Atrium Walk to Remember
Homecomings of the past
Spotted: Optimist Run at VOA Park
'A mom on the go'
Mother: Job, parenting have to be balanced
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Every day Shelli Hugenberg can be found traveling from physician to physician, typically around the southern Butler County communities for Mercy Health Partners, talking about diagnostic services — such as MRI, CT scans and other outpatient tests.
Her day usually begins around 5:30 a.m. with a quick jog. Then she gets ready for work, plans her marketing appointments for the day, and, with help from husband Jamie, gets her two kids — Ben, 8, and Molly, 4 — ready for school and day care.
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Shelli Hugenberg decorates her son Ben's birthday cake as Ben, his friend Cameron Buford and sister Molly watch on Sunday, May 4, at her Maineville home.
Shelli Hugenberg, an outside marketer for Mercy Fairfield, talks with Dr. James Brockman during a visit to Family Medical Care Associates Monday, May 5, 2008, in Fairfield."She manages a full-time career in marketing and also manages a family and household," said Jamie Hugenberg, her husband of 10-plus years. "She's pretty much a mom on the go."
"My minivan is my mobile office," said Hugenberg, who starts her work days at her home office. "It's a tough balancing act."
Hugenberg would classify herself as a "power mom" — a busy professional mother who tries to find that balance between home and work. Having close work friends to confide in the stress of being a "power mom" is important, and having her own time is "crucial."
"Part of being a 'power mom' to me is to take care of myself, it may not be that long, it may be just a half hour jog, but that is my time, and it's time that I'm taking care of me so I can give the time to work and the kids," she said.
In preparation for Ben's 8th birthday party on Sunday, May 4, Hugenberg made the cake the night before, and Ben helped decorate it the day of the party. She said she wants to create those types of bonding memories with her children.
"I want to go the extra steps," Hugenberg said. "Sometimes that means doing things from scratch, and I'm going to have to stay up late."
Ben appreciates the little things they do together, and likes it when they go out to eat and play games, such as Monopoly and Yahtzee.
"She's awesome," he said.
Hugenberg tries to be home by
5 p.m. to spend time with her husband and kids.
"You try to make the time you have with the kids the best it can be," Hugenberg said.
Hugenberg is conscious of the pitfalls balancing a busy work lifestyle and preserving quality time with her family. She said her Blackberry cell phone/PDA "can be your best friend or your worst enemy."
"I found that I really have to make a conscious effort to turn off the Blackberry in the evenings and the weekends," she said.
Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5112 or mpitman@coxohio.com.
