Last year I had the opportunity to host a Kellogg’s Love Your Cereal breakfast with friends and family. We learned more about Kellogg’s cereals and had a chance to ask questions directly from a Kellogg’s representative. This year, I’ve once again partnered with Kellogg’s and was part of the Ama Tu Cereal (Love Your Cereal) team they sponsored to the Blogalicious 2011 conference. I’m happy to partner with Kellogg’s again, as they’re a company that has been a part of my life since I can remember.

In Puerto Rico, and throughout much of the Caribbean and Latin America, we have a bad habit of calling things by the most popular name brand that makes it. So, for example, all pain killers are Tylenol, regardless of the actual brand. Likewise, for much of my childhood I heard my mami saying, “Quieres con fleik?” which translates to “Do you want some corn flakes?” It didn’t matter that she might have been talking about Frosted Flakes instead. Another way we referenced Frosted Flakes in our house was to simply call it “El Tigre” (The Tiger), due to Tony the Tiger of course! To this day, Frosted Flakes is still my brother’s favorite cereal and it’s probably my husband’s too.

As part of my work with the Kellogg’s Ama Tu Cereal team at Blogalicious, I helped provide information on how Latina moms responded to Kellogg’s Breakfast in America survey. The survey found that 9 out of 10 Latina moms want their kids to eat breakfast every day, but unfortunately, 40% said their kids did not. However, almost 40% did say they ensure their children have breakfast daily. Additionally, Latina moms are 20% more likely than moms overall to get up early to prepare their children’s breakfast. And, it was found that Latina moms are 17% more likely than moms overall to say their family brings breakfast to work or school.

I know that it gets hectic in the morning as the entire household works to get ready for school and work. I admit that my husband and I are not good about eating breakfast and most days skip it. However, we make sure baby girl eats breakfast every day. It’s not always fancy, and sometimes it is a bowl of cereal, but she always eats something in the morning.

What are some favorite breakfast foods for your family?

Disclosure: Kellogg’s was a sponsor for the Blogalicious 2011 conference and I was compensated for my work.

Cereal photo: Mike Johnson – TheBusyBrain.com

When I was in my early 20s, I put it in my mind that I wanted to have a job that would allow me to be available and at home with my future child. That is the reason I chose real estate as my career. Fast forward fifteen years later, I found myself as a single mom when my only son was two years old. Obviously, being divorced was not part of my vision, but the career choice helped me to focus on my main intent which also included being able to pick up my son at school every day.

Little did I know how difficult it would be to balance my life at home with my work when real estate sales meant you are on call at any time of the day including weekends. Luckily, whenever I found myself stressed, I remembered my goal of being with my son whenever I wanted to. That one priority is what helped me to stay grounded and in the flow of enjoying an immeasurable amount of moments that I constantly cherish in my heart.

As the years went by, I was offered opportunities to work in large commercial firms which I know would have led me to more money. Life is constantly presenting us with choices. I sometimes wish I would have made more money at certain points in my life because I would have been more prepared when the economy changed.

Today’s economic environment brings additional challenges to many families who have to reinvent themselves to stay afloat due to job loss. It causes much more stress and uncertainty. I know, because I have had to live this as the sole provider of my household in a field that was first hit in the economy.

That is why it is imperative in these days to stay focused on your own well being so that your children feel secure. I sincerely believe that security from within will eventually lead you to better opportunities. There is a delicate balancing act when faced with anxiety and I can’t say I have all the answers because there were many times when I was ready to pull my hair out.

But then I remembered my focus: enjoying time with my son, laughing with him, instilling values of self worth and strength of character. And you know what? We survived and am proud to say that he is a confident young seventeen year old man ready to take on college this year, spread his wings and look forward to his future.

I have absolutely no regrets of my choice to make nurturing and love a priority because I feel fulfilled in my role as a mother. In hindsight, all the other roles I had to juggle were secondary. The abundant time I spent with him was priceless and more valuable than having a million dollars in my bank account.

So now that I am about to become an empty nester, my greatest pearl of wisdom is to get out of the house when you are ready to go ARGHHHH, stick the kids in the car and go enjoy a moment in the park and always communicate positive affirmations with them. You might be surprised one day, when they replay all those good thoughts back to you when you least expect it, and they end up uplifting YOU. When this happened to me, I guarantee you, I had the biggest smile ever!

Photo courtesy of Blanca Stella

My mami is a great mother. She raised three children, along with my father, during a time when there wasn’t as much “help” as there is these days. That is, she never read a parenting book or sought the advice of parenting experts. I’m sure her and her friends shared complaints and some advice with each other, but this probably came in a very informal manner while they had their café y pan.

On top of the generation’s ideals, my mami also started being a mom at a very young age. She basically had to learn it all herself; being a wife, mom, and becoming a woman are all things she learned on the fly. In retrospect, I see now that she essentially lived her life for us. My two brothers and I were her life. Sure, she held some jobs at various points, but never was it a career. She had friends, but that I can remember, they never took the time to have what we now call a girl’s night out. She also didn’t have hobbies.

Fast forward 30 years later, and my mami is now “retired” – from being a mom and from working. Of course, moms are moms until the end. But, all three of her children are married, out of the house, and have children of their own. She provides an entirely different mami role these days. This is the time when she should be enjoying her free life, taking part in various activities, hobbies, and get-togethers. Right? However, because she spent the bulk of her life living for us, I’ve noticed she finds herself in a special place as a woman.

Two reasons, actually, contribute to my mother’s current situation: she’s the caretaker for my father who has dementia, and she didn’t allow herself to be anything but a mom when raising us. In defining herself only as a mom without paying attention to herself, as a woman first, she’s now in the position of not really knowing what to do with herself. Of course, this is my opinion from observing her, but I often see it reflected in her actions and conversations.

It’s a situation I hope never to find myself in. I think I’m on the right track so far. I work full-time, have my own business, travel, and try hard to balance my roles as a mom, wife, and woman. It’s not always easy, as many women will attest. But, after seeing my own mom’s struggles, I believe it’s important. I don’t want to have to depend on being needed by others (my children) in order to be happy. I plan to be happy with my life, my husband, and myself, regardless of where life takes my children.

Because of that, I am content in showing my daughter (and soon my son) that I have my own time where I may do things without her. She sees me working and knows why it’s important. She understands when I need to travel by myself and knows that it’s for work. As she’s said to me when leaving for a conference, “You’re going to go learn with your blogger friends.” Yes, baby girl. I am. And, then I’ll return home and continue to show you how great it is to be a woman with many interests and passions – all while still being a great mom, just like your abuela.

Do you find it difficult to define your role as a woman now that you’re a mom?

Plenty of people find it difficult to get some time alone. We’re all busy with work, our home life, family, activities, and just life in general. It can be hard to find some time for yourself. But, more and more, I see that women and moms in particular, complain the most about getting some time for themselves – some ‘me’ time.

It seems that men either don’t require ‘me’ time as much as women do or they just don’t admit it. At any rate, it makes sense that parents are often the ones asking how they can get a little time alone and away from the everyday.

I thought about some of the ways that I manage to keep my sanity and balance out my life a little bit. Ok, well, maybe not my life, but my head at least.

7 Tips for Finding ‘Me’ Time

1. Take a break to goof around on the Internet. Whether it be a quick tour of your favorite social media networks or visiting your preferred blogs to read or just simply doing a bit of online shopping, you will be amazed how a few minutes online can easily give your brain a much needed break from reality.
2. Pretend you have to use the bathroom. I know this sounds crazy. Believe me, I do. However, when you’ve got too much going on and it seems like it’ll be a while before you can break from it, this may be a temporary solution. Just lock the bathroom door and give yourself 10 minutes of quiet. If you have a magazine rack in your bathroom or leave a book in there, you can even catch up on some of that reading you’ve been meaning to do. And sweetie…if you’re reading this…I never do this. Ever.
3. Take a shower. Or bath. Make it a LONG one. Don’t rush your shower. Take a few extra minutes to just let the warm water hit your back. Or spend a bit more time working the shampoo into your hair. If you can take a nice relaxing bubble bath, then even better!
4. Enforce bedtime. Make sure that your kids stick to their bedtime. I can’t tell you how much I love the 2-3 hours each night after my baby girl goes to sleep. Most of the time, I end up spending this time either working or watching some TV with my husband, but there’s times that I get those hours all to myself if I plan in advance.
5. Meditate. Pray. Reflect. Whatever you call it and however you do it, taking some time to think about things can do wonders for clearing your head of all the noise. You can easily do this while driving, cooking, or cleaning.
6. Exercise. Go for a 20 minute walk. Do a quick yoga routine. Or dance along to some music.
7. Go grocery shopping. It’s something that needs to be done anyway, isn’t it? Leave everyone else at home and go by yourself. You may even get the shopping done faster than normal (but not TOO fast, ok?).

These tips may not be glamorous. They may not include a night out on the town with your girls. But, they’re realistic and can offer some simple yet effective ways for you to feel like you’re getting a little ‘me’ time in for yourself. Also? I hope it’s obvious that if you have kids, you’ll clearly need to have someone supervising them when you’re getting your ‘me’ time. Especially if you’re locking yourself in the bathroom.

How do you find some time for yourself? What do you normally do with your ‘me’ time?

I’ve come across quite a few blog posts the past few days. I always seem to be sharing interesting articles with various people I think will like them, so I figured I’d share with everyone this time.

Here are some posts I’ve either bookmarked or stumbled this week. For more, take a look at my StumbleUpon or Delicious pages.

Social Media

How to Create a FaceBook Landing Page for Your Blog

5 Ways I’m Using Facebook to Drive Traffic, Build Brand and Increase Reader Engagement

10 Beautiful Social Media Infographics

Blogging

A Complete Guide to Finding and Using Incredible Flickr Images

Comment on other blogs!

The Number One Way to Flip Your Blog into a Business

Personal

Our Pre-Motherhood Self

Retroacculturation. Retroacculturated. That’s me. Is it You?

I’m still not White, but am I American Indian?

What posts did you come across this week that you think I should read? It’s ok if it’s your own.

By the way, if you’re Latina and a blogger, please complete this survey. We will be presenting some of the results during our BlogHer Latinas in Social Media panel and of course, the survey report will have a much larger impact as it will help many learn about the Latina blogging community.

Whether you’re a happy homemaker or you work at an outside job, chances are good that integrating fun and educational activities into your child’s day has become something of a thorn in your side. There’s no shame in admitting that it’s difficult to constantly invent new and exciting ways to entertain your kids. After all, they have a lot more stamina than you and it sometimes seems like “why” is the only word they know. But they are like little sponges sucking up information and you want to encourage them to pursue as much knowledge as possible while they’re primed for learning. So here are a few tricks to keep you going when it seems like you’ve exhausted every idea.

1. Try activities outside the house. For example, museums and zoos are a great place for kids to experience a new environment, and it can be a nice break for you. Let someone else do the teaching. Petting zoos offer interaction for your child while a natural history museum can spark their interest in dinosaurs, insects, or things that go bump in the night (overnight adventures!). And almost all types of museums offer activities for kids. You can also look into activities and outings offered at a local community center. A hike or picnic with other moms could help your children acclimate to other kids (as well as offer you a chance at some adult conversation). And guided hikes specifically catering to kids will often include education on indigenous animals and local flora and fauna.
2. Look for early learning classes. In addition to mommy and me type classes you may want to check out the YMCA or local community center for lessons in music and art, or physical activities like karate and swimming for all ages. Even at a young age, your child can begin to learn skills that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. And maybe you can squeeze in a little nap!
3. Check out the Internet. If arts and crafts is your thing, but your kids refuse to make one more macaroni painting, look for some other options online. There are a multitude of websites dedicated to activities that will work on both your child’s motor skills and expand their creativity. And most of them are easy enough even for parents who claim to lack a creative bone in their body.

Like many aspects of parenting, there is absolutely no reason you have to do it on your own. We all want to be super-mom, but who needs that kind of pressure? Don’t hesitate to take a helping hand. While you benefit from a much-needed break, your kids will enjoy avenues of learning that you may not have been able to provide on your own, and really, a well-rounded education is worth the effort.

It seems like everyday I hear a woman talking about struggling to balance her life. You know that I am a believer of trying to find balance, at least whatever balance means to you. But, it’s a reality that something always gives.

Some days your work may suffer, other days perhaps your me-time suffers, and I’m sure a lot of days, it’s the house that suffers. That’s why we try to come up with a cleaning schedule and attempt to clean while working from home. It’s all in an effort to juggle our many roles and get a handle on our super mom expectations.

And, believe me, I know all about those expectations. I expect that I should be able to take care of my daughter, my house, and my husband. Taking care of myself was not something I was taught early on – it wasn’t until I was older that this became of importance. As I’ve mentioned before, I grew up hearing things like, “You have to learn how to cook and clean, because when you get older and get married, you’ll need to take care of your house, husband, and children.”

Now, I try very hard not to say things like that to my daughter. I don’t want her to learn how to cook and clean so that she can take care of others. I want her to learn so she can take care of herself. Instead I tell her: “We have to clean the house because we don’t want to live in a dirty house, do we? We want to take care of our things and be proud of where we live.” Pride. Orgullo.

In a way, that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? Outside of cleaning because we need our space to be clean for sanitary reasons, we also clean because we want to be proud of our space. Doesn’t it make you feel so much better when you look around your house and see it’s clean and in order? The days there’s a lot of clutter around, it’s almost like my brain feels cluttered right along with it. The minute it’s clean again, I feel a sense of calm.

I think pride plays a big role in how we take care of our house. At least, I find this is true for myself and many other women I know. Somos orgullosas de nuestros hogares. We are proud of our homes.

Do you find that pride plays a role in your home? Share with me any cleaning-related stories – either from your own childhood or from your adult life.

***Want to teach your kids to help clean? Check out this list of chores for preschoolers.

This post is an entry into the Mi Hogar Mi Orgullo contest.

Looking for some last minute Mother’s Day gift ideas for that special lady in your life? Here are a few suggestions for those busy working moms you know.

Mother’s Day Gift Ideas for the Working Mom

Workplace Flexibility: Realigning 20th-century Jobs for a 21st-century Workforce

Though I have not personally read this book, the woman who likes to read non-fiction and is interested in topics related to work-life balance may find it right up her alley. Workplace Flexibility brings together 16 essays authored by leading experts in economics, demography, political science, law, sociology, anthropology, and management. They examine existing business practices and public policy regarding flexibility in the United States, Europe, Australia, and Japan. The book presents a compelling argument for voluntary adoption of best flexibility practices that are a win-win for both the employer and the employee.

Slow Cooker

I know first-hand how hard it can be to put dinner on the table on busy weeknights, when you’ve had a long day at work and just want to relax yourself. I received a slow cooker for Christmas, and have found it useful on several occasions for cooking meals while away. Some women may not want a kitchen appliance as a gift, but there are those who will appreciate having a slow cooker in the house to help with the daily dinner rush.

Subscription to Working Mother Magazine

A good magazine subscription can make for a great gift. Many women enjoy browsing through magazines for new ideas, tips, and information. As the title indicates, this magazine is tailored for the working mother.

Smart Phone

Image from Volker on Mobile

Smart phones can be very useful for a working mother. She may find that she’s able to increase productivity using a smart phone and balance the home and work life better.

Wii Fit Plus

I love my Wii Fit Plus and use it to exercise, relax, and have fun. I like that I can use it in a variety of ways depending on my mood and that I can even play alongside my baby girl. This might actually become more of a family gift, but mom will appreciate it too.

Spa Gift Card

Photo by Thomas Wanhoff

Of course, you can never go wrong with a gift card so your special lady can get away for a bit and get some me time. Treat her to a massage, facial, or just some relax time with a spa gift card and she’ll definitely be happy!

What is your favorite Mother’s Day gift to give those special women in your life?

Disclosure: Links to products are Amazon.com affiliate links.

If you’re a blogger and user of other social media applications, you know that it can sometimes be hard to keep up with everything. You’ve got blog posts to write, PR emails to answer, comments to keep up with, and a social media presence that needs to be constantly updated. Add all that to your day job or freelance/client work, plus your family and household responsibilities, and it’s a wonder you’re able to do anything!

In order to try to alleviate some aspects of this busy life, I use my smart phone. Of course, my phone can’t clean the house or cook dinner, but it can help me organize some details of our household and allows me to stay up to date with various social media accounts. Let’s dive right into how this works for me.

Image from Volker on Mobile

How to Use your Smart Phone to Increase Productivity

Using the Memos or Notes Feature

I use this feature to jot down quick notes as I’m out and about. For example, I could be in the store or in the car and get an idea for a blog post, so I’ll quickly note it in my “blog post ideas” memo. Some other memos that I constantly have in my phone and update as needed:

• Grocery List – If I notice we’re out of something, I add it to the list so I can later reference it when planning a weekly dinner menu or preparing to go to the store.
• Music to Download – Sometimes I hear a new song on the radio that I like, but know that I won’t remember it later. I write down the name and artist for downloading on iTunes later.

Calendar

Unfortunately, my Palm Treo does not have the capability of syncing its calendar with the Google calendar. However, if I’m not in front of my computer or not at home, I can quickly add an item to my phone’s calendar and later add it to my Google calendar. I also use the reminder feature on my Google calendar to send myself text message reminders of important events.

Those of you who have phones that allow for syncing these calendars, can constantly keep up to date with your agendas since you’ll always have your calendar on either your phone or on the computer. I’m a little jealous. {ahem} Moving on…

Tasks/To-do List

There are actual to-do list applications for some phones; others simply call it a task list. You can add an item you remembered you have to do and even assign a due date and set a reminder. Sometimes, though, I just use my memos function to write up a quick list of things I want to achieve on a particular day. It’s a bit old-school, but it works for me.

Image from Artillery Unit Blog

Email on your Mobile Phone

Of course, email is one of those features that allows you to easily stay connected. You can quickly send out an email to a friend if you’re at the doctor’s office or waiting in the car. Or you can easily respond to a PR email to let them know you’re interested in the opportunity – or not. Sometimes, I just go through and clear out the “junk” type emails so that when I sit down at a computer to actually answer my emails, there are less to go through in my inbox.

Social Media Maintenance

This is probably what I use my smart phone for the most. I’ve found that I can keep up with my social media presence much better by using the phone throughout the day to fill in those gaps when I’m not near a computer. I’ve often received comments from others about how I manage to “be everywhere” and regularly update my social media profiles. How do I do this?

• Text Messages – I can easily send a text message to update my Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn status. I use other tools as well to update multiple accounts at the same time – all via one text message. It keeps my profiles up to date and maintains a live social media presence.

• Web Browser – I check in on Twitter and Facebook by using their mobile sites. This is another area where my Palm Treo lacks in functionality, since I cannot easily respond to replies on Twitter. It’s not impossible, but it’s a little annoying as there are a few steps I have to take. That said, I can still respond to comments on both sites if I feel it’s time-sensitive and can’t wait until later.

If you don’t already have a smart phone, I suggest you buy one. Some people feel it complicates their lives even more. But, I think if you use it effectively and in moderation, it can actually enhance some aspects of your life and help keep you organized.

If you have one, what are some of your favorite ways to use your smart phone? Do you use one feature more than others?

Last week I posted a message on twitter and facebook about being happy with my daily work from home routine. Specifically, it looked like this:

Many responded that they wanted in on the secret and wondered if I would share what I’m doing. Though my routine is not extraordinarily different than most, I’ll go ahead and share my new schedule that is helping me to feel balanced. Keep in mind that this is a sample of an extremely smooth and good day. Some days my schedule adjusts to my personal mood or those interruptions we often have to deal with. However, the days that I follow this routine, are the days that I feel my best and feel like I truly have achieved work-life balance – for that day at least.

Photo by Joshua Stevens from Flickr

Sample Daily Routine for Work at Home Moms (WAHM)

• 6-8 am: This is wake up and get ready time. I’m not always up at 6 am – most days it’s closer to 7 am, but the plan is to be up, dressed, and get baby girl ready for school by 8 am. She helps a lot by getting herself dressed (most times I pick out the clothes for her the night before) and not dragging her feet when eating breakfast.
• 8-9 am: It doesn’t normally take an hour to drop off baby girl at preschool and get back. But, I like to allow some padding room in my schedule. So, as long as I’m home by 9 am, the rest of the day will flow more smoothly.
• 9-10 am: This is my time to work out and eat breakfast. I recently started exercising using my Wii and have found that if I get my work out done early in the day, it helps set my mood for the day and gives me a little boost of energy to keep going. The days I waited to do my work out later in the day or even in the evening, I had to force myself to exercise and I felt like I was dragging during the day.
• 10 am – 1 pm: This is when the bulk of my work is done. Whether it’s client work or blog-related work for myself, I try to do most during this time. I may not get all that I would hope to get done in this time, but if I can make progress each day, at the end of the week, I feel like I accomplished much.
• After 1 pm I grab some lunch, shower, and get to doing something for the house. Notice, I did not say I “clean the house.” No, instead I do something for the house. Even if it’s just one thing. For example, I can put a load of clothes to wash, or fold another load, or do the dishes.
• This normally brings me to about 3 pm at which point I try to get a head start on dinner. I also go back on the laptop and check in again on email and various social media sites to answer any comments, manage followers, etc.
• Around 5 pm, I wrap up for the day and either go pick up baby girl from school or wait for my husband and her to get home, if he picks her up.
• The rest of the evening is spent doing the dinner/family thing, along with the nightly bath-bed routine for baby girl. After that, the husband and I have some time together. Sometimes this means watching a movie or playing video games together, and other times this time consists of me on the laptop doing more work while he does something else. But, we’re still talking and interacting together.

Why is this schedule working for me?

The reason, simply, is that it contains a little of everything. I am able to work on the house, the blog, client work, and exercise. Though I didn’t spend all day on any one activity, I still got things done and overall feel like there was a good balance of things in my day. For me, it works. And again, I have to stress that not every day goes according to plan. There are days that I don’t get much done around the house because I have priority work that has to be done. Or days that I don’t do much work and concentrate on cleaning the house, if I feel like it’s slipping.

For those who have kids at home with them since they don’t go to preschool/school, you’ll probably have many changes to such a schedule. I know the days I’ve kept my daughter home from preschool, I had to tweak my routine to fit in activities with her. But, I involved her in the cleaning and exercise parts of the day and used my night hours more to compensate for the lost work time during the day.

I hope that in sharing my daily routine, you find some things you can change in yours to feel more balanced. Remember that the most important thing to keep in mind – and the one that has helped me the most – is that you don’t have to do everything in one day. But, doing a little of each will help you feel productive without losing your sanity.

What does your daily routine look like? Share with us in the comments below what you’ve found works for you and let’s all help each other find our personal work-life balance.

You might also like: 5 Tips for Working from Home for the WAHM.