While I was on maternity leave this winter I was able to watch a very inspiring Oprah show. I’m sure everyone has now heard of the book, “The Secret.” Being as busy as I am I watched the DVD. Have you also heard of a vision board?

I bought one for myself and for dear hubby last month and we are just starting to put them to use. Which got me to thinking what are other people putting on their vision boards?

I’ll tell you what’s on mine, in no particular order of importance.

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Working Mother Magazine announces the 2008 Best Women-Owned Companies & Entrepreneur Moms in New York City last month.

This year’s winners were chosen for their flexible schedules, creative and family-friendly benefits and dedication to their communities. The Entrepreneur Mom Award winners embody the same spirit, leading innovative firms that champion work/life balance.

Linda Byerline, CEO and founder of Happy Heinys is ecstatic to be the winner of this award.
“What we do here at our shop though is not so that we can win an award or say that we are the best company for women to work at. We do what we do because it is so important that as parents we are able to be there for our children,” states Linda Byerline

Happy Heinys is a great model to model after. In just over 6 years Happy Heinys has become one of the largest manufacturers of modern day reusable cloth diapers and one of the most popular cloth diapers in Hollywood and among the world’s favorite celebrity babies as well as the #1 rated reusable cloth diaper on the internet.

For more information on Happy Heinys or to find a retailer near you please visit their website at: www.happyheinys.com.

As I write this post I have one hand on my son and one on the computer, trying to find the perfect balance between work and motherhood is frustrating and challenging. My current situation is even more complex because I currently have two jobs, the one that pays my bills and the one that I am trying to establish to replace that job.

While there is no manual or magic formula to creating the perfect balance Lisa Druxman, at entrepreneur.com has com up with 10 tips for balancing work and motherhood.

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I am sitting here at work wondering where I fit in. Last Friday they laid off 20% of the staff, two of which are in my department. Both of which will be missed. Then my boss advised that he is putting his notice in as well. So much happened in just one day and it is only my SECOND day back from maternity leave.

So as I sit here waiting for IT to come fix my computer riddled with spam I ask myself, where do I fit in? They already shifted my boss’s responsibilities to two other people just minutes after he resigned.  Forget the fact that I have more seniority and experience over one of them.  Forget the fact that I am the web dev manager/project manager. Technically I was second in command. I’m sure a news editor would be far better suited to manage a development team then say an actual developer.

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I completed a review on my LaLa Baby Product Review blog of several different mom agendas/calendars. After testing out all four of them, this is the calendar I am using today. I love how much space I have to juggle my calendar, the sturdiness of the material and the wonderfull quotes on each page. Let me tell you a little more about the momAgenda as it just might be come your organizing staple as well.

This hip and stylish mom planner was conceived and developed by, Nina Restieri, a busy mother of four, who like many others, was shocked and overwhelmed by the amount of appointments young children can have. She wanted to create an effective way to keep moms organized and on schedule so she surveyed hundreds of working and stay at home moms and launched her planner, momAgenda.

Calendar
The momAgenda is a 17th month planner that boasts both a monthly view and weekly view calendar up to December 2008. The week-at-a-view calendar section has room for mom, up to four children and dinner too! If you need some inspiration you will find monthly and weekly quotes throughout the year. The 17th month calendar has holiday reminders for both American and Canadian holidays. Plus there is an additional section for 2009 to get you started early.

Extras
This planner is filled with additional note pages for your favorite books, movies, music, fashion, restaurants, wines and pages for health and fitness. You can notate your entertainment resources and parties; record your gift giving, and vacation ideas.

As a bonus there is a pullout “momEssentials” pamphlet for important addresses, medical information, important phone numbers, birthday and anniversary reminders, and websites and passwords.

The momAgenda calendar is another great find and can be purchased online at www.momagenda.com. They have four different styles; momAgenda Mini Daily ($40.00), momAgenda Desktop ($42.00), momAgenda Executive Edition ($175.00), and momAgenda Portfolio Planner ($119.50).

Today is my last day of maternity leave. My wallet and bills are telling me that I need to get back to work, ASAP. While I’m not looking forward to the “work” part, I am looking forward to adult communication. Carrying on a conversation with a 10 week old is a bit one-sided. And I can’t even get a word in with my jabber box of a 2 year old.

So here is where the test comes in. I know have to figure out how to balance, my 2-year old, 10-month old, full-time job, husband, household and my online business and ventures.

I keep telling myself that the craziness is temporary. That all the hard work will payoff and I will become financially independent.

So right now it’s a juggling act, all I have to do is catch the balls.

The Go Mom! Organizer was created by a busy mom, Molly Gold of three after she became a stay-at-home mom. She searched for the perfect calendar for years without success so decided to create her own. She launched the Go Mom! in 2000 and signed a partnership with Mead Westvaco Consumer of Office products in 2004. You can find the Go Mom! organizer at your local Target, Staples and/or Office Max. There are 3 different calendar options in the line:

Go Mom! Classic Undated Organizer (size 5 ½” x 8 ½”)
Go Mom! Running Mate Undated Organizer (size 3 ¾” x 6 ¾”)
Go Mom! Dated Appointment Book (can only be found in select Staples stores)

Calendar
The calendar comes with both an undated monthly and weekly view so you can start using the calendar any time of the year. Each week provides a place to plan meals as well as a section just for mom.

There are 2 other options available in the line, a larger undated organizer and a dated appointment book.

I ran across this planning gem while attending the Mom2Be Expo in Los Angeles this year. The truly Mom Planner is a list junkies dream. Created by four friends and designed to make your entire day, just a little less complicated. Think of the truly mom planner as a mini portable desk. The unique, smart and stylish, tri-fold design of this planner makes it stand out from the traditional binder like planners out there.

Calendar
The truly mom planner is a pull-out month-to-month dated calendar from Sept. 07 to Jan. 09. The monthly pages include a notes section, holiday reminders and a special quote of encouragement. The end of the calendar also includes several pages to jot down important ideas or notes. You can mark important days with the 140 heart stickers that come with the calendar.

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I am happy to announce that we have a new addition to our family. Our son, Cameron was born on December 27th.  Things have been pretty hectic around the house. Our 2-year old is slowly adjusting to the new addition. She is already showing signs of being a great big sister, she gives him his pacifier when he cries and kisses him good bye. But she also has her moments of jealousy.  She cries a little bit more and wants to be carried more than usual, but I think it will pass. And if not at least I’m getting a little bit more exercise!

Now that he is finally here I am forced to make all the decisions that I have been putting off. As a family we have to decide if we’re going to move. If we do move where are we going to go? Are we going to sell or rent out our condo? Do we look for a new day care here in LA until we move? Do I look for a new job here, Vegas, or San Diego? What about my business do I start carrying stock here, or wait until the move?

So much to think about, so little time. Life can be overwhelming but I’m sure we’ll figure something out.