Crib Notes Blog

Work at Home- mostly...

3/5/2013

I work from home 99% of the time*-- or, whatever percentage all but 2 days a month is; I'm a writer, I leave the math to you.

Friday was an in-office day. I got #1 on the bus, dropped #2 at school, and went on my way, with the puppy- and child-care for the rest of the day carefully orchestrated.

I was in the office about 45 minutes when I got a call that #1 was in the nurses' office with a headache. His temp was showing as nearly 100 (which qualifies as a fever) so they wouldn't allow him to stay there. Super.

So scramble, scramble, scramble to work it out (thanks, Mom), then why, why, why? What are the odds of this rare occurrence happening on a day that I'm 45 min away in the office? (Again, rhetorical question. I can figure out the percentage above but I don't do 'odds'.)

Thankfully I work with amazing people who know that kids and illnesses don't care that you have a conference call.

How do you juggle work and home?

*Yes, I know, I am very very very lucky. However, my defensive side forces me to say that it's not all about luck. It took a lot of effort to arrange, and takes even more to keep it going.

Baby in the Classroom

9/17/2012

I heard about this last week, but was looking for more info-- like the school's policy on bringing kids to class.

I am ALL for breastfeeding and for working moms, but my issue would be that she brought her sick child to class, not that she nursed her while there.

As great as "collective childcare system" sounds, but bringing your child to work is not an alternative for most, so it is a legitimate argument that she was out of line.

That being said, the title of her class seems apropos!

What do you think?

http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/adrienne-pine-defends-classroom-breastfeeding-130939169--abc-news-parenting.html

Just Do It!

8/17/2012

Productivity begets productivity!

Flying high on caffeine and efficiency (and a turkey tortilla salad) this afternoon!

It helps that my parents spent their last day of vacation occupying the boys.

Busy Parent Jobs

8/6/2012

I actually do a little of each of these, haha!
Thumbs up for work-at-home moms!

http://education.yahoo.net/articles/careers_for_busy_parents.htm?kid=1LSB2

Keep the Peace

7/20/2012

It's that time of day when the boys are playing so nicely that I don't want to interrupt, and I'm even ignoring the huge mess that has been created in the name of fun, but I know hunger will soon turn to anger so I just slowly slide a little bowl of goldfish in their general direction and tip toe back to my computer...

SAHM goes to work

11/10/2011

Earlier this week, I posted a link about moms returning to the workforce. Here's a link about moms entering the workforce. Short and good read!

http://www.curvygirlguide.com/lifestyle/returning-to-work-after-being-a-sahm/

Good Enough is the New Perfect (book review)

9/16/2011

Raise your hand if you have ever felt imperfect as a mom. Hmm, that would be a lot of hands if we’d allow ourselves the time to stop typing/cooking/folding/diapering/driving to answer the question.

Why are you trying to be perfect? To compete with other moms? To prove something to your boss? To show your husband that you can do it all? Or, is it just for yourself; to calm your own need to be perfect?

And what is “perfect”? Who defines it? Again, probably just you…

Becky Beaupre Gillespie and Hollee Schwartz Temple examine this concept in their new book, Good Enough is the New Perfect: Finding Happiness and Success in Modern Motherhood.

The New Perfect hit home for me more than any book has in a long time (and I read a LOT!). Most personally, it reminded me that the only person who expects me to be perfect is me. “After all these years of railing against inflexible work policies, unfair division of household labor and societal pressures—admittedly very real challenges—we’re realizing that our biggest obstacle is…ourselves.” (I could quote endlessly from this text.)

But, this is not about self-blame, and it’s not about lowering your standards or crossing items off your list of goals. Becky and Hollee are quick to point out that this is not about settling. It’s about redefining your own concept of perfect, and then making the necessary adjustments to reach that place—even if those adjustments are ongoing, and that definition ever-changing.

What compounds the internal struggle are the external pressures; “perfection [has become] an addiction, motherhood a competitive sport.” But we talk about it with only a select few. We are reluctant to “talk honestly with each other about the parts of our lives that don’t work, the stuff that pushes us to the brink—and the things we’d like to change.”

The New Perfect is not about complaining or pointing out hardships either. It is about being real life working moms. The authors surveyed just under 1,000 working mothers between the ages of 28 and 43, representing nearly every US state. 100 of those were in-depth interviews. You can read many of these case studies, and see (and take) the survey within the book.

The New Perfect does not claim to have all the answers; you may not close the back cover having a new plan for perfection. But you will have a new definition of perfection, and a better understanding of life as a mom—both your life and the lives of others.

It is more thought-provoking than any other title that I’ve come across in a long time. And the questions that it asks are not easy ones. It will force you to be introspective, but will supportive in the fact that you are not alone. I urge every mom—whether you’re working in the corporate world or your own kitchen—to read Good Enough is the New Perfect.

Authors Becky Beaupre Gillespie and Hollee Schwartz Temple are lots of things, but most importantly are moms.

Creative Full Time

9/9/2011

"[Working mom] describes her work schedule as "creative full time"; her life is so fluid and the pieces are so entwined that it is hard to define it in terms of traditional categories."
YES! That is a wonderful description. At work, family is never far from mind; at home, thanks to technology, work is never far from our fingertips.

A full review of this wonderful book about modern motherhood is coming soon!