What did we do before Amazon? July 8, 2010

I am a “Prime” member on Amazon, which means for some annual fee (I think it’s $79 or something like that) I never have to pay for 2-day shipping for any item that has the little “Prime” logo on it (which is a lot of items).**

What that means is no more worries about minimum purchases, or “qualifying” purchases before you get free shipping. YOU JUST GET FREE SHIPPING. ALL THE TIME. And it’s TWO DAY SHIPPING to boot.

Okay, technically, it’s not free, because you spent $79 – so it’s sort of like you’re pre-paying your shipping up front – but at a huge discount. Because I tell you, this will change how you shop and you will buy a lot more online than you ever would before.

I now buy EVERYTHING on Amazon. Everything and anything. I buy cereal, body lotion, espresso from Italy. You name it, if Amazon has it and I need it, I buy it and have it shipped free to my house. Usually at a great discount (love the “Subscribe and Save” which gives you a 15% discount on things you buy regularly, like cereal, which shows up at my house every 2 months). No shipping, no taxes, no in-store hassles. Five minutes online versus leaving work 30 minutes early to run to Target before I have to get home. Just voila, it shows up at your door.

It’s a little bit like the early days. Way, way back in the late 1990s, when the web was new, Amazon was new, and it all seemed way too cool to be true. That quickly wore off as sites charged ridiculous shipping fees, and you would wait … and wait … and wait for your item to arrive. With Amazon Prime, bing bang boom … it’s on my door within a few days. Amazing.

I often think about my crazy schedule and life, and juggling trying to do amazing work at my job and also be a competent wife and mother. At least Amazon helps out a bit with the “wife and mother” part. The job, that one’s on me.

** By the way, I am not sponsored or supported in any way by Amazon. This is just my unsolicited opinion from personal use of this service.

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Why do I not want to garden? April 17, 2010

Image from Your LifeEvents

I used to be an avid gardener. “Used to be” before kid and dog and all the other responsibilities that come along with it. Once my daughter was born, gardening dropped down to about number 72 on my list of things to do, and my yard languished. Now it shows.

The thing is, I love and can appreciate beautiful gardens. Heck, I even love just CLEAN gardens at this time of year. Me, I still have dead peony stalks draped over askew peony cages as the new buds are trying to peek through all that mess. In fact, I should be out there now rather than writing this.

I’m learning that I have to try to let go of doing everything well. Sure, I look on in envy at a friend who is a stay-at-home mom (granted, with an 11-year old) whose house and yard are beautiful and immaculate. Every day she’s working on some project or another, maintaining and beautifying her house.

Look too far under the surface in my house and you’ll see the dust, the gathering of years of subtle neglect. At the same time, however, I try to remind myself I lead a very busy, full life, with a demanding job, and realize that I CHOOSE to prioritize my free time for my family, not my house.

Is that so bad? My peonies seem to think so.

Amen, Sister! January 27, 2010

When life is especially frantic, I often lament to anyone who would listen that “I need a wife.” I look with envy at my male colleagues with stay-at-home wives, wives who keep a beautiful and immaculate house, care for the kids, shop and cook dinner every night. They really don’t realize how lucky they are. Sigh.

It looks like I am not the only harried working mom to have fantasies of a 1950s-style home life. To wit, the op-ed piece “My So-Called Wife” at the New York Times today.

hard of hearing July 11, 2009

I used to be able to sleep through anything – thunderstorms, tornadoes, earthquakes, LOUD snoring – BEFORE I had children. Then my daughter was born, and that blessed talent disappeared.  Why is it that moms can always hear the faintest peep of the little ones, even when they don’t WANT to? Even when it’s THEIR TURN to sleep in? Me actually getting an opportunity to sleep in is kinda pointless, as my super duper mom ears tune in to the faintest whisper.

This “skill” is apparently not limted to children – it apparently applies to all young’uns in need. Case in point, our 11-month-old German Shorthaird Pointer puppy Clifford (okay, so the 7-year-old named him, what can I say?). Our daughter was at her grandparent’s house this past weekend, we stayed up late watching movies on Friday, and we had nothing we had to get up for on Saturday. I was really looking forward to a few *extra* hours of sleep Saturday morning. Well, Clifford had other plans. At 5:40 AM, the highest pitch whine on the planet began.

I tried really, really hard to ignore it. I even tried the old “pillow over the head trick.” No use, I ended up getting up at 5:50AM to start the dog’s morning routine (out/food/play/out again & walk/naptime). Funny how men don’t seem to have the hearing problem. Hubby was literally 3 feet away from the dog (sleeping downstairs on the couch because the A/C keeps it much much cooler downstairs than up in our rambling bungalow), and didn’t wake up. Not once.

It’s hard not to get frustrated, although I sometimes just have to realize that at some point in their lives (both the kid, and the puppy), they won’t need me as much. So grin, listen and bear it.

Welcome to Mom Who Works – a working mom blog June 17, 2009

That’s right, mom first, working girl second. Well, not working GIRL, per se, but you get the drift.

This is about the joys and challenges of being a working mom – someone who is just like so many other working moms out there trying to be all things to all people – a jack of all trades and master of none.

We’ll talk about family life, working mom life, tips and ideas to help working moms find balance, kid gear and baby gear, and some “mom gear” too like beauty, good reads, cool tech, style, and other things that trip my trigger. Enjoy!