FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 200 s'.-*'* -- --**-----. --


Working mom's tips to


take control of mornings


 According to the Bureau of
 Labor Statistics, almost 75 per-
 cent of all mothers are em-
 ployed, and as most working
 moms would agree, balancing
 the demands of home and office
 is no simple task. In fact, these
 women concur that the toughest
 job they ever had was being a
 mom.
 Such is the case for CN8
 "Your Morning" host and man-
 aging editor Connie Colla, a
 mother of two, whose day be-
 gins before the sun even rises.
 Monday through Friday, from 7
 a.m. to 10 a.m., Colla hosts a
 three-hour live television show.
 This job demands her to arrive
 in studio at 5 a.m., research all
 top news stories that happened
 overnight, manage her staff of
 14, and prepare to deliver news
 and lifestyle stories to almost
 nine million homes, across 13
 states from Maine to Virginia,
 and in Washington, D.C. Not to
 mention, she must look great
 and remain upbeat throughout
 the process. But that dwarfs
 what she oversees at home.
 Before even arriving in stu-
 dio, Colla must conquer a hectic
 morning schedule to prepare her
 family for the day, while mak-
 ing sure she gets out the front
 door on time. Every second
 counts, so Colla has come up
 with a few easy ways to maxi-
 mize her morning routine:
 1. Tap Into Technology-
 Colla swears by her Blackberry,
 "It's the world's best invention."
 The PDA stores hundreds of
 contacts; is a daily appointment
 book; contains details on impor-
 tant meetings; sends reminders
 of important family events such
 as her daughter's upcoming
 camp project; and alerts her of
 at-home needs such as picking
 up dog food on the way home
 from work.
S2. Avoid Fashion Emergen-
 cies Preventing last-minute
 clothing crises is a must, so Col-
 la sets aside time Suniday night
 to pick out a week's worth of
 clothing, from shirts to shoes
 and even accessories. Colla
 says, "It sounds like a big pro-
 ject, but it will save you a lot of
 time in the morning, and help
 you avoid wearing two different
 shoes on your mad dash out-the
 door."
 3. Do Today, Done Tomorrow
 Growing up, Cplla could not
 understand why her grandmoth-
 er would set the kitchen table
 for breakfast before bed. Now,
 she appreciates her grandmoth-
 er's forethought. Colla says,
 "There is.nothing worse than
 waking up to a long list of
 things that have to get done." To
 get a head start on the day, Col-
 la has come up with a nightly
 ritual to make mornings easier,
 including loading the washer,
 folding the clothes in the dryer,
 filling the coffee pot, packing
 lunch for her children and plac-
 ing their school bags and shoes
 by the door.
 4. The List One list Colla
 can't live without is posted in
 her kitchen. Any time an empty
 milk carton is thrown out, the
 family member must add .it to
 the kitchen's "To Do" list. At
 the end of the week, she grabs
 the list and heads to the store.
 "Shopping is easy, and a new jar
 of peanut butter is back in place
 in no time."
 5. Add 15 Minutes By set-
 ting her alarm clock 15 minutes
 early, Colla says her day starts
 off well with a little bit of
 stretching and personal time. "I
 don't jump out of bed and hit
 the treadmill or anything crazy,
 but spending a few minutes with
 yourself, stretching, getting the
 blood back in your sleepy body,
 praying and mentally running
 through the day, can empower
 you for what's ahead."
 6. Keep the Kids Busy with
 ON DEMAND Entertaining


her children while getting ready
for work is not always easy, so
Colla uses ON DEMAND from
Comcast to occupy their time.
"It's reassuring to know that my
kids can choose from more than
7,500 shows each month that
are educational and age appro-
priate," Colla says. "The ability
to stop, rewind and fast forward


also makes life easier by allow-
ing us to watch what we want,
when we want." The extensive
library of children's program-
ming includes 50 hours dedi-
cated just to preschoolers, and
special features like parental
control that provide mom and
dad the final say in what their
kids watch.
 Learn more great ways to
start your day with Connie
Colla and "Your Morning,"


weekdays, 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. on
CN8, The Comcast Network,
or by visiting www.cn8.tv.
CN8, the nation's largest and
most honored regional 24-
hour diversified television net-
work, provides award-win-
ning original programming in
four main areas: live, interac-
tive television; regional news;
entertainment; and coverage
of high school, college and
professional sports.


 '--






CN8's Connie Colla makes the most of her mornings with simple
steps like preparing her children's lunch before bedtime.


C:ER LEFW- mm


All prices after $2,000 cash down, parts based on 24 month lease, plus tax, tag & title. With approved credit, 12,000 miles per year.


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