January 2010

  • 10 Ways to Have Fun at Work

    By sarajean on 1/29/10 9:36pm
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    In honor of Have Fun at Work Day, here are ten ways to have a good time while you’re on the clock.

    10. Play Practical Jokes

    Whoopee cushions never go out of fashion. Neither do hand buzzers, fake gum, fart machines, or fake ice cubes with flies inside them. Just be sure to play your jokes in good fun and that the person being pranked doesn’t get his feelings hurt. My mother’s coworkers used to love to hide fake spiders, snakes, and even a life size NASCAR standup in her private bathroom!

    9. Pass Notes

    Who says that the note-passing has to stop when you’re out of school? Skip the emails for a day and pass goofy notes to one another. They don’t have to be revolutionary; they don’t even have to make sense: “Do you like albino elephants? Check yes or no!”

    8. Have an Interoffice Picnic

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  • Working Moms Struggle In Germany

    By erika on 1/20/10 4:25pm
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    Last autumn when Manuela Maier signed her children up for an all-day school program in Germany and went back to work, she was "ostracized" by everyone in town.  They called her a "Rabenmutter, or raven mother, after the black bird that pushes chicks out of the nest."  (I guess that's the opposite of a "helicopter parent.")

    For over 250 years, school for German children has ended at lunchtime.  This of course required a parent at home to care for them.  As opposed to America, for example, where all-day (or most-day) schooling is the norm, and both parents can take jobs outside the home.  A single mother in Germany is in big trouble, unable to accept full-time employment because she has to be home when the kids get out of school at noon.


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  • Celebrating Dr. King

    By sarajean on 1/18/10 10:59am
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    With the kiddos at home today, you might be wondering what to do with them so soon after holiday break. Sure, you could let them sit in their PJs and watch cartoons or play video games, but what’s the fun in that? Instead of another boring day off school, why not make it a fun day by celebrating the reason they’re off—Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

    Sometimes it’s hard to celebrate people—it’s not exactly the same as celebrating a cartoon character or commercial holiday where plenty of activities and decorations are readily available. How can you make Dr. King and his message accessible to your kids? Here are a few ideas to get you started.

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  • Customer Service Day

    By sarajean on 1/14/10 6:32pm
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    I think it’s safe to say that most people hate working in customer service. It’s an often degrading, humiliating experience where the person buying your goods or services thinks everything is your fault (I’ve worked in food service, though I hear retail, product services, etc. are all the same) and takes it out on you—sometimes quite cruelly. We used to have this theory that customers are not really themselves when they are buying something (particularly food); that they are more aggressive and monstrous than normal. Sometimes, though, I think that they’re actually themselves. Some people think they’ll get better treatment by being mean, and some bullies just never grow up.

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  • Next Week is Hunt for Happiness Week

    By sarajean on 1/13/10 10:15pm
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    It’s almost funny that we have to hunt for happiness, but with only 39% of people in the United States feeling “very happy” (I guess that’s better than 3% of Latvia…), something’s got to be missing…right?

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  • New Year’s Activities for You and Your Family

    By sarajean on 1/10/10 11:17am
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    Though New Year’s Day is past, we still have almost a month until Chinese New Year; and, like many life coaches claim, the entire month of January can be dedicated to starting anew rather than simply the first day. That’s why we still have weeks of New Year’s goodness left to do all kinds of cool things with our kiddos.

    Goal Book: A book of aspirations, dreams, goals, whatever—I call mine a Magnum Opus (like Charlotte calls her web in Charlotte’s Web)—it’s both fun to make as well as keep. Sit down with your kids and make a list of ten things you each wish to accomplish this year. They can be silly—make a crown out of aluminum cans, freeze bubbles in midair—or serious—improve your algebra knowledge, get fit as a family. If you’re feeling super motivated, list twenty or more goals.

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