Working Mothers - Win A Break
If you ever wondered if there was more than just stress involved with being a working mother, we found the contest for you. A woman selected as the Working Mother of the Year will receive $35,000; three runners-up will win spa getaways. The contest sponsor, Kudos, the snack bar makers, will name the winner based on a 500-word essay sharing tips on how to best manage and enjoy life as a working mother. Submit your entry by Nov. 30 to Kudos Working Mother of the Year, P.O. Box 14, F.D.R. Station, New York, N.Y. 10150.
The fabulous 40s: In Ebony magazine Oprah Winfrey recently said these wise words about her age. “Turning 40 has been major for me. Camille Cosby told me it would be. She said, ‘There will come a time between 40 and 42 when you will really have tired of other people’s stuff. You will get very clear about what it is you really want to do and you won’t care what other people think.’ And it happened. I don’t know exactly when or why. Camille said it is the realization that time is really all you have and when you reach 40 you will not be as willing to let other people use and abuse you.”
Solo dining: Mrs. P.M. Williams wrote us a delightful tale in response to our request for dining alone stories. “A few years ago on my birthday, after a hard day dealing with many difficult people, I treated myself to dinner - ALONE at a restaurant that gave free dinners on one’s birthday. I thoroughly enjoyed the meal, the magazine I’d taken along to read and especially my aloneness in a crowd of people. When I was almost finished, a waiter brought me a big piece of chocolate cake, ordered and paid for by a couple nearby who felt sorry for me spending my birthday alone. That kind gesture has remained one of my most pleasant memories.”
Query: The above story prompted another question: Do you ever go to movies alone and what is that experience like?
Great speaker: Dr. Mona Lake Jones, a hometown girl made good, will be the keynote speaker at the YWCA’s annual world services luncheon Sept 12. Jones is a writer, educator and nationally known lecturer. She graduated from Lewis and Clark and now lives in Seattle. Tickets are $10. Call 326-1190.
Funky facts: Women with high testosterone levels are more career-oriented than women with low levels, according to an article in the September issue of Family Circle. Women with low testosterone, on the other hand, tend to be homemakers, students or temporary workers.
Good advice: “When you are facing breast cancer, you need encouragement. It really isn’t helpful to hear of your sister’s husband’s brother’s wife’s cousin twice removed, who vomited uncontrollably day and night after chemotherapy.” From “I Don’t Remember Signing Up for Cancer” by Spokane author Sherry Karuza Waldrip.
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MEMO: Common Ground is written on alternating weeks by Rebecca Nappi and Dan Webster. Write to them in care of The Spokesman-Review, Features Department, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210-1615. Or fax, (509) 459-5098.