Quote of the week

This one comes from my 3-year old daughter: "When girls get dressed up, boys marry them."

I'm still trying to figure out where this comes from. I suppose she decided that this is how the whole marriage thing works when she looks at our wedding picture. Either way, I thought it was hysterical. It also gets me thinking about the socialization process. As our kids navigate their social surroundings, it's interesting to see their likes/dislikes, preferences, friendships, etc.

There are also other amazing things about this, like how 2 kids in the same family can be so different. And also how our children manifest some of the same behaviors and personalities that we have, for better or worse. There are still more actions/behaviors that leave me thinking, "Wow! I wish I was like that as a kid."

As much as I hope that my kids learn from me, I think I learn more from them. I learn about them and about myself...for better or worse.

Cheers!

Renay

Vacationing with Young Kids

Ah, the promise of a seaside vacation in New England where we get 2 good months of warm weather per year. Could there be anything better? As I sit in my office, I think about how wonderful it will be...my 6-year old son and my 3-year old daughter frolicking in the waves, the warm sun hitting my face as I casually read through my magazine and occasionally laugh at a joke made by my insanely-funny husband. We sip lemonade, eat grapes and take beautiful family pictures.

Sound like a familiar dream? Welcome to the reality of the family vacation...it takes us 2 hours to get out of the condo and onto the beach, my daughter screams the whole way to the water because the sand it too hot, my son demands snacks as soon as we sit down and my husband and I spend the entire 3 hours catering to their every need before heading back to the condo to collapse from exhaustion. My friend Britt just found this out during her recent family vacation.

But you know what? It's fun and it's just our time to be a family. So I am truly excited. My house is a disaster because my husband has to take every possible item that we own even though we will only be gone for a week, I will be chasing after my daughter tonight after promising to polish her nails with the purple nail polish she insisted that I had to buy her and apply before vacation, and spending the next 24-hours preparing for what appears to be the equivalent of preparing for life in a bomb shelter with no hope of return.

Still, I can't wait...

Cheers!
Renay

Living a Child-Centric Life

Happy Belated Fourth of July to everyone! Hope it was wonderful and filled with lots of BBQs and relaxation. We had a wonderful holiday weekend - our good friends invited us up to their condo in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. We had a blast - Storyland for the kids, dinner out, swimming in the river, etc.

It was all great until we were driving home. The kids were crabby and arguing, as always and we hit a good amount of traffic. I was not feeling entirely great. And then it struck me - the fact that we would be passing the LL Bean outlet that I am never able to get to. So, I mentioned this factoid to my husband who then proceeded to joke around with me about it with that "there's no chance in hell that we're stopping there" look in his eyes. I became overly annoyed about the whole thing and did not speak to him the entire way home...and beyond. He later explained that it was not really feasible because the kids were tired and would give us a hard time, whether they had to wait in the car or in the store.

Okay, I get it. And I know that he was right - they would have made our lives miserable the entire time. But it got me thinking about how crazy it seems that my children completely run my life. I love them more than anything in the world but I can certainly remember lots of trips to stores that I hated as a kid. And certainly my parents never asked me or even told me I was going. We were just going and then was the end of it. But I find with our own kids, we are so focused around their every need that it often becomes all-consuming. I think there needs to be more of a balance - maybe our lives would be a bit easier, a bit more livable if we could take them on a few errands, to the grocery store and, yes, even to the LL Bean Outlet once in a while.

What do you think? I know - you think that I just have a shopping addiction that needs to be indulged. You're probably right...but tell me your thoughts anyway.

Cheers!
Renay

Organizing Your Inbox

As you may already know, I am constantly struggling with my organization systems. I find myself wavering between a complete state of disorganization and the occasional burst of activity that will move me to a more organized situation. My disorganization usually takes over in the end due to the 800 things I am trying to keep track of at any given time.

Email is definitely a struggle. I'm an incredibly detail-oriented person - which is good and bad - and I'm a pack rat, saving those emails from 2004 that I may need to reference someday...in an alternate universe.

I subscribe to Cristin Lind's blog out on Clearwater Productivity and today received an interesting post about email organization that I would like to share entitled: "How to Completely Empty Your Email Inbox." You can certainly imagine my delight when I saw this title and immediately read Cristin's tips. So check it out if you are interested in gaining more organization.

And, um, if you are like me and still have that "thank you for logging in" email from 2004, it's probably safe to delete it.

Cheers,
Renay

Hug Your Kids Today, Part 2

So it's been a while since I last blogged - just a crazy few weeks! We have had some great things going on...birthdays, weddings and, Zachary is closing out his Kindergarten year. He was a lion in an end of school play and I cried through the whole thing, of course.

In a previous post, I mentioned the Hug Your Kids Today holiday coming up on July 21st. I wanted to call your attention to the website and blog where there is a new book available called, "Hug Your Kids Today! Five Key Lessons for Every Working Parent." I can't wait to read it and would also like you to check out Michelle's recent post entitled, "Forget Work-Life Balance - It's the Wrong Goal." Definitely food for thought...

Cheers!
Renay

Tales from the Soccer Field

As I watched my almost 6 year old son play U6 soccer this weekend, I saw this transformation. My little sweet boy was suddenly much more aggressive and scoring goals all over the place. Now this was great but, in the process, I saw a few of the other kids feeling bad because they could not keep up with him. I also saw him engage in a few "not so sportsmanlike" comments with the other team.

As parents, we walk a fine line when helping our kids navigate the social landscape. Having been a quiet child, I don't want Zachary to be pushed around the way that I sometimes was but I also don't want him to be the bully. As I talk to other parents, it seems to be a common concern.

So how do you walk that line? And, as parents working together towards this goal, it's becoming apparent that my husband and I don't always share common beliefs. So there are also some stereotypes and gender parenting differences at play. I would welcome other thoughts on this subject so please feel free to post.

Cheers!

National Hug Your Kids Day

This morning I read a newsletter that highlighted the efforts of Michelle Nichols, a former writer of BusinessWeek.com and creator of National Hug Your Kids Day on July 21. On her website, Michelle speaks about how important it is for working parents to connect with their kids: www.hugyourkidstoday.com

This article and concept really resonates with me. You know the deal...how do we get our jobs done, meet those deadlines while trying to help out at school, be there for games and attending school events? There's no easy way. But if you can do it, if you can leave early and put in extra time from home after the kids are in bed, then DO IT.

As I have said in previous posts, there are days when I'm a better employee - working late, attending evening events that are important for my company. And there are some days when I'm a better mother. But it's always important to keep the priorities straight, to know what matters most. My job is very fulfilling and interesting. It's important to me to excel, to make my mark. But nothing is more important to me than my family.

Please join me in celebrating National Hug Your Kids Day on July 21 - what a great concept!

Cheers!