April's Mom of the Month Laura Wallen with her children Chad and Curry Laura Ellington Wallen has managed to find balance while working fulltime, raising two toddlers and actively volunteering her time with the American Cancer Society. Her nominator Christy Sanders said, "She has amazed me with her generosity and kindness from the first day I met her. She worked full time and donated many hours to charity causes while attending college to obtain a master's degree. She has worked with mentally and physically handicap children for the past ten years and currently chairs the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life for her county. All while being a loving and caring "mommy" and a full-time working mother." Name: Laura Ellington Wallen Occupation: Speech Pathologist, Fayette County Public Schools Spouse: Teddy Wallen, Georgia Perimeter College Baseball Coach Children: Chad, age 3; Curry, age 2 How did having children change your perspective about your career? As a speech pathologist, I've worked with every disability that you can imagine---autism, any kind of syndrome, and all different disability levels. I specialize in preschool handicapped children. I always thought that I was pretty compassionate to parents before I had my own kids. When I had children, it gave me a different understanding about how parents realize the extent of their child's disability. It also helped give me more realistic expectations about what we could expect from these families at home. Someone with five other children at home might not be able to follow through with what we expect. You have two preschoolers. What are your childcare arrangements? My mother passed away on my 18th birthday. I'm fortunate in that my dad lives with us and watches my kids. I went back to work after each of my children was five weeks old. Even when I was breastfeeding, which I did for over a year with both children, my dad would bring them to me every day at lunch. I got a car breast pump so I could pump a bottle on the way to work. What about household chores? While my kids are taking a bath, I'm folding laundry…I try to do chores gradually. I also try to save the household cleaning to the weekends when we are not traveling with my husband's baseball team. We all go to the supermarket together…usually on a Sunday. Also we live in a big farmhouse and we can get fresh produce from a stand very close to our house. How do you make time for yourself? I get up at 5:00 in the morning and go to the gym. It's my peace of mind time; when I can mellow out. And because my kids are sleeping I don't feel guilty about time away from them. And when I come home from work, I can be free to spend my time with them. Besides working full-time and raising a family what other activities do you participate in? My second passion is volunteering with the American Cancer Society. Since my mother's death, I have volunteered as a driver for patients going through Road to Recovery and I have participated in the ACS Relay For Life as a Team Captain and team member over the past six years. This year, I am the Chairperson for the Fayette County Relay. Being a native of St. Simons Island and only coming to Atlanta this year, I was unsure as to what to expect for the Relay. They have only had the Relay here for three years. They had 10 teams participate last year whereas where I am from we had 128 teams! We raised over $240,000 in Glynn County last year. When I decided to take the job as Chair for the event my goal was to double the number of teams. It looks like, as of today, we have almost tripled the number! What's your favorite time spent with the children? I guess the very first thing in the morning. It's when they are at their sweetest. We also go together to watch the college baseball games that my husband coaches. When I get home from work around 4:15 we usually spend about an hour playing outside. Also, my kids stay up late because they don't have to get up early in the morning. Have you found any services that really help you balance your life as a working mom? I went to a lifetime organizing class that was sponsored by the school board. It taught you how to prioritize, how to keep an agenda, how to develop good habits, better choices and how to maximize your time. It really helped my time management. What's your best advice to other working moms? I think the most important thing is family time. It is so much more important than mopping floors. I think you have to sit back and prioritize and decide what's most important in your life. Having a wonderful support network of great family and friends doesn't hurt either! • Submit a nomination for Executive Mom of the Month • March's Mom of the Month: Jacqueline Goetter • February's Mom of the Month: Lynne Bruce • December's Mom of the Month: Brenda Kouwenhoven • October's Mom of the Month: Jayne Gershkowitz • September's Mom of the Month: Ann Higgins • August's Mom of the Month: Peggy Garcia • July's Mom of the Month: Maria Vidal • June's Mom of the Month: Patricia Campbell