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A Working Mom’s Favorite “To Do”

Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010

Bragging about my kids at work is one of my favorite pastimes (which makes this whole blogging thing all the more perfect for me). But a couple times a year, I get to take my mama pride to a whole new level. I get to actually bring them with me. Last Friday was one of those pride-filled, crazy-making days. It was Yahoo! Family Fun Day!

Instead of my computer bag, I grabbed the diaper bag. I wiped the ketchup from the corners of my boys’ mouths (though it was quickly replaced with cotton candy loveliness) and headed to campus. Bouncy houses, bubbles, bands…it’s was a kids’ dream come true. And, let’s face it, getting to spend a little time parading my boys around was a dream come true for me, too.

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Posted in Family time, Jobs at Yahoo!, Place: Sunnyvale | 1 Comment »

The Mother of All Conferences

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

There are days I’m especially proud to be a mom. Or a Yahoo. Or even a blogger. Last Thursday and Friday—at the Yahoo! Mother Board Summit—I got to celebrate being all three. (All in 140 characters or less!)

Over 60 women from around the U.S. and Canada, who had formed virtual friendships online as part of the Yahoo! Mother Board, finally came together and met face to face at our welcome reception. Eyes lit up with recognition and shoulders relaxed as the moms stopped worrying about the kids they’d kissed goodbye and started diving into conversation (and mojitos, of course). Listening to these inspirational women chatting at the party, there was no doubt this was going to be one great exchange of ideas.

And it was.

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On Friday morning the group arrived at Yahoo! headquarters. (more…)

Posted in Events n' conferences, Place: Sunnyvale | 8 Comments »

Starting Again

Thursday, July 8th, 2010

As I type that title, I realize it has so many more meanings to me than I originally intended. You see I have a 13-going-to-be-14-year-old daughter and a 19-month-old son. I am remarried of course, and when we thought about starting a new family together I never thought I could do it all over again. I never thought I could do diapers and midnight bottles all over again. Then I had my beautiful baby boy, and I can’t believe I did the first time so young. I am so much more patient, wise and simply happier now than I ever was with my daughter.

But what I was originally thinking when I started writing this blog was the fact that after several months with my husband out of work, he has just found a job and we now have our son in daycare. OH BOY starting my days and routine all over again.

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How can a day get any longer? I get up a 5 a.m. to go to work, while my husband gets up to take the baby to daycare. I go to work early, so I can be the one to pick him up. Once I pick him up, he of course is STARVING, so I race home to feed him dinner and cook dinner for the family. (more…)

Posted in Childcare, Family time, Parenthood, Place: Sunnyvale | No Comments »

The Sweetest Mother’s Day Gift

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

Those of you who know my husband know he’s a pretty amazing gift giver. He’s extremely thoughtful, generous and creative. This Mother’s Day was no exception. He and the boys surprised me by sending me away to the local Westin for a night to enjoy some “me” time. They decorated the room with flowers, musical cards (this was the first year Munch could actually write his name!), candy, wine and magazines.

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At 4 years old, my husband trusted Munch with the secret. He knew for a week and worked so hard not to tell. One time he even sang quietly, as if to convince himself, “I have a secret and I’m not going to tell.” And he almost made it. Almost. But when they came back from their last pre-celebration errand, he shouted, “Mom, we saw a limo at your hotel!”

It was ok though. I had my suspicions. This glorious tradition started last year when I was at the end of my rope after just returning to work from maternity leave and having a sick baby who hadn’t slept more that a 2-hour stretch in a couple months. (And, hey, if that’s what it took to be a spoiled for a day, so be it.) (more…)

Posted in Family time, Me-time, Parenthood, Place: Sunnyvale, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Four Injuries and a Funeral, A Lesson in Gratitude

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

You know how they say bad things happen in threes? Well, somehow my family seems to be the exception to that rule. Multiples of three maybe, but it never seems to stop at three.

In the past week or so my mom has come down with shingles (I know, technically not an injury, just go with it), I’ve re-injured my mysterious bruised ribs/torn muscle, my dad—whose mobility is already limited due to the effects of brain cancer—fell and broke his leg, and my brother got in a bike accident that left him with road rash, a concussion and a bruised arm bone. On top of all of that, my sweet aunt who loved and lived life with such zest passed away.

Cue the violins…I know.

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Truly, I’m not sharing all this to gain sympathy—we all go through hard times. But this time of insanity has given me a bit of perspective. Don’t get me wrong, there are days I just want to scream. There were times in my life when one of these incidents would have pushed me over the edge—and the collection is certainly overwhelming at times—but today I find myself filled with gratitude. (more…)

Posted in Family time, Place: Sunnyvale | 6 Comments »

Goodbye Worry, Hello Adventure

Monday, May 17th, 2010

Last week we got back from a short vacation. A road trip to LA. We visited the favorites—Disneyland and Universal Studios—plus some pretty stops along the way.

Disney land we three

But what set this trip apart from others is the fact that it was our first since getting pregnant—almost two years ago. Yes, you read that right. After I learned I was expecting, I didn’t travel anywhere. Unbelievably foolish as it sounds, I was always worried that too much traveling in the car might be harmful to the pregnancy, or that going different places might lead to an infection. I wanted to keep the baby as safe as possible. I didn’t want to do anything that could remotely put the pregnancy at risk. I didn’t think I would be like this, you know. After all, it was my first time being pregnant and my pregnancy was like a text book pregnancy. But even so, the worrier in me just didn’t want to travel. (more…)

Posted in Family time, Place: Sunnyvale | No Comments »

A Pay-It-Forward Movement That Moved Me…and Hundreds of Others

Tuesday, May 4th, 2010

How do you turn $93 into over 165,000 meals for hungry families? Well, my friend, Carolee Hazard, has done just that. And totally inspired me in the process.

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Here’s how it happened. One day, back in August, Carolee was in line at Trader Joe’s. The woman in front of her had lost her wallet and was a bit panicked. Carolee generously—though not without wondering if she’d made the right move—paid the $207 tab and gave the woman her address so she could repay her. Later, on Facebook, Carolee posted that she was “vacillating between feeling really good and very, very stupid”. Friends reassured her that she had done the right thing and good karma was sure to follow. They were right. (more…)

Posted in Family time, Food and dining, Giving back, Parenthood, Place: Sunnyvale | No Comments »

Happy 2010 with Love from Elmo

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

I hope that your holidays were as wonderful as they were in my household. The loads of plastic, noise-making, batteries-required toys were dull in comparison to my daughter’s simple Elmo doll (No she did not get the annoying Talking Elmo – thank gawd!).

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As far as I know she has no reference of who Elmo is. We don’t watch Sesame Street or have Elmo books. Yet, she is obsessed! (more…)

Posted in Holidays, Place: Sunnyvale, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Not So Easy

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009

The other day I thought it would be fun for my 3-year-old son to get in the holiday spirit with a new mother/son tradition: building a gingerbread house. When we went to buy the kit, the woman in the checkout line asked my son, “Are you going to help your mommy build this?” He looked alarmed and said, “No, we need to wait for my dad to get home. Mommy ruins things.”

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He was right. I just can’t seem to do the simplest things when it comes to baking. (more…)

Posted in Family time, Food and dining, Place: Sunnyvale | 3 Comments »

The Holidays Ain’t Got Nothing on Me

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009

The holidays are supposed to be the busiest time of the year, right? Well, I am happy to say that December is calm compared to the past few months.

This fall Yahoo! launched its largest advertising campaign in the company’s history and I was right in the mix of it. On top of the typical balls I juggle as a busy mom, I was simultaneously launching three interactive websites around the globe, developing media plans, working with creative agencies, supporting two in-market events, coordinating with international teams, working consistently all hours of the night (and day!) and even jumped on a plane to London for a whirlwind three nights.

Photo From the Yahoo! Yodel Studio London Event

I could go on and on about being overworked, but that’s not the point. I am surely not the only one and feel very blessed to have a job that challenges me and to be surrounded my people who inspire me on a daily basis. The point is that the past few months challenged me as a marketer, mom and wife. (more…)

Posted in Jobs at Yahoo!, Place: Sunnyvale | No Comments »

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