded relieved and immediately suggested I get a &#8220;good, secure job with the government.&#8221; Some of my stay-at-home mom friends looked at me with concern saying, &#8220;Gosh, I&#8217;m sorry that you <em>have</em> to go back to work.&#8221; And a large collection of working mom friends lamented, &#8220;Oh. Good luck. The market is tough. And it&#8217;ll be hard with the kids.&#8221;</p>
<p>Of course, I also have a cadre of uber-supportive, positive people who are cheering for my successful and happy return to work, but the general consensus is that work is something a mother is bred to dislike and not enjoy &#8211; work is a means to a bitter end. I don&#8217;t agree.</p>
<p>Maybe I&#8217;m overly optimistic and have a saccharin Pollyanna attitude, but I truly believe that I can and will find my &#8220;love what you do&#8221; job despite news that unemployment is high and <a href="http://www.mediabistro.com/mediajobsdaily/job_outlook/24_million_open_jobs_10_percent_unemployment_what_gives_it_may_not_be_what_you_think_140310.asp" target="_blank">employers are pickier</a> than ever. Well, I am too. I have no intention of leaping into the corporate abyss just to be miserable. It wouldn&#8217;t be good for me or my family. It wouldn&#8217;t be good for my future employer either.</p>
<p>So, as I navigate my way back into a corner office (or at least a nicely appointed cubicle), I&#8217;m working a plan to land the &#8220;love what you do&#8221; job Edwards described. There are a number of strategies I&#8217;m employing, but here are the three that kicked off my job search process:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Be clear about why you&#8217;re working.</strong> Moms work for many reasons &#8211; money, self-worth, fulfillment, contribution, challenge, etc. To achieve the perspective Edwards described and shift from a &#8220;have to work&#8221; to a &#8220;want to work&#8221; point of view, you&#8217;ve got to be clear about your reasons for working AND be satisfied with them. For some, financial motivation is enough to fuel a passion for work. Money is important to me, but of higher priority is the challenge of my work and the vision of making a meaningful contribution to something bigger than myself.</li>
<li><strong>Be clear about what you offer.</strong> One of the early lessons I learned as a business owner was that marketing and selling my value to prospects and clients was my #1 priority. The same is true as I shift my focus from client prospecting to job searching. I have a vast array of experience that is as broad as it is unique, but to land the job I want, I have to be clear about how that background can serve a prospective employer. That means re-crafting my &#8220;elevator pitch&#8221; and positioning myself in a way that is distinct and compelling.</li>
<li><strong>Be clear about who you want to work for.</strong> As a business owner, I&#8217;m big on the power of target marketing. My sales and marketing efforts were far more effective when I narrowed my prospects to specific characteristics, rather than spreading myself thin trying to be &#8220;perfect&#8221; for every client. Likewise in the job search. Although I&#8217;m qualified for a number of open jobs, I&#8217;ve submitted my interest to a select group of employers where I believe my personality, interests and background would be a good fit. The challenging part about this approach is being lost in a sea of applicants who use the (very desperate) spaghetti-on-the-wall approach to job hunting: throw your resume at as many employers as possible, then sit back and see what sticks. That&#8217;s when your professional network can help push you to the surface.</li>
</ul>
<p>Even if you&#8217;re not actively engaged in a job search like me, these ideas can help in your current work situation so that you can have what Edwards described &#8211; a career you love. My hope is that we find it because at the end of the day, it&#8217;ll make us better moms and working professionals.</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s to our collective pursuit of work happiness!</p>
<p><p style="font-size:11px;"><font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Current News: I recently read <em>The Power of Respect</em> by Deborah Norville. Win a copy, <a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/the-power-of-respect/">enter now</a>.</font></p>
<p style="font-size:11px;"><font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Current Sponsor(s):
<br><a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/can-we-do-it-again/">WNBA</a> - get a discount code for WBNA game!
<br><a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=97002&u=278459&m=14338&urllink=&afftrack=">momAgenda</a> - the <b>only</b> planner for busy moms</font></p>
<p style="font-size:11px;"><font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Connect:
- <a href="http://twitter.com/integratedmom">Twitter</a>
- <a href="http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/The-Integrated-MotherR/23114666975">FaceBook</a>
- <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/118950">LinkedIn</a>
- <a href="http://integratedmother.ning.com/">The Integrated Mother Network</a></font></p>
<p style="font-size:11px;"><font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">&copy;2005-2009 The Integrated Mother. All rights reserved.</font></p></p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/work-is-a-relationship/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Work is a relationship'>Work is a relationship</a></li><li><a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/return-to-work/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Making a return to work comeback'>Making a return to work comeback</a></li><li><a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/reading-2009/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Develop a life-long love for reading'>Develop a life-long love for reading</a></li></ol></p><div class="feedflare">
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		<title>Help Melanie save boobs</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIntegratedMotherBlog/~3/vBro60AFjsQ/</link>
		<comments>http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/help-melanie-save-boobs/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:32:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Michele Dortch</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Announcements]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[3 day walk]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[breast cancer awareness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[melanie sheridan]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/?p=2676</guid>
		<description>My friend and fellow blogger, Melanie Sheridan, is taking a big step to &amp;#8220;walk the walk&amp;#8221; as she prepares her body and raises money for the 2009 San Diego Breast Cancer 3-Day this November 20 &amp;#8211; 22, 2009.
 
Here are some startling facts about breast cancer (source: www.komen.org):

An estimated 192,370 new cases of invasive breast [...]&lt;p&gt;&lt;p style="font-size:11px;"&gt;&lt;font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"&gt;Current News: I recently read &lt;em&gt;The Power of Respect&lt;/em&gt; by Deborah Norville. Win a copy, &lt;a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/the-power-of-respect/"&gt;enter now&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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Related posts:&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/trio/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Review and save $5: Fisher Price TRIO™'&gt;Review and save $5: Fisher Price TRIO™&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/recession-doesnt-mean-less-work-life-flexibility/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Recession Doesn&amp;#8217;t Mean Less Work-Life Flexibility'&gt;Recession Doesn&amp;#8217;t Mean Less Work-Life Flexibility&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p><span class="drop_cap">M</span>y friend and fellow blogger, <a href="http://www.meladramaticmommy.com" target="_blank">Melanie Sheridan</a>, is taking a big step to &#8220;walk the walk&#8221; as she prepares her body and raises money for the 2009 San Diego Breast Cancer 3-Day this November 20 &#8211; 22, 2009.</p>
<div align="center"><embed id=VideoPlayback src=http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=-6702649488936068396&#038;hl=en&#038;fs=true style=width:400px;height:326px allowFullScreen=true allowScriptAccess=always type=application/x-shockwave-flash> </embed></div>
<p>Here are some startling facts about breast cancer (source: www.komen.org):</p>
<ul>
<li>An estimated 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer will occur among women in the United States during 2009.</li>
<li>An estimated 40,170 women will die from breast cancer.</li>
<li>About 1,910 men will be diagnosed and 440 men will die of breast cancer during 2009 in the United States.</li>
<li>In addition to invasive breast cancer, an estimated 62,280 new cases of in situ breast cancer will occur among women in 2009.</li>
</ul>
<p>These are statistics that we can&#8217;t ignore. Breast cancer affects everyone.</p>
<p>Although Melanie isn&#8217;t a breast cancer survivor, she&#8217;s been a sideline supporter of her mother who has participated in this event since 2000. She also volunteered at last year&#8217;s event. This year she decided was the perfect time for her to move from cheerleader to active walker. <b>It&#8217;s Melanie&#8217;s virgin walk!</b></p>
<p>Melanie has committed to raising $2,500 and walking 60 miles over three days for the breast cancer awareness cause. Never a shy woman, she&#8217;s even <a href="http://www.meladramaticmommy.com/2009/10/breast-cancer-awareness-month-talkin.html" target="_blank">publicly talking about her boobs</a> to help raise money and awareness about this important event. <b>Please <a href="http://www.the3day.org/site/TR?px=2718073&#038;fr_id=1298&#038;pg=personal" target="_blank">support Melanie</a> by making a donation</b>.</p>
<p>Curious how your donations make a difference? Eighty-five percent of the net proceeds of the event are give to the organization, <a href="http://ww5.komen.org/" target="_blank">Susan G. Komen for the Cure</a> to further the advancement of breast cancer research, treatment, education and prevention. The remaining fifteen percent goes to the <a href="http://www.nptrust.org/donors/field_interest_funds.asp" target="_blank">National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund</a>, which gives continued support to breast cancer initiatives. So, 100% of your donation helps. </p>
<p>I hope you&#8217;ll consider <b><a href="http://www.the3day.org/site/TR?px=2718073&#038;fr_id=1298&#038;pg=personal" target="_blank">making a donation</a></b> and joining me as I support Melanie in the on-going fight against breast cancer.</p>
<p><p style="font-size:11px;"><font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Current News: I recently read <em>The Power of Respect</em> by Deborah Norville. Win a copy, <a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/the-power-of-respect/">enter now</a>.</font></p>
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<p style="font-size:11px;"><font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">&copy;2005-2009 The Integrated Mother. All rights reserved.</font></p></p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/trio/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Review and save $5: Fisher Price TRIO™'>Review and save $5: Fisher Price TRIO™</a></li><li><a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/recession-doesnt-mean-less-work-life-flexibility/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Recession Doesn&#8217;t Mean Less Work-Life Flexibility'>Recession Doesn&#8217;t Mean Less Work-Life Flexibility</a></li></ol></p><div class="feedflare">
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		<title>VisualCV helps you stand out</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIntegratedMotherBlog/~3/0E2L3W63gjU/</link>
		<comments>http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/visualcv-helps-you-stand-out/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:54:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Michele Dortch</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Career]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[job search]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[resume]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[visualcv]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/?p=2666</guid>
		<description>My husband happens to work for a well-known online job board, which doesn&amp;#8217;t necessarily offer any big advantages for me as I make my next big career move back into traditional employment (he&amp;#8217;s not a recruiter). But he does confirm what most already know to be true about the job market &amp;#8211; there are far [...]&lt;p&gt;&lt;p style="font-size:11px;"&gt;&lt;font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"&gt;Current News: I recently read &lt;em&gt;The Power of Respect&lt;/em&gt; by Deborah Norville. Win a copy, &lt;a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/the-power-of-respect/"&gt;enter now&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="font-size:11px;"&gt;&lt;font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"&gt;Current Sponsor(s):
&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/can-we-do-it-again/"&gt;WNBA&lt;/a&gt; - get a discount code for WBNA game!
&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=97002&amp;u=278459&amp;m=14338&amp;urllink=&amp;afftrack="&gt;momAgenda&lt;/a&gt; - the &lt;b&gt;only&lt;/b&gt; planner for busy moms&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="font-size:11px;"&gt;&lt;font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"&gt;Connect:
- &lt;a href="http://twitter.com/integratedmom"&gt;Twitter&lt;/a&gt;
- &lt;a href="http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/The-Integrated-MotherR/23114666975"&gt;FaceBook&lt;/a&gt;
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Related posts:&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href='http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/love-what-you-do/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Love what you do'&gt;Love what you do&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p><span class="drop_cap">M</span>y husband happens to work for a well-known online job board, which doesn&#8217;t necessarily offer any big advantages for me as I make <a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/beliefs-and-the-work-life-conflict/">my next big career move</a> back into traditional employment (he&#8217;s not a recruiter). But he does confirm what most already know to be true about the job market &#8211; there are far more job seekers than there are job openings.</p>
<p>In a sea of faceless resumes, you must stand out.</p>
<p>I&#8217;ve been considering just how to do that and ended up having a horrible nightmare in the process: I was one of the few survivors of the Titanic catastrophe, floating in the frigid ocean water among hundreds of bodies and desperately trying to get the attention of a rescue boat passing a few hundred feet away. But sadly, my lifeless, blue face looked a lot like a dead person so the boat floated away as I sank into the dark ocean.</p>
<p>That&#8217;s morbid, I know. But, the job search process can feel a lot like that. If you hope to be rescued from the sea of dead resumes floating around the job market, you&#8217;ve got to 1) be seen, and 2) be a viable candidate.</p>
<p>To be seen as a viable candidate, I&#8217;m using a number of outreach strategies including <a href="http://www.visualcv.com" target="_blank">VisualCV</a>, a site that let&#8217;s you create an internet-based, multi-media rich resume. Creating a VisualCV takes just a few minutes, but you&#8217;ll want to invest more time to make yours interesting and unique.</p>
<p>Of course, this begins with developing content that accurately conveys your value to an employer: focus on the tangible skills you offer and the results you create. But what truly makes your VisualCV unique is the ability to create an online portfolio of your representative work such as, letters of recommendations, samples of your work, and video or audio files. You can also add a profile photograph to your VisualCV, which I realize some career coaches and recruiters might discourage due to subconscious discrimination issues that may arise.</p>
<p>But, I added my picture nonetheless. My belief is that a prospective employer that holds underlying or overt issues with my gender, ethnicity or general appearance, probably isn&#8217;t a good fit for me anyway. Besides, after more than six years in business for myself I&#8217;ve sufficiently pimped my headshot to the point where I&#8217;m often stopped by strangers who say, &#8220;I know you,&#8221; when they really just know the image they&#8217;ve seen on Web sites and brochures. Plus, any diligent employer will Google my name and find plenty about me, including my picture. There&#8217;s no use hiding who I am!</p>
<p>Other features I like about VisualCV:</p>
<ul>
<li>Get a custom URL that&#8217;s easy to share.</li>
<li>Quickly create a PDF version of your VisualCV.</li>
<li>Create multiple VisualCVs for privacy or specialized jobs</li>
<li>Oh, it&#8217;s free. Music to my ears!</li>
</ul>
<p>Curious to see my VisualCV (and maybe offer me a great job in San Diego?). Check out my Visual CV here:</p>
<div align="center"><a title="Michele Dortch's VisualCV" href="http://www.visualcv.com/micheledortch" target="_blank"><img src="http://buttons.visualcv.com/visualcv_buttons/visualcv_button_without_head.jpg" border="0" alt="Michele Dortch's VisualCV" /></a></div>
<p>By the way, VisualCV isn&#8217;t limited to those searching for a job. Independent professionals and business owners can use VisualCV to develop an online presence and market services as well.</p>
<p>Learn more about VisualCV:<br />
Web: <a href="http://www.visualcv.com" target="_blank">www.visualcv.com</a><br />
Twitter: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/visualcv" target="_blank">@visualcv</a></p>
<p><p style="font-size:11px;"><font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Current News: I recently read <em>The Power of Respect</em> by Deborah Norville. Win a copy, <a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/the-power-of-respect/">enter now</a>.</font></p>
<p style="font-size:11px;"><font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Current Sponsor(s):
<br><a href="http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/can-we-do-it-again/">WNBA</a> - get a discount code for WBNA game!
<br><a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=97002&u=278459&m=14338&urllink=&afftrack=">momAgenda</a> - the <b>only</b> planner for busy moms</font></p>
<p style="font-size:11px;"><font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Connect:
- <a href="http://twitter.com/integratedmom">Twitter</a>
- <a href="http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/The-Integrated-MotherR/23114666975">FaceBook</a>
- <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/118950">LinkedIn</a>
- <a href="http://integratedmother.ning.com/">The Integrated Mother Network</a></font></p>
<p style="font-size:11px;"><font color="333333" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">&copy;2005-2009 The Integrated Mother. All rights reserved.</font></p></p>


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