Our Mother's Day Gift to You

Hi mamas-

Mother’s Day is this Sunday, and we’re here for it. Why? Because as busy working moms, we work HARD all day every day for our families and our employers. And that means that we often put our needs / wants / desires at the bottom of the pile.

Mother’s Day is our (one 🙄) chance to be completely selfish and soak up a day of praise, pampering, and presents. Our hope is that your family steps up (and that you don’t need to dictate exactly what you want or how you want it.)

Our gift to you this week is some load-lessening help from our friend, AI. Because summer vacation and Maycember are upon us, which means that we have even more balls in the air — so use our AI prompts to help lighten the load. We also have a free giveaway of The Fair Play Deck for those of you who need to shift the balance of responsibility in your household.

Finally, since it’s the first newsletter of the month, check out our Must Reads for May down below!

Enjoy!

-Paula (Founder, CARRY™ Media)

 This week in The CARRY™ ALL, we’re talking about:

•  🏝️ How to plan a summer vacation using AI 

• 📆 End of school year + summer transition checklist

• ⚖️ Fair Play Giveaway

THE BIG 1️⃣ 2️⃣ 3️⃣

1️⃣  🏝️ How to plan a summer vacation using AI 

Summer is right around the corner (didn’t we just celebrate the New Year??!), which means that it’s about time to start planning those family vacations. And while the energy that goes into planning trips is wildly exhausting and time consuming, the good news is that much of the effort can be handed over to AI. Let the robot give you the majority of the details, leaving just the specifics for you. 

Try this prompt in ChatGPT:

“Act as a travel planner for a family with [# of kids, ages], looking to take a [type of vacation — relaxing/beachy/adventurous/road trip] for [# of days] in [Month]. Recommend budget-friendly destinations, itinerary ideas, and tips for traveling with kids this age. Include packing lists and ways to keep kids entertained during travel.”

And just like that, you have the bulk of your vacation planned! If you know of any other helpful AI prompts for busy working mamas, let us know in the comment section below.

2️⃣  📆 End of school year + summer transition checklist

Ever heard the term “Maycember”? Well, we’re about to careen full-speed into this hectic month that is chock full of end-of-school year ceremonies, performances, and activities that require not only an incredibly well-oiled machine of a plan, but also (typically) your attendance at events in the middle of the day. (Who has work, anyway? 🙄) 

Try this prompt in ChatGPT and adjust as needed:

“Make a checklist for a working mom with [# of kids, ages] to wrap up the school year and transition into summer. Include things like teacher gifts, forms to return, gear to label or store, scheduling summer activities, and anything else I might forget. Keep it organized by week if possible.”

3️⃣ ⚖️ Fair Play Giveaway

If all you wanted this Mother’s Day was to not have to plan a single thing (because ALL you do in life is plan, make lists, remind, and juggle for everyone in your life), you might be carrying around a hefty mental load. You’re not alone! If this is you, check out The Fair Play Deck: A Couple’s Conversation Deck for Sharing the Domestic Load. Going through this exercise with your partner will put a spotlight on the work that’s needed to make your household run, and help you share the load with your partner. As a Mother’s Day bonus to you, we’re giving away 3 free card decks to The CARRY™ ALL readers! Just write “FAIR PLAY” in the comment section at the bottom of this newsletter for a chance to win.

NOTE: We’ll announce winners in next week’s edition—so you have to check back!😘

💐 MOTHER’S DAY GIFT GUIDE

• Let’s be real: Even if your family steps up to the plate this Mother’s Day and treats you like the queen that you are, you’ll still likely buy Mother’s Day gifts for your own mother (and maybe even Mother in Law. IYKYK.) To help you along, we’ve picked some of our favorite gift ideas and are sharing them here! (No one will know if you buy one for yourself too. 😉)

• Mother Sauce - Over 100 Italian-American recipes from mommas and nonnas who helped shape this food tradition.

• Ladurée Eugénie - The ultimate luxury in the form of sweets, by this iconic French confectioner.

• Mosser Batter Bowl - We all know that some women, especially bakers, want gifts that are practical that they’ll use again and again.

• Mom, I Want to Hear Your Story - Gift your mom this guided journal to share her life stories with you.

• Mom Necklace - The perfect personalized gift just for grandma.

📰 IN THE NEWS

Paid Family Leave Bill in D.C. and AT&T offers Summer Camp for employee children

➡️ A bipartisan bill (yes, they can work together!) is being introduced in D.C. to encourage states to establish paid family leave programs using public-private partnerships. This bill, called the More Paid Leave for More Americans Act has been in the works for two years. Read more HERE.

➡️ Props to AT&T for listening to its employees—they’re now piloting a Summer Camp program for the children of employees. AT&T leadership heard that summers were hard for parents. A reminder, mamas, your voice matters in the workplace. Get loud and be specific about your needs. Employers are listening.