I am so please that it is Memorial Day weekend. I have started on my project building a BANS site and I am looking forward creating more and getting more involved with it. Also I am going to start a new contest with Vic at BloggerUnleashed.com.  I hope that starting the contest will be help me get into learning more about the ways to effectively create and promote myself as a blogger.  I am so happy to have taken this time today.  Not only just for me to rest, but to also acknowledge all of the brave individuals that died and make a sacrifice to keep us as well as future generations safe in the home we call America. I give great gratitude for their duty not only as Americans but just as people. I believe that it is brave to do and stand for what you believe in.  I feel that many people these days have lost that touch.  For example of the Prodestant Reformation.  These Christians took action for what they believed in. They didn’t just talk the talk, but walked the walk.  They dedicated their lives and death for the cause of Chrisitanity and lived it everyday of their lives.  Took time to learn about it and deciplined themselves so that their lives where centered around it.  That is what I call making a commitment.  Now I call myself a Chrstian? Where is my action? Where is my calling.   I was looking at a documentary on the history channel and I all of a sudden had a “a-ha” moment.  I started asking myself what do I truly believe in?  It gave me a chance to focus on what is important and what is not.  What I need to do to take action of my life and what I need to take action to get out of my life.

I think that today people are like machines. We plug in and out at work, plug in and out at home but do we really take time to stop and really think about what we are doing?  This Memorial Day, I will focus on what I believe in and what I need to do to call my self to action and duty.  I make the “call” for everyone else to challenge themselves to do the same.

Yesterday I had a Blast.  I walked the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure here in Las Vegas May 3rd.  It was at the Fremont Street Experience and I was a Blast.  Since I have been walking for some time,  I wanted to walk the 5k (3.4 miles).  I was able to finish at 1hr and 15 minutes. It was a wonderful to see so many people that were at the event.  I met a couple of survivors of the even and also people who were walking for the memory of a mother, daughter or sister. They had all kinds of pamplets and information on prevention and how to get a breast exam.  After the walk, they had treats from various participating companies.  I was able to grab a couple of fruits, yougurts, ice cream and drink samples.  It was just enough food for everyone. Overall it was just $25.00 to sign up.  I was able to get my t-shirt and number tag for the event.  Everything was very organized and started right on time.  The affairs ended around 10:00 a.m. or so.  It was just nice to help in a cause that effects so many people.   What came to my surprise was how many women who were survivors that were so young (around 30 or so) This is a deadly disease and it is very serious.  It is very important to know that prevention is the key when it comes to Breast cancer. For more information about participation in your area, go to www.komen.org/ for more information.

We are all in this together.

I went to a government job fair today.  Now from what I know, I knew that a lot of people of be there.  With the rise of unemployment and layoffs I knew to get their early.  Well, I got their around 15 minutes before it was going to start and not to my surprise the line almost went around the building. Was was to my surprise was when I got in there how the job fair went.

I have been at plenty of job fairs for private sectors and at least you can leave a resume.  This was not the case at this fair.  Let me just paint a picture….in a little hall area there were all of the public sectors with their cards, papers and candy. A lot of people (as like myself) brought resumes.  Oh no. They didn’t want that.  They just wanted to tell you that you needed to go on the Internet to apply for jobs and some of them just gave out information and they had not jobs available at this time.  WHAT!!!!!! Why are they even here.  The place was packed with potential and desperate people trying to get in a government job hoping that would be the most stable place to work at this time.  I wouldn’t say that is was a waste of time, but very disappointing.  I kept on hearing people in a state of confusion.  Perfume, cologne coming off of hot bodies and sweaty suits trying to find a way in and out of the place and to figure out was it better for them to have stayed at home and just applied in the first place.  I spoke to a couple of women that were at the job fair and they were as disappointed and confused as I was.  Well, I did what everyone does at a job fair…get papers, free pens, business cards and did a couple of hand shakes to find that it was time to go.  Then when I was leaving I just felt a feeling to tell everyone what happened in there and that they should just go home.  Oh well, they should have been there a little earlier.  That was not my say to tell them how much a waste of time it was for me….let them determine that.  At least (hopefully) I have a job to go to on Monday.  I bet many of those people that were in line didn’t have a job to go to.  That is why they were in the line.  I was just “testing the waters” and predicting that this economy is going to get worse and since I am working at this time in a small private sector business that has been fairly has had customers that have been impacted by the economy that they had to close down their own doors, that it may be something that is also happening at my place of business. 

If getting a job with the government was as unorganized as that job fair, there may be a problem with getting just a toe in the door.

I worked with a well known tax preparation company and was only going to work till April. Now taking this job helped my family even though I knew I was going to have to find a job when tax season was over. Little did I know that I was going have the toughest time finding work because of my “situation”.

At the end of the tax season I found out I was pregnant and now with the seasonal job was gone, was out of work. I went to look for employment the very next day I found out. I looked long and hard and by the time I found a job, I was around 3 months pregnant. Now, this being my second child I knew I was going to show pretty quickly. I did all I could to hide it but within two weeks of my pregnancy they found out and my boss “sneakily” told me that she was taking “take time off” of her insurance brokering business to take care of her “children”. It took them another week for them to give me my check and I filed a complaint, but nothing every came to it. I was unable to completely “define” that I was discriminated against because of my pregnancy status and didn’t feel to well to take it any further. My main focus was to find another job. I knew if I didn’t find another job, we would would have been on the street and homeless that same month.

I then met another insurance agent (now almost four months pregnant) and he hired me. The day I started, I decided to tell him I was pregnant. I knew they would upset was was for certain thought I was out of there looking for another job. By God’s grace they let me stay and I knew I had to make a very good impression for them to keep me there. I was now employed only having 6 more months to work. After my pregnancy I went back to work two months later and was able to use my disability benefits.

Wow. I look at those times and ask how I made it. It was a lot of pressure for me during those times in Los Angeles trying to struggle and work. I had no choice. I actually am happy (looking back) just how that worked out living there for all those years and going through the struggles that I have. It has made me a more wise and ready to survive in any kind of situation. With that said, I know that during these times that many people are struggling trying to find work. I know someone else last year was in the same predicament when she found out she was pregnant and had a struggle just as I have. Should I go look for a job? Will someone hire me pregnant? Is is illegal? I believe that there are a three alternatives that you can do to help to find work when pregnant.

1. Find a temporary part-time/full time job.

2. Find employment as if you where not pregnant.

3. Start a business and work from home.

The stress of finding a job and making an impression can be demanding and then adding with it pregnancy…..almost unrealistic at the time. Again, this is all depending on where you are mentally, physically and emotionally. I know with my first pregnancy I was terribly sick for the first three months and mentally depressed and unfocused, so my husband had to figure out what he could do for us to survive. Many women feel that it is unethical to do so to an employer and feel they are “tricking” the business not telling them what is really going on in their bodies.

Now in these days and times with our economy, everyone needs a job. Babies need shoes…you need to eat and survive.  Do what it takes.  There are alternatives (that I have mentioned earlier) for women that need to work to work. There is nothing wrong with being pregnant and working. In these days it is a necessity. (especailly if you have more than once child) If you don’t feel comfortable working a permanent job, find a temp one. Do what you have to do to take care of yourself and your family.  There is nothing wrong with doing something respectful as working…even if you are prego.  Pregnancy is temporary, but needing a job is not. We all need to work to eat. What somes you when you are pregnant…..you.

As a working mother, I wear a lot of hats.  Time management is a tool that everyone needs to learn.  The importance of time management can help to make a hectic day a more tolerable one. For example here are the things listed that I do during the five day work week:

4:30 a.m. rise and shine!

5:00 a.m. out the door to take my daughter to the bus stop (she goes to a magnet school that is across town)

6:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. work

3:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m. pick up all my children from three different facilities

4:30 p.m. -8:00 p.m. 30 min work out, cook, help with homework

9:00-10:00 p.m. work on the Internet projects.

Time management if very important for me because my time is very tight.  Things need to get done and unfortunately I have not left any breathing room for things.  I think that when you press yourself too thin you have problems. I think that everyone (even people that don’t have such time constrains that I have in my daily life) so use time management techniques to make their lives easier to deal with. Here are some time management tips that I would like to share that help me keep my mind and work on track.

First I make lists. Making a list of your daily activities are very good time management technique.  Whether you have to go to the store to go to an appointment, making a list saves time and gives you the opportunity to check off things when you are done so you don’t feel so overwhelmed. I know it helps me because I like to see my lists get shorter during the day.  It gives me a feeling of accomplishment.

The second thing I believe is important to time management it also keeping a calendar.  I have all different kinds of calendars.  Instead of having one calendar to add ALL of the activities that I do, I actually have three calendars for important things that I do (personal, fitness, work goals). For example I have a calendar next to my treadmill to track my time and how many miles (I can’t believe I walk two miles a day and counting). 

The third thing that I use to time management is wearing a watch. I know that sounds kind of weird and seems that is should be a simple tool but sometimes you can lose track of time. For example, I love talking to my family and friends ( and I usually save that for the weekend) but sometimes there are somethings that happen during the day we may want to talk about. I have the gift of gab and can get side tracked on talking when other things like helping with homework that might be important to do.  So I will either keep a clock or watch in front of me and give myself 30 minutes to an hour to either IM, talk on the phone and/or email. 

I believe that learning time management skills are important to and can help with the stress of the day.