Category: Living Life

Living Life, Marketing

“Mom, do you have a new job yet?”

Jennifer Mulchandani

7 days on the job market, and my kids have been asking this question for 5 days already!

How long should it take to line up the next gig, permanent job or even limited engagement client?  I find that at times I am on overdrive with desire to know what I’ll do next.  At at other moments, I find I don’t want to rush this.  I don’t want to make a move that isn’t right for me.  I’m caught in a vortex of thrilling excitement to know what is behind door #3 and a deliberate pleasure that comes from creating my own path, and crafting an opportunity that is just right!

Job searching is both a social and introspective endeavor.  The social part is great — I’ll have 3 coffee/lunch meetings this week alone! But the times at home, setting it up, figuring it out, requires a type of soul-searching that I have thus far found thrilling. How often in life do we really allow ourselves to spend hours focusing on what we like to do, how we see ourselves doing it, and then having the opportunity to work towards making it a reality?  I realize that not everybody gets this kind of time to ponder income earning opportunities, and I know that I am fortunate to have at least a short while to get my ducks in a row financially.  Not that 7 days is very long, but it has been a gift.

So what can someone get done in 7 days on the job market?  So far I have:

  • Gone nuts connecting with people on LinkedIn.
  • Updated LinkedIn profile at least 10x.
  • Told everyone I meet that I am looking for work.
  • Re-wrote resume.
  • Written personal emails to a dozen contacts.  Created a list of another 25 to reach out to.
  • Scheduled 3 in-person meetings with contacts to network.
  • Updated blog to include professional capabilities.
  • Created a business card (and put a QR code on it that links back to my LinkedIn profile).
  • Applied to one amazing job opening that feels like a long shot but would be perfect for me.
  • Had 1 interview with a placement firm.
  • Spent some time staring at my wardrobe wondering what people wear to live interviews!

Next up is registering for some in-person networking events, getting a website more flushed out, and hitting “go” on an aggressive outreach campaign to potential clients and employers.  I also need to figure out that clothing situation.

If you need help with marketing, I’d love to talk with you about how I can help you meet your business goals!  Check out my marketing page and let me know if you want to talk.

And if you have ideas to share on job hunting, please comment on this post!

Living Life

Thankful

Jennifer Mulchandani

‘Tis the season to be thankful, and even if I don’t feel like it I’m going to do it.  What I mean is, sometimes the emotion of thankfulness is not what naturally comes to the surface — but I’m finding that it helps to force myself into the action of finding things to be thankful for.

In the lead up to Thanksgiving, I’ve found myself feeling a lot of sadness and longing for my dad.  Dad passed away this summer, after living it up for 87 years.  Many people try to comfort the loss by saying things like “he lived such a long life!” “let’s be grateful he didn’t suffer a long decline” or “we should all live so long.” I say it sucks to lose my dad and while sure, he could have suffered more and his dying could have been far more tragic, at the heart of it I am still mourning his death.  And because I spent so many Thanksgiving holidays (especially in my adult life) with my dad, I am finding this week to be especially emotional.

So as I find myself getting weepy as I drive pass Arlington National Cemetery on my way to work, I very consciously start to think about what I am thankful for…..

  • a beautiful drive along the Potomac River with views of the nation’s capital;
  • 3 awesome kids that challenge me, entertain me, and fill my heart to the point of bursting;
  • 1 world’s best husband who loves me for all my insanity;
  • my mom who is the best mommy mentor for patience and understanding;
  • my girlfriends who will take my kids with no notice when I need help; and who will give me their kids with no notice;
  • the girlfriends who I have coffee with too infrequently but who are a sounding board on everything;
  • my best friends from college who help me stay sane
  • my running partner who makes it hard to ignore the 5:30am alarm
  • my siblings who I see too little of but who come together when it counts

The act of being thankful is my meditation.  Reciting these things in my mind washes away the sadness, and allows me to include memories of my dad in my thankful list.  Like the Thanksgivings when dad and I played Trivial Pursuit against my husband and father-in-law, and we won!  (I should say my dad won, I don’t recall ever having a single correct answer!) And I’m thankful that my dad traveled so much to see me over the years, and that he got to meet all my kids.

In this season of being thankful, I encourage everyone to take a moment or more to ask yourself what you are thankful for.  You might just surprise yourself on how good it makes you feel!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Birthdays, Living Life, Parenting

Just in Time Parenting

Jennifer Mulchandani


I often joke to people that I practice “just in time parenting.” I recall a lot of buzz around the “just in time manufacturing” strategy, used to describe the efficient practices of Japanese auto makers, and why they were outperforming American manufacturers in the 80s and 90s.

I like the efficient part, and it feels better to think of myself that way, instead of feeling like I am always a step behind. Its ironic, as by nature I’m a planner, but with so much going on, something has to give.

An example. This morning I began browsing online for costume inspiration, for an auction event tonight. I have posted pleading messages on my mom’s group; and am resigned to the fact that I must go to costume shops today to purchase an outfit, as I’m out of time to assemble one myself. Is this efficient, or a blaring reminder that life is too busy to calmly get things ready?

I think the answer is both — but the emotion of it is determined by my mindset. I can either get really stressed that I may not end up in costume tonight (and be jealous of all the others who are!) or I can chose to acknowledge that life is pretty busy, and I am making choices each day as how to spend my time to best maximize each day. I chose not to go shopping late one night last week to plan for this event — I chose to be home with family, or to get some sleep, or do laundry, or go to a board meeting, or take the kids ice skating… Reminding myself that it is all by choice that I am in this situation is comforting. Being accepting of my own choices is liberating.

To be honest, there are times when Just in Time Parenting isn’t as efficient as others. Learning this did cause some disappointment or distress, but like all rules, there are exceptions and knowing them is important! Examples include camp registration, well-child doctor appointments, using reward miles for travel and booking a good babysitter. For certain things, planning ahead is critical — the trick is to figure out what must be planned, and what can be done just in time.

I have embraced my Just in Time Parenting style more and more since the birth of my third child; when my workload increased by 50% and sleep decreased by the same. This mindset was born of necessity, and has flourished given it brings me less stress.

More Examples:

Son needs to wear a specific clothing item tomorrow. My choice is to stay up till 11 to get the wash into the dryer; or to decide its ok to wipe off the dried on food that shows its dirty. I chose the second option.

Family is undertaking a first ever road trip to Florida. We thought about trying to book hotel rooms ahead of trip, but the task was too difficult not knowing how far we wanted to travel each day. We decided we would figure it out when the time called for it, and ended up needing to drive a couple of extra hours the first night to find the hotel that we wanted with a pool. This one is less clear, but I call it a win since we didn’t stress about it ahead of time, and it all worked out.

Child requests out of the ordinary birthday “cake”. I could have posted for help on my mom’s group, ordered it from a bakery, or planned my own design. Instead, on the morning of the party, I googled “Donut Cake” and got tons of ideas, went to Dunkin Donuts, and figured it out as I assembled it. No stress, and the kids were thrilled. I mean, come on, the kid wanted a donut cake, it didn’t need to be a project!

There are plenty more examples. And I suspect that everyone has their own list of things they have dealt with in the moment, that was far easier and much less stressful than if they had planned ahead. I encourage all my parenting friends (and single folks could do this too!) to spend less mental energy and time on what is in the future, and you’ll be better able to enjoy and handle and be successful with what is going on right now!

I have to sign off now. I need a disco outfit for tonight!

Living Life

SPF Birth Control….

Jennifer Mulchandani

Ever since baby boy #3 turned two, I find myself pondering “am I done with babies?” are we “full” as a family? While DH has been certain for a long time, I held tight to all the baby gear and clothes and just, was not ready, to say we were done. Maybe it was pangs of wanting a daughter, or some desire to have the number of kids that my mom did, or just because I LOVE LOVE LOVE the baby months, but I couldn’t admit that my family was complete.

That all changed the last week of August, thanks to a tube of CVS brand SPF 45 sunscreen. It was day 4 of our week long vacation at the beach, and we had perfect weather: sunny, hot but not too hot, and the beach was so inviting with big waves and lots of friends for the kids. So that meant we had to apply sunscreen to three squirmy kids, about three times a day. The morning application isn’t so bad — everyone is cooperative because that is what is required to get out of the apartment! Plus, nobody is covered in sand yet! But the 2nd and 3rd daily applications weren’t so easy — sandy bodies meant the kids were getting exfoliated, and there was no incentive to stay put for a good application. And then it hit me — I can not handle putting sunscreen on one more child. See, I’m certain that I have enough love to share, I have enough insanity to risk juggling my complicated over-scheduled existence, but I fear it is the little stuff like packing lunches, tying shoes, and applying sun protection that would put me over the edge. The edge that moms fear. The edge that once crossed, takes a lot of therapy to come back from…

I’m still surprised at the clarity the sunscreen event brought me. I began the purge process — selling, giving away and donating…. with each bin that I go through, I have had moments of doubt, followed by a sense of drive to clear out. Instead of holding onto the items that keep me thinking of the baby years, luring me to imagine the “what if” scenarios of expanding our family, I’ve been making mental room for the future that I will have with my three kids.

The process continues, and I remain firm, but at the same time I do fantasize about adopting a girl one day….and I’m not quite ready for permanent birth control, so for now, we’ll just continue to use CVS SPF 45. That works, right?