Executive Mom of the Month Name: Maria Vidal Company: Esquire Deposition Services Title: Account Representative Husband: Jorge Children: Jorge Daniel, age 10; Jacquely, age 9 Previous Employment: I worked for Insta-check as the Regional Sales Manager in charge of the Eastern United States for 5 years. In that position I did a tremendous amount of traveling. Prior to that I ran my own medical transcription business from my home. I did this for 4 years when my kids were babies. I left my position at Insta-check specifically because the demands of balancing a family with 2 small children and traveling for my work became to great. I gave up a position that brought me a lot of satisfaction. I really love my new job, plus it's a really family friendly firm. I think that as my kids get older, I need to be more available and the traveling was taking me away from home too much. Aftercare solution/childcare solution My kids go to aftercare at their school everyday. They really love the program and its great because I can call there any time I want to see how the kids are doing. The hard times are when the kids get sick- I don't really have any family here. But I try to make arrangements. I have a really large circle of friends and we are all working mothers. If one of us can't take off, then someone else will take a sick day to help each other out. These friends are like my sisters. Biggest challenge of being an executive working mother The biggest challenge of being an executive mother is when my kids get sick. I really feel torn, because I want to be with them but I know that I can't always do that. But I do not feel guilty for any of the choices I have made. I work not for the material things that my income provides but for the security that it brings. When I made the choice to go back to work I knew that I was choosing a good quality life for my family. My favorite time spent with my children My favorite time spent with my children is fishing from the lake right behind our house. We fish every single day. I'm the kind of mom that does a lot of activities with her children. We ride bikes together and go rollerblading together. There's nothing more fun then watching a kid catch a fish. Even though we always throw it back, but we have so much fun doing it. How do you make time for yourself? I'm not really good at that. I really like to garden to relax. We have rows of rose bushes outside my home. Have you found any services or companies that make being an executive mother easier? Aftercare is the greatest help. Also I work for a very family friendly firm which makes it possible to be there for my kids special events at school etc. Biggest professional accomplishment? When I ran the region for Insta-check for the entire southeastern United States, the company grew from being the ninth to the third largest in the industry. We went from processing 2 billion in checks to over 6 billion. I take a lot of pride in that accomplishment. Best advice for other working mothers Be there for your kids. Listen to your kids. Don't miss the school plays! In the end, the kids aren't going to remember what kind of car you drove but they will remember the things you did together. They will remember you being there for them. Even if it requires trade-off at work, that is the most important thing. When you have children you make a conscious choice to be there for them. Living up to the commitment of being there for your children is the most important decision of all. • Submit a nomination for Executive Mom of the Month • Last Month's Mom of the Month: Patricia Campbell