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I spent the past two days presenting Work It, Mom! and connecting with other media women entrepreneurs at this incredible event called All Things Media. The purpose of the event was to bring together some great women starting media companies (hey, someone thought I should be invited, yay for them!) with investors and media partners. I won’t go into a lot of details and will only say that when women get together with the goal of supporting each other the empowerment and the energy are insanely amazing.
I met some wonderful women at the event, many of whom are working mothers. As I was coming home late last night I found myself replaying some of the bits of conversations we had or I’d overheard between them and thought I’d share them here. (You know, kind of like Overheard in the Office, but a working mom edition.)
On Halloween…
“My husband and my two kids are coming to the airport to meet me on Friday so we can go trick-or-treating together. The kids will already be wearing their costumes since I’ll be cutting it so close. I feel like a superhero that I found a way to make it home for Halloween.”
The last time the economy was in a downward spin cycle I was working for a small start-up. I could see the writing on the wall a few weeks before we all got our layoff notices and one of the main indicators of my impending job loss was the way my boss began to avoid me. I’d come by his office and suddenly he’d remember a meeting he was late for. I would run into him in the hallway and he’d say he had a call he had to take. Lesson learned: Your boss avoiding you is a good indicator that you might be losing your job soon.
But let’s say you’re not there yet, your boss is as friendly as ever and your company hasn’t yet joined the growing list of those announcing layoffs. Is there anything you can do to reduce your chances of getting fired?
I think so, and I say this not as some fancy career expert but as someone who has worked with large and small companies and have fired my share of people, unfortunately. A few ideas: Read the rest of this entry »
One of the things I like a lot about taking my daughter to ballet class — well, besides watching her swirl around in a pink leotard — is a chance to hang out with a few other moms whose company I enjoy, sipping a cut of coffee, and NOT looking at my Blackberry. This past Sunday our outside-the-class-on-the-floor conversation turned to kids’ allowances.
One of the moms said that many of the kids in her daughter’s class are now getting allowances so she is thinking of instituting it for her daughter (who is almost 5). She likes the idea of having an allowance but is trying to figure out how to not specifically tie it to chores. I had no creative ideas. Read the rest of this entry »
I am sure by now you’ve all read about the $150k that the RNC apparently spent on Sarah Palin’s campaign wardrobe. My reaction when I found out was something along the lines of “Doesn’t anyone on her team know how to find great deals?” I have admired a few of her blazers (a weakness of mine) but c’mon, even Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus (where the majority of the money was apparently spent) have awesome sales. (Want to see what Sarah Palin might be wearing if she shopped at Walmart instead? Read this.)
If we can keep ourselves from jumping into another political discussion about Sarah Palin’s candidacy I actually think this shopping spree raises an important point about image in the workplace. Read the rest of this entry »
We haven’t figured out why but lately my daughter (she is four) has been asking a lot of questions about death. Why do people die? When will I die? What happens when you die? You know, the pleasant easy-to-answer questions. My husband thinks that our gold fish dying a few weeks ago might have sparked this curiosity and he might be right. Regardless, we’re now trying to figure out how much and how to tell her, how to not make stuff up, to explain things in a way she can understand but not get freaked out at the same time.
Basically, we’re trying to decide whether to lie or tell the truth, and if we tell the truth, how do we color it so that it’s not completely horrible. Read the rest of this entry »
I am typing this post from a very nice and large and plush bed in a very nice and pretty room in a very nice and spiffy hotel in Chicago. No, don’t get excited, this is not vacation — I am here on a business trip for two days. This morning I left the house at 6am with a small carry-on bag, my laptop, and a huge load of business trip guilt. I wouldn’t see my kiddo for two full days. My husband will be shuffling around his meetings and schedule to manage drop-offs and pick-ups. And next week I have another trip, again for two full days. The guilt-meter is pushing to the max. Read the rest of this entry »
Whenever I meet a fellow working mom the conversation inevitably turns to the practical side of our daily juggling act: What are the hours for your daughter’s preschool? Do you have back-up care? Who stays home when kids are sick or there is a snow day? The logistics of the juggling act are rarely simple.
So the other night while watching Sarah Palin on SNL I wondered — oddly for the first time since watching her on the campaign trail — about the logistical arrangements she has in place to help her juggle a high profile job and a large family. I didn’t recall reading anything specific about it in any of the extensive press coverage so I went Googling away. Read the rest of this entry »
Not that you would remember but several weeks ago I wrote about mistakes I’ve made as a mom and promised to share some mistakes I’ve made in other areas of my life. I continue to think that we — women, moms — need to share our mistakes and talk about them publicly more often because it will help us all realize that (1) our mistakes don’t mean the end of the world and (2) there is no such thing as a superwoman.
So here goes, some mistakes I’ve made in my career: Read the rest of this entry »
I’m a routine freak, if you’re curious. My parents claim fault because when I was growing up they stuck to a firm routine with my sleeping/eating/etc. — apparently because I was a horror otherwise. I think immigrating to a new country as an insecure teenager also had something to do with my love for routines; they are my safety blanket. I like to know what’s happening and when. Boring, but nice.
Not surprisingly, my daughter likes routines, not the least because well, she’s had them, to whatever extent possible, since she was born. Read the rest of this entry »
On Fridays I stop working at 3pm. I pick up my daughter from preschool and we go to gymnastics, where she gets to do cool stuff (her words) and I get my weekly 45 minutes of mommy-talk with other moms in the waiting area. When she is done we go for a special treat. My daughter’s pick is usually a cupcake, which we get from this tiny little place which also luckily makes great lattes. Luckily because if I weren’t drinking a latte I’d be eating my own cupcake and I definitely don’t need those. OK, sometimes I eat a cupcake with my latte, now you know. Read the rest of this entry »