Speed Bump

Izzy is living up to the title of Terrible Twos. Lately, she likes to use the word stupid, as in 'stupid Mommy' and  'stupid Roxie' for which she gets put in time out and could care less. She would sit in time out all day if we left her there. Izzy and Charlie often always want the same toy, book, meaningless object. The moment Izzy realizes she is losing the battle to her older and bigger brother, she will lean in and bite. Hard. We send her to time out (see above). She refuses to let me pick out her clothes, help her get dressed, brush her hair. No amount of cajoling, or threatening to throw away toys can convince her to help clean up her room at the end of the day. She will not be hurried when out and about and walks at her own (slooooow) pace. She has to put on her car seat harness "by myself!" In the car she is usually quiet, content with her fingers in her mouth and listening to Charlie talk. Other times, she will time her words to perfec...

I am torn. Torn between work and home, career and kids, the age-old argument without new solutions. Torn between wanting to have something to call my own and wanting to be the best mom I can be. Can I be good at both my career and being a mom?  Are the two mutually exclusive? This idea was recently discussed on a blog I love, Motherlode (there is a link to the NYTimes blog on my sidebar). You can check out the book  Torn: True Stories of Kids, Career & the Conflict of Modern Motherhood  and one of several blog posts on the book  here . As a college student I always said I was going to wait to get married until my 30s (check), I would marry a man totally supportive of my having a career (check, check) and he would be an excellent chef and do all the cooking (check, check and check!). I also said I wouldn’t get married until I made my FIRST million. Well, three out of four ain’t bad.  Back when I made those checklists, they were simply i...

Meet Baby Max, a tiny little slice of heaven. Born one week ago, after much waiting and dreaming by his proud and happy parents. Charlie and Izzy were so excited to meet their new cousin. Iz wanted to sit close while I held Max. She liked his soft hair, his tiny ears and feet.  Charlie and I reluctantly took turns holding Baby Max - neither of us wanted to share. Charlie held Max very carefully and gave him lots of kisses. He is going to teach Max everything. Max makes the perfect addition to this group of cousins. He will be running with the gang in no time.  Congratulations Kara, Karl and big sister Haley! 

My Grandmother Lo was extremely talented at just about everything. She had so many interests and she turned her passions and talent into a variety of careers (concrete dispatcher, community volunteer, counseling psychologist, publicist). She had a bachelor's degree in Chemistry when most women didn't attend college. She earned a PhD in her 50s. She owned and operated her own business. She traveled the world on her own and with each of her grandchildren - I was fortunate enough to travel to Japan with her when she was in her 70s. She did it All when no one even spoke about doing it all.  She was a scratch golfer, and coached diving and synchronized swimming. She could sew and make pottery. She bought a loom and learned to weave in her late 70s. She could draw and paint. She did the lettering for each of the ready-mix trucks when my grandfather first started his company. She drew portraits of the first few employees of the company, and some 60 years later of her compani...