Retro HiFi Stereo Wood Cabinet System

Giveaway

Enter to WIN A Complete Home Audio System 
Valued at $379 that plays 

• Old-fashioned vinyl records 
• CDs 
• AM/FM Radio
• MP3s via USB

Features classic retro styling, built in hi-fi speakers and handcrafted wood cabinet.

Entry Deadline 
September 30, 2013

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From Summer to Back to School SAT Prep

Teen Tuesday
by Rebecca Elspas, Teen Blogger

Bittersweet. Just like the chocolate, but in this case, bittersweet is how I feel about school starting. It's all great to see your school friends again and learn new things, but freedom and leisure is not an option anymore.

Me in San Diego on last day of Summer Camp

This fall I am entering what many people call the most prestigious grade: 11^th. Having an older brother starting college this fall, I already know this year is going to be all about the SATs this, the SATs that. Really, I’m in for the ride, to do my best while also enjoying my high school years before they end. 

So I have some helpful lifesaving academic, beauty and health tips for other high schoolers -- from incoming freshman on up -- that helped me get this far.

First, and I cannot stress this enough, always be prepared.

That means get your binders and books in advance to beat any last minute rushes. Unless you have a uniform, you should also always pick out your outfit the night before. That's because in the morning, if you are a night owl like me, you will be cranky. Trust me -- you'll end up feeling so unhappy with your last-minute wardrobe choices at some point during the school day. You might even suddenly realize your outfit doesn’t match at all or fit the day's weather (been there, done that).

Image from CollegeBoard.org

If you are planning on taking the SATs anytime soon, of course you'll want to get an SAT test prep book and maybe sign up for a online or in-person review course. But I also highly recommend visiting the CollegeBoard's free Official SAT QOTD Page which you can access directly or via @SATQuestion on Twitter and answering the daily multiple choice questions they post like I've been doing.

Another academic tip—procrastinating sucks, and so many people say you just need to “stop,” which is easier said than done. Like smoking, you can’t just stop all of a sudden, it’s a gradual process. So if you feel like joining the procrastinators club, hold off and do a little bit of the assignment every day, don’t do it all in one sitting. When the night before the due date comes,  your assignment will only have a little left to do.

Beauty. Okay, this one sounds impossible, but my tip is just do your best to stay clean. Stress, heat, P.E. class, and puberty make you sweaty, so I suggest bringing a travel-sized deodorant (spray might be easier to apply discreetly) during the day when you’ve worked up a sweat. And don’t forget your to pop some other essentials into your backpack: a small bottle of perfume (I have Fantasies) and dry shampoo for those “oily hair days but no time for a shower.” Definitely, also carry some sort of antibacterial -- a small bottle of Purell or a little pack of baby wipes works great -- because truthfully, you never know.

Work your hardest, eat healthy, exercise, maintain good hygiene, reduce stress, have a social life, (but limit Facebook), and be grateful for what you have.

There you have it: an awesome year of high school, You can do it!

A dog reading at LA Times Book Festival

Shoutout to all the incoming freshman. BTW, Yes, the movies are true. The entire school really does sing and dance in sync during lunch—jk. Actually high school lunches are a bit calmer when Sharpay and Ryan aren't around. 

Comment & Connect

Have some thoughts about the back-to-high school routine or the SAT prep grind? I'd love to hear from you and so would all my readers, so feel free to please share what's on your mind with a comment on this post or Tweet me @RebElspas. If you're not already, I invite you to follow me on Twitter.

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Avoid Back-to-School Working Mom Meltdown

Family Work Balance

Surviving the September Meltdown 

Guest Post By Teresa Taylor 

Author of The Balance Myth: Rethinking Work - Life Success

How to Avoid a Back-to-School Mommy Meltdown at Work

Summer is coming to an end, and the kids are going back to school. As a working mom, you would think this would be a relief and allow the family to go back to a familiar routine. Order should return to the household. Right?

Teresa Taylor

MBE partnered with the publisher, post contains affiliate links

Balance Myth Nope. In fact, it is the beginning of a month long meltdown that I unaffectionately call the “September Meltdown.” Once a year, like clockwork, I failed to keep it together when the simultaneous pressures of fourth-quarter work and back-to-school collided. 

At work, by September, we were always behind in our financial commitments. In order to get the fourth quarter in line, we needed to make expense cuts. The pressure was unbelievable and unpleasant. How was I supposed to figure out how to reduce my budget with two weeks notice? Why did we have to go through this exercise every year? How am I supposed to forecast the next year’s results when I can’t even figure out next week? 

At home, September’s back-to-school time brought another form of pressure. Paper work, school supplies, registration, new uniforms and new expectations – everything at once! And, who came up with this ridiculous school supply list … how many boxes of Kleenex and dry eraser markers can one classroom hold? Why are there so many “mandatory parent meetings” communicated with a three-day notice? On top of all that, the fall sports begin with a heavy game schedule. 

Yes, work and family schedules are busier than ever during this time of year.

 

BUY Balance Myth: Rethinking Work Life Success on Amazon

5 Tips for Family Work Balance 

This Back to School Season

The following five “meltdown” tips will help you survive the back-to-school adventure and the fourth-quarter pressures at work. They are written from my personal and professional experiences and shared in my book, The Balance Myth: Rethinking Work-Life Success. 

1. Wear the game face. It is not necessary to let everyone know how miserable you are. It is not productive and only creates more chaos. It is ok to cry but find a place that you can cry alone – mine was the women’s bathroom in my office. 

2. Third grade only comes once. Each school grade comes with unique characteristics that shape your children. Try to rise above the details and look at the bigger picture. Treasure – don’t dread -- this busy back-to-school time. 

3. Manage your time more efficiently. Be present in what you’re doing, finish it and move on. I have my list of things to do, and I’ll assign time slots to it. If I have one hour to work on a presentation at work or one hour to shop for school supplies, I do the best I can for that one hour. 

4. Combine your work and family schedules. I used to keep two different calendars – one for home and one for work; but, I was missing work deadlines, my kids’ activities and other events. So I combined the calendars, which caused me to start talking about my family at work and integrating my two lives. It’s one life and one calendar! And,now, I don’t miss a thing. More than ever, back-to-school time is the right time for combining. 

5. Stay in the moment. When you’re at work or in a meeting, be there. When you’re at home, be there. If you’re in a business meeting, don’t be wishing to be somewhere else. Be present where you are, and don’t feel guilty about where you’re not. 

At the end of the day – or at least every time September came around – all over again, I learned a valuable lesson about adversity, setbacks, disappointment, difficulties and everything else that came rolling down the pike. It takes faith that things will work out, and they always do. 

So enjoy and savor September. It might be back-to-school time, but you don’t have to welcome back the “mommy meltdowns” – leave them behind. 

About the Author 

Teresa Taylor is not only a mom but also former Chief Operating Officer of Qwest, a $12 billion telecommunications and media company. She is a nationally recognized, Fortune 200 executive who brings integrity, focus, vision and agility to corporate leadership, while advising companies, government agencies and others on a successful business model. Her book, The Balance Myth: Rethinking Work-Life Success, now available on Amazon in your choice of either Kindle or Hard Cover, is inspiring women to succeed professionally and personally.

NOTE: MBE participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. This allows us to earn a bit of compensation -- without any extra cost to consumers -- for including referral links within our posts like this one to Amazon.com and affiliate sites.

FTC Disclosure: Content for this post provided by Teresa Taylor, author of The Balance Myth. This allows us to earn a bit of compensation -- without any extra cost to consumers -- for including referral links without our posts to Amazon.com and affiliate sites. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.