I thought on the eve of this historic, incredible, exhausting election tomorrow I’d take a virtual walk through some of what Work It, Mom! bloggers and members have written and said about it during the last few months:

Perhaps not surprisingly, Sarah Palin’s nomination as the Republican VP has been a topic of much heated discussion, including here on the Work It, Mom! Blog.

Working moms have poor family values, the Sarah Palin edition

Don’t blow kisses at work, Sarah Palin

Will Sarah Palin be the ultimate working mom?

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I know, it’s a very long title, but it’s the best I can do after 2 days of networking, 2 days of walking around NYC, and all of this while consuming inordinate quantities of Tylenol/Emergen-C/funky Chinese herbs the guy at Whole Foods promised would cure all my ills.

I spent Thursday and Friday at the Blogher Business Conference. I am glad I went — although it was a big investment of both time and money for a small (but mighty!) company like Work It, Mom!. The best thing about business conferences is the opportunity to meet new people and connect in person with people I know only virtually. I think email and phone can go a long way to create great working relationships, but there’s nothing like being able to talk face-to-face and conferences offer a way to do a bunch of these mini-meetings at once.

I must say one of the highlights was meeting our awesome Mir in person, after working with her for almost a year.
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You know how kids sometimes say things so perceptive that it makes you realize something very true?

Earlier today I was playing with my daughter when apparently I zoned out a bit (I know, it’s tough to do that when you’re a patient at her doctor’s clinic and you’ve been told to lie still on the floor, but it happened.) All of a sudden she got this very concerned adult look on her face, came up to me, touched my arm and said “Mommy, don’t worry, it’s OK.” Now, there is a slight chance that she was still in her doctor role and she was saying OK to me as a patient whose heart rate was quiet (a legitimate diagnosis she has given me before many times) — but there was this look in her eyes that made think differently.

She saw that I was zoning out and she knew that I do that when I worry.

Earlier we asked a question here on WIM about whether you bring your job stress home or leave it at work.
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As some of you have seen, we recently published an article by Leslie Bennetts titled 10 Reasons Working Moms Should Feel Great About Themselves (Reason number one: Working women are happier).

This post is not meant to defend our decision to publish the article but rather for me to personally explain why we did it and share my reactions to the reactions I’ve heard from several members (OK, that’s a mouthful, I know).

We published Ms. Bennetts’ article because:

1. We’re an open community where ANY member is free to submit articles, write notes, ask questions, and join in on the discussion. We’re not an editorial magazine and unless the content is inappropriate or irrelevant we don’t prevent it from appearing on the site.

2. Ms. Bennetts’ book is targeted at working moms, is based on research, and it caused heated discussion when it came out. I expected that her article would contain relevant information and be a good platform for discussion at Work It, Mom!. This second point is the reason why we featured the article in our newsletter and on the site yesterday — to invite our members to enter into this discussion and conversation with each other.
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Have some time? Catch up on the goings on at Work It, Mom! during the past week:

Small-business owners and entrepreneurs had plenty to peruse: Naomi Dunford of IttyBiz shared some great marketing ideas, MogulMom gave some tips for automating time management, and Karin Abarbanel talked about start-up success strategies.

Work for someone else? Members were talking about changing jobs, re-entering the workforce, and whether swearing decreases workplace stress, while Susan at The Working Closet offered up some great tips for what to wear to a job interview.

Parenting and childcare issues were up for discussion, with Jessica giving great tips for hiring a live-in nanny, members talking about the tax issues involved, and moms talking about helicopter parents.

Are you ready for Valentine’s Day? Give your kids some new craft ideas, dish about what you REALLY want, and enter our fabulous contest – you could win a $100 gift certificate to Restaurant.com and a gorgeous necklace! To enter, just share your best cheap date idea.

Last, but not least, take a moment to take care of yourself — after all, February is often dark and gloomy. Consider keeping a journal, make something comforting (like Chris Jordan’s Beef Stew — yum), or vent in a member note.

Have a great weekend!

Have a few minutes this weekend? Catch up on what went on at Work It, Mom! during the week:

Work It, Mom! members got themselves organized this week, talking about scheduling (mornings, evenings, and blog posts), getting our filing cabinets in order, and trading stories about feeding and sleep training our children. At the Cornered Office, Mir tackled her home workspace and even got a jump on her taxes (she reports that it felt great, so check out her post for some motivation).

As we approach the  Tuesday primaries, our State of the Nation group is going strong, with discussions on the table about the Florida primary results, the debates, and Ann Coulter’s comments on Hillary Clinton. Want to talk politics? Pick a discussion and tell us your opinions!

Members have contributed some great new articles, as well. Jill Frank wrote about how you can improve your career by improving your self confidence, YourOnRampMom looked at the brighter side of recession, Boston Mamas offered an excellent primer on breast pumps, and Barbara Safani gave tips on how to network while your career is on hold. Would you like to contribute an article? Use our easy online submission form!

This weekend is your last chance to enter our Articles Comments Contest — all you need to do is leave a comment on any member article and you’ve got a chance to win a $75 gift certificate to Sephora.com.

Have a great weekend!

If you have a few minutes to catch up on what went on at Work It, Mom! this week, we’ve got a few links to get you started:

Maternity leave was a big topic this week: Members discussed their own experiences, Lee Thrash offered up tips for keeping your foot in the office door, and the Work It Mom! Team rounded up the best ideas for what to ask at the hospital before you have your baby. Wondering how the celebs return to work? Sara takes a look at tennis star Lindsay Davenport and how she juggles work and new motherhood.

Our kids are being awfully generous with their germs right now, and members are looking for ways to cope. I wondered whether to give cold medication to my 3-year-old, Lylah at The 36-Hour Day pondered the pros and cons of “Presenteeism” (and decided that there are no sick days in parenthood), and members offered up the natural cough remedies that have worked for them and their kids.

In our Entrepreneur Moms group, members shared their best business moments, talked about why they started their businesses, and exchanged marketing strategies. Jessica, of Kerflop fame, offered up some more of her blog advertising expertise, SingleMa debuted her 5 Secrets to Fabulous Financials, and members traded stories about their first jobs.

And, speaking of jobs, if you’re thinking about starting a business from home, Wendy Piersall’s article on all the internet home business options out there is a must read.

There’s something about the cold that makes us want to cook — or at least eat! Our Busy Chef group has been on fire this week, talking about comfort food, menu planning, and quick and healthy meals. Over in Ordering Disorder, Chris contributing a fast and easy Chicken and White Bean Chili to the Work It, Mom! recipe collection — check it out!

We touched on a lot of infant and toddler issues this week, including early education, hiring a nanny, taking a business trip with baby, and how to handle tantrums. One member asked, “How do you deal with potty training when your child spends most of their waking hours at daycare?” Been there, done that? Share your experiences!

We didn’t take a break from business, though. Jessica from Kerflop offered the second installment in her series on blog advertising, ParentPreneur pointed out how motherhood really does prepare you for starting your own company, and members discussed how they handle their emotions at work.

And how could we not keep an eye on the political arena? We’re asking questions, blogging about the economy, talking about the news, and analyzing the latest from the campaign trail. Join our new group, State of the Nation, and join the discussions!

If you have a few minutes this weekend, here are some links to the latest happenings here at Work It, Mom!:

Members have been talking politics, wondering if Hillary deserves our vote because she’s a woman, whether there’s a gender bias when it comes to political candidates, and asking if other members feel comfortable discussing politics at work.

Our new Frugal Moms group is going strong, with members sharing tips and insights about saving money. Want some inspiration? Read about some of their best bargains.

Naomi Dunford of IttyBiz suggested ways small-business owners can find perspective; Jessica, of Kerflop fame, launched a series of articles explaining the ins-and-outs of blog advertising; and the Work It, Mom! Team talked with Aruni Gunasegaram, founder and president of Babble Soft.

Are you in the Boston area? Then we hope you can join us for an in-person (yes IN PERSON) get together on Febuary 2nd. If you’re interested, let us know by posting here.

There’s still time to enter the What’s In Your Bag! Contest. Show us what’s in your bag, and Careerbags.com will give you the chance to put it all in a new one! To enter, upload a photo of what’s in your bag to our Career Bags Group!

You may now go back to your regularly scheduled day (which hopefully involves a bit of catching your breath and relaxing!)

The holidays may be over, but for many of us, the stress levels are still high. Learn how to switch off the mental chatter, and decide how to handle it when you’ve taken on too much. What do you do to relax? We asked, members answered — check out the discussion and share your tips!

Many of us have switched into high gear for the New Year, and now we’re trying to make our New Year’s resolutions stick. Work It, Mom! has plenty of advice on achieving your goals, avoiding failure, and dealing with change. Need a little support to reach that first small goal? You can find it here!

Moms with infants, listen up! Members have been chiming in about their experiences with breastfeeding and pumping, Relaxnsmile wrote a great article with plenty of tips and information for those heading back to the workplace with pump in hand, and Lee Thrash offers some sage advice to freelancers who are getting ready to go on maternity leave.

Only got a minute? Take a picture of what’s in your bag and upload it to our CareerBags Group here at Work It, Mom! for a chance to win a fabulous fabulous Veronica London Business Tote courtesy of CareerBags.com. Details are here, contest ends on January 20th.