These days, many moms – and some experts – are not so sure this is true. In a recent Forbes article, Dale Winston said that while a woman can climb up the corporate ladder, usually the home and the kids are still her responsibility. She, and not her male counterparts, needs to make compromises – whether working flexible hours, hiring a full time nanny or “sequencing” – taking time off after each kid is born.

Male executives are simply not faced with these tough decisions. They get to have a family and go on with their professional lives as usual, as if nothing has changed.

Then there’s the guilt. The intense guilt which all mothers who work outside the home – but few fathers – are familiar with. Of course, stay at home moms experience guilt too – they often feel guilty about not earning money and about “throwing their education away.”

Sounds like a lose-lose situation for women, doesn’t it?

The only real solution to women’s work-life balance issues is a major shift in cultural norms and expectations, so that mothers are not viewed anymore as being solely responsible for the house and for raising the kids – even if they are employed fulltime.

If our culture will eventually come to see both parents as equally responsible for raising the kids, I would venture a wild guess that we would then see a huge improvement in daycare services and in flextime arrangements in the workplace.

Until then, I have to agree with Dale Winston. “Life is about balance and compromise. No one can ever ‘have it all’.”

About the Author Vered DeLeeuw fell in love with blogging in early 2008, when she started her personal blog, MomGrind. She has been blogging ever since, on her own blog and for various clients. Vered writes about a wide range of topics, including high tech, real estate, marketing and self improvement, but the topics she enjoys the most are related to women’s issues. Vered lives with her husband and two children in San Francisco, California. Her Profile | Her Main Site | Follow Her on Twitter

We rush to get in the shower. Rush breakfast down. Rush to get to work/play/school/drop-in/grocery store. Rush to tweet while the kid’s show is on. Rush to make dinner. Rush to clean up dinner. Rush to bed.

And one day (and we all come to that day) it hits us and we ask ourselves “where did my life go?!” Date night is an important pause for parents. Time to focus on YOUR interests. To de-stress. To reconnect. To grow adult relationships. It’s important to take time for yourself.

“Date night” doesn’t necessarily have to be with a spouse (there are many single, divorced, widowed, not-looking-right-now parents out in the world). “Date night” can be a night out with a friend, group meeting, French lesson, etc. Date night can be whatever you want it to be.

Consider these date night ideas:

* Makin’ bacon! (not the slang definition). Spend an evening cooking together. It can be fun and also a tangible activity. Either out at a meal assembly kitchen, community kitchen or at home.

* Movie night. What was the last movie that you saw? (Please note: Disney and Pixar films do not count). The Oscars are a good starting point of date-night-worthy films.

* Makin’ bacon! (yes the slang definition). Your sex life didn’t die the moment you gave birth. Intimacy is a good thing.

* Join a class together. A weekly class is something you put on the calendar. (hello?! If it’s on the calendar it's an obligation – you have to go).

* Book club. A monthly book club meeting is a great social outing (plus, it makes you feel like you know something greater than Yo Gabba Gabba).

* Reservations for 2 please. A grown-up dinner, out in the world, can rejuvenate the soul. (Please refrain from reaching over and cutting your date’s green beans)

* A walk to remember. Go out for a walk together – in the city or on a trail. Build energy from the open environment around you.

* Cha-Ching – go shopping. Any parent who has shopped with whiny kids knows what a pleasure it is to shop with just non-whiny grown-ups.

* Live tonight. Whether it be community theatre, the national ballet or a concert – live events are fun.

* Uncork a bottle. Go to a wine tasting or screw off – if need be – at home (I meant the bottle).

Not taking time to re-connect with a “date” can be very negative. It can nurture frustration, animosity, depression and anxiety in yourself and in those closest to you.

It is a wonderful thing to be a parent but bigger than that – you are a PERSON - someone who needs and deserves attention and focus from another grown-up. You need it for mental stimulation, for energy, for support and for entertainment.

Date night won’t happen unless you make it happen. Call the grandparents/aunt/friend/neighbour/sitter and schedule a date. Choose an idea (bookmark this page for reference). Invite your date out. Give yourself permission to abandon the laundry basket. Make you next date night a big #Win.

About the Author Caroline Fernandez lives, writes and does laundry in Toronto, ON. Her writing has been widely published in Canadian magazines for both children and adult markets. Her web credits include many parenting, eco living and lifestyle articles. Profile | Website | Follow her on Twitter

I think I found a book that might just help me get my home in the same kind of order as my office. Houseworks by Cynthia Townley Ewer of OrganizedHome.com, a book on how to live clean, green and organized at home.

When the folks at DK Canada first sent this along I thought it looked interesting but wasn’t really for me; I have limited time as is, how is reading a book going to help me. But then I started to flip through the pages. I came across the section Declutter the Closet. Following some simple rules (like only keeping items that fit now, not 10 pounds from now) I actually organized my closet in an afternoon. Wow, now I can find clothes easily.

I think what I like most about the Houseworks is the structure and the concise content. The Declutter the Closet was two pages but it was chunked making it easy to read and the images helped illustrate the point being made. This grouping and chunking content into readable bits is the structure of the entire book. Tips and tricks in each section are highlighted in callout boxes making them easy to focus on too.

Houseworks helps you tackle your home in stages and each stage is broken down into steps, making the task of decluttering or organizing or cleaning doable

Along with decluttering, organizing and cleaning your home, Houseworks also covers

• how to plan, save, organize and store food and clothing.
• selecting, saving, maintainging and cleaning various surfaces in your house like floors, mattresses, plumbing and more.
• Decluttering and organizing specific areas of your home such as the bathroom, entertainment and household storage areas and more.
• Setting up an information area and organizing paperwork like schedules, bills and filing.

Houseworks also includes examples throughout the book as well as some handy forms and planners you can duplicate for your own home. You'll also find a handy list of additional resources found on the web.

I may only have one closet done but I’m well on my way to better organizing my home.

* A copy of Houseworks was provided for the purpose of this review

The folks at DK Canada know how hard it is to balance a chaotic home so they’re offering one (1) EverythingMom member their own copy of Houseworks. To enter just tell us one aspect of your home you would like help organizing.

This contest is only open to EverythingMom members. Not a member? It’s quick and easy to join. Contest is only open to Canadian Residents and ends March 24, 2010. One (1) EverythingMom members will be randomly chosen after that.

About the Author With a background in advertising, Carrie Anne left the agency life to spend more time with her three energetic and active kids (age 7, 5, & 3). She continues to work with marketing agencies testing online programs and has been working with Today's Parent magazine for the last three years testing toys for their annual toy issue. As the Review Editor at Everythingmom.com, Carrie Anne plans to share her thoughts on products that might be of interest to you and your family. She will put them to the test so you don't have to. Profile | Blog | Her Main Site | Follow Her on Twitter

I take care of my dishwasher, using the recommended detergent, ensuring the filter is cleaned and scrapping any extra food items off before putting them in the machine, but I’ve never thought of cleaning it. I mean, it’s cleaned all the time when it cleans my dishes, right?

However some days, when emptying my clean dishes, I notice my dishwasher doesn’t have the freshest smell. I use to just think it was the residual smell from the detergent in the heated dishwasher, but now it turns out it could be caused by food and mineral residue build-up.

Affresh is a cleaning product designed specifically for your dishwasher. A little skeptical, I had a sample sent over to me to try first hand.

The first thing I noticed was the wonderful lemon scent, even before opening the package. I love the scent of lemon in the kitchen. A standard bag consists of six individual tablets but you need to use two for each cleaning, that means one bag is good for three-months. I was thrown off at first by each tablet being packaged individually. I thought I only needed to use one tablet per cleaning, but if you read, you put one in your soap dispensor and one sitting loosely in the bottom of your dishwasher.

You use Affresh with your dishwasher empty, setting it on the heaviest cycle using the hottest water. While the dishwasher was going I could smell the lemon scent slightly near the end of the cycle. With the wash over, I opened to inspect the dishwasher. I was worried I would find grit or other deposits from the tablets but the dishwasher was clean. I must admit I was a little disappointed the lemon smell wasn’t as lemony as the original tablet but surprisingly my dishwasher didn’t have the previous odor. I didn’t notice any odd odor on my dishes either, which sometimes has occurred, especially with Tupperware items. Even after just one use, I’m impressed at the difference Affresh has made. I’m curious if I will notice a greater improvement over time, using Affresh on a regular basis.

* Product was provided for the purpose of this review

The folks at Affresh want to help you get ready for Spring by offering one (1) EverythingMom member a Spring Cleaning Gift Basket containing a year’s supply of Affresh plus other cleaning supplies. To enter leave a comment telling us how often you use your dishwasher.

This contest is only open to EverythingMom members. Not a member? It’s quick and easy to join. Contest is only open to Canadian Residents and ends March 23, 2010. One (1) EverythingMom members will be randomly chosen after that.

About the Author With a background in advertising, Carrie Anne left the agency life to spend more time with her three energetic and active kids (age 7, 5, & 3). She continues to work with marketing agencies testing online programs and has been working with Today's Parent magazine for the last three years testing toys for their annual toy issue. As the Review Editor at Everythingmom.com, Carrie Anne plans to share her thoughts on products that might be of interest to you and your family. She will put them to the test so you don't have to. Profile | Blog | Her Main Site | Follow Her on Twitter

So I figure it's about time to write more about how and what to feed your children so that they are getting optimal nutrition and so that they will actually SWALLOW the healthy stuff. In a perfect world kids would devour green salads, but as we well know that's never the case. I'm not sure if it's a texture thing or what but those greens always seem to get pulled out of the mouth no matter how well you think you're hiding them.

This whole topic might take a few posts so for now I will start with the pantry basics.

Here's what you will want to keep on hand:

- Coconut Oil (fresh, cold-pressed)
- Green Powder
- Almond Butter (raw)
- Raw Honey and/or Agave Nectar and/or Stevia
- Young Coconuts
- Frozen fruit
- Almond milk (homemade or store bought)
- Fresh (or homemade) Squeezed Orange Juice
- Fresh pressed Apple Juice
- Grains of some sort (i.e. sprouted grains, frozen gluten-free waffles, quinoa, brown rice, oats)
- Gluten-free Cookies* (Kookie Karma or similar products)
- Gluten-Free Crackers (i.e. make own kale chips, or buy rice crackers)
- Bars (i.e. larabar Or again, Kookie Karma, and/or make your own macaroons at home)
- Goats Milk
- manna bread
- Beans (sprouted)

First and foremost I would like to say PLEASE NOTE that there is NO white or refined sugar on this list. Nor is there any fake sugars either. Please throw out ALL soda. I mean THROW OUT. Don't even recycle or give it away, THROW IT OUT!!!!!!!!!!! Soda will ruin your child's temperament and state of optimal health. And please make sure that you check ingredients when buying pre-packaged foods that they too do not contain sugar, brown sugar, cane sugar, corn syrup, brown rice syrup or succunant. (don't worry though, you will not be depriving your child of any sweet yummy foods - they will get their fair share of chocolate and desert).

When your children stay away from these types of sugars you can stop worrying about the sugar highs and lows or too much juice, too much fruit, etc. Fruit and fresh squeezed (juiced) juice is actually very great for the type of energy that kids need. Running around the house and throwing toys all over the place is quite tiring. I know I would need sugar pick-me-ups all the time (or espressos).

Whining children are typically hungry or tired children. It shouldn't be much more than that.

TIRED: If a child is fed properly he or she should not be tired because they will sleep better during the night and also nap longer and better.

HUNGRY: When you feed children high nutrient/energy foods they will stay fuller and more satisfied longer and their blood sugar levels will not spike. This is very important for controlling whining and fits of crying. Kids often need less food (nobody likes forcing kids to eat so this is a GOOD thing) when eating healthfully because their body gets the nutrients that it needs in smaller amounts of food.

Now the hard part (or so you might think): GETTING KIDS TO ACTUALLY EAT THE HEALTH FOODS!!! And how would one make good tasting healthy recipes that kids will eat? That's what I'm here for. All that info is coming in the further posts. Stay tuned.

This post was awarded "The Best of Everything".
Find out what that means >>