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Moms on the Move

We want to support and acknowledge moms. Each of you is making a difference whether you are a stay at home mom, working mom, or volunteer mom. When you become a mom, it is often easy to forget the side of you that is also a woman who may have had a career, hobbies and education before you became a parent. As a mom we spend our days multi-tasking and juggling. We are now the CEO of our households. Our job description includes diapers, dishes, carpooling, and an endless amount of laundry. Below are great tips, information and links for moms in the workplace.

Local Business Events

The Goleta Valley Chamber of Commerce started something new in 2009- Business 2 Business breakfasts on the first Tuesday of each month at Earl Warren Showgrounds in Warren Hall. Future dates:

March 2

April 6

May 4

Websites & Resources

Websites:

Magazines:

Working Woman Magazine

Tips for the Working Mom

Parent to Parent Tips:

Balancing Family Life

Don't fight change, just plan on rearranging your sleeping and waking schedule to ensure that you get quality time for you (i.e. working out, reading, correspondence etc.)
Force yourself to get into the habit of cleaning up, moving/folding laundry, preparing lunches, and planning breakfast every night, before you go to bed.
Prepare extra food on Sundays to use during the week (i.e. chop veggies and large fruits and prepare storable meals).
Always have crackers or other snacks and water in the car.
Utilize some of your lunch breaks at work to run errands (grocery shopping and post office), but also reserve some of them to refresh yourself (take a walk or eat with a friend).
As a working mom, you need to be good at multitasking and staying organized.
Try to make lunches the night before.
Pick out kids outfits the night before and
Make sure to get kids to bed early enough that they get the sleep they need.
Work as a team with your spouse, Get yourselves ready first in the morning. Wake up kids so that they have enough time to eat, get ready and play a bit before you rush out the door to daycare and school.
Try to talk about something you will do together that night before you all go in different directions. That way, you start the day on a positive note and have something to look forward to at the end of the day.

Mom in the Spotlight

Leah Diamond

(Site Photos) Leahandkids.jpg

Profile:

Please meet Leah Diamond, owner of Good Cookin': Create Healthy Meals in Minutes. Leah is a mom, a teacher, a business owner, a camp director, and a tireless volunteer in our community. And those are just the highlights!

Leah's newest website - good-cookin.com - encourages and inspires a healthy lifestyle through smart food choices. Leah does not limit her business to adults; she has been teaching cooking to children for 17 years through camps, afterschool programs, and weekend classes. Watch the SBParent.com site for her Healthy Cooking With Kids summer camp!

Leah doesn't just touch lives for the better through her business. She's also a reading teacher and volunteers with two local organizations. My son's class had the pleasure of donating to the Community of Friends last December. Leah's tremendous service of matching donors to anonymous recipients, the sheer volume of donations received, and the organization that must go into the distribution of donations was awe-inspiring. -Irene Milton

Volunteer Involvement: I am involved with both Center of the Heart (spiritual center) & Community of Friends (helping families in the Goleta Union School District).
Profession: I am a Healthy Food Coach and Elementary Reading Assistant at a local school.
Education: Bachelor's from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Children: Brian-22 years old & Beth-20 years old

Fun Q & A with our Spotlight Mom:

Personal:

What phrase or motto do you live by?

Live fully in this moment.

Inspiration:

Mother Theresa

If you could teach your kids one thing and have it impact them, what would it be?

Treat everyone with respect and compassion.

How do you measure success?

If you feel success inside of yourself, you are successful.

Greatest Accomplishment:

Having 2 home births and raising my kids as a single parent and having them be successful, compassionate adults.

Proudest Moment:

The birth of my two children and my daughter getting accepted at UC Berkeley.

Biggest Challenge:

Raising two kids in Santa Barbara as a single parent with very little emotional or financial support.

Wildest Dream:

To spend the summer traveling in New Zealand and Australia.

Sport/Exercise Program:

Yoga 3 times/week Pilates 3 times/week Treadmill, biking, and lifting weights at the gym 5 times/week

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

I had a monkey when I was a child.

Where did you grow up:

Culver City, Ca. (near LA Airport)

How many siblings:

One sister and three step-sisters

First Job:

File clerk in doctor's office (in high school).

Childhood Ambition:

To be a full time mom and not work outside the home.

Favorites:

Favorite Local Restaurant:

Spice Ave. on State St. (Indian food)

Favorite Coffee Spot:

Peet's Coffee

Favorite Soundtrack/song:

What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong

Favorite Movie:

Many of the old movies, like The Sound of Music.

Last Book You Read:

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

Indulgence:

Healthy Raw Chocolate

Tell us about a product or item that you can't live without as a parent:

The backpack (on your back) for your baby, when they can hold up their head (so you can have your hands free and they can see at your level).

Your Perfect Day:

In nature, by the beach (walking) or on a trail.

Other:

What inspires you to go to work every day?

To help children know that they are smart and have talents.

[Business Owners] What motivated you to start your business?

I want to help others become healthier and to know you don't have to spend hours in the kitchen creating healthy food.

[Business Owners] What is the hardest part about owning your own business?

Having enough time to do it all and getting known in the community for what I do.

[Teachers] Why did you go into education?

To help kids feel good about themselves and know they are smart and have talents.

[Teachers] What is it that motivates you most each day working with students?

Knowing that they appreciate me and what I do.

[Teachers] What message is important to you to pass on to your students?

Follow your dreams.

Each month we feature a mom making a difference in our community. We want to acknowledge working moms and stay at home moms. Suggest a mom by emailing us at info@sbparent.com.

Past profiled mom...

About Our Sponsor

Women's Economic Ventures

This page is is sponsored by Women's Economic Ventures, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating an equitable and just society through the economic empowerment of women across the globe. WEV offers a continuum of programs to help women succeed at every stage of the business lifecycle. Services include comprehensive self-employment training program, advanced training, business counseling, coaching, and networking opportunities to help individuals to startup, launch, grow, and sustain a business. WEV's service area has grown to include north and south Santa Barbara County and Ventura County with offices in Santa Barbara and Oxnard.