I went back to work full-time this year after several years of working part-time as a high school teacher, and I spent the first few months feeling pretty inadequate at basically everything. By November, I started to feel a little more on top of things, just in time for cold, cough and stomach bug season. Here are some tips and ideas I wish I'd had back in August. (Note: I consider being a stay-at-home mom of young children full time work, so many of these tips are applicable whether you work in or outside of the home.) You might also want to check out the Poppins Parents profile on recent-blogging-award winner, yogi-extraordinaire Kristin Quinn for some inspiration (!) and tips on juggling work and family.

If you frequent Jamaica Plain, you already know about the many awesome places to make music with your kids. But you might not know that Jamaica Plain is also home to one of the most unique and critically acclaimed up-and-coming chamber music groups in the country, the conductor-less string orchestra, A Far Cry.  This group -- they call themselves Criers -- invites a new generation of young people to embrace classical music by making their concerts participatory, varied, and inexpensive. And they have afternoon recitals, perfect for the younger, post-nap set.

I'm going back to work full-time this month, which is terrifying, but I'm determined not to give up our family dinner time together; it's time we all need to reconnect, unwind, and besides, it's pretty hilarious when our two-year-old wants to clink glasses and say 'cheers'.  I have written about time saving meal swaps before, but what about the nights when it's just you, a toddler or two, and dinner that's not yet made, assembled, or otherwise prepared? Here are some easy ways to transform that hour before dinner from meltdown city into happy land (ok, most of the time).