Ready to Learn Mom

MRS. OBAMA:  Thank you.  Thank you so much.  Thank you, Donna, and thanks to all of you who are part of the Corporate Voices for Working Families.  I’m happy to join you today as you begin this annual meeting.  This is a very good thing, and I am so glad I could be here.

Many of the issues that you’ll be discussing are issues that, as you know, are near and dear to my heart.  I personally, as Donna described, know the challenges of leading a busy life at work and at home, trying to do a good job at both — and always feeling like you’re not quite living up to either — and trying not to pit one against the other, really trying to balance it so that — if people here are like me — I call myself a 120-percenter.  If I’m not doing any job at 120 percent, I think I’m failing.  So if you’re trying to do that at home and at work, you find it very difficult and stressful and frustrating.

And even though my current life, trust me, is very different than it was and for most people — and I do know that; I know that right now I am living, as challenging as it may seem, in a very blessed situation, because I have what most families don’t have, is tons of support all around, not just my mother but staff and administration.  I have a Chief of Staff and a personal assistant, and everyone needs that; that’s what we need.  (Laughter.)  Everyone should have a Chief of Staff and a set of personal assistants. 

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It’s harder than ever to keep up with both your job and your life away from it. Here’s how to start. 
 
Among the many things the average professional deals with daily: getting ahead at work; helping the kids with their homework; driving the school carpool; spending quality time with their significant other; caring for elderly parents; dealing with chores in the home; trying to get in just a few minutes to catch up with friends.

Life can feel like a constant battle between our professional and personal lives, especially now, with the economic distress making our lives more challenging than ever in so many ways. Before you beat yourself up about not being able to get everything done, consider these tips for achieving a better balance between your work and the rest of your life this year.

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When I was in my 20’s I started a list of 10 things I wanted to do before I die –  fly a plane, sky dive, bungee jump, scuba dive, write a book, start a business, travel outside the USA, get married, be a mom, build a house and I have done them all!!!  I started another list at age 40 when I started my business and I have a few left to accomplish! 

I posted this on my blog for New Years and thought you might be interested in some of the things on the list for your story!  The ones in bold I have accomplished!

RULES: There are 100 statements and you bold the ones you have done. Grab it and play for yourself!!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to DisneyWorld
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Rocked a baby to sleep!
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Been the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept in an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse (solar)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32.  Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Been in a movie
55. Visited the Great Wall of China
56. Started a business
57. Taken a martial arts class
58. Visited Russia
59. Served at a soup kitchen
60. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
61. Gone whale watching
62. Got flowers for no reason
63. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
64. Bounced a check
65. Flown in a helicopter
66. Saved a favorite childhood toy
67. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
68. Eaten caviar
69. Pieced a quilt
70. Sood in Times Square
71. Toured the Everglades
72. Been fired from a job
73. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
74. Broken a bone
75. Been on a speeding motorcycle
76. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
77. Published a book
78. Visited the Vatican
79. Bought a brand new car
80. Walked in Jerusalem
81. Had your picture in the newspaper
82. Read the entire Bible
83. Visited the White House
84. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
85. Had chicken pox
86. Saved someone’s life
87. Sat on a jury
88. Met someone famous
89. Joined a book club
90. Lost a loved one
91. Had a baby
92. Seen the Alamo in person
93. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
94. Been involved in a lawsuit
95. Owned a cell phone
96. Been stung by a bee
97. Read an entire book in one day
98. Ran a lemonade stand!
99. Did door-to-door sales! 
100. Went bungee jumping

Smiles – Stacey

Stacey Kannenberg
“Ready To Learn Mom”