UCLA Today (the faculty and staff newspaper) just posted a story about my mini-seminar there on balancing work and parenting. Read all about it here.
Archive for January, 2009
Parenting & Paychecks, Part II
Friday, January 30th, 2009Wishing for Good Gifting
Friday, January 30th, 2009Don’t get me wrong: I love to buy gifts for people. To amble among the shops, checking out stuff my friends or family would like, brings me great pleasure.
But as you might already know, I don’t have time for that.
So when I have to buy a gift, I freak a little bit. I put it off, then run around like a mad woman. Then I stress that my gift is going to look like something I just snatched off a shelf at Ralphs, which it often is.
That’s why Valentine’s Day is such a difficult holiday. I want to show my husband how thoughtful and giving I can be. But I usually end up looking like a heartless cad on Valentine’s Day, while he delivers a beautiful bouquet and some tasty sweets from an upscale candy shop from some hard-to-get-to spot in L.A.
Just in case you run into this dilemma, too, I thought I’d tell you about WishWrap.com, a unique gift Web site
that allows you to shop by what you might be wishing for a recipient, such as “wealth and happy circumstances” or “festive cheer.” I fell for the Nuts About You package, which includes a stuffed monkey with an insert that can be heated for cuddling and cinnamon and dark-chocolate nuts. Enclosed is a message that says, “Playful, cuddly, spicy and sweet…just like you! Wishing you love and warmth today and forever. XOXO.” Then the gift is beautifully wrapped up in “green” and reusable packaging.
It’s a bit on the pricy side ($65 for the monkey and nuts) but will definitely keep the guilt and stress at bay. And Steve will just think I’m sweet.
I’ve Got Mail: Football!
Thursday, January 29th, 2009Welcome to the 21st century. This Sunday, my family will be huddled around the Super Bowl game wearing not just our usual football-watching attire; we’ll also be wearing 3D glasses.
As part of a promo for the new Monsters vs. Aliens movie from DreamWorks (hitting theaters on March 27), I also received a football with an eyeball on it (in honor of lead character and gelatinous blob B.O.B.), drink coasters with the movie characters on them and the all-important stress ball, just in case the game’s a close one.
The glasses will be for viewing the movie trailer as well as a barrier-breaking 3D Super Bowl commercial featuring those groovy and talented dancing lizards from SoBe Lifewater. (I’ve been told to keep them handy for the next day, too, when NBC will air a special 3D episode of Chuck.)
Need your own 3D glasses? Pick them up for free at any SoBe Lifewater displays at the grocery store and other locations.
Balance Beam
Thursday, January 29th, 2009A glimpse into my day:
- 5:30am: My alarm goes off.
- 6:05am: I leap out of bed after oversleeping.
- 6:45am: I bark orders at Kate, clip my hair to my head and hope that I’m wearing pants as we dash for her bus stop.
- 7:15am: Try to transition from hectic morning drill sergeant to calm working professional. Clear head. Drain coffee pot. Try to collect the zillion tasks that day into one doable to-do list. Remember all the things I forgot in the morning rush (although I am wearing pants). Forgot to put new soap in the shower. Steve probably showering without soap.
- 4pm: Trying to slip back into “mom” mode after day of juggling deadlines. Remember soap, but there’s no replacement soap. Dang. Remember that I forgot to call sister. Call sister. While talking to sister make snack for Kate while nagging Kate to get homework done. Yell at dog for eating sofa cushion.
- 9:30pm: Plop down on sofa (minus one cushion) after dinner, kids’ baths, homework, lunches made. Arms too heavy to pull me up to get myself off to bed. Remember that I forgot to buy soap…
It’s not always that hectic and tiring, but like so many other parents, I often feel the tug of having too much on my plate. The result is that I often feel off-balance.
I was invited by the UCLA Staff and Faculty Counseling Center to share some experiences and insights yesterday for a program they called “Parenting & Paychecks: Time, Energy and Balance.” The staff and faculty there are pretty fortunate to have such a great resource at hand, where they can seek help and support for a variety of issues.
Finding support and sharing our war stories are often the best ways to keep our lives (somewhat) in balance. The one-hour lunchtime seminar was a great way to bring a lot of them together to comiserate and get some ideas. And I got some, too. As a way to create some quality time with spouses, one mom said she and her partner take the occasional day off to just hang out together, get massages, have lunch. Great idea! I might use that time to buy soap…
Olive!
Tuesday, January 27th, 2009OK, the new dog has a new name: Olive. And she’s slowly starting to come out of her shell. This picture explains why we will be finding an obedience class toot sweet!
Ema In the News
Friday, January 23rd, 2009After writing a blog post about how my mom doesn’t like to be called “Grandma” but prefers “Ema,” I got a call from a reporter at Maclean’s, Canada’s national weekly current affairs magazine.
Check out what other non-Grandmas had to say on the topic.
A New Tail
Thursday, January 22nd, 2009We did it. There’s a new dog in our house!
We visited the South L.A. animal shelter on a tip from a friend that a beautiful lab’s number was about to be up. Debbie turned out to be a BIG dog that, in the span of about five minutes, knocked over two big potted plants, an ashtray filled with water and butts and one little boy, who subsequently became soaked by ashtray water.
I hated to leave her behind, but another little black lab caught my eye. No bark, jump or other typical theatrics – just a calm stare that said, “Hey, would you pet me?”
I know that any minute now she might come alive and chew the sofa, dig up the sprinkler system and poop on the one square of carpet in my house, but for now, she’s been nothing but ladylike. She plunks down next to you when sit down and curls up like a peanut at the foot of Jack’s bed when it’s lights out. All we need now is a good name for this girl.
And the shelter experience was a positive one for our otherwise sheltered children. The site of all those shaky chihuahuas, forlorn poodles and alert shepherds was almost more than I could bear – and Kate seemed to grasp the desperation of it all. But we saw and met several great volunteers, who take it upon themselves to find homes for these critters. One volunteer we met maintains a blog on the rescued pooches and kitties she transports to new homes throughout the city, and captured Kate and Jack as we were about to jump in the car with our new family member. This is her photo.
(And one final note: Debbie the rambunctious lab got rescued from the shelter!)
Obama-Rama
Saturday, January 17th, 2009Where are you watching the inauguration on Tuesday? Chances are, unless you head out to sea or retreat into a dark cave for the day, you won’t be able to avoid it. And who would want to? This is an amazing historical moment. In that vein, here are a couple of Obama-related items to chew on:
• The Pilgrim School in Los Angeles is sending 16 eighth graders and two teachers to witness the event. The students represent L.A.’s ethnic diversity and are being helped by the WorldStrides organization, a company that enriches students’ lives through experiential travel. In D.C., the students will attend an inaugural dance and get to be among the first to arrive at the event.
• Can’t make it to the nation’s capital? Then watch it from this special block: Legoland California. Model
makers have been busy “pre-creating” the historic scene, capturing the new president taking the oath of office on the steps of the Capitol in Miniland U.S.A. Hundreds of minifigures were “invited” to attend. The scene goes up today and will stay up through Memorial Day Weekend. And while you’re there, check out the LEGO mosaic depicting Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
• Do your kids want to dress like the president’s kids? They’ve been spotted in a line of tees called TEASE, a contemporary line that is hand-crafted with colorful smiley faces and peace signs. (Where are the big-girl sizes?!)
• Michelle Obama is also ushering in a new era as First Lady. Knowing that lots of us will be interested in keeping up with her as she grows in her new role – and how she’s going to do that with two young daughters – Mommytrackd.com is dedicating a section of its site to News and Notes About Michelle Obama, Modern Mama. This section will be hosted by Shari MacDonald Strong, a senior editor at Literary Mama and editor of the anthology, The Maternal is Political, and Kuae Mattox, former editor-in-chief of Black Family Today and national Director of Media Relations for Mocha Moms. Other guest writers are expected to chime in.
Set Your TiVo: This Little Piggy
Thursday, January 15th, 2009
Olivia by Ian Falconer was one of the first contemporary children’s books I fell in love with when Kate was little. We would spend hours scouring the kids’ section at the bookstore but always gravitated back to our favorite little pig with the big personality.
Olivia is smart without being sassy, knows how to work a red leotard, uses her imagination to the fullest, and is fairly tolerant of her brothers (although the second one didn’t come along till Falconer’s later books).
Much to the delight of us all, Olivia will step into full-color animation starting at 11:30 a.m. (ET/PT) Monday, Jan. 26, on Nickelodeon. The show’s geared for preschoolers, who will love the relaxed pacing and subtle lessons. I yearned for a bit more of Olivia’s independent spirit that Falconer so beautifully constructed in print, but her essence is definitely there in the two episodes I previewed, “Olivia Measures Up” and “Olivia Plays Hotel.”
Overall, a thumb’s up for what will quickly become every little piggy’s favorite!
