Cruise Planners Contribution

Every working mom and her family need time together. Leigh Ann Fangmeyer, owner of local Cruise Planners franchise and working mother of three, believes that travel is an excellent way for working mothers to disconnect from the chaotic world of work and reconnect with their families. Cruise Planners specializes in family vacations, both on land and by sea. Further, Leigh Ann understands the unique travel needs of a busy family. To help defray the costs of a vacation, Leigh Ann has graciously contributed travel vouchers to the Return to Work Project. Call 301-865-2104 or 877-321-2789 to get started creating your dream vacation.

Find us on Facebook

Social networking sites like, Facebook are a great place to meet up with like minded people across the globe to discuss the topics most important to you. A group for the Return to Work Project was recently created on Facebook to connect working women, women returning to work, and those considering a return to the workforce.

Log into Facebook (you will need to sign up for an account if you do not already have one) and search for The Return to Work Project in groups. Share your story, your best advice, and enjoying the community.

RTW Featured in the Fredereick News Post

The Return to Work Project was recently featured in the Frederick News Post.

Moms have a tough enough job being moms, let alone incorporating the aspect of working outside the home. Whether it's a matter of weeks, months or years since their children were born, not only do many women deal with the guilt of leaving their children, they also need to re-enter the workforce.

Amy Beekley, a working mom, has launched the Return to Work Program to help such women through her Flexible Workforce community service project. Being in the human resources field, Beekley recognized the need for some support for women going back to work.

She remembered that the transition back to work after her first child was very difficult. She had been in a playgroup for a time, and transitioning from having regular support to no support was a challenge. After having a second child, she knew that helping other women was important to her.

Beekley found that upon returning to work, women were isolated from other moms -- a major source of support from stay-at-home moms. Even within the workplace, mothers are disconnected from other working moms, Beekley said. The community so many moms count on just isn't there.

"I'm hoping that the project itself can foster a sense of community," she said.

Beekley has organized supportive materials and samples from local businesses and arranged them in a gift pack. Before Beekley sends moms their Return to Work package, she asks them to fill out a survey to let her get to know them better. This will help her personalize the package a bit more.

In the gift pack may be information and coupons from Golden Orchid spa, brochures on parenting classes from Frederick Memorial Hospital Wellness Center, information on local support groups, FrederickMommies.com, child care resources and much more.

Depending on the age of children when moms return to work will determine in part what materials Beekley puts into the package, as a mother of older children would not need information, for example, on breastfeeding.

As added support, Beekley asks women to blog their experiences on her website so that both "veteran" working moms and those just coming into the workforce can see if others are having the same feelings and challenges as they are. Since beginning the project earlier this year, 15 women have participated.

Many of the women who have connected with Beekley are in her similar situation -- they stayed home longer with the first child, then went back to work sooner after having a second.

"It's harder to go back to work the second time," she said.

Areas in which working moms struggle include finding daycare they are comfortable with, the guilt of leaving a child in day care, and lack of flexibility in the workplace.

"Flexibility if a big issue for those who have been out (of the workplace) for years," said Beekley, who likens the return to work as "culture shock." These moms are used to being able to run errands when needed. Plus, many are working an hour away from home, which makes it difficult emotionally to be available when a child is sick or otherwise needs them.

There is also the issue of women interested in working part time, or flexing their hours to work early mornings or late evenings, as well as the ability to leave in the middle of the day if their child is sick.

Julie Relunia of Frederick returned to work when her youngest child was 6 months old. She, like other women, was uplifted by receiving information, freebies and most importantly an avenue for support during the transition. She said Beekley came to her workplace to deliver the gift pack.

"The fact that someone is making an effort to make us feel more comfortable" is great, Relunia said.

"No one understands other than another mother about putting kids in day care, working 9-to-5, coming home to do the laundry, and more," Relunia said. "It's darn near impossible." Relunia and Beekley stay in contact, which adds an ongoing level of support.

A degree of support is also what Stacey Shorb of Frederick is hoping for in connecting with other moms. Shorb is fortunate in that she has understanding co-workers, many of whom are mothers themselves, and a good child care arrangement for her two children. Her concerns mainly centered on breastfeeding.

Although she has not had a chance to look at the materials in the pack yet, Shorb said she is glad that there is a network of moms who can share ideas and offer knowledge on a range of parenting subjects.

The project, to date, has been funded by Beekley. She is hopeful to incorporate eventually as a 501(c)3 business. She is also hoping to broaden her scope of distribution to include day care centers and family-friendly businesses in the area.

For more information about the Return to Work Gift Packs, e-mail Beekley at flexibleworkforce@gmail.com.

Photo by Sam Yu

Amy Beekley of Frederick is a full-time county employee and the mother of two children. In her spare time she runs a community service project called "The Return to Work Program" which helps prepare moms rejoining the workforce.

Balance Fitness and Wellness

Sierra, of Balance Fitness and Wellness, is a working mother of two who understands that finding time for yourself can be a challenge. However, she is invested in helping busy working women find the time to exercise, reducing stress and enhancing quality of life.

Balance Fitness and Wellness is your source for in-home or online personal fitness training and nutrition consulting. Sierra, a Certified Personal Trainer and Certified Nutrition Consultant, helps clients to establish a training program that works along with nutritious meal plans and ongoing support. The exercise programs are appropriate for all ages and fitness levels, incorporating cardiovascular exercise with resistance, core and balance training.

Return to Work Story: Julie

Julie is a new mom to a six month old boy and has a two year old daughter. This past month, Julie returned to work part-time as a deli technician in Frederick. Balance is the hallmark of Julie's schedule as she works evenings, is home with her children during the day, and continues nursing her son through the night. As you might expect, Julie's biggest challenge is finding the time to rest and relax in her day.

What does Julie just love about being a working mom? "Having my own money. It would be weird for me to ask my husband to budget in $ for his own christmas/birthday presents for me to buy him!!!"

Congratulations Julie on the birth of your son, your return to work, and your incredible ability to remain balanced and enthusiastic. We are happy to be able to support you in working motherhood.

Frederick Memorial Hospital Wellness Center

Programs at the Frederick Memorial Hospital Wellness Center range from health screenings to weight loss including their extensive Family Focus Program. Thank you to Nancy who contributed several brochures with a schedule of classes for parents including several with evening meeting times. New parents will benefit from "Where's the Instruction Manual?" meeting on Friday evenings or Saturdays. Additionally, the Wellness Center hosts:

• Becoming a Love and Logic Parent
• Taming Your Tyke
• The Turbulent Teens: A Parent's Survival Guide
• Several other Childbirth, Pregnancy, and Sibling Classes

Glorious One-Pot Meals

The secret to healthy, delicious, and low-fat meals in under an hour is a good dutch oven according to Elizabeth at Glorious One-Pot Meals. Each recipe in Elizabeth's cookbook highlights complete and balanced meals including protein, starch, and vegetables. Plus, her cooking method creates meals that are nutritious, flavorful, and never soggy. These simple recipes are a working mom's dream.

Elizabeth was nice enough to contribute recipe cards for our gift packs. Moms receiving the cards will enjoy California Chicken - a meal of couscous, chicken, avocados, bell peppers, olives, and onions. Yum!

Mary Kay Cosmetics

Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant, Judy Deegan, of Walkersville has graciously contributed several gift bags to the project. Each gift bag includes a complete set of samples that will help fill any woman with confidence in preparation for an interview or her first days back to work. Please contact Judy for a free facial or your personalized color combination.

Thank you Judy for carrying out the Mary Kay vision of Enriching Women's Lives and supporting working mothers like yourself.

ListPlanIt

Jennifer of ListPlanIt.com has contributed a Daily To Do List to help busy working moms organize every aspect of the day from meals to errands to correspondence. Jennifer's Daily To Do List will allow moms one central space to keep track of tasks to complete, groceries to buy, emails to write, in addition to a simple menu for the day's meals. In addition, Gift Pack recipients will receive a discounted year-long membership to ListPlanIt.com which includes access to nearly 250 "Lists to Put Your World in Order."

Thank you Jennifer!

Medela

Medela, the premier provider of breast pumps and breastfeeding accessories, has very generously contributed free samples and informational literature for new mothers who are returning to work while continuing to breastfeed.

The Medela Pump in Style breast pump is known by working mothers as a key tool for success while continuing to breastfeed in the workplace. Samples of Medela's quick clean wipes and PureLan 100 will be included in Gift Packs given to nursing moms along with advice for storing breast milk, tips for successful pumping, and information about the Medela product line.

For more information about Medela products, pumping, and breastfeeding, visit Medela online.

Seeking Contributions for Gift Bags

After the birth of a new baby, a mother's return to work can mark a dark and lonely period in her journey through motherhood. Whether she returns six, twelve, or fifty-two weeks later, whether she works full or part-time, it is never easy for a new mom to leave her baby for the workplace.

Flexible Workforce is committed to supporting mothers in their exploration of working motherhood. Return to Work Gift Packs are distributed to working mothers returning to the workplace after a period of staying home with a new child. Gift packs serve to uplift mom's mood, nurture the mother and child bond, and educate moms about resources and tools available.

Be a part of this effort to support new moms returning to work by contributing your business card, promotional material, coupons, or free samples highlighting products, resources, and services indispensable to working mothers. Past gift packs have included hotline and support group contact information, child care resources, coupons and calendars for mommy and me classes, nutritional bars and shakes, etc.

For more information about how to contribute to our Return to Work Gift Packs, please contact Amy at flexibleworkforce@gmail.com