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books · February 28, 2017

Work PAUSE Thrive. A book review. #WorkPAUSEThrive #CLVR

This post may include affiliate links and I may earn commission if you make a purchase through these links.

I received a free copy of Work PAUSE Thrive in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Work PAUSE Thrive: How to Pause for Parenthood Without Killing Your Career by Lisen Stromberg was released a month ago and navigates parenting and careers without having to miss out on life. It focuses on parents who make the decision to pause their careers for a season (whether that season is a few months, a few years, or longer) and then getting back into the workforce. 

There’s never been a question during either pregnancy that when the baby arrived, I would go back to work. I live in Asheville, NC and my husband works in public education. I work in higher-ed, but we don’t make so much money that we can take lavish vacations every quarter. Cost of living is high in our area, and salaries are okay. Last spring, my boss came in one afternoon and asked me what my plans were once the baby was born. I remember thinking he had to be joking. When I realized he wasn’t kidding, I told him there was no way we could survive on one teacher’s salary and I would be returning full-time in June. 

When my son was born 5.5 years ago, I went back to work after 12 weeks and I had family members who pieced together childcare for my first month back at work. He started daycare at 4 months old, and it was one of the saddest things I ever experienced. No worries. He did great. I just didn’t want to leave him. I wanted to put everything on hold, and just be with him. What made it more manageable was working with everyone and ensuring that my lunch hours could be spent at home with him. 

What I learned from this book: 

  • I’m not alone in this struggle of work-parenting balance. 
  • It’s ok to want to press pause on my career if it means being home for my kids. 
  • I can take a temporary pause with my job. 
  • I can go back to work one day. 
  • Flexible work places exist and can work for me.

When my daughter was born last year, I had planned on staying out of work for about 10 weeks, so I would be paid for the entire month of July. My mom then broke her ankle in June and I was having a tougher time thinking about going back to work, so I took the extra two weeks – a very minor pause in my job. I also worked out a schedule to work from home one day a week for the rest of the summer, something I’m able to do easily because of the nature of my job (and a perk of having a really good-natured baby who values her naptime.) Unbeknownst to me, I did take a pause, but I also made things work for my situation. I work in a job that is always evolving, so it would be somewhat easy to step aside for a time and come back to it – as long as I kept educating myself along the way. 

I enjoyed reading this book because it was so relatable for where I am in this stage of life. I wish this book had come out a little sooner – even a year ago – for it to really benefit me before our second child was born. Unfortunately, my family isn’t in a position where we can thrive on a single income. Even without the cost of childcare, the cost of living in my city is high. 

I liked that the author spoke to real families and even focused on dads who may take a pause in the workforce to be home with children. Fortunately, I’m in a job that works with my family life. I highly recommend this for someone who is considering children in the future, or is thinking about pausing their career.

Want to read this for yourself? Enter to win a copy through the Rafflecopter below! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Did you put your career on hold when your family expanded (or will you put it on hold one day?)

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

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Posted By: Jaime McKee · In: books

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Comments

  1. Adriana Lopez says

    March 1, 2017 at 1:46 am

    What a nice giveaway, i think we all need t pause and take a breath. I like the idea of also having dads be involved in the raising of the kids and get involved too after a child is born getting time off.

    Reply
  2. Divya says

    March 1, 2017 at 8:12 am

    I’m currently taking a temporary pause from my career. Not because of becoming a mama, but because we moved across country for my husband to start medical school and it’s really hard to have a “career” in a rural town. But that’s OK. I was upset at first, but now I’m realizing it’s just temporary and I’m hitting the pause button!

    Reply
  3. lisa says

    March 1, 2017 at 9:24 am

    I recently read this book as well, and found it SO inspiring! Hearing from people who have been there or are there, is eyeopening for sure!

    Reply
  4. christine says

    March 1, 2017 at 1:28 pm

    Balance is so difficult. It sounds like this book helps navigate that balance.

    Reply
  5. Alicia says

    March 1, 2017 at 2:13 pm

    This sounds like a great book. I have not heard of it before.

    Reply
  6. Nellwyn says

    March 1, 2017 at 4:04 pm

    This sounds like a great read for parents. I can only image how hard it must be to balance work and family. It’s good to know that there are flexible career options out there.

    Reply
  7. Neely Moldovan says

    March 1, 2017 at 4:04 pm

    Oh this sounds like one I will need to download. LOoks like it would be a good book for me!

    Reply
  8. Janella Panchamsingh says

    March 2, 2017 at 11:39 am

    This is a great giveaway! and the flowers are beautiful

    Reply
  9. Saidah Washington says

    March 5, 2017 at 5:28 am

    This sounds like a book I need to add to my summer reading list. I thinking pausing keeps me balanced.

    Reply

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Jaime McKee photo
I’m Jaime – an Asheville, NC mom, blogger and owner of LoveJaime.com. I have many roles as a wife, mom, runner, crafter and friend. I manage a website and social media for my alma mater by day, and this site by night and weekends. LoveJaime.com is a mixture of tips and stories relating to family, fitness, recipes, crafts and life in general. I love to create, write and share content that others can relate to.

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