My daughter was complaining that one of her teachers had been absent quite a bit lately. She explained that the teacher wasn't out for full days, but instead left early and missed my daughter's class a few times. The teacher told her students that her son was home from school because he was sick and she and her husband were taking turns staying there with him. Her husband took off from work in the mornings and she took off in the afternoons. It sounds like a pretty good arrangement ... except for the kids whose classes she wasn't teaching because their section happened to meet in the afternoon.

A sick child at home is just one of the snafus that can befall working parents who have otherwise gotten things to run pretty smoothly on the home front. For example they have arranged for after school childcare, summer vacations and even holiday recesses. Then along come random holidays, conference days and sick days to foul things up. If you're a parent considering a return to work, you can try to plan in advance. Read Returning to Work: Answer These Questions First.

Do you know next Monday is Cyber Monday? Do you know what Cyber Monday is? I didn't until a few years ago. The day after Thanksgiving is referred to as Black Friday, for it is the day that retailers hoped to become profitable, in other words get into the black, due to the start of the holiday shopping season. As you know, retailers offer good deals in order to lure shoppers into the stores. The Monday following that, dubbed Cyber Monday, is when consumers can find incredible deals at their favorite online retailers.

The difference between Black Friday and Cyber Monday is that many people are off from work on the day after Thanksgiving while most are back at their desks by Monday morning. Therefore many people who want to take advantage of those great Cyber Monday bargains might be tempted to do their shopping while at work. Since your employer is paying you to work, do you think that's really a good idea?

After 25 years on the air, Oprah announced last week that she would end her talk show in 2011. She told the studio audience "Twenty-five years feels right in my bones and feels right in my spirit." Many people considering a career change could envy the certainty with which Oprah spoke, but after all, this is a woman who can afford to be more decisive than most of us when it comes to taking such a leap. With bizillions in the bank she won't face the financial burden most people do when changing careers. Even so, moving on from something that has been successful and comfortable can be difficult even without the worries the rest of us have.

How do mere mortals know when it's the right time for a career change? Do you feel it in your bones and in your spirit? Often you do. Among the reasons you should consider changing careers are boredom with your current career or just an eagerness to move on to something that interests you more. Read Six Reasons to Make a Career Change to find out what other reasons there are for moving on to a new occupation.

And so it begins. Although I've been seeing Christmas commercials for a few weeks now (maybe even before Halloween, but I'm not sure), Thanksgiving is the official start of the holiday season. So, how do you feel about the holidays? 'Tis the season to be jolly? Or, 'tis the season to eat too much, overspend and make a fool of yourself at the office party?

Office etiquette can be tricky all year round, but during the holiday season it can be even more difficult. For example, should you get your boss a gift and if so, how much should you spend? What about gifts for your co-workers? What should you do about all the food your co-workers bring in to celebrate the holidays? How should you handle it if some of your office mates celebrate different holidays than you do? And, finally, the office party — should you look at it as an occasion to let your hair down? Answers to these questions and others can be found in Six Rules for Dealing With the Holidays at Work.