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 Please welcome our latest guest blogger, Debi Silber, The Mojo Coach. Her first post on WMAG is about a working mom's most precious natural resource: sleep. (Photo at right is of my sweet baby James and me taking a little snooze.) See the bottom of this post for details on how to win a 30-minute coaching session with Debi.
Are you getting enough sleep? According to the latest survey from the Better Sleep Council, 68% of American women admit to getting less than 8 hours of sleep per night. You can bet that percentage is higher among moms!
Sleep eludes some of us because stresses in our lives make it difficult to quiet down and relax when it is time to go to bed. For others, nighttime interruptions keep us from getting the sleep we need.
The truth is, in order to function adequately your body requires seven to eight hours of sleep per night. Without adequate sleep, we’re left feeling irritable, cranky, short-fused, emotionally unstable, mentally cloudy, groggy, fatigued – and overweight.
And the stress and sleep cycle continues. Once you’re sleep deprived, cortisol and other stress hormones are released, which disrupt the normal rhythm of your sleep cycle. Instead of waking and feeling refreshed, high cortisol levels leave you feeling groggy and fatigued. If that weren’t bad enough, this high cortisol level that’s released during times of little sleep also increases your appetite for high fat, high sugar foods. And when we are tired, two of the ways we attempt to increase our energy are by taking in simple carbohydrates and caffeine.
Taking in simple carbohydrates (sugar) can give you a quick energy boost, but it’s also one of the easiest ways to gain weight. The calories add up quickly, you’re never full or satisfied, and the resulting sugar crash can leave you looking for another boost almost immediately.
Seeking energy through caffeine is also a recipe for trouble. You may feel nervous, anxious and shaky. While you may have an additional energy boost from the caffeine, your body still needs rest. This can result in that feeling of being “tired and wired”. You may be able to get through your day, but the artificial energy takes you further away from a healthy, balanced sleep cycle. Without healthy sleep, the stress hormones have no opportunity to rebalance, the immune system is unable to repair itself and we experience physical, mental and emotional wear and tear.
Sleep, stress, and sugar turn into a vicious cycle.
I could tell you to make sure you get those hours in and settle for nothing less. And if you could make it happen, you would see the health benefits that come from adequate, quality sleep. But for many of us, our level of sleep is not a matter of choice.
If you have young children, it may not be realistic to get those seven or eight hours of sleep, no matter what. If you are doing late night feedings, your child is having nightmares, or having trouble staying asleep, the idea of a full night’s sleep may seem priceless, but not possible. In this case, the best option may be to nap if and when you can. Even an extra fifteen or twenty minutes somewhere in your day can do wonders to refuel and recharge your body and mind.
If getting more sleep seems impossible, there are strategies you can use to make the sleep you do get more effective.
1.) Limit your caffeine and try to avoid caffeine in the afternoon and evening. The caffeine that may help you get through your afternoon will interfere with restful sleep later. Coffee, tea, soda and chocolate all contain caffeine, so use them all with discretion.
2.) Put yourself in the best mental state for sleep. Putting your thoughts, ideas, and concerns in writing and then setting them aside may help you feel better able to relax. Keeping paper and a pencil by the bed to write down any thoughts or “to dos” for the next day can help you get back to sleep quickly instead of worrying and getting up to do “one last thing”.
3.) Develop a sleep routine. Try to go to sleep at the same time, make the room dark and cool, play soft music or “white noise”. Taking a warm bath, meditating, or reading something light could all be part of your routine to prepare for sleep.
4.) Make sure your room is clean, serene and comfortable. A messy room with paperwork sitting around may remind you of all you need to do and increase your stress.
Try some of these strategies to improve the quality of your sleep. Once you’re well rested and your stress hormones are under control, you’ll be less dependent on sugar and caffeine to get through your day. Getting your sleep back on track can be a major building block for getting your mojo back!
Win a Session with the Mojo Coach
Debi Silber has generously offered to give one lucky reader a 30-minute coaching session with her (via phone) -- every month. So if you read her posts and think, "Yeah, I think this Mojo Coach could help me out," enter the monthly giveaway and you might just get a chance to chat with her (a $200 value, by the way).
To enter the first monthly Mojo Coach Giveaway, send us an email at workingmomsagainstguilt@gmail.com with the subject line "Mojo Coach" no later than Nov. 30. We'll select one entrant to be coached in the way of the mojo. Then in December, we'll do it all over again!  Debi Silber, MS, RD, WHC The Mojo Coach® is a Registered Dietitian with a Master's degree in Nutrition Science. She's a Certified Personal Trainer, Whole Health Coach, Lifestyle Expert - just for moms, speaker and the author of The Lifestyle Fitness Program: A Six Part Plan So Every Mom Can Look, Feel and Live Her Best and From Mom To Wow: Your Ultimate Body, Mind and Life Makeover Guide . Debi’s been branded The Mojo Coach® because for nearly 20 years she’s motivated overweight, overwhelmed and unfit moms to “get their mojo back” through gradual, lifestyle change. Sign up for a free report, 52 weeks of weekly tips and a subscription to Debi’s newsletter Mojo Moments at www.TheMojoCoach.com.
 I think it's a small miracle when I meet a working mom who's in great physical shape. If you manage to make time for daily exercise and nutritious meals and snacks -- and feel good about your body -- I admire you greatly.
Before I got preggers a year ago, I was on my way to rediscovering my healthy mojo. I lost 60 lbs., worked out 5 times a week, brought my healthy lunches to work every day, and actually enjoyed shopping for clothes.
Now ... *sigh*. I've got the post-baby weight and not a lotta mojo to lose it. That's what I am super excited to introduce a new guest blogger here on WMAG: Debi Silber, The Mojo Coach. With a nickname like that, she's sure to inspire us all to take better care of ourselves, right?
Debi is a registered dietitian with a master's degree in nutrition science and a certified personal trainer. For nearly 20 years, she’s motivated overweight, overwhelmed and unfit moms to “get their mojo back” through gradual, lifestyle change. Let's hope her occasional posts here can help our mojo along (mine included).
Win a Session with the Mojo Coach
Now here's the really cool part: Debi has generously offered to give one lucky reader a 30-minute coaching session with her (via phone) -- every month. So if you read her posts and think, "Yeah, I think this Mojo Coach could help me out," enter the monthly giveaway and you might just get a chance to chat with her (a $200 value, by the way).
To enter the first monthly Mojo Coach Giveaway, send us an email at workingmomsagainstguilt@gmail.com with the subject line "Mojo Coach" no later than Nov. 30. We'll select one entrant to be coached in the way of the mojo. Then in December, we'll do it all over again!
Stay tuned for some motivating posts from Debi!
All the wonderful works of art, scribbles and assorted school papers that my 3-year-old has created over the past year or so have been piling up long enough. It's time to do something with them.
I guess I should have had a plan for them sooner, but, well ... you know. My to-do list has grown rather large, and organizing kid papers keeps falling to the bottom of the list. Alert the Bad Mom Police!
So I've got scads of her stuff and no clue what to do next. Am I supposed to scan each paper and create a digital scrapbook? Do I include the dates she created them, or at least a year? Do I put everything into file folders and keep them for posterity? Just tossing everything in the trash seems tempting for the short-term, but feels wrong. Maybe I should choose a few of the "best" examples to save and trash the rest?
I'm turning to you, WMAG friends. What can I do to preserve my child's educational legacy that won't take up tons of room or my time?
I just wanted to pop on here this afternoon and send a shout out to a working mom who is a REAL hero. We now are learning that the civilian police officer who stopped the shooting rampage in Fort Hood yesterday was Kimberly Munley, mom to a 3-year-old daughter and, from what it sounds like, one tough cookie.
"You go, girl" doesn't begin to do justice to the bravery this lady displayed. I'm proud it was a woman and a mom who took down that disturbed man, saving countless lives. Well done!
Sara's Finds
 -- It's always a "find" when you discover somebody who can make you look great, even when you've just had a baby. As readers may already know (and are probably sick of hearing), I've got a book coming out in the next year or so, and I needed a good photo to go on my dust cover. I turned to Sarah Diebold, who not only got some awesome shots but also managed to airbrush out the dark under-eye circles and other signs of post-baby fatigue. Here's one of the shots I'm thinking of giving to my publishing house. Cincinnati-area authors, if you're looking for a good head shot, check Sarah out!
-- My husband and I were both hard at work on our respective computers the other night, when he started cracking up. Turns out he'd just discovered failblog.org, where you can watch regular people doing stupid stuff. Sort of like the Darwin awards, except nobody dies. (Though I sort of wonder whether anybody made it out of that forklift accident alive...)
Susan's Finds
 -- The Stork Has Arrived: Need a fast, free way to announce the birth of a new baby? BabyCenter now has online birth announcements. They're really cute and only take about a minute to create.
-- New Mom Blogger Book: Some of our favorite bloggers contributed essays to the new book See Mom Run: Side-Splitting Essays from the World's Most Harried Blogging Moms, edited by Role Mommy Beth Feldman. Get more details about the book launch tour and see videos of moms' "most harried moments" (of those, I've had a few) at the Role Mommy site.
-- Free Access to Sitters and More: Today through Sunday, Care.com is having another "free weekend," when you can gain access to full profiles for nearby care providers, contact them directly to set up interviews, check references, and request background checks for free. In addition to babysitters and nannies, Care.com also has in its database senior caregivers, special needs care providers, tutors, pet sitters, and housekeepers.
I'm often asked why I do this blog, and there are many answers. But the big reason I do it is to connect with other working moms against guilt and also help them feel like they're not alone. We're all dealing with lots of the same challenges, and celebrating some of the same joys -- why not do it as a community? Virtual, in real life, or some combination thereof. It's all good, in my opinion.
One way I like to see what other interesting WMAGs have to say is by reading their blogs. If you've never noticed the "You Might Also Like" blogroll in our right-hand column, I hope you'll check it out. I use it almost every day to jump into the worlds and conversations of cool, smart, witty moms all over the place.
We recently went through and added some new blogs to the list, as well as removed a few who stopped posting or otherwise went off the grid. Here's the updated list of top blogs and sites that we consider to be worth visiting -- frequently!
Must-read working mom blogs/sites
See any glaring omissions? Please share in the comments! We're always looking for new and interesting blogs to check out.  And because I've become a more frequent Twitter user lately, I went ahead and created a WMAG Twitter list. (Lists are a new feature on Twitter, allowing you to organize the people you follow and discover new and interesting accounts.) On the list, you'll find bloggers, individuals and publications that are tweet about working mom-related stuff. WMAG on Twitteractionjackson03 (Susan) WMAGTela (Tela) sbennettwealer (Sara) (Sorry, Cara fans -- she's just not that into Twitter.) Working mom must-follows on Twitterthejugglemttsm rolemommy
svmomShannanB penelopetrunkBusymomjusticefergie whostheboss ParentopiaDevra ilinapstephaniekleinKimMoldofskyJenSchallcivil3diva
mommystorynatalykogan TheDailyBlondemarketingmommyblondemomblogMrsCPAmommytrackedWorkingMomNews
JusticeJonesieaprilincinciacowboyswife
SeeryusMama
KatherineLewis
AlliWorthington
1cincymomworking_mother
kendraramirezMomsRisingsheconomyMomsToWorkworkingmother_ Are we missing some great tweeting mamas out there? Please tell us in the comments so we can add them to the list!
This week, we've selected another yummy recipe from the new cookbook Real Simple Best Recipes: Easy, Delicious Meals. It features sweet potatoes, the perfect vegetable for a person like myself, who has a raging sweet tooth.
Oh, and today is your last chance to win this cookbook for your own kitchen! Check out WMAG Reviews to see how you can enter our giveaway.
Sweet Potato Risotto
Hands-on time: 45 minutes | Total time: 45 minutes | Serves 4
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 small sweet potatoes (about 1 pound), cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup grated Parmesan (2 ounces)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes.
Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring frequently, until absorbed.
Measure 3 1/2 cups of water. Add 3/4 cup at a time and cook, stirring occasionally and waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding the next. It should take 25 to 30 minutes for all the water to be absorbed.
Stir in the Parmesan and oregano.
 Recipe courtesy of Real Simple Best Recipes: Easy, Delicious Meals, edited by Lygeia Grace and Kate Merker, published by Real Simple Books, 2009.
 My dear friend Meg (pictured left) and her friend Rachel (pictured right) have a new book called The Happy Book that just came out yesterday. Hooray! I haven't actually received my copy yet, so I'll have to rely on Amazon's description to tell you more about it:
 The Happy Book shows how to practice and celebrate happiness so you can find it when you really need it. Packed with creative prompts, wacky ideas, and hip activities, this is the ultimate pick-me-up. Packaged to encourage doodling and drawing, The Happy Book has space to scribble thoughts, make lists, fill in the blanks, and paste pictures. This book is about creating a record of what makes you glad, whether that means '80s hair bands or hot chocolate with churros.
I asked Meg if she could share with our readers some kids' and parents'/grandparents' answers to the question, "What makes you happy?": Singing in the shower. --Donovan, age 9 Purple popsicles. --Clara, age 5 Princesses. --Delaney, age 5 Lying on the ground, and staring at the moon and stars. --Kerry, age 11 When my 1 1/2 yr. old grandson says "Papa Papa" and hugs me like a long lost buddy. --Jim Holding my baby when she sleeps. --Sara Playing with my children. --Donovan A baby belly-giggling. --Judy Reader GiveawayNow it's your turn! Leave a comment before midnight on Monday, Nov. 9, with your answer (or your kid's answer) to the question, "What makes you happy?" We'll select one commenter at random to win a copy of The Happy Book. (When you enter a comment, Blogger will ask for your email address -- but only we will see it.) Happy TweetsGet little tweets of happiness on Twitter from The Happy Book. Follow @thehappybook.
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Posts
Please welcome our latest guest blogger, Debi Silber, The Mojo Coach. Her first post on WMAG is about a working mom's most precious natural resource: sleep. (Photo at right is of my sweet baby James and me taking a little snooze.) See the bottom of this post for details on how to win a 30-minute coaching session with Debi.
Debi Silber, MS, RD, WHC The Mojo Coach® is a Registered Dietitian with a Master's degree in Nutrition Science. She's a Certified Personal Trainer, Whole Health Coach, Lifestyle Expert - just for moms, speaker and the author of The Lifestyle Fitness Program: A Six Part Plan So Every Mom Can Look, Feel and Live Her Best and From Mom To Wow: Your Ultimate Body, Mind and Life Makeover Guide. Debi’s been branded The Mojo Coach® because for nearly 20 years she’s motivated overweight, overwhelmed and unfit moms to “get their mojo back” through gradual, lifestyle change. Sign up for a free report, 52 weeks of weekly tips and a subscription to Debi’s newsletter Mojo Moments at www.TheMojoCoach.com.
