Forgive me if I'm repeating myself but if you are just joining us here at Less on the Floor, a few words about me. I am a mother to two: my elementary-aged son and preschool-aged daughter. Together with my husband, we live in the heart of a major US city, in a two-bedroom apartment on the 15th floor which boasts sweeping views, a teeny-tiny floor plan, strategic bunk-beds, and a dining room table currently strewn with 4,000 Legos, my laptop, some stray salt and pepper, and (don’t ask) the belt from a bathrobe, which is tying several of the chairs together. This is what passes for a fort on ... [READ MORE]
Beauty Lurking Everywhere
October 10, 2014 by Leave a Comment
For the second year in a row, a massive wildfire scuttled our plans to take to the mountains for one last gasp of summer. If parenthood teaches you nothing else, it teaches you how to flex. And so noon on a September Friday found me with the car fully loaded, THREE children wedged into the backseat (we borrowed a friend of LittleMan's for the weekend, in a rather foolhardy weekend-long play at our first-ever sleepover), and no clue where I was headed. My husband called: "Guerneville. Check your email for the map. I'll be out front of the office." Lake Tahoe, Russian River...any old ... [READ MORE]
Vacation, Week Two
August 28, 2014 by Leave a Comment
There were two straight days of rain. The first day felt cozy and lazy. The second day was frustrating. Looking at a grim forecast, we felt robbed of our sunscreen-slick skin, our dry, sticky hair, our ice cream on the bench above the beach, our late afternoon grapefruit margaritas by the pool. The children became restless, squabbly, cranky. We scrapped our plans to grill spare ribs, contemplated the stove. Our summertime vibe, man, was at stake. So. Not. Cool. Puzzles, Candy Land, Netflix. A fire in the fireplace (in August!). Cookies in the oven. A long drive, just to get out. ... [READ MORE]
Treading Water
July 15, 2014 by Leave a Comment
I don't actually know why we bother to say that we're busy. I think what we mean to say is simply that we're living. Keeping on keeping on, and all that. With that said, here's the usual saw: it's mostly been busy, but in a good way. Busy with bachelorette pool parties, camping, Father's Day surprise getaways, Mendocino wedding festivities, long drives to Tahoe with chocolate milkshakes to keep us cool. Busy sneaking in the first half of the USA-Germany match and a Bloody Mary before work. Busy with work travel (the Husband), and then work transitions (me) and a crazy new venture (more ... [READ MORE]
Goodbye, Hello
May 29, 2014 by Leave a Comment
On a Monday morning not long ago, I had trouble waking up. I missed my usual morning workout, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise: the temperature shot up past 70 degrees that afternoon, so I dropped everything I had planned for the 90 minutes the kids attend After School Care and bolted for the Embarcadero the minute I left work. The promenade was alive with sun-seekers, nannies and mommies with strollers, dogs, all moving at different speeds. I set my sights on Mission Creek. There is a playground near the ballpark, a blink-and-you'll miss it little fenced-in spot ... [READ MORE]
The This and The That
May 28, 2014 by Leave a Comment
What has this woman been up to? This poor blog, what whiplash it must feel: sometimes I just love all over it and sometimes I let it lie there, alone and untended, for weeks upon weeks. But there I go anthropomorphizing something that doesn't need it (I have quite enough living things depending on me, thanks); I suppose it's nice to have a project like this, a sort of faux-commitment entirely of my own making. So I let the blog go! Who cares? La dee da! Look how free and loose I am! The truth, for those of you following at home, is rather multifold. One: as has been hinted, change ... [READ MORE]
The Tightrope
April 9, 2014 by 3 Comments
I think a lot about the decision to go back to work after having a baby. My baby-having days are long in the rear-view mirror, but the decision is present, so present: since having my first child nearly six years ago I have kept at it, stuck to my guns and backed down in equal parts (every day). I have worked full-time and part-time for three employers (plus freelance) in my attempts to Make It Work. I have lost earrings and run in heels. I have wondered why the conference room smelled like vomit only to realize it was my own sweater. I have managed to locate my poise anyway, and given ... [READ MORE]
