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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 »

From Anti-Soccer Kid to Pro-Soccer Mom

Friday, June 11th, 2010

It turns out you don’t have to drive a minivan across town at 7a.m. on a Saturday morning to be a soccer mom. You can simply have an 18-month old who chases his big brother around the front lawn while dribbling a shiny ball, and counted “soccer” and “goal!” as two of his first words. Or a 4-year old who insists on wearing shin guards, soccer shorts and the Sweden jersey his grandparents bought him as a souvenir to every single “game” where he doesn’t even make contact with the ball. But that smile and enthusiasm he has out there on the field, those are what make him a dedicated soccer kid. And me a proud soccer mom.

I never played soccer as a kid—and honestly, never really cared for the sport until my kids fell in love with it. Now I play it every day (yes, we even play in the garage when it’s raining), and I love the passion my boys show out “on the field”. We laugh, we get great exercise and I can see that we’re all showing signs of improvement.

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And today, as the World Cup begins, I find myself surprisingly excited to share in this experience with my kids. (more…)

Posted in Events n' conferences, Family time, Parenthood | 1 Comment »

Seven Years and Itching For More

Monday, June 7th, 2010

Today is our 7-year wedding anniversary. And it’s funny, until we went away over the weekend, I hadn’t thought of it as a milestone year. But as we told people we ran into along our adventures what we were celebrating, the seven-year itch jokes began. I couldn’t help but wonder, should I be itching? (Besides the patches of sunburn that grace my typically bathing-suit-phobic skin, that is.)

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While our marriage certainly isn’t perfect, I know that “perfect” wasn’t in our vows. I’m afraid I can’t tell you what was exactly—our 5-pound wedding notebook made its way into the attic when Dr. Seuss and Sandra Boyton took over the few bookshelves our teeny house holds. But I know the traditional better and worse, sickness and health, along with some not-as-traditional phrases made the cut. And, as fate would have it, there have been years where the scales have tipped toward the undesirable half of each phrase. But we haven’t just “survived” as people have joked. We’ve built a life—and started two new ones—together. (more…)

Posted in Family time, Parenthood | 6 Comments »

Making A Difference In Our Own Ways

Thursday, June 3rd, 2010

Volunteerism. The word inspires some people to take action and makes others run and hide. These days, it seems, it’s doing more of the former. One year after President Obama signed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, Yahoo! uncovered some pretty amazing stats about the increase in online searches for volunteering. In fact, from May 2008 to April 2009, searches for “volunteer work” had a 653% spike on Yahoo! Search. Perhaps it’s an online Obama effect, unemployment freeing up people’s time or even the Web and social media making volunteer opportunities more accessible. Whatever the case, it’s good news.

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We asked the Yahoo! Mother Board to share their experiences with volunteerism and got a lot of great perspectives. It’s All About Balance shared her heartwarming story of how people stepped up to help her when she reached rock bottom. And now she’s paying it forward and teaching her children wonderful life lessons. Hormone Colored Days’ husband made the most of a tough situation as well by volunteering while he was out of work.

Some moms jump at the chance to be involved in every opportunity that comes to them. Bonngamom is one of the many Yahoo! Mother Board members who loves to volunteer at her kids’ school to connect with her children—and get a peek into their world beyond home. I love the approach Coast 2 Coast Mom has taken with her family who has moved frequently. They explore and connect with their community by participating in various charity walks and races in the greater NYC area.

As for me, I couldn’t help but relate to JavaMom who said that she falls into both categories: super-volunteers and slacker moms. Just like her, if you ask people in my various worlds, I’m one extreme or the other. While I would love to be an active part of my neighborhood (which has a bizarre, but wonderful number of ways to be involved), my son’s preschool, local charities and friends’ various walks, races, etc., I can only do so much well.

I’m trying to learn to say yes and no—at the right times. I was inspired by Chefdruck Musings who said, “Now when I say yes, I never do it in the heat of the moment, regardless of the pleading eyes directed at me. I take the time to consider the good my contribution will do and how much time it will take away from my family.” The bottom line for me is that I want to enjoy the volunteering I do, dive in and do a great job and inspire my kids to be do-gooders in the process.

Happy volunteering…however you choose to do it!

*For more posts on Volunteerism read the blogs of the Yahoo! Mother Board!*

Posted in Family time, Giving back, Parenthood, Tips and tricks | 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 »

One Crucial Detail Overlooked, One Crucial Person Left Behind

Thursday, May 13th, 2010

Imagine this. You’re at the airport bright and early because you’re about to go on a much-needed family vacation with your husband and child. You’ve been up all night packing and finishing up last-minute details for work. You’re very tired, but so excited to be finally going to Mexico. All you can think about is lounging in a beach chair, drinking a margarita with your husband, and watching your child play around in the sand.

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Not!

The reality is that you’re at the airport bright and early, but your son is hanging onto your knees crying, and your husband is looking extremely grim because the ticket agent at Mexicana Air has just informed him that his passport expired last August! (more…)

Posted in Family time, Me-time, Parenthood | No Comments »

A Working Mom’s Celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week

Tuesday, May 11th, 2010

Last night, my husband sweetly told my son that he’d drive him to preschool in the morning. Since he’s done that a total of, say, 3 times, this was a big treat. For Munch and for me. (It’s not the he’s unwilling to take him, it’s just that usually Munch prefers I take him and I really enjoy it.)

This morning I decided to forgo the makeup and throw on sweats so I could dive into work. I recently started a new role that has me really excited about getting to work. I’m loving what I’m doing (and I’m not just saying that because my boss is likely to read this). I had a huge list of things to accomplish and since I’m working from home this morning, I could do them all—uninterrupted.

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Then—just 10 minutes until preschool departure time—I realized that today is the one day of Teacher Appreciation Week I was actually supposed to do something. Two somethings, in fact. (more…)

Posted in Childcare, Family time, Jobs at Yahoo!, Parenthood | 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 »

No Sick Days For Mom

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

In the last couple weeks our house has been taken down by three cases of the stomach flu and two cases of pneumonia. I was the fortunate family member to be hit with both. Luckily most of the health drama is now just a distant memory, but sadly, it turns out, the concept of a “sick day” is too.

Not that being sick was ever fun. But there was something nice about curling up on the couch and shutting out the rest of the world, just for awhile. For some reason—well, two little reasons really—that just isn’t how it went this time.

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A baby with pneumonia doesn’t care that I’ve just run out of the bathroom for the umpteenth time that day. He still needs his inhalers and loving arms to hold him. A healthy 4-year old doesn’t care that I can barely walk to the kitchen, he still wants dinner on the table and someone to laugh at his jokes.

My husband, you ask? He’s wonderful. Truly, the best. Except when he, too, has the stomach flu. (more…)

Posted in Parenthood | 2 Comments »

Formula Saves Lives Too

Monday, April 12th, 2010

This past week the blogosphere has been abuzz about the many wonders of breastfeeding. There’s new ammunition thanks to an article in the journal of Pediatrics that claims if most new moms would breastfeed their babies for the first six months of life, it would save nearly 1,000 lives and billions of dollars a year.

So why wouldn’t you breastfeed, right? I’ve seen claims that women’s mothers and grandmothers discourage it since formula was more prevalent in their generations. Others blame hospitals for making formula an easy option. Then, of course, are the accusations that women give up due to discomfort and inconvenience. And women who are told they can’t nurse? They’re simply buying into a myth to make a hard time in life a bit easier. After all, women’s bodies are made to lactate.

Well, most women’s are. Not mine. (more…)

Posted in Parenthood, Tips and tricks, pregnancy | 2 Comments »

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