Silicon Valley Moms Blog

Good-bye pajamas, Hello working-from-home

Late last year I started a new role at the software company where I work.  The role was a global one requiring early morning conference calls with London and late night calls with India or Hong Kong.  I didn't mind the change in the schedule beause the job came with one special perk.  I could work from home as much as I wanted.  Being on a global team meant crazy hours, but those hours were flexible and fit perfectly into my busy life a working mom.

So I've been working from home.  A lot.  As in practically every day.  Ever since I became a mom nearly five years ago, I've demanded to have a flexible work schedule.  I've always negotiated for working from home days and a core schedule where I got to decide whether to start early or stay late. But I've never worked from home more than I've worked in the office.  And the transition was tougher than I imagined.

We all know that working from home has its benefits.  I can have dinner on the table when the rest of my brood arrives home.  And I don't have to eat cafeteria food.  I never miss a UPS delivery.  Oh and I can work all day long in my pajamas.

The Stimulus Package, Celeb Weight Gain and "Mom Jeans"

No, this is not a random word association game. It's my blog title. It is also a weird linkage that happened in my tired Mom brain somewhere between the serious news of the day and the other news of the day. Here's how it happened. 

I flipped on CNN the other night to try to get some insight into why the $800 billion stimulus package is getting ripped so hard by Republicans. Didn't we all agree we need a big stimulus to jump-start the economy? The Economist said so. And what happened to that warm fuzzy feeling we all had on Inauguration Day? Or did Congressional Republicans miss that special day? Were they hiding in some Dick Cheney-esque concrete bunker plotting to thwart President Obama's first big presidential act?  Did House Democrats really go on a pork-fueled spending spree and try to get ridiculous-sounding items in the stimulus bill like more volcano monitoring and a mob museum? 

The perfect pair of jeans

About a month ago I opened up my closet and took stock of all the jeans I found.  The list was depressing:

• Bootcut Old Navy jeans that I bought even though I knew they didn't fit too well, because well, they were on sale for $10 and I needed jeans so desperately. Alfie hates, hates hates them because I never wear them with a belt so they're always sagging.  The back pocketflaps stick out (because I never iron them) and make my ass look big -- but I won't get rid of them because they're so comfy.
• Straight-cut Lucky jeans -- for men. Alfie bought them a couple of years ago but gave them to me because they were too small and short for him (Can't remember what we were thinking when we bought them) and they were so expensive I couldn't bear to throw them out. I wear them when I feel fat or when I need to putter around the garden in cold weather.
• Flared Guess jeans that are great, but I really need to lose at least 5 pounds to wear them with confidence because they are so low-slung that any extra weight spills over in the infamous muffin-top.

Picture Day

Today was picture day at my six year old twin daughters elementary school.  I've had their outfits picked out ever since I came across the adorable dresses at The Gap.  One was black with cream colored embroidery, the other cream with black embroidery, they even came with matching hair bands.  I had visions of sending out their little wallet size pictures in our Christmas card with their names and ages written on the back. 

I must admit I was a little nervous when it was time to get dressed after breakfast this morning.  We've had our share of wardrobe battles.  I have never dressed them exactly alike, but when they were very little I always dressed them in similar outfits or the same outfit in different colors.  That all ended about the time they started preschool.  One of them refused to wear anything but a dress and the other had definite opinions about what colors she would and wouldn't wear and what constituted a matching outfit. 

For the most part, I let them pick out their own clothes.  It's a battle I choose not to fight in the morning.  If they want to wear a sweater dress with tights when the thermometer is likely to top 90 degrees, I let them know they may be uncomfortable and allow them to decide whether or not to change.  They've learned the hard way that sometimes mom gives good advice.

Welcome to the Mom 'Do

Last week, I chopped 7 inches off my hair.  For most people, that would be difficult, but for me, not so much.  At the time, it was 100 degrees and my matted mop of oft complimented auburn locks was just getting to be a) too much to bear and b) sallow from lack of updating the color.  So after showering the evening of the hottest day, I pulled out my trimming shears, bought for $80 several years ago (one of my best investments ever) and began snipping away.

My daughter came in and I became slightly distracted, and although I was attempting to only cut maybe 3-4 inches, it became more.  But that was OK - it was still below my shoulders.  Then she asked me to trim her hair, so I cut her bangs and after a few minutes, we were done.  It took me a few minutes to realize how short mine was.  Then I realized: I'd given myself a mom hairdo.  For the first few days, it was weird to get used to the weight of it.  My hair hasn't been this short since high school.  The real transformation: I went from hippie to housewife.

Family Necklace

About a month and a half ago I was watching Oprah. Don't laugh!  I'm sure you have your vice too.  Mine happens to be Oprah. And Dr. Phil And American Idol. And What Not to Wear...

But I digress.

In the Oprah episode I'm speaking of, Oprah interviewed Seal and his wife Heidi Klum.

"Whatever," I though, "I know nothing about them, and I'm not too interested. But then they began talking of their love for each other, their kids, and their priorities.  And somewhere during that show they displayed their family necklaces.

Family necklaces. What a cool idea!! My husband and I got talking. We wanted a family necklace too.

Tales of a Silicon Valley Mom in New York, New York for Fashion Week and the Times Square Post Superbowl Party

Sunday wasn't my usual Sunday.  Some moms watched the Superbowl. Others watched the ads.  I went to Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York. Fashion Week began Friday at 8am Eastern. I didn't know until Saturday at 8am Pacific time that I was even going. I decided on a whim to apply for a press credential and when I was accepted, I took a few stabs at getting into shows.

As of last week, I had done a little planning in terms of lodging and flights, but was on the fence since my daughter was having a difficult week. Then she began feeling better, so I decided to go.  I took my daughter to her first dance class ever (priceless - one of those moments I'll never forget - she loved it so much) then six hours later, I caught what was probably her bug. 12 hours pre-flight I was on the couch with the chills, my daughter yanking my blanket off & fussing because I didnt want to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with her.

Diamonds May Be a Girl's Best Friend, But a Great Hair Stylist Is Priceless

I couldn't stand it any longer. I tried to hold off as long as I could.  I tried to accesorize, putting my hair up in a pony tail, wearing cute hair clips, and given the cold weather, wearing a different hat every other day.  But, last weekend, I had to go to a fancy, schmancy wedding.  And I didn't want to look "cute".  That was my everyday mommy incognito:  jeans, pumas, cardigans and sweatshirts.  No, this wedding called for me to do my superwoman-spin-till-I'm-dizzy transformation into a 30-something Silicon Valley woman.

Every outfit I was trying on just didn't seem to work. I hated all my usual favorites and there was only 15 minutes before the babysitter was going to arrive.  Aaaaggggh!  I should've gotten my hair cut sooner, rather than always putting it off and putting it off .. Without a good hair cut, everything just didn't look right at all.

Out of exasperation, I took a pair of scissors and started snipping. I started out lightly, barely taking off any length. But,then, I got daring. What the heck, my hair looks terrible anyways.  Might as well go for heavy fringes.  Bangs are back.  Just commit, I told myself.

Ah, The Choices We Make

I had it all figured out - got the press credentials, started working with PR people and contacting designers for invitations (received two so far!), found the right flights to use my miles, arranged to stay with a friend, another will be performing in a show that I was hoping to see, I filled out the "vote by mail" forms, it was all worked out - I was going to cover Fashion Week! Fall clothes on the runway in the tents right in front of me.

Then reality hit. My daughter got sick, our nanny found a new job (it was a temp thing; we knew it was coming), money stress kicked in, and the overload of not catching-up on anything since the holidays caught up with me. Melt down...

The Right Outfit at the Wrong Time

I've always said any outfit is appropriate, it just depends on where you are when you wear it. For example, I wore a nightie and yoga shorts to a pole dancing class last year, but I wore a conservative tweed skirt and black sweater with an attached bow (almost prissy!) to my grandfather's funeral. Last Tuesday, forevermore to be remembered as Forgotten Child Day, I had slipped into an outfit to attend the Gorgeous and Green fashion show in San Francisco with fellow SV Mom Blogger Sarah G. who was covering the story for her blog, SF Bay Style.

I'm certain that when Forgotten Child's Mom rang my doorbell at 5pm and found me in a somewhat sexy backless black outfit and too much mascara for a playdate mom, that I got the Bimbo of the Day award in her world. I'm sure her first thought was "what is she DOING dressed like this while hosting a playdate??" If I'd danced Victoria Jackson's "I am not a Bimbo" song (1990s Saturday Night Live) in my entry , it might have actually helped the situation. My first thought was, "OH...MY....GOD... I forgot to calendar the playdate and left the boys at Kids Club."