Silicon Valley Moms Blog

Hello, my name is Heather, and I am a recovering "over-achiever" mom.

I can't help it. I don't mean to be this way, but I swear it was the way I was born. I was an over-achiever kid, teen, adult and it has wormed its nasty head into the way I take care of my kids. I have a hard time saying no, I thrive off stress and that "hurried" feeling that in some strange way makes me feel like I am accomplishing things. Make lunches, check, carpool, check, gymnastics class, check. The life style is no fun, it's not making anyone happy. We all the know the saying "when mama ain't happy....."

It's time for a change. My kids know it, and I finally recognized it when I read a book called "The White Trash Mom Handbook" by Michelle Lamar with Molly Wendland. You may ask, how does this book have anything to do with overachieving?? The whole point of this funny mom read, is to stay sane and keep your sense of humor while navigating the obstacle course of parenting. As my sister-in-law therapist says, I have been "validated". What a fantastic word and feeling. This book agrees with the parenting life style that I am trying desperately to achieve. I can do it all...just not perfectly...and that is something to be PROUD of. Parents out there, do you agree? What are your white trash tactics. I need them. I need your help. I am just starting my recover, and I don't want to slip back into my old insane ways.

Where has freedom of speech gone?

At the beginning of the Iraq war, people were called "Un-American" for not supporting the war and our troops. At the height of the troop surge, there was also a surge of patriotism. Flags proudly flew, and in some cities, flags were affixed to nearly half the cars on the road. People who didn't support the invasion were subjected to insults, ridicule and threats. Should they have been denied the right to express their dissent?

Last week, my 2 year old son was wearing his favorite t-shirt, sent to him by his Aunt. I was literally accosted in the community center parking lot, by a very angry woman who assumed I was a Sarah Palin supporter. I had no idea where this was coming from, until she mentioned my son's shirt- it said ALASKA on it.

My personal economic bail out plan!

I am $850.37 richer. Whoohoo!! That's a lot of money. How did I get it? I returned things that I never used, never opened, never wore or were otherwise taking up space in my house...and sucking my pocketbook dry.

I am an impulse shopper. If I see something that looks interesting, that I could possibly need, or I think I will need, I buy it. It's a terrible habit I have developed while racing through the store with three little kids that want to be home. No time to think, just grab and buy. It has got to stop. The state of the economy had me thinking, and not sleeping. During those early morning hours, I started cleaning house, cleaning out closets...and finding stuff. It didn't take very long before I had collected quite a haul. Yesterday, I returned it all....and added up the receipts. The number hit me in the gut. Big words like recession, economic depression, stock market crash, economic bail out plan run through my head. I thought I was minding my budget, apparently not as well as I thought. The solution is simple, I need a personal economic bail out plan.  Until I figure one out, I am locking myself in the house. 

This is an original Silicon Valley moms blog post by Heather. While locked in the house, Heather hopes to keep her sanity by posting more blogs.

Biden/Palin Debate: I don't want to "relate", I want a leader with answers

I have waited, anxiously and nervously for tonight's VP debate. How would it go? Would Sarah Palin perform like Brittney Spears on the VMA's, all show and no substance? Would Joe Biden provide any Maalox moments? I have heard many say that Palin wants to relate to the people, and that many will like her because she seems like "one of us."  I don't want "one of us" up there, I want a leader with answers and someone who has a vision of where our country needs to be headed when it come to the war, the economy and energy.

Electronics are ruining my life

I am a gadget junkie. Seriously obsessed. I love the latest and the greatest "it" item...especially when it comes to getting organized. The only problem...I still can't get organized. I have a busy life, as do all parents. But I am still sucked into the delusion that if I can just get my paws on the "xxx" gadget, I can have everything I need in the palm of my hand. Soccer schedule? Got it. Ballet classes? Got it. Play dates, doctor appointments, carpool schedule, dad's travel schedule, parent's info...CHECK, CHECK, CHECK. If it's so easy, then why is organizational bliss still eluding me? So I counted up all the gadgets I could immediately find. There were 9. This does not include the huge paper calendar stuck to the fridge, the pocket size calendar in my purse...and there's number 10, my latest and greatest blackberry.

What do you do? Does someone have a solution for me, so I can move on to another obsession and sleep peacefully knowing that all my ducks are in a row, or am I just searching for impossible dream? One more thing...please don't mention the iPhone.

I cut the Cable

It started out so innocently. Two of the 3 kids were sick, dad was out of town, and I was exhausted from being awake half the night and losing my patience with all the whining. I flipped on the TV and the vegging began. Yes!!! Finally, a little bit of peace, the kids would mindlessly suck down Popsicles which made them feel better, got down the necessary liquids, and kept the whimpering to a dull roar. The plan was perfect. I dozed, got my energy back…and everyone recovered from the flu/stomach bug/”who knows what this is” virus.

What I didn’t plan on was the TV addiction that followed those days of illness. At first, I shrugged it off to low energy, the kids still recovering, you name it. Besides, I enjoyed the quiet, and it gave me a chance to read and write these blogs. Not only were the kids addicted, I was too. BRAVO became my best friend. I love “Top Chef”, “Project Runway” & and new show called “Flipping Out”. This was getting bad. No more excuses for too much TV…the only reason was addiction.

Webkinz and Limited Too....I love you!

The sales team at Limited Too knows me. It’s embarrassing. I don’t have a tween to buy clothes for, or an incredibly petite body that could fit into any of the Brittany inspired stuff. I am famous for buying Webkinz….in BULK!!

It all started when my daughter decided she wanted a Webkinz/My Little Pony/Princess Birthday Party, and Limited Too was having a 2 for 1 Webkinz sale. Coupon hot in hand, I drove 13 miles to the closest store, and was ready to pounce when the doors opened. The first trip I bought 20.  Twenty stuffed animals would certainly be enough for the birthday party, right??  Over the next month, I gave them all away, to kids who didn’t have one, birthday parties, you name it. Play date has a bad day…here’s a Webkinz!

 

 

Delusions of Memorial Day Bliss

The joys of a long weekend!  I had grandiose plans for these three days. I couldn't wait. My lists were made, the supplies were bought. We ere all set. I was sure my daughter’s birthday would go off without a hitch because the entire family would happily pitch in to help set up and clean up the party. We would spend the days playing in the park, dinner with friends, and just having a lot of lazy fun.

Of course, that didn't happen. The weather certainly put a damper on everything. It was cold outside and my two little’s were hot.  Literally hot...burning up with fevers.  Dad had to work, and then was called out of town for business. In an effort to salvage the weekend, Dad took our oldest on a bike ride. The ride resulted in a one on one match with a brick wall. The wall won, and my son looks like he got a really bad collagen injection in his bottom lip. Oh, and did I mention, this all happened within the first 48 hours of the weekend!

In order to keep my spirits high, I am fooling myself into believing that tomorrow will be better, and next weekend we will make up for all the lost magic moments.  Ok, a mom can always dream.

Original Silicon Valley Moms Blog post. HeatherJ blogs about her life with three closely spaced children while trying to keep her sanity. Before kids, she thought the tight deadlines while working as a  television news reporter were stressful. She now realizes, that was NOTHING!!