Blogging in a new direction…

Dear readers of Interior Office,

In the 2+ months I’ve been a blogger, I’ve learned so much from my readers as well as other bloggers.  That’s why I’ve decided to change the name and site of my blog.  I no longer feel that the name Interior Office represents what I’m trying to achieve on the blogosphere. 

My new site is named “Self-Made Mom” and you can access it at: http://selfmademom.net.  It’ll still be the same old me writing, just at a new address.

I hope you’ll continue reading my journey through the wacky world of working motherhood!

Sara

 

Weekend wrap-up

I know it’s Christmas Eve, but since I don’t celebrate it, I thought I’d jot down my success rate for achieving my vacation goals.  For those of you who celebrate, you can catch up when you finish drinking your egg nog.  Enjoy (and I still have 2 days left to attain 100% completion rate.)

– Donned bathing suit twice.  It helped that 1) it was only in front of my family, and 2) it was a very cute tankini from Target that covered my post-baby tummy.
– Worked out twice.  ‘Nuff said.
– Read 20 pages of my novel.  That’s like a lifetime for this book.  For those who care, I’m reading Perfume by Patrick Suskind.  By far the weirdest, but one of the best-written books I’ve read in a long time.
– Changed more dirty diapers than I care to discuss.  Apparently my son is not in need of any baby Metamucil.
– Am almost done with my new blog site! Can’t wait to launch it after the New Year.

Hope you all enjoy the holidays.

 

Vacation goals so far

It’s day 2 of my vacation. Here’s where I’m at with regards to meeting my “vacation goals:”

– Have not dried hair yet.  I forgot how humid Florida is.
– Going to attempt to go to yoga this morning if my son decides to take a morning nap.
– Bought new bathing suit.  Have not worn outside of bedroom yet.
– Have changed two diapers so far.  One nasty one.

Here’s to me doing a downward dog …

 

Vacation mode

I’ve moved my blog! Visit me at my new site: http://selfmademom.net  

It’s that time of year.  You know, when everyone at work goes to sit-down lunches and when you can actually get to work in the amount of time MapQuest tells you it will take. It’s vacation time!

But for us moms (ok, me), “vacation” in its truest form doesn’t really exist.  Even if I take time off of work and go somewhere warm.  I have a tough time relaxing anywhere, anyhow.  Even on my “days off” from work, I find myself more exhausted than when I am in the office for 10 hours  because I am running around doing stuff.

That’s why this year I’m taking my son to visit his grandparents for “vacation.” We’re packing up the kid and heading to Florida and letting grandpa and step-grandma pitch in on the childcare. 

I believe this arrangement will maximize my chances for relaxation and make me feel like I’m on vacation.  But being my type A self, I can’t totally break away from reality.  So I’ve decided to set some goals for myself during my trip:

– Read the book I’ve been trying to finish for the past 6 months
– Workout at least 3 times (that would be more than I have in the last 6 months)
– Dry my hair nicely every time I wash it (key word here is nicely, not dry)
– Wear a bathing suit if it’s warm enough (this is after day 3 of working out, of course)
– Not change my son’s diaper for one whole day
– Finish building my new blog site (details forthcoming after the new year)

I think these can be accomplished with the right amount of dilligence and strategy.  All play and no work can make mom a dull woman!

Happy Holidays.

 

Show and Tell

My blog has changed, the new url is: http://selfmademom.net.  

I’m bringing my son to the office tomorrow to meet my coworkers – so why am I so excited? I feel like a little schoolgirl who’s bringing in her favorite doll for show and tell.

I think it’s because when you work and then get pregnant and then basically disappear for a few months on maternity leave, you want everyone to know what you got for being out so long.  You want to validate the reason you only came back part-time to work, or why you leave work at 5 on the dot.

By bringing your kid into work, you can show your coworkers how cute he is, and how you care about that little dude more than anything else in the world.

Kind of like the little doll you used to carry around with you everywhere when you were little.

 

Where are all the female bosses?

The New York Times ran another article on Sunday regarding the dearth of women bosses in Fortune 500 companies.  The article covered familiar ground- lack of visible women corporate leaders, lack of women on company boards, women trying to balance work and family, etc.

So what’s my beef? I’m glad the NYT is keeping the discussion going of the inequities in the workplace between women and men.  But what I’m not seeing a lot of are stories about working moms like ME. Where are the stories of those in the middle of the management heap?  The regular “moms” trying to get ahead?

Come on reporters- play to the masses! Give us something to relate to!

Tags: Mom Rants, Working Mom, Career Advancement, Mom Friendly Companies

 

Aquaphor as under-eye cream

My blog has changed, the new url is: http://selfmademom.net.  

I’ve been using Aquaphor for years as a lip balm, but an NMF tipped me off to another great use for the ointment – eye cream.  It’s goopy constitution will nourish and protect your delicate under eyes just as it does your baby’s bum.  I’ve been trying it for the past few nights, and I can already tell that my under eyes are less swollen and red. Ahh… goodbye fancy eye cream, hello Aquaphor.

Tags: Baby Products, Beauty Tips

 

Mommy lit on the rise

My blog has changed, the new url is: http://selfmademom.net.  

The New York Times today covers the rising trend of “mom lit” – that genre of literature that used to be chick lit, now all grown up with babies and strollers.  Apparently, the term is causing quite a ruckus in the writing world.  Jennifer Weiner, the writer of “In Her Shoes,” “resents that women writing domestic dramas are categorized in ways male writers aren’t.” 

Mommy blogger Heather B. Armstrong of dooce.com thinks that mom lit “reads like someone sat around in a marketing meeting and said, ‘What can we sell to this generation of mothers?”

My question is, so what?  So what if some of the mommy lit out there isn’t going to win a Pulitzer Prize? I like that when I write I can be light and fluffy – it makes all the craziness of being a mom a little more funny, a little easier to handle.  And seriously, moms out there, who really wants or can read a dense novel right after you have baby? I couldn’t. 

And why can’t “mommy lit” encompass the serious and the light?  I bet there is room in the genre and for the buyers (key here for a writer) for both.  So for those moms who write in this genre and want to fight for equal treatment, great.  But I think having that mommy voice at all, fluffy or not, is a great achievement in and of itself.

Tags: Mom Marketing, Mom Rants

 

How the mom stole Christmas

I have a dilemma.  Next week, my company is hosting a “kids” holiday party, fit with a live Santa and all things holiday-related. But there is a problem.  I hate the holiday season.  I’ve always hated the holiday season.  You can’t get any of your normal activities done with relative ease, and the mus-aack is way to cheery for me.  I’m don’t even celebrate Christmas for crying out loud! Bah Humbug.

There are plenty of secular Jews out there who decorate a tree and pretend that Christmas is their holiday too.  Not this one.  Call me Scrooge, but I don’t want my son celebrating Christmas.  I don’t want silly photos of him on Santa’s lap – they’ll just end up at the bottom of our junk drawer.  I don’t want him to leave cookies out for Santa on Christmas eve – I’ll just end up eating them.  I don’t want him opening presents on Christmas Day – he’ll get plenty of stuff for Hannukah. 

So this is my plan of attack: I’m going to avoid clueing him into Christmas at all costs until he’s old enough to figure it out himself.  This means: no photos, no holiday outfits, no cheesy songs.  No Christmas.

I may sound like Mrs. Grinch, but I think this approach is better than me having to tell him in 10 years that Santa doesn’t really exist.  Bah Humbug.

Tags: Mom Rants, Christmas, Santa

 

Dos and don’ts of work holiday parties

My blog has changed, the new url is: http://selfmademom.net.  

Our company’s annual holiday party is tonight.  It’s my third party, but first as a mom, so I think the rules are a little bit different for me.  Some dos and don’ts for moms at work holiday parties:

Do feel free to dance to the music; it’s a good chance to show your coworkers that you’re still alive.
Don’t get caught karaoke-ing “Like a Virgin” – you never know who’s got a cell phone camera out there and where your children may find those photos online (this is NOT a personal experience).

Do get dolled up for work that day; spend the 15 extra minutes to wash and dry your hair!
Don’t wear anything remotely similar to the photo to the left (Thank you, Tamara and Jeffrey).

Do gorge yourself on all the party apps. I’m quite sure they’re better than any dinner you were going to have at home.
Don’t stuff the dinner rolls in your purse for lunch tomorrow.  That’s not being a resourceful mom, it’s just tacky.

Do have a drink, or two (or three), if you please. You did get the night off for a reason.
Don’t overdo it. Your husband will NOT be sympathetic tomorrow and get up with the kids when you don’t feel well.

Enjoy the holiday party season!

Technorati Tags: holiday parties, working mom, mom fashion, office fashion