Silicon Valley Moms Blog

New Chinese Embassy Opens in Palo Alto

Although the embassy will open this week-end with little fanfare, no marching bands and no speeches; it will open just the same.  Our family is hosting a student from Shanghai for two weeks.  It will be an adjustment for everyone, but we are looking forward to "showing off" our town (and the Bay Area).  We've all discussed what would be the most important activities to see and do.   As he is attending school during the day with my son, we have 2 week-ends and a few week-nights.

Since we live in a bike friendly town, the first day we will walk (or bike)  to eat lunch and visit the "lively" streets in Palo Alto where we enjoy  checking out the new Ipods  and get a chocolate shake at the Peninsula Creamery or a yogurt at Fraiche.  Maybe we'll bike to Stanford where there is world-class sculpture on the lawn and check out the campus.  Sunday we will venture to the East Bay as my son is playing League water polo games (this sport isn't common in China)  Since we'll be in the East Bay, we may drive to Berkeley to eat lunch and check out the original cool, hippie town. 

100,000 Dollars or 10 Years in Jail

I didn't learn to study properly thoroughly for finals until I was in college.  I grew up at a time when high-school was about football games and dating.  Studying came last. I was fortunate in that I didn't need to study to get good grades.   College afforded me a different viewpoint.   I was going to flunk out if I didn't get a grip and actually study.  Thankfully I had a pre-med boyfriend who showed me the error of my ways and the library stacks for a quiet place to sequester myself.   So, all of this intense studying in high-school is well... novel to me. 

I was at my wit's end this week.  It's finals time for teenagers and for the last few weeks I've had two teens studying.  Considering how much time is devoted to sports practice after school, it only made sense that they begin studying several weeks ahead of the finals.  Right?  Then, they would have two whole week-ends to study...right?  You and I may think this is logical.  As life-hardened adults, we I have had to work against a deadline.  We I  have had the prospect of losing; a client, a project, a job, an offer for lack of preparation.  Teenagers have not had this experience.  And, therein lies the difference.

Don't You Think You Should Drive???

Let me ask this...if your child is involved in an activity that involves getting them from point A to point B - don't you think it's your responsibility as a parent to either:

1. Tell your child you are unable to drive every event and therefore she/he will be unable to attend.

2. Inquire if the school has any provisions (organizing OR a school bus) that will provide transportation.

3. Organize parents - so that the driving is fairly split amongst everyone?

4. Hire a nanny or someone else for child care transportation because both parents work and are unable.

5. OR...imagine this.. DRIVE your kid every time they need to get to an event.

If you, as a parent, have already approved that they can attend an event, do you not also discuss how they are going to get there?  Let me clarify that I am referring to events outside of school, such as clubs or sports.

I am a little steamed because once again, it seems that none of the parents in my teen's club are willing to drive to an event because "it's too far,or...??  I just don't understand this.  If they are un-willing to drive, do they simply think someone else is going to drive their kid???  Since I have moved to the Bay Area, I've noticed this problem much more than when I lived in Austin.  In fact, let me tell you a little story about my introduction to carpooling; "Silicon Valley-style".

Positive thinking as the theory du jour

Greed.  That should be the title of the post but when I thought about it, I realized that what’s been bugging me lately is about more than Greed.  It’s about the “positive thinking” approach that seems to be the “theory du jour”.

You see it surrounding you on the bookstore shelves.  Self-help books abound.  “The Secret” is still a best-seller and got a special show on Oprah.  For those of you living in a cave, “The Secret” is a way of living and thinking that allows a person to “visualize” something – frequently and with fervor – in order to make it happen.  According to it’s followers, if you REALLY want that trip to Bali, just put a picture of it on the wall and think about it everyday.  Intend for it to happen and it will. 

Gosh, if I had known about it when I was 20, I would have sailed the world 20 times over and had multiple careers (well… I’ve had the multiple careers so I can’t complain) but you know what I mean. 

American Shopping Blues

Normally I don’t obsess about my grocery store receipts and I’ll  save my clothes receipts only if I think  I’ll need to return something.  But lately, my eyes have been glued to my grocery store receipts.  It’s not a pretty sight.

It doesn’t help that I continue to read about the "invading European shoppers"   and how much fun and glee  they are having shopping in America.  In fact, I’ve turned off the six o’clock news just because it was another story about rising prices and the strength of the euro.

I guess it’s their turn, but geez it’s the American way to be able to buy as much cheap bologna as you want.  Bologna isn’t my family’s first meat of choice, but it’s looking kinda good right now.  Whole Foods recently decided to change their image .    Their stock price is suffering and from the looks of the aisles in the Whole Foods  where I shop occasionally, their customers are suffering too.  Note to Whole Foods:  you should carry a tofu/bologna for .99/lb!

May Miseries

May used to be my favorite month of the year.  It’s the month that supplies us with beautiful pastels in the form of flowers peeking out along the sidewalks.  The weather is wonderful.   Crisp and cool in the morning but warming up in the afternoon so that you can doze  while in carpool.  When I worked in the City, we would take lunch along the Embarcadero and watch the seagulls compete for our breadcrusts.  We languished over our sandwiches dreading the thought of returning to our offices. 

That was before children.  Now I can’t wait for May to end and I know all of you mothers with school-aged children know what I mean.  The month of May has become an endurance test of the highest caliber.  How many projects, finals, end-of-the-year recitals, performances, art shows, parties CAN ONE MOTHER TAKE???