Founder and editor of www.motherswhowork.co.uk, a mother of two wonderful children, wife, entrepreneur (check out www.geekschool.co.uk) and journalist.
With Christmas only days away and the UK still recovering from snow disruptions people up and down the country are panicking about what to buy loved ones. Well, Westfield Shopping Centres may have the answer with their Westfield gift card as it’s still available to order online and pick up in store.
Mum of two Rosie Forsyth, 40, tells Motherswhowork.co.uk how she juggles working for herself as a chartered accountant with family life, and how her second child gave her the final push to use her years of experience in her field to bite the bullet and establish her own business.
Retired parents and gransparents can make great business partners
Being retired often means that your parents have more time than income, so turning a joint hobby into a business will not only help to boost their income, but yours, too.
And the great thing is that because they are retired, they will have more time available than you – if you are juggling work and the children – so they can keep things ticking over while you are not available.
If your parents are not computer savvy, then get them on a course – there a free computer courses for silver surfers these days – speak to their local library or college for IT courses for over 65s!
Apart from enjoying what you do, the start up costs of a hobby-centered business can be quite low, because you will already have most of the materials already.
Office romances are usually not worth the hassle. Remember, that the fallout of a Christmas fling may last long after the party’s over, so take heed before having that third or fourth eggnog this year!
Keeping a flexible mindset reduces Christmas stress and anxiety and encourages you to let things flow over you rather than fighting inevitable obstacles and changes to plans.
From April next year, the amount of tax savings available from childcare vouchers will be the same for everyone. This will be set at the current basic rate.
Even working mums want to give their baby the best start in life with breastfeeding
No matter how soon women decide to go back to work after having a baby – this could be after two weeks or an extended maternity leave of over 52 weeks – mothers may feel they are faced with a difficult dilemma should they want to continue breastfeeding.
For some women, continuing to breastfeed once back at work can be a good way of coping with being separated from the baby for the first time. Women shouldn’t worry about continuing to breastfeed when returning to work as there are certain rights that are laid down by law.
Options for breastfeeding at work
There are several options in which mothers can breastfeed when back at work. Depending on where the baby is being cared for, women may be able to visit the baby at their childcare during the working day.
If you lack self confidence and always want to hide away somewhere in the background - you really don't need to. Watch this video to get some tips on improving your self confidence, and find out why you need to hold you head up high!
Don't let what you are wearing stop you from enjoying your Christmas party
It’s that time of year again when the office Christmas party start taking over the workplace calendar. If you’re stuck for what to wear – or can’t find something that suits your body type, here are some tips to help you choose a dress that will help you let your hair down a little and actually enjoy your Christmas party (and there’s a video at the end, too, to help you choose the perfect little black dress!):
1. Bingo wing syndrome
Select outfits with half or three-quarter sleeves or wear a shrug, so that unflattering underarms remain unnoticed. For hiding really bad bingo wings, use a little pinched on shoulder with some ruffly fabric, avoid big puffball sleeves.
2. Thick neck syndrome
A v-neck black dress helps to divert attention away from the neck and elongates the body.
The internet is all abuzz with Facebook and these days everyone is making a beeline for creating their own fan pages to let the world know about their business.
If you aren’t using Facebook to showcase your brand, or to increase your website’s traffic or sales then you really are missing out…and it’s FREE!
This ebook will show you how to get started, and if you’ve already made a start, but haven’t seen any success for your effort, you’ll learn some great tips on making money on Facebook.
If you’re a business mum with minimal or zero marketing and promotion budget, you can start promoting your business on Facebook today for FREE, and start reaping the benefits today.
We get several requests form manuafacturers to review their products, and a lot of them are not always of any great benefit to working mums in particular.
However, evey so often we get products that can make a working mum’s life a whole lot easier. Here are the latest findings.
The Yoomi Bottle
Yoomi – the Feeding Bottle and Warmer in One
Every mother knows the military precision involved when planning to travel with a young baby. Nappies, check…wipes, check…nappy cream, check…clean bottles, check…flask with warm water, check, bottle warmer, check…my bag is busting just thinking about it.
Obviously, when parents take emergency leave, it is not good news for employers. It may not be good news for parents either - but what are employees’ rights in extreme weather conditions?
Tax credits claimants are being reminded that they must let HMRC know within one month of their childcare costs falling or ending. Deliberately failing to let HMRC know when renewing a tax credits claim that your circumstances have changed could be seen as fraud and result in prosecution.
Now you have a business idea, how do you find a good web designer, who won’t rip you off, or leave you with a website that breaks down all the time, or one that you can’t update without going back to him all the time, and paying out even more money?
Job interviews are usually your one-time opportunity to show an employer why they should give you a job over other applicants. So, you should want to make the best impression possible and show them that you can not only do the job, but that you can fit into the current team.
Put your best foot forward and impress at job interviews
Of course, most of us do not fail at job interviews by choice—it is simply the employer’s choice to take on someone else. However, there are things that you can do at job interviews that can jeopardise your chances – with or without you even knowing it:
Being late to the job interview
Although there may be some circumstances (like snow, major road accidents etc) that are beyond your control, for the most part if you plan your time properly, there should be no excuse for arriving late for your job interview.
Things such as traffic delay or being unable to find the employer’s place of business are acceptable. If you have allow enough time and plan to get there early, you will not be late.
