Change

It's not a unique title but I have been thinking for weeks about how to write this one. I was laid off from my job over a month ago. I have been wanting to blog about it ever since I found out but as I went through a variety of stages and emotions, I decided to hold off.

My career has always been important to me and, in my most recent position, there was a time when it was possibly the perfect job. That lasted for several years. I was able to build something that was interesting, successful, profitable and career-changing. I grew as a professional and as an individual. I worked with incredible people; we were all dedicated to our jobs and the company and worked for someone who was a true leader in every sense of the word. It was inspiring.

But then things changed. I could elaborate on the details but it would not be worth it. Suffice it to say that I helped to build something great and feel incredibly fortunate to have been a part of it. It took a while for me to get here but with each day that passes, I remember the good parts, the great years. And that's what is important.

And with change comes a renewed look at what we want in our lives, at what is important. I am excited about that next opportunity that enables me to use my experiences, both the good and the bad.

Cheers,
Renay

My Six Year Old Got to Vote!

I took my son with me to vote this morning. He has been very interested in the election this year. That being said, I was very excited to learn that his principle stated that it was "unfair" that kids don't get to vote and so she decided to hold an election at their school. How cool!

The school overall voted for Obama.

And, in the spirit of including everyone, my daughter also got to vote at her preschool today. The kids could vote for either blue or red milk. She voted for red and apparently red is the winner.

These are both great ways to encourage our kids to be interested and involved in what is going on in our country.

Happy Election Day!

Cheers,
Renay

Moms Rising

While many of you have probably heard about this group, I just learned about it this week: www.momsrising.com. As I do some exploring, I can see that they are not only committed to helping Moms figure out what resources they need, they are also involved in spreading the idea that as a nation, we need to shift our corporate structure for working families.

Gone are the days when most Moms are at home while their husbands bring home the bacon. Working mothers make up a huge portion of the American workforce and companies need to start recognizing that it's no longer okay to ignore the needs of working families.

I just read the description of their book, "The Motherhood Manifesto," and it sounds like a must-read, not only for working mothers but for all. Job flexibility, locating quality daycare, and affordable healthcare are things that we are all concerned with. So check it out and let me know what you think.

Cheers!
Renay

Always On

As I sit here on the train with my laptop + broadband card, Blackberry at the ready, sitting next to my husband, it strikes me that we are always connected. I thought that it was great when my boss gave me a shiny new broadband card (at my prompting, by the way) so that I could now do work during my commute. But I recognize that I just sacrificed something...that short space of time that I have to myself before getting to the office and at the end of the day.

Yet I feel addicted. Why? What goes through my head is, "If I can just get through these emails now, then I will have a much clearer day to attack my projects." In that sense, it is helpful but the reality is that I have no downtime during my day.

This, of course, is after I ran out of the house this morning after writing checks for my son's magazine subscription for school, making lunch, and doing all of my Mommy stuff.

I know that I need to better manage my stress. Maybe I should just return the broadband card to my IT Manager...better yet, just lock it away for the weekend.

Cheers!
Renay

When Will Our Public Schools Go Green?

I cannot tell you how much paper I get from my son's public elementary school. Every day, I open up his overfilled backpack and a plethora of paperwork falls out. There are club invitations, weekly curriculum updates, school association events, the list goes on.

Don't get me wrong...I LOVE the information and I truly want to stay informed. But why can't they use email and websites to do this? I know that there are some schools where the teachers do have their own web pages for homework and information postings but not ours.

So the bottom line is that our kids go to computer lab, our teachers probably create their materials on computers but yet we can't seem to use them for announcements...this doesn't make any sense to me. Are there any companies that have developed school website portals that are inexpensive who could sell to the public school system? Maybe this service does exist - if you are a company that does provide this or know of one, please let me know.

Cheers!
Renay

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