Last week, Maria Shriver and the Center for American Progress released The Shriver Report, also known as A Woman's Nation. Maria Shriver herself calls the report "an accurate and detailed portrait of American women and families at this transformational moment in our history." I read through the report and watched a few of the segments that The Today Show did about it during the week.
I have spent the past week thinking about all I've heard and all I've read and I am not sure if I have more clarity about my thoughts about a woman's nation at this point, or not. The report found that "women say they feel increasingly isolated, invisible, stressed, and misunderstood." The report notes that women do not feel like the news media accurately reflects their lives and that the government is out of touch with today's woman and does not know what they need to survive. Additionally, the report states that women are exasperated by pollsters and pundits who want to put them in convenient boxes with labels like "soccer moms."
The questions that were explored in an effort to learn some new information about today's woman are good questions. In my opinion, some of the questions do not have easy answers. Who is today's woman? How does she live, what does she think, what does she earn? How does she define power, how does she define success, and how does she want to live her life going forward?
One of the segments on The Today Show that I heard bits and pieces of as I was dashing around the house with my very hectic morning routine, was whether women take on too much and whether we are making ourselves sick and tired. I went back and rewatched the segment online so that I could actually pay attention to what was being said. Dr. Nancy Snyderman was speaking about how women today have so much on their plates and that leaves them feeling very stressed. That in turn has a big impact on our sleep and we do not get proper rest. That has a big impact on how we eat which has a big impact on our weight gain, which of course has a negative impact on our blood pressure, etc. A question was taken from a viewer about how to let go of some of the things that cause her so much stress and the answer Dr. Nancy gave is worth noting. She said to take 10 minutes out of your day and make two columns on a piece of paper. One for "things I love about my life" and one for "things I hate about my life." Once you have filled in the columns you can identify things that have crept on to your plate that have no value for you and then you can actively begin to remove those things. Sounds so simple, and is brilliant, but it's one of those things I think we all need to be reminded to do every now and again.
Interestingly enough, one viewer asked a question about IVF and insurance coverage and why some plans do not cover it, and Dr. Nancy commented that this is one of the great reproductive injustices in the insurance world. She commented that Viagra and the like are covered by insurance but birth control pills are not. She further stated that sexism is alive and well and that some people feel that just being a woman is a pre-existing condition. She says that these are hot button issues on Capitol Hill right now and she thinks we will see them addressed.
With each passing day, I found myself thinking about so many different issues facing women today. I found myself thinking about my answers to the questions I listed above that were asked about today's woman. I found answers to some of the things I thought about, but some led me to more questions. I am going to keep wrestling with my thoughts and will try to figure out where I fall in A Woman's Nation, and I wanted to ask you all to share your thoughts about this topic with the rest of us. One of the things the report mentioned is that women are looking for places to connect. Let's take advantage of this place to do just that.
Here's a link to the website for A Woman's Nation: http://awomansnation.com/awn.php
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Reminder - An Evening With Maggie Anton!
I posted this several weeks ago, but I wanted to repost it as a reminder since the deadline for ordering books is fast approaching. I hope to see you at this event!
Please mark your calendars! I am so pleased to announce that the Seaboard Region of WLCJ is presenting an Evening With Maggie Anton, author of Rashi's Daughters. The event will be hosted by the Sisterhood of Olam Tikvah and will take place on Thursday, November 12, 2009, at 7:30pm.
To RSVP, please visit the link below for the form. If you wish to order copies of Book 1 - Joheved, Book 2 - Miriam, or Book 3 - Rachel, prior to the event to have them available for Maggie to sign, then please make sure to have your form and check (for books and registration fee) to me by October 26. If you just plan to attend the event and not order books, then please send your form and registration fee to me by November 1. The cost for books is $12 per copy and the cost for the event is $10 for those who are a member of a WLCJ Sisterhood and $15 for those who are not. Checks should be made payable to Seaboard Region WLCJ and sent to me.
You will find my contact information and directions to Olam Tikvah on the form as well. I hope to see you there!
Please mark your calendars! I am so pleased to announce that the Seaboard Region of WLCJ is presenting an Evening With Maggie Anton, author of Rashi's Daughters. The event will be hosted by the Sisterhood of Olam Tikvah and will take place on Thursday, November 12, 2009, at 7:30pm.
To RSVP, please visit the link below for the form. If you wish to order copies of Book 1 - Joheved, Book 2 - Miriam, or Book 3 - Rachel, prior to the event to have them available for Maggie to sign, then please make sure to have your form and check (for books and registration fee) to me by October 26. If you just plan to attend the event and not order books, then please send your form and registration fee to me by November 1. The cost for books is $12 per copy and the cost for the event is $10 for those who are a member of a WLCJ Sisterhood and $15 for those who are not. Checks should be made payable to Seaboard Region WLCJ and sent to me.
You will find my contact information and directions to Olam Tikvah on the form as well. I hope to see you there!
http://www.wlcj.net/seaboard/news/maggie_anton_flyer.htm
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Getting Organized
This is the year! This is the year that I will conquer the clutter. I have been working on this for some time, and I have been making progress, but in the past few weeks I have really kicked the process into high gear. Files are being organized, unneeded papers are being shredded or tossed, items that my kids no longer play with, use, or read are being sorted and are finding new homes, and soon the closets will be cleaned out. The more I get done, the happier I am. Being surrounded by too much stuff is stressful.
While I was sorting through some files, I came across a purple folder that I received at a workshop at a Seaboard Region conference years ago, from a consultant who was invited to talk to us about leading an organized life. In the folder are helpful hits for dealing with clutter. Obviously, I didn't pay enough attention to the hints in the folder since I still have it! But, I plan to share them with you here, and then I will toss the folder!
Below you will find hints and tips, a keep or toss checklist, and a records retention guide. Thank you to Ellen Newman of Clutter Rx for providing these to me all those years ago!
Hints and Tips for Staying Clutter Free
Imagine that you are moving and ask yourself if it's worth the effort and expense of moving an item. If not, give it a new home.
Make an uncluttering appointment with yourself on a daily, weekly or bi-weekly basis.
Start with the easy stuff like expired coupons, old flyers, catalogs, broken items not worth fixing, expired medicines, etc and throw them away.
Pare down before you buy any organizing products.
Label all containers.
Don't put things down, put them away.
Simplify your life with the 80/20 rule. Most of us use only 20% or what we own. The other 80% takes up space, creating clutter.
Limit the amount of incoming paper. Immediately get rid of junk mail. Only subscribe to a reasonable number of magazines.
Should I Keep It or Toss It? Ask These Questions:
Have I, or has anyone else in my home, used this item in the past year?
Do I have a definite use for this in the near future?
If it's broken, is it worth fixing?
Does the item serve a worthwhile purpose?
Do I need it for legal or tax reasons?
Is it more important to keep the item than it is to have the space it takes up?
Do I, or does someone else in my household, love it?
Would it be difficult or expensive for me to get another one?
Guidelines for Record Retention - Always check with an accountant when in doubt
Keep these items forever:
income tax returns
income tax payment checks (I am assuming this means the stub from the check)
investment trade confirmations
retirement and pension records
adoption papers
birth and death certificates
citizenship papers
copyrights/patents
marriage certificates/divorce decrees
power of attorney/wills/instructions to executor or heirs
passports/vaccination records
social security records
special circumstances
automobile titles, registration, repairs - until car is sold
credit card receipts until verified on your statement
insurance policies - for the life of the policy
pay stubs - until reconciled with your W2
sales receipts on appliances, electronics, etc for the life of the warranty
Utility bills - current year or longer if considering selling the house to determine usage patterns.
While I was sorting through some files, I came across a purple folder that I received at a workshop at a Seaboard Region conference years ago, from a consultant who was invited to talk to us about leading an organized life. In the folder are helpful hits for dealing with clutter. Obviously, I didn't pay enough attention to the hints in the folder since I still have it! But, I plan to share them with you here, and then I will toss the folder!
Below you will find hints and tips, a keep or toss checklist, and a records retention guide. Thank you to Ellen Newman of Clutter Rx for providing these to me all those years ago!
Hints and Tips for Staying Clutter Free
Imagine that you are moving and ask yourself if it's worth the effort and expense of moving an item. If not, give it a new home.
Make an uncluttering appointment with yourself on a daily, weekly or bi-weekly basis.
Start with the easy stuff like expired coupons, old flyers, catalogs, broken items not worth fixing, expired medicines, etc and throw them away.
Pare down before you buy any organizing products.
Label all containers.
Don't put things down, put them away.
Simplify your life with the 80/20 rule. Most of us use only 20% or what we own. The other 80% takes up space, creating clutter.
Limit the amount of incoming paper. Immediately get rid of junk mail. Only subscribe to a reasonable number of magazines.
Should I Keep It or Toss It? Ask These Questions:
Have I, or has anyone else in my home, used this item in the past year?
Do I have a definite use for this in the near future?
If it's broken, is it worth fixing?
Does the item serve a worthwhile purpose?
Do I need it for legal or tax reasons?
Is it more important to keep the item than it is to have the space it takes up?
Do I, or does someone else in my household, love it?
Would it be difficult or expensive for me to get another one?
Guidelines for Record Retention - Always check with an accountant when in doubt
Keep these items forever:
income tax returns
income tax payment checks (I am assuming this means the stub from the check)
investment trade confirmations
retirement and pension records
adoption papers
birth and death certificates
citizenship papers
copyrights/patents
marriage certificates/divorce decrees
power of attorney/wills/instructions to executor or heirs
passports/vaccination records
social security records
special circumstances
automobile titles, registration, repairs - until car is sold
credit card receipts until verified on your statement
insurance policies - for the life of the policy
pay stubs - until reconciled with your W2
sales receipts on appliances, electronics, etc for the life of the warranty
Utility bills - current year or longer if considering selling the house to determine usage patterns.
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