Thank you for visiting me here. I have decided to freshen up my blog.
Here is a link to the new website:
http://www.helenawills.com
Hope you will like it!
Helena
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| Seattle 2014 |
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Thursday, July 9, 2015
#LeadonLeave: a few words on maternity leave in the USA.
This week Rose turned 7 ... weeks. She is a lovely little girl, not causing (knock on wood) major problems. Once in a while she even takes longer naps, about five hours in a row, and they even occur in her own crib:) I am happy that I can spend a lot of time with her, without worrying about when my maternity leave would be over. As a working mom in the USA, I would be interviewing nannies right about now.
This is because in the USA, parents do not possess any legal entitlement to paid maternity leave.
American women do have a guaranteed 12 weeks unpaid leave under the FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act), but before that they must be employed full time for at least a year, and the company for which they work must have a minimum of 50 employees.
Only a few states, including California, have introduced several weeks paid (but not 100% reimbursed) family leave, but that's still far from European standards.
Employers of course, are free to offer child care benefits as a perq. For example, Facebook gives 17 weeks of paid leave to fathers and mothers; same-sex couples are also eligible.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, however, only 12% of the private sector, and 16% of the public sector have access to paid family leave. Therefore, many women either do not take a longer leave or take a career stall, if they can afford it.
It seems that this issue is rarely debated and discussed. Business woman like Sheryl Sandberg (last year I wrote about the book Lean In) or Susan Wojcicki do talk about it, however, it seems to me that this is still does not get the attention it deserves.
Maybe American women do not need that kind of luxury? This does not make sense. The American fertility rate is not significantly lower than Europe's and professional fulfillment is equally important. Europe figures out how to take care of parents, and still be competitive in business. Why can't the U.S.?
On the U.S. Labor Department webpage I found an interesting campaign #LeadonLeave, which criticizes the status quo and calls for the necessary changes. There are videos showing the difficult first few months of working moms and articles convincing that paid maternity leave has positive effects for business, despite the cost. California is leading the way, sheepishly relative to Europe, yet few other states are following.
On the political level the need for paid leave was mentioned by Barack Obama, this year, in his State of the Union speech. Among the current presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton is the one talking the most about it. She also believes in greater access to daycare.
Although the majority of women supporting both Democrats and Republicans are in favor of implementing paid leave, it seems to me, it won't be decisive in the upcoming presidential election, even with the majority of voices being female in the 2012 elections.
The only politics that I can do at the moment, is to join the American stay-at-homes Moms and get back to changing diapers and feeding Rose. :)
Watch Hillary's Clinton video released on Mother's Day:
Great read:
http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/paid-family-leave-obama-work
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2015-01-28/maternity-leave-u-s-policies-still-fail-workers
http://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/04/why-43-of-women-with-children-leave-their-jobs-and-how-to-get-them-back/275134/
http://www.newrepublic.com/article/121765/john-oliver-hillary-clinton-push-paid-maternity-leave
Take a look at these videos:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/u-s-support-paid-family-leave-one-pay/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bDdaO6AINo - from the #LeadonLeave campaign.
This week Rose turned 7 ... weeks. She is a lovely little girl, not causing (knock on wood) major problems. Once in a while she even takes longer naps, about five hours in a row, and they even occur in her own crib:) I am happy that I can spend a lot of time with her, without worrying about when my maternity leave would be over. As a working mom in the USA, I would be interviewing nannies right about now.
This is because in the USA, parents do not possess any legal entitlement to paid maternity leave.
American women do have a guaranteed 12 weeks unpaid leave under the FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act), but before that they must be employed full time for at least a year, and the company for which they work must have a minimum of 50 employees.
Only a few states, including California, have introduced several weeks paid (but not 100% reimbursed) family leave, but that's still far from European standards.
Employers of course, are free to offer child care benefits as a perq. For example, Facebook gives 17 weeks of paid leave to fathers and mothers; same-sex couples are also eligible.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, however, only 12% of the private sector, and 16% of the public sector have access to paid family leave. Therefore, many women either do not take a longer leave or take a career stall, if they can afford it.
It seems that this issue is rarely debated and discussed. Business woman like Sheryl Sandberg (last year I wrote about the book Lean In) or Susan Wojcicki do talk about it, however, it seems to me that this is still does not get the attention it deserves.
Maybe American women do not need that kind of luxury? This does not make sense. The American fertility rate is not significantly lower than Europe's and professional fulfillment is equally important. Europe figures out how to take care of parents, and still be competitive in business. Why can't the U.S.?
On the U.S. Labor Department webpage I found an interesting campaign #LeadonLeave, which criticizes the status quo and calls for the necessary changes. There are videos showing the difficult first few months of working moms and articles convincing that paid maternity leave has positive effects for business, despite the cost. California is leading the way, sheepishly relative to Europe, yet few other states are following.
On the political level the need for paid leave was mentioned by Barack Obama, this year, in his State of the Union speech. Among the current presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton is the one talking the most about it. She also believes in greater access to daycare.
Although the majority of women supporting both Democrats and Republicans are in favor of implementing paid leave, it seems to me, it won't be decisive in the upcoming presidential election, even with the majority of voices being female in the 2012 elections.
The only politics that I can do at the moment, is to join the American stay-at-homes Moms and get back to changing diapers and feeding Rose. :)
Watch Hillary's Clinton video released on Mother's Day:
 |
| Family and .. |
Bonding time:)
 |
Great read:
http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/paid-family-leave-obama-work
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2015-01-28/maternity-leave-u-s-policies-still-fail-workers
http://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/04/why-43-of-women-with-children-leave-their-jobs-and-how-to-get-them-back/275134/
http://www.newrepublic.com/article/121765/john-oliver-hillary-clinton-push-paid-maternity-leave
Take a look at these videos:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/u-s-support-paid-family-leave-one-pay/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bDdaO6AINo - from the #LeadonLeave campaign.
Friday, June 19, 2015
Open House
My parents have been with us for almost two weeks. They seem very happy as new grandparents. Weather in San Francisco has been kind, so walks with their granddaughter are now a daily routine. Mom cooks us delicious dinners, such as cold beets soup- chłodnik, pierogi made with Polish flour and yummie pomidorówka, to name a few. Dad even helps with ironing clothes. And on the weekends, the parents accompany us... to open houses.
On Saturdays and Sundays those interested in buying real estate can visit, without scheduling an appointment in advance, houses put up for sale, so called Open Houses. I noticed that when female real estate agents arrange them, snacks are usually served. Once there was even champagne :)
We have been looking for a place of our own for at least two months, and it is not the easiest task.
Every listing we analyze in terms of, among others, the proximity to work (if it is quite far away, how long the public transport or car route would take), proximity to parks, preferably with a playground :), shops or major streets, the degree that it is a family friendly neighborhood, the quality of nearby schools, the amount of outside space - tiny garden, balcony, for we live in sunny California ..), the presence of central heating (in the evening it gets quite cold in the city) or wooden floors or carpets (often encountered here ...), parking spaces, the steepness of the street on which we could live, the presence of stairs inside and outside, very popular in San Francisco (remember, we are now using a stroller). Not all homes have the ability to insert a washing machine.
And of course the price. In order to buy a decent two-bedroom apartment, with a normal size bathroom, you have to put a minimum of one million US dollars! Probably that's why morgage brokers, offering favorable loans are sometimes present during the open houses.
The properties are usually sold at a much higher price, and often as a result of a bidding war. The one, who offers the highest price, gets the property. It is not easy. We hear stories of foreign investors who overbid easily residents' of San Francisco offers by offering cash, where locals need to get bank loans in order to pay.
We have already seen many apartments. Although some were really very nice, nothing has yet spoken to us 100%. I do not think that we are very picky.
The advantage to seeking accommodation is exploring neighborhoods and charming hidden alleys of San Francisco. However during the weekend we are planning a house tour outside the city- in Berkeley. Maybe there we will have more luck :)
One of the listings:
http://sfarmls.rapmls.com/scripts/mgrqispi.dll?APPNAME=Sanfrancisco&PRGNAME=MLSPictureDescriptions&ARGUMENTS=-N133124321,-N433545,-AE
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Dzień Dobry Baby!
Close to three weeks ago I went to my evening prenatal yoga class, and a few hours later, a bit unexpectedly, I was admitted to the UCSF Mission Bay Birth Center. Several hours later, we welcomed our beautiful daughter Rose.
A professional team of nurses, midwives and anesthetists helped me in this intense, but also amazing, experience.
At the very end we were orchestrated by a large group of people (all women), but even so, the atmosphere was intimate and friendly.
Dean, of course, was with me all the time. He could stay overnight at the postpartum ward, where we spent the standard two days and nights. Honestly, I wish I stayed there a little longer. We had a single room, beautiful view from the window, three individually customizable meals, caring nurses helping with the newborn - this is the way to labor!
Rosie and I could, however, be discharged from hospital quickly. Before leaving the hospital, we had to prove that we had made an appointment with the pediatrician. We also had to show our car infant seat. Some trivia: in California, even those parents who do not own a car need to present one.
Before leaving the hospital, we were pleasantly surprised that we can count on one more postpartum home doctor visit, and its costs were covered by our insurance.
Now we are adapting to life with Baby - the number of changed diapers a day is really not a joke! We are also waiting for the arrival of my parents. It's time for Rosie to hear more Polish:)
H.xx
Close to three weeks ago I went to my evening prenatal yoga class, and a few hours later, a bit unexpectedly, I was admitted to the UCSF Mission Bay Birth Center. Several hours later, we welcomed our beautiful daughter Rose.
A professional team of nurses, midwives and anesthetists helped me in this intense, but also amazing, experience.
At the very end we were orchestrated by a large group of people (all women), but even so, the atmosphere was intimate and friendly.
Dean, of course, was with me all the time. He could stay overnight at the postpartum ward, where we spent the standard two days and nights. Honestly, I wish I stayed there a little longer. We had a single room, beautiful view from the window, three individually customizable meals, caring nurses helping with the newborn - this is the way to labor!
Rosie and I could, however, be discharged from hospital quickly. Before leaving the hospital, we had to prove that we had made an appointment with the pediatrician. We also had to show our car infant seat. Some trivia: in California, even those parents who do not own a car need to present one.
Before leaving the hospital, we were pleasantly surprised that we can count on one more postpartum home doctor visit, and its costs were covered by our insurance.
Now we are adapting to life with Baby - the number of changed diapers a day is really not a joke! We are also waiting for the arrival of my parents. It's time for Rosie to hear more Polish:)
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| Pancakes for breakfast |
 |
Hospital provided professional photography
services.
|
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| Lovin' the stroller |
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| Nap time |
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| Daddy time:) |
H.xx
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Happy Poland's National Day!
On May 4, on the balcony of the City Hall of San Francisco, the Polish flag was raised. It was very nice to participate in this official event, organized by the city of San Francisco and San Francisco-Krakow Sister City Committee.
To celebrate the Polish Day the Polish Consul flew from Los Angeles. In his speech he mentioned the important dates in May in the Polish calendar: the Ratification of the Polish Constitution, the Polish accession to the EU, and the day honoring the Polish diaspora.
There was a Polish Birthday toast to San Francisco's Mayor Ed Lee. Guests invited the Mayor many times to finally come and visit the beautiful city of Cracow. Let me add that he is the first American of Asian descent to be elected for the office.
The elegant International Room in which the toasts took place reminded me of the years when I worked in Warsaw.
Although sometimes I would like to go revisit that time, I know that soon equally important challenges are coming my way:)
On May 4, on the balcony of the City Hall of San Francisco, the Polish flag was raised. It was very nice to participate in this official event, organized by the city of San Francisco and San Francisco-Krakow Sister City Committee.
To celebrate the Polish Day the Polish Consul flew from Los Angeles. In his speech he mentioned the important dates in May in the Polish calendar: the Ratification of the Polish Constitution, the Polish accession to the EU, and the day honoring the Polish diaspora.
There was a Polish Birthday toast to San Francisco's Mayor Ed Lee. Guests invited the Mayor many times to finally come and visit the beautiful city of Cracow. Let me add that he is the first American of Asian descent to be elected for the office.
The elegant International Room in which the toasts took place reminded me of the years when I worked in Warsaw.
Although sometimes I would like to go revisit that time, I know that soon equally important challenges are coming my way:)
Yummy butter-cookies prepared especially for the occasion.
With the San Francisco Mayor:)
Beautiful City Hall interiors.
Strike a pose in City Hall:)
Na zdrowie!
Monday, April 20, 2015
Waiting
At the end of next month, the little one is expected to arrive. Baby's layette is now prepared and the hospital classes are almost over. During one of them, while watching videos of few labour experiences, I even started crying. We have now a few weeks to relax and to close all the pending tasks. Recently, for example, we were wondering whether we will need a doula. These women help during labour, by massaging the spine, or by mediating between the parents and the medical staff. We decided that for now we will stick to ourselves.
Last Sunday we went to the Polish Mass at the Church of the Nativity. Interestingly this Church closed in the mid-90s, but after two years of parishioners' intensive prayers by the empty building, the Bishop of San Francisco was persuaded to re-open the temple the Polish as well as to the Slovenians and the Croatians.
Mass went on smoothly and was in a nice atmosphere. We even had the opportunity to attend the baptism of a local little parishioner. In the end the priest invited everyone for cake and coffee. It was nice to speak in Polish, make new acquaintances and watch the kids go wild.
The second part of the day passed just as pleasantly. French La Boulange in a huge shopping mall Westfield Center has again met our culinary expectations. After the meal we went to the cinema to see Women in Gold showing the long battle to regain works of art stolen in Vienna from a wealthy Jewish family during World War II.
After watching this moving film we rode the escalator to the top floor to see another version of our stroller - this time adapted to traveling. And we again agreed that there is nothing more we need...except, well maybe...?
After returning home, Dean prepared a delicious dinner: salad with tuna, mayonnaise and avocado, fried eggplant and gnocchi with tomato sauce.
Ahead of us another "waiting'' week. Filled mainly with regular visits and the hospital tour. I am also attending a class to learn about programs managing and recruiting new employees. This, of course, is not in the hospital.
Luckily I also have plans to attend prenatal yoga classes. I hope that I will still fit in my sports outfits:)
H.xx
At the end of next month, the little one is expected to arrive. Baby's layette is now prepared and the hospital classes are almost over. During one of them, while watching videos of few labour experiences, I even started crying. We have now a few weeks to relax and to close all the pending tasks. Recently, for example, we were wondering whether we will need a doula. These women help during labour, by massaging the spine, or by mediating between the parents and the medical staff. We decided that for now we will stick to ourselves.
Last Sunday we went to the Polish Mass at the Church of the Nativity. Interestingly this Church closed in the mid-90s, but after two years of parishioners' intensive prayers by the empty building, the Bishop of San Francisco was persuaded to re-open the temple the Polish as well as to the Slovenians and the Croatians.
Mass went on smoothly and was in a nice atmosphere. We even had the opportunity to attend the baptism of a local little parishioner. In the end the priest invited everyone for cake and coffee. It was nice to speak in Polish, make new acquaintances and watch the kids go wild.
The second part of the day passed just as pleasantly. French La Boulange in a huge shopping mall Westfield Center has again met our culinary expectations. After the meal we went to the cinema to see Women in Gold showing the long battle to regain works of art stolen in Vienna from a wealthy Jewish family during World War II.
After watching this moving film we rode the escalator to the top floor to see another version of our stroller - this time adapted to traveling. And we again agreed that there is nothing more we need...except, well maybe...?
After returning home, Dean prepared a delicious dinner: salad with tuna, mayonnaise and avocado, fried eggplant and gnocchi with tomato sauce.
Ahead of us another "waiting'' week. Filled mainly with regular visits and the hospital tour. I am also attending a class to learn about programs managing and recruiting new employees. This, of course, is not in the hospital.
Luckily I also have plans to attend prenatal yoga classes. I hope that I will still fit in my sports outfits:)
H.xx
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Happy and delicious Easter!
I send my wishes from the charming town of Pacific Grove, located right by the Pacific Ocean and about two hours from San Francisco. There isn't as much Easter ambiance as in the Bavarian style city Leavenworth (check out my post from last year), but we like it here a lot. Yesterday evening was very windy, but the sunset was simply awesome!
The popular beach towns Carmel and Monterey, which we had a chance to visit two years ago, are nearby.
Today's Sunday breakfast was lacking traditional boiled eggs or ham, but the egg quiche was served. We also ate, prepared earlier by us from my Mum's recipe, a vegetable salad recipe, sałatka jarzynowa.
Our holiday weekend is also our Babymoon- the last relaxing trip before the birth of our little one.
Yesterday evening we have started a movie named Babies, showing how different and similar the first few months of newborns around the world, can be. Coincidentally in the there is even a family from San Francisco.
Tomorrow we might go to the local Farmer's Market. Maybe we'll find more decorated eggs and glazed lambs :)
Wesołych Świąt Wielkanocnych!
H.xx
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