Over the past few months at Care.com, we’ve had a little baby boom with several of the Care Team members bringing new bundles of joy into the world. I hear rumors that there’s even an office pool going with everyone guessing who’ll be the next employee to have a baby. Who knows, maybe Ron and I could be the ones? (Just joking… or am I? Ha ha!)

With all the pictures circulating and congratulatory cakes appearing in the kitchen, talk around the office turned to baby names. We talked about why we chose our children’s names, which ones we rejected, and even funny ones that our relatives suggested (and we quickly shot down!). It got me thinking… what’s the most popular name for youngsters on Care.com?

We’re running a quick survey… all you have to do is fill in your children’s names. We’ll add up the totals and let you know which boy’s name and which girl’s name is most popular here in the Care.com community. I’ve already put in my two sons’ – Ryan and Adam!

Put your “names into the hat” now! Take the survey.

We finally had beautiful weather in Boston for the July 4th weekend (after four straight weeks of rain!), and we invited our extended family over to our place for a barbecue. But during the fun and fireworks, there was some emotional stress in our household. Our older guy, Ryan (who is now 17), exerted his independence a bit, decided to stay out all night without permission, and didn’t come home. Ron and I are still in the midst of resolving it with him, and we’ve had to put some tough consequences in place.  

After returning to work post-holiday, my mind was still churning about the emotional turmoil at home. I realized that the unsettled feeling impacts my mindset at work. It’s not surprising—it’s so tough to separate the two. Just being at work doesn’t mean you’re not thinking about home life and vice versa. Through the years, I’ve found some helpful stress management techniques to get through the day and I’d like to share them with you.

Every morning, before I check email, look at my to-do list, or make breakfast, I spend a few minutes meditating alone. When I’m at home, I like to go by myself to a window overlooking our backyard (where I can see the gardening work Ron and I have done on the weekends), relax, and do some deep breathing exercises. If I’m on the road in a hotel room, my view isn’t always as comforting or serene, but I still make sure to run through my morning routine, no matter where I am. I’ve found that if the first thing you do when you wake up is hit the ground running, you’re far more likely to feel pressured and stressed out. But just a few minutes of quiet reflection can help set the tone for the entire day.

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine visited Care.com and we spent the afternoon in a company-sponsored stress management workshop. Not only was it a great way to step away from our desks, but Janet Doucette (of Mindful Technology) shared tips with everyone on how to manage stress. 

Janet also talked quite a bit about the chemical reactions stress causes in your brain—it impairs decision making, speeds heart rate, and actually snowballs into even more stress. However, simple exercises like spending just five to 10 minutes breathing deeply and visualizing “calm, relaxed, and warm” images can not only counteract the effects of stress, but also help make you stress-resistant in the future. 

There are times, though, when life just really gets to you. I’ve developed a little “meltdown prevention tactic” for when that happens to me at home or work. I call it the 4-7-8 method. It’s pretty simple—four seconds breathing in, seven seconds holding my breath, and eight seconds breathing out. Repeat four times and it works like a charm!

Being a parent or having caregiving responsibilities for others can be a huge burden at times (even though it’s also a great blessing). Trying to balance work and home life is never easy, but there are ways we can combat stress!

As you go through your day at home or at work, how do you cope with stressful situations? 

PS – Just spotted this super-fun post on iVillage: 10 Ways to Find 10 Blissful Minutes for Yourself. It has some great ideas on how to take mini-vacations when your day gets to be too much.

Last week, nine of our Care.com team members joined a crowd of 12,000 other Boston-area workers to run in the 26th annual J.P. Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge. The challenge is a 3.5 mile race run through the heart of Boston that helps raise awareness for “green” thinking and environmental issues, supports local charities, and gives participants a little bit of out-of-the-office fun.

This year, the Challenge raised money for Camp Harbor View, a Boston-based organization that offers 11-14-year-olds from at-risk neighborhoods a chance to leave the city and participate in a four-week-long day camp program during the summer. Kids who participate get to enjoy the outdoors while hiking, swimming, or doing arts and crafts in a safe, educational environment.

I’m happy to report that all nine of the Care.com entries finished the race (all at times that way outpace what I’d be able to do… I’m so out of shape!), no one got hurt beyond a few sore muscles, and everyone had a great time. Word around the office is that training for 2010 has already begun! 

Here are a few pictures from the event. Congratulations to all the runners!

Image, from left to right:

Dee – Product, Jeff – Finance, Justin – Corporate, Nelson – Creative, Amber – Member Care, Sabrina – Marketing, Mark – PR

Ron – Marketing, Mike - PR