It’s been seven and half years since I began working at home. Back then, I didn't have children and working from home was much simpler. Today, I am a work-at-home mom (WAHM) of two beautiful daughters (ages six and two), who is also fortunately employed by a major U.S. company.

Every day is a juggling act of personal and professional, work and family, kids and colleagues. At a moment’s notice, I go from employee to mom … most times, without missing a beat.

Even if you have to store them in your parent's garage, don't toss bank records and tax returns. I was so proud of myself for cleaning out the household financial files. I was told we only needed to keep financial records for 7 years for tax purposes. And who needs 20 year old bank statements, right?  YOU DO!

Imagine an ENTIRE conference dedicated to serving individuals who are reentering the workforce.  Imagine an ENTIRE conference focused on issues that pertain SOLELY to renetering the workforce.  Imagine an ENTIRE conference geared towards making these people SUCCESSFUL!

Many women are under the assumption (fasley) that they have to take a pay cut when they return to work - JUST because they have been out of the workforce.

Not true.

Want to return to work AND get paid?  Then remember this: a job is worth what a job is worth.  And if you can do the job the same as the next person, you shouldn't get paid less just because you haven't been working.

It was back in 2008 that I found myself, at the age of 47—a published writer, former spokesperson for TV and radio, once well-known in my field—mopping up splattered spaghetti sauce from the kitchen floor and catching watermelon pop-ups,  while two small children took their best shot at killing each other from across the kitchen table.

As far as the business world was concerned, I’d hopped a flying egg-beater to Outer Mongolia and was forgotten with crushing ease and rapidity.

What had happened to my life?

Would you describe yourself as an “Opt-Out” mom if you decided to leave the workforce to stay at home with your children?

A recent article in the New York Times highlighted the stories of a number of women who made the choice to leave their high paying careers to stay at home when they became moms.

They have been giving the title the “Opt-Out Generation.”

Whether your kids are toddlers or teens, the start of a new school year signified opportunity, a fresh start, and a chance to do things differently.

As if returning to work isn't hard enough, imagine returning to work and having a BAD manager.  That just makes the adjustment all the more difficult.

The anticipation of returning to work seems deadly.  Each day the stress mounts, each night your brain races about what needs to be done.  The idea of balancing a job and homelife seems insurmountable.

Until you do it.