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 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]
Love and a Little Crazy
March 30, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Have you ever found yourself standing in a basement room at 5am, gearing up for two loads of laundry and a two-mile run before breakfast, wondering when, exactly, you started sprinting through life? 5am is not really a reasonable time to do anything besides sleep or drink coffee, and yet here I am using it, milking it, this precious hour before people wake up and start needing things. When did the rest of my life get so squeezed? What (misguided) choices am I making that drives me to this point? I like to think I am a good multi-tasker but lately I wonder if I'm actually really ... [READ MORE]
This Crazy Life
December 11, 2013 by Leave a Comment
MORNING: Wake. Work out. Pack lunchboxes. Shower. Attempt hairstyle. Put on shoes. Put little feet in little shoes. Put little arms in little sweaters. Gather bags and children. Battle carseat. Drop-off. Drop-off. Check email on phone. Drive. Arrive. Check email. Check Gilt (I confess). Work. AFTERNOON: Check calendar. Check time. Call babysitter. Call another babysitter. Stress about babysitters. Pencil in shopping time. Work faster to leave work earlier. Drive. Park. Procure Legos/scarves/jewelry/glassware. Procure gift wrap. Procure dinner. Drive. Pick-up. ... [READ MORE]
The Jelly Bean Jar
May 23, 2013 by Leave a Comment
"One forgets about parenthood — the on and on-ness of it." - Downton Abbey As ever, the Dowager is given the best line. Our darling daughter has reached a "stage in her development" where her only purpose in life is to interrupt (at best) or totally disrupt (at worst) any activity her brother is engaged in, leaving me in a constant state of vigilance to maintain a tenuous peace. Got a check to write? A lunchbox to pack? Too bad. In the two seconds it takes to uncap a ballpoint pen, Babygirl has parkoured across the livingroom and onto the couch, the better to pull out giant chunks ... [READ MORE]
Why Do We Do This Again? (Again, In Which I Brave Pinterest)
May 1, 2013 by 1 Comment
"Wait. You went to PRINCETON?" the woman exclaimed. Then she shook her head. "I can't believe you only work part-time. Shouldn't you be off, like, conquering the world or something?" We had covered a fair bit of territory at this point, this rather more, shall we say, Sandbergian mother and I, on the sunny green where our children played: work habits (primarily), bedtime routines, daycare experiences. After educational pedigree we moved on to hobbies and I mentioned I maintain a blog. "How many readers do you have?" Not too many. About 600 hits a month. "Do you monetize at all?" I ... [READ MORE]
Hot Town, Summer in the City
April 3, 2013 by 1 Comment
Life is one big learning process, and one thing I am learning this month is that random school holidays are often the enemy of the working parent. It's funny, actually, because as an educator myself I have always loved school holidays and considered them a terrific perk of the profession. But now that I have a son in "real school" I am realizing that: 1) there are an inordinate number of school holidays; 2) all schools have different holiday calendars; and, of course, 3) the rest of the world keeps on turnin' -- meaning deadlines still need to be met, phone calls answered, dollars raised, ... [READ MORE]
