Cake

Vote for your favorite cover...Win the book!

Take the Cake (a balance handbook) is just about finished (WOOHOO!)  And I can't wait for it to get out to everyone.  It's been an exciting process.  My publisher sent me some possible covers.  Which one do you like?  Weigh in in the comment section and help me choose the right one.  Include your email and one lucky reader gets a free copy of the book with a special surprise included!

COVER 1

COVER 2

COVER 3

Balance Tip #2: Fresh Air

One year while visiting Paris, my now husband and I had terrible jet lag. At 3AM we were wide awake.   By 4AM we were out running the streets of Paris. Cafe owners quietly swept the sidewalk in front of the champs d'Elysees while observing us with a suspicious eye.  The aroma of fresh baked bread engulfed us.  The Eiffel tower was breathtaking in the just barely glimmeribg early morning light.  It was a breath of fresh air.

fresh air has become a true luxury.  While reading email or talking on the phone as your taking a walk, I challenge you to go outside completely unattached to any electronic device.  You don't have to walk, although doing so will give you the double bonus of getting exercise as well. There is something inherently relaxing about unplugging from the world even just for ten or fifteen minutes.  Beyond enjoying the fresh smell of the world after a spring rain shower or seeing newborn ducklings playing in the stream, even in the center of a city you can notice sounds you might not have before. 

Multitasking is inefficient

I always said boys are terrible multi-taskers, as if this was a criticism   And admittedly most of the men I know are not good at doing more than two things at once.  As far as I can tell, they can barely have a conversation while drinking a cup of coffee some times.   They also seem more relaxed about things overall, and these are high powered men, than their female counterparts. In 2005 Dr. Wilson did a multi-tasking study and found that your IQ drops 10 points while multitasking.   And I have to think there us some wisdom here.

Eat Well: Chicken Gyros

I love Mediterranean food in general and this is a great and easy meal which I pulled off Epicurious.com.  Below is my personal version of it, but you can find the original here. 

Ingredients

• 2 Cucumbers
• 1 c. Greek yogurt
• 2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves, minced, divided
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered
• 1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 rounded teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 (12-ounces) package naan bread (four 8-inch pieces)
• 1 lb. Chicken breast
• Fresh Spinach

Preparation

Preheat broiler.

Peel and grate 1 cucumber, then squeeze it with your hands to remove excess water. Stir together with yogurt, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper to make tsatsiki.

Cut remaining cucumber into 1/4-inch pieces and stir together with tomatoes, onion, parsley, remaining  lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper to make salsa.

Gently simmer oil, oregano, rosemary, remaining garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a small heavy saucepan 1 to 2 minutes. Grill chicken in strips.  Toss chicken with garlic oil.

Heat bread, in a 4-sided sheet pan, covered with foil, 3 to 4 inches from broiler 3 minutes. Uncover and broil, rotating bread for even coloring, until golden in spots, about 2 minutes.

Spread some of tsatsiki on warm bread and top with chicken and some of lettuce and salsa. Serve remaining lettuce, salsa, and tsatsiki on the side.

The price of the Well-Rounded Child

$100 - 4 weeks of art class
$40 - 4 week yoga class
$80 - 4 week piano lessons
$42 - 4 weeks of soccer class
$2250 - private school tuition.

The cost of the educated, well rounded child isn't cheap.  And while it shouldn't be the current price tag seems exorbitant.  And if you are me, take that and times it by 2 for my 2 children plus add in 8 weeks of half day summer camp at $400/week!   Eeeek!

On My Soapbox - AGAIN

Those of you who come here often know that I get on my soap box about education frequently.  That are education system is deplorable is hardly newsworthy.  We know it's terrible and it is only going the wrong direction.  Today I am especially angry about the lack of quality choices because it is almost June and I still have not found the right education environment for my highly gifted five year old.  And when I say she is highly gifted this is not proud parent   This is IQ testing and assessment by professionals to the point tgat i am now being advised on all the opportunities for gifted children

This not to say I haven't looked.  I've exhausted the public and private option.  One school was right, and of course, even my daughter said of all her school visits that was the one but they had a 100 qualified applicants for 10 spots and even less space as a girl.  So she was tossed info the wait list pool to tread water.  And so we wait.  And what rankles me the most is that not only are there not enough spaces in these schools that cost upwards of $20k a year but also that I should have to turn to one of these programs because the school districts fail to provide quality programs themselves.  After much discussion with her current teachers and an educational assessment team, I'm being told that most children with her gifts are hone schooled. Most recently a home schooled child was admitted not only to Harvard but numerous top tier schools.  While this ultimately may be the direction we choose, I am angry that in order for my gifted and highly social child to soar I have to devise an educational plan at home and ultimately sacrifice social aspects.

5 ways to Balance Today

  Whether you are working mom, entrepreneur, or student, we are all working on that thing called balance.  We are juggling relationships, work, family, community outreach i.e. volunteering, household maintenance and maybe, just, maybe a little self in there.

So if you are juggling and more balls are dropping than stating in the air, here's 5 quick tips for getting it all done with less stress:

1. 10 minutes a day - do something totally for yourself 10 minutes a day. Whether it is 10 minutes of sun salutations, reading a book, sitting in the fresh air, whatever.  Take 10 minutes just for you with no obligation to anyone or anything else (and no doing laundry or something else on your to-do list doesn't count.)

2. Get organized - set up a weekly task list, make it manageable and for a week. Less than a week makes you crazy setting up lists, and more than a week is overwhelming. If you must do more than a week, set tasks for next week or the week after in a different list so you don't see so many items at the same time.

Balance Tip: Be in the Moment

Let me start with, yes, this sounds very zen and yes, I'll give credit to my hilarious yoga teacher, Jeff, who reminds us many times during a yoga practice to be there.  Of course, most of the time we are in some wacky, contorted position that we can't think of anything else but hoe to be there.  And to clarify, I don't take the chanting, earthy yoga.  Nothing wrong with it, just not my particular flavor of yoga. No, I prefer yoga tune up - an athletic yoga that gives you that kind of workout you can be dote for days after wards while giving me the strength, stretch and yes, relaxation I need.  And this BE THERE mantra is such a key to work-life balance that I'm stealing it (with full admission) from yoga and applying it to a little work life balance.

Eating Well: Tomato Basil Tart

So, I LOVE to cook and in our house we do kind of quick gourmet, because frankly that is what is realistic with two small children, who by the way love to cook as well.  My next business will probably be a bakery/cafe.  My husband and I already have a name picked out.  Recently, I started tweeting about recipes we were preparing and people started asking for them.  So, while by no means is this a "foodie" blog, I am happy to share some of our favorites. 

The tomato tart below is just one of many versions I have made.  In season, I recommend heirloom tomatoes as they add a rich flavor.  You can soak them in some dipping oil for a few minutes toss them on a tart shell (homemade, of course) and sprinkle some basil and kalamata olives on top.  Bake and then crumble a little goat cheese.  I have also made one with an egg filling which is great for a brunch and is almost like a thin quiche.  Drop me a comment if you need more ideas.

INGREDIENTS:

Evaluating assessment in schools

An article in the Huffington post last year highlighted success stories in our public school system with a focus on increased achievement in test scores.  Certainly it would appear that an increase in test scores correlates to success.  Thinkers in the progressive school of thought denounce such "achievements".  They argue and I agree that success is measured by learning and student engagement not by standardized tests. In fact testing is counterproductive to progressive education assessment. 

In favor of Drill & Kill

The drill and kill method of teaching is called that just for a reason - drill concepts over and over again into students until you have killed any passion for learning that may have once existed.  It is endless worksheets and tests with a marked absence of creative thinking, problem solving and development of analytical skills.  And more importantly it is what we are setting up our schools to do. With large budget cuts in education sweeping the United States we are rapidly taking away the opportunity to learn in favor of an underachieving population that does not know how to think for themselves.  I notice we aren't making sweeping cuts to the defense or prison system budgets.  Sure we will have oil but we will never be able to get off it because our next generation will not be able to problem solve.  It's estimated that 100,000 teachers nationwide will be laid off for the 2010-2011 school year.  This equates to larger class sizes, lack of specialists on science, math, the arts and more, closed libraries and a general lack of resources for our students.
And while I know we can't turn things around overnight, clearly this must be a step in the wrong direction.

From potential dropout to neuroscience major

Got your attention didn't I?  It got my attention to as I delve deeper An article in business week of all places takes a good look at the need to radically re-examine the way we educate our children.  Described in the story is the MET school, a growing progressive approach that focuses on one child at a time.  You can read the full article here or more about the MET here.  What I loved most was the one child at a time approach with a very personal connection to each student to not only follow and encourage their progress but also to discover where student interests lie and develop them.  It is true outside tgr box thinking and what IMHO our school system desperately needs.  What we have learned from No Child Left Behind Act is that the back to basics methods with an emphasis on repeated testing has done nothing to improve the quality of education in the united states.  In fact many including myself would argue that it has moved us dramatically backward.

This story, though, runs deeper than just the success of this methodology.  Three important lessons to learn from this:

A lesson from Early Education

The education crisis is not lost on me.  In fact I think about it, research and problem solve daily.  And I am smart enough to know that while I cannot by myself change the system, I can contribute to, educate on, and be part of am education revolution.  Although o studied schools of thought back when I was doing masters degree, everything from progressive to Waldorf to charter and back again.   And that brought me to thinking about the school my daughters attend, a small Montessori preschool with three mixed age classrooms.  The Montessori method is controversial in itself and this not to advocate it in particular. 

Stifling creativity in our education

Inspired by creative lesson planning and progressive education goals, I was thrilled to enter my first classroom as a student teacher only to be dummied down into drill and kill by the mentor teacher I worked with.  Oneclassroom one experience.  It would be different when it was my own class, I was confident.  But it was with great dismay that I encountered resistance from colleagues, parents and administrators at my student focused style.  In fact I remember a bitter colleague once remarking to me that I was very popular with my students but they weren't learning anything.  Ironically, a year later she called me and asked for my curriculum to use in her own class.

From the trenches of our Education System

I recently read an article by second year teacher speaking of her first day teaching.  While I felt sorry that the school who hired her was so ill prepared for her arrival and clearly she had not been well-trained for by her certification program, I felt more sorry for her students and angry at the system she came through. Essentially, she complained that her curriculum was not handed to her in a box. 

Measuring success in our schools

A number one topic for legislators in virtually every campaign is education.  There is no doubt that the majority of schools out there are failing and what I wonder is why.  There are numerous studies by educational research on tools for success.  The recent longitudinal study highlighted in Organizing Schools for Improvement focuses on successes and failures.  And for the most part I would argue we are failing.  I wonder if it's budget, population, teacher training, community or more.  Is it that in an effort to please everyone we meet no ones needs?   Do we have one round hole that we expect every child to fit into while we have square, diamond, and more shaped pegs?   Our schools not only fail the disadvantaged but those who desire careers in apprentice type fields, the gifted, and the middle.  As one who has been in the trenches I know we can do more.

Accomplished. Employers Apply

It's a funny thing being an entrepreneur.  You gain a lit of skills because in the beginning you are it - CEO, VP of marketing, HR, IT, accounting, janitor, office manager, social media guru - you name it, you're it.  And so if you are me and have launched two companies as well as worked in industry, I'm pretty surprised to send resumes out that get no response.  I mean truly, I may not have an MBA, but I guarantee that I know morea bout most facets of business especially business and brand development  than all of them combined.  And I say this kindly.  After all, half of my friends have MBAs.  I do have a master's degree by the way, but not in business.  But I digress.  You'll learn that about me.

Have it Your Way - Businesses that Solve problems

So I admit, I don't really understand the words "you can't have it" or "we don't do it that way.". Not in a spoiled child kind of way but in a why not?   I mean truly we shape the world we want for ourselves and hopefully the community around us. 

Burger king used to run a marketing campaign with the slogan "have it your way", meaning you could have the order the way you wanted.  Starbucks built entire brand around this.  I mean, how many people do you know who just walk into Starbucks and have a coffee? No, it's tall triple shot half calf soy extra hot mocha or a decaf nonfat Carmel Machiatto with whip. Charm City Cakes (see photo) is highly skilled at creating the cake you want the way you want.  In fact, they epitomize "you can have your cake and eat it, too." 

So, when I am balancing work, life, kids, me, it never even occurs to me that I can't have it my way.  Why can't I be successful in career and mommydom? Why aren't there more resources for me?  Obviously, that's why I created Cubes&Crayons, but it goes beyond that.  I love to hear of these innovative solutions from people who say "yes, you can have it your way". Among my favorites, not counting Cubes&Crayons are (in no particular order):

The ever growing to do list

So I admit I am challenged, as you might be also, to saying yes to too many things and literally wanting to do it all.  And consequentially my to do list grows ever longer.  For every one thing I cross off, I seem to add two more things.
And sometimes when I look at this long, long, LONG list of tasks I am so overwhelmed that I kind of shut down. It's not so much that I do nothing it's more that I can't figure our where to start.   Do you ever feel that way?
Then after a piece of dark chocolate (or well, maybe three or four), I look back at the list and slowly, maybe, tackle it.  And once I get going I am usually fine.  

Failing Schools: Not news, really

The fact that our education system is failing us does not come as a shock to anyone, or it shouldn't.  Funding is tied to test scores, so curriculum becomes focused on test preparation. We are setting up to graduate a generation of people who can pass a series of standardized tests but they won't be able to think, problem solve, write a paragraph or innovate, so what are we producing? 

Balance tip: the importance of me

Recently I was interviewed by a writer for Redbook and as I was sharing my story the issue of balance came up.  I spent two long doing too much for others and wasn't doing anything for me.  "That's exactly how my last month was" she laughed.

We live in a go, go, go world where overextending ourselves can be a way of life.  We give to our families, careers, nonprofit, friends, etc.  It's a good thing and hopefully, our generosity is appreciated by most.  But be wary for burnout is coming.

Education: We are Failing Ourselves

I'm angry.  Furious, stand on my soapbox and shout angry.   I look at my tax dollars and never before have I been angrier than now.  We are failing our future.  The United States defense budget is currently $651.2 billion   The united states to date has spent $977,448,134,511 on fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  At the same time we spent $157 Bilion on education.  Less than the money spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Not Our Parents' World

Maybe all generations come to this realization at some point, they probably do, but in recent months I am especially struck by the differences between challenges at raising my kids versus the challenges my parents faced.  At the core the goals are the same: raising a happy, healthy and well educated child. 

When I was little almost everyone I knew lived in a house they owned.  Typically one parent did not work and that was affordable.  Some could even afford to send their kids to private school.  And if they could, there was a place for their child.  This is not the case today, at least where I live.

Spring Fever - With just a little guilt

The warm sunshine and spring blooms have overtaken me and I have fallen "ill" with spring fever.  That massively productive self of two weeks ago has fallen away and my focus is blurred.  At first it was fabulous, but I admit I am now feeling not just a little bit guilty.  

Getting it Done in Less Time

Rachel Ray's 30 minute meal show on the Food Network is focused on multitasking so that you can make a home cooked meal in 30 minutes or left.  One of her favorite tips is going to get ingredients in a large bowl and getting them all at the same time so you aren't going back and forth to the pantry and refrigerator.  And when she needs onions for more than one dish she cuts them all at the same time so they are ready for the next round.  Certainly not brain surgery, but cute little tips to help you get your food prep done faster.  Essentially she is all about streamlining the work of cooking.  When I had my first daughter, I joked about how I suddenly knew how to get things done in 15 minute blocks because I never knew when they were going to come or how long they would last, so I learned how to streamline everything from household tasks to work.

Balance Tip: Get Organized

See if this rings even a little bit true:

5:00am – Turn off the alarm and turn over
5:05 am – Turn off the snooze and think about staying in the bed, but instead get up.
5:10am – Check email, grab yoga time
6:00am – Run
6:45am – Try to write press release before kid number one gets up; check email
again
7:00am – both kids up – make breakfast, brush hair, assemble lunches, get kids’ bag
together, get my bag together; wake up spouse.  MAYBE play time with kids and
read one book together
8:00am – check email again, put kids in car, kiss spouse good bye, schedule meeting
for fundraiser I’m chairing, Oops – didn’t get to my hair/makeup, AGAIN, so hair in
ponytail, grab lipstick from my bag.  That will be it for the day.
8:30am – Drop kid number one off at school
8:45am – Drop kid number two off at school #2
9:00am – Off to meeting
10:00am – Work/Write/Tweet….
2:00pm – pick up child #2 at school; 2:30 pick up child #1 at school
1:00 - 5:00pm - walk to bookstores to read and chat with our favorite staff there; outdoor play at home with ball, art class, soccer, yoga, sidewalk chalk and of course, bubbles
5:00pm - check fridge and list for what we are cooking for dinner; start prepping;
girls get down time with books and coloring and puzzles
6:00pm - family cooks dinner together and eats; bath time, more books, and finally
bed for the little ones
8:30pm - hop on laptop for 2 - 3 hours of solid work without interruption.
11:00pm - read (hopefully more than 2 pages before passing out.)

Rinse. Repeat. 

Working Mom: The danger of having it all

 Person A has It all.  Her dream job, a great spouse and the two kids she wanted.  Plus she sits on the board of two nonprofits.  She is what many women aspire to be.  Mom, respected professional, loving spouse, community minded, and happy.  Well for the most part.  But at the same tome with all these forces pulling she can get lost in the fray.  For her, a lot of her me time cones at work because she loves her work.  But still a day with no phone calls, a child needing to be fed or changed or having a girls night out or just reading a book is a rare occurrence. 

Words to live by

BE FREE

FOCUS ON THE LONG TERM

DON'T CHASE THE MONEY

The Middle Ground

Can you realistically spend time with your kids and have a career?  Can you be a part time at both or do both ultimately suffer?  Those who read my blog, know that I do advocate you can have it all.  It is a notion that is challenged by the traditional workplace and the cynic I was interviewed by today.  And then I came across another article demonstrating how many who are stuck in the middle can make it work.