1. Indeed’s Top Ten Tips
2. MSN’s Tips for 2012
3. About.com’s Consolidated Tips
4. AvidCareerist Blog
5. LinkedIn Job Search Tips

Fortunately, after I took a week off to process my layoff, I was only out of work for five weeks.

I drank my own Kool-aid.

• Start with a twist of the ego

• Add a 1/2 cup of rest and relaxation

• Splash on gratitude, non-material HAVES

• Garnish with laughter from supportive, positive family and friends

• Stir in some pro-bono consulting, keep your mind sharp

• Serve up your best self to connected colleagues

1. Naps.
2. The gym is free of sweat smell at 10 a.m.
3. Yikes, I’m my own tech support?!
4. People will still pay for old stuff. We made over $600 in a yard sale.
5. Inviting hubbie home for lunch has pleasurable perks.
6. Oprah has some cool stuff on her show. This dude grew back the tip of his finger!
7. Free brain space is not a luxury, it’s there every day.
8. Friends and colleagues follow through.
9. Paul Westerberg’s song, “Good Day”.
10. My daughter, aged 8, still holds my hand on walks to school.

I’m the Queen of “succeeding as a working parent is keeping your kids on the DL”—not a lot of doctor’s appointments, photos, etc. It’s OK to bring your dog to work but your kid- no way! This way people treat working women like bosses, co-workers and NOT like Moms.

My philosophy was completely shot to hell late last month as, in between camp ending and school starting, my childcare fell through! My husband saved the day and invited DC to his office at Raymond James to buy and sell stocks.

DC pleaded and cried not to go. She actually said, “Mom, I like investing but kids needs their moms!”

I explained that she would need to be up at 5:30am and that she basically would have to sit at a desk and make a Bon Voyage card for my co-worker and not talk to anyone. If she went to a meeting- SILENCE.

Sure enough the next morning she tapped me on my arm fully dressed and ready for Starbucks at 5:30am. At the office she:

• Created a Bon Voyage card for Andy, introducing herself to everyone in the office to gather signatures.
• Talked non-stop not only to me to a woman who sat near her.
• Charmed everyone by passing out construction paper snow flakes, which are still pasted on various bulletin boards.
• Ate lunch at her desk (I know, I know. Well, it was busy).

As I put her backpack full of stuffed animals, crayons, construction paper and homemade books into my sister’s car around 3pm and watched my little assistant drive off, I almost got a little tear.
I would do anything for her… even lose my cool cred at the office.

Second day on the job– a developer and I have to deliver some difficult news.

We get them on the phone:

Me: “Hi– I’m afraid that I’ve got an issue to report and some ways that we want to address it.”

Client: OK (gulp!)

Me: Unfortunately while reviewing your HTML, we discovered some inconsistencies…– uh— uh, (at this moment I see a 3 inch cockroach crawling up my leg. I jump up, I do NOT scream and I swipe at the f*cker.)

Me: There’s literally a huge bug crawling up my leg and I’m trying to get it off. Uh, hold that thought. <My colleague and I yelp> (I try two and three times to get this thing off of my leg. Finally, fourth swipe and it gets on the floor.)

My colleague: (smacks with her notebook- several times, which does nothing to the roach)

Me: (take off shoe- smackdown with heel- dead. Finally. IT guy comes in room after hearing screams. He (thank God) removes the body and our call resumes with client feeling really sorry for me at this point.

HR follows up on any residual trauma and pest control comes the end of the week.

I’m digging the gig but there were definitely some bugs at first. Crazy!

1. Layoffs
After surviving several rounds of “letting people go,” I’m one of the few people left at my agency. The creative director is freelancing from home and the only IT guy just accepted another job.

2. People Looking at Our Office Space
In the middle of conference calls in my office, the HR guy walks by showing clients our office space.

3. There’s No More Water
Literally, the water cooler bottles are empty and are not going to be refilled. We were all parched for days before we realized this.

Thank God for sick kids child care. My first meeting with a big client was on Friday and Claire relapsed once again. I really needed to be at the office and Claire wasn’t that bad off– fever of 100.4 — and, she likes the facility in the hospital because she gets to watch TV and play with toys.

In the past when I’ve dropped her off with the nurses, I never made it past the door without crying.

What am I doing? My kid needs me and I drop her off with a fever and go to a client meeting?!

In the car with tissue mopping up mascara, I coach myself on remembering the big picture.

It’s unlikely she’ll remember this one day. I’ll just pepper the remainder of the year with a couple Disney trips and the Princesses will erase everything else from her memory with a wave of their wands. Or, I could always pump up the Claritin and try hypnoses.

I’m leaving her in a secure facility with nurses as her babysitters.  If there’s a problem then she’s in a hospital for God’s sake!  And, her super Dad ended up driving down and picking her up after only three hours, taking her to the doctor and then taking her to his home for the weekend. God Bless my former hubbie and co-parent.

Ask Your School or Daycare who Offers Sick Kids Childcare

Many schools and pre-schools have a list of facilities that accept kids with a fever or sore throat. These places are like gold.  You might need to pre-register and then reserve a spot.  Add big points to your mom-card if you send or Email a thank you note with an update on your kiddo.

Unlike the Friday night Happy Hour, everyone likes working parents to attend the Holiday Party. We might not show as much leg or cleavage or sing “Santa Baby” while sitting in the boss’ lap, but we’ll drive you home if you ask our spouses questions and don’t puke in the back of the BMW.

According to ParentsAction.org:

• 70 percent of all families with children under the age of 18 have two parents or one single parent in the workplace.
• Over 60 percent of mothers with children under six were in the labor force in 2002.
• Married women with children increased their work hours by 50% between 1979 and 2002.

I really like to work and I tell my daughter that. I like to make things happen, to hash out issues around a white board, to earn an income but I don’t want to be at my job ALL the time. Does anyone else feel like the time demands have increased in the private sector? David E. Kelley is famed for created work-place TV series like Ally McBeal and Boston Legal showing attorneys who just don’t go home– their whole lives, love interests, social life and dramas are shared with office personnel.

It’s not a surprise that terms like “work family” and “work spouse” are starting to pop up. I cringe a bit at the thought of who my work spouse would be…