I rarely talk politics at work, even though it’s generally a safe bet for me, what with my being a card-carrying member of the Liberal Elite Media and all (not all of whom are Liberals, I might add). There are plenty of people who are pretty outspoken about where they stand, and I’m about as opinionated as they come, but still, while I’m likely to chime in to a discussion in progress, I try to view politics as more of a spectator sport.

I do the same thing at home, too, because we’re a politically blended family, but with a twist: My husband and I are on the same page when it comes to fiscal, social, and international politics; it’s our older kids who are on the other side of the aisle. Read the rest of this entry »

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 hate to vacuum.

I checked with my mom on this one, and, apparently, I’ve hated vacuuming since well before I could walk.

Alas, some of the people who live in my home routinely put bits of whatever they find on the floors into their little mouths, so vacuuming is a necessary evil. I still try to avoid it as much as possible. Unfortunately, so does everyone else in my household, so it usually falls to me anyway.

Women may be shattering glass ceilings at work and in politics, but it seems like we’re pretty much where we’ve always been at home. A 2007 study conducted by researchers at North Carolina State University and George Mason University found that, after marriage, women take on a larger proportion of household chores than their spouses do. In fact, overall, men averaged 9.41 hours’ housework per week to 21.13 hours of housework by women, and the higher the marriage rate in the 28 countries studied, the higher the proportion of housework carried out by women. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m sick. Again.

(Of course, I’m at work. Why do you ask?)

The other night, my husband remarked that, in the past few months, both he and I have been sick more frequently than ever before. But why? Sure, we’re overworked, but not any more than we’ve always been. We’ve been eating more healthily, exercising more often — OK, that’s a lie, he’s been exercising, I’ve been, um… look over there! Something shiny!

Really, though, we couldn’t figure out why we were caught in this cycle of sinus headaches and hacking coughs. We feebly tossed around a few more ideas (is it the weather? Do we need vitamins?) while my husband reminded L. to cover her mouth when she sneezed and I wiped O.’s streaming nose for the umpteenth time, and then it hit us … Read the rest of this entry »

Forget Barbie. Please, please forget Bratz. There’s a new doll in town, and she’s more than just a fashion icon: She’s a superhero.

Meet Super Mom.

On the one hand: Can I tell you how hilarious this is? Check out the accessories! Two heads, so you can switch from calm to frazzled in a blink of an eye! An adorable baby that’s half angel, half monster! A briefcase stuffed with work and toys! An extra-long To-Do list! A bag full of groceries! And it even comes in your choice of skin color, proving that no single ethnicity has a lock on the working mother. I don’t see the working-mom guilt there in the blister-pack, but you could probably download some. Read the rest of this entry »

When I became pregnant with L., there was this mysterious thing I had to contend with, something that I hadn’t encountered when I became a step mom: Maternity leave.

I was going to be away from the office for about five months. It had been 23 years since I’d had that much time off all at once. What was I going to do with myself?

I had grand plans: I’d finish painting all the bedrooms. I’d write at least one freelance story a week. I’d edit all of the recipes from my mom’s old restaurant into a great cookbook. Heck, cookbooks seemed easy — maybe I’d write two! Read the rest of this entry »