I’m visiting my big kids and my in-laws right now — they live in the same town, which makes schlepping cross-country, if not easier, at least a good bit better — and while it’s not really a vacation, it’s as close to one as we get as a family, and so I usually just call it that.

So, I’m on vacation, kind of. And while there’s very little down time during these trips, one thing has become abundantly clear: I’ve forgotten how to relax. Read the rest of this entry »

I don’t have the spare income to invest right now, aside from the automatic payments made via payroll withdrawal into my 401(k) — a thing I am, frankly, not willing to look at too closely these days (I’ve heard that the market is basically where it was in 1998, meaning that anything you’ve put in since then is there, but anything you’ve gained is gone). But I do pay plenty in taxes. So, in spite of my lack of investments, I feel very invested in the government’s proposed bailout of Wall Street. Read the rest of this entry »

This weekend we celebrated my god daughter’s and my niece’s 6th birthdays and my brother’s he-probably-doesn’t-want-me-to-tell-you-how-old-he-is birthday and on Friday afternoon, a few hours before we were supposed to hop into the car for a six-hour drive, I realized that I had completely forgotten to buy my god daughter a present.

Whoops.

No time to head to the toy store, or Target, or a chic boutique. But there’s a cool Asian grocery store near my office. Aside from great produce and dirt-cheap-but-delicious tea, they have a kitchenware section (with a lot of melamine bowls and bamboo steamers, yes, but also a few pretty pieces of pottery and china). I zipped on over. Read the rest of this entry »

I am Gen X through and through. Born in the early ’70s, came of age in the ’80s, started my career in ’90s, started a family of my own in the ’00s.

Growing up, I never, ever heard that I couldn’t do something because I was a girl. Because I was too young? Sure. Because power tools are dangerous if you don’t know how to use them? Absolutely. But because I was female? Never.

Does that make me a feminist by default? Read the rest of this entry »

I realized something the other day that took me by surprise: I do some of my best work when I’m stressed out of my gourd.

My stress levels are always pretty high. That’s not a complaint, it’s just a statement of fact. I don’t think it’s just because I’m juggling work and family — thought that undoubtedly contributes to it. I’m pretty sure it’s just the way I am.

But some days — OK, many days — my stress levels are higher than others. And those days, I’ve found, are the days when I become uber-productive. Read the rest of this entry »

I was going to write about 9/11, but your feed readers are probably full of posts on the subject. So, instead, I’ll mark today’s date with this 2001 quote from Jon Stewart:

“The view from my apartment was the World Trade Center, and now it’s gone, and they attacked it. This symbol of American ingenuity, and strength, and labor, and imagination and commerce, and it is gone. But you know what the view is now? The Statue of Liberty. … you can’t beat that.”

Never forget. But live life looking forward.

* * *

Last night, I fell asleep while putting the little ones to bed. When I woke up (in my preschooler’s room) nearly three hours later, I was totally useless. I stumbled downstairs, thinking that at the very least I needed to wash the dishes so they don’t linger overnight, but my husband had already done them and that threw me for a loop. (I meant to do dishes? And they’re done? And I didn’t do them? What else did I do unconsciously while I was thinking I needed to do it? Anything? Wait, what?) After wandering around aimlessly and sitting in front of my computer for a full three minutes before noticing it was off, I called it quits and went to bed for real.

Who knew that getting a little extra sleep could have the same effect on your body as sleep deprivation?

What I did know, even as I tripped going back up the stairs, was that my to-do list was going to double the next day. Because my current search for work-life balance involves some very carefully choreographed scheduling, and my impromptu nap had thrown that out of whack. Read the rest of this entry »

I was filling my car up with gas last week (and having a minor heart attack because, my God, $55 to fill up the beater Saab I was driving that day? It’s like adding insult to injury) when the woman approached.

She looked to be in her late 40s. Windblown hair, flower-print blouse, minimal makeup. Looked like a harried mom who maybe needed help finding an obscure street in my tiny New England town. Looked like she was sure I’d say “No” if she asked me anything. So I made up my mind to say “Yes.”

“Excuse me, but can I ask you a question?”

“Yes!” I said brightly, one hand on the nozzle. My brothers like to joke that I can’t find my way out of a wet, upside-down, brown-paper bag, but if she needed directions, I would do my best.

“Have you ever thought about earning a little extra income from home?”

My first thought: Who hasn’t?

My second thought: Crrraaaaaap. She’s doing a sales pitch. And with the gas pump ticking away and my car keys in my pocket, I was a captive audience. It’s like a taking a call from a telemarketer times infinity, because you can’t really hang up on one when she’s standing in front of you. Read the rest of this entry »

On Monday, when Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin confirmed that her 17-year-old daughter Bristol is five months pregnant, leaders of both political parties agreed that the situation was not for political consumption, with Democratic Presidential hopeful Barack Obama saying outright that the children and families of the candidates are “off limits.”

Makes sense. The kids didn’t choose to be in the public spotlight — their parents did. Their actions shouldn’t reflect on their parents’ qualifications or abilities. As many, many people have pointed out: Life happens. You deal with it.

That said, I think that if Bristol Palin and her pregnancy are “a private family matter” and off limits, 19-year-old Track and his decision to join the Army should be, too. Not to mention baby Trig and his special needs.

You can’t insist on excluding from debate the potential impact of a child who’s done something socially unacceptable if you’re willing to use another child’s “good” behavior or medical disability to bolster a candidate’s political image. If one kid is off limits, then all of the kids should be off limits. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve been steeped in coverage of Hurricane Gustav this weekend (when I haven’t been glued to the coverage of John McCain’s choice of working mom Sarah Palin for VP) and, in spite of the surprisingly good weather we’ve been having in Massachusetts, I find myself worrying about disaster preparedness.

What would we do if, like the residents of Louisiana, we had to evacuate? Read the rest of this entry »