I am quirky; this my friends know. I have an affinity for the dentist’s office, hospitals, and needles. I don’t mind blood draws, I think hospitals smell nice, and I have a tendency to fall asleep while getting my teeth cleaned. I can’t help it, I am just stressed out enough and just enough of a hausfrau martyr that the only way I can relax is through forced confinement. Hospital stays are the only vacations I get from my kids, and the dentist’s chair, these days, is the closest I will get to a spa.

» Continue reading “Interesting Moments in the Dentist’s Chair”

I spent a lot of time today walking, working, talking to a good friend, and talking to my husband. We shared our fears that we are trying to force a square peg into a round hole by staying in an area that is good in theory but much more difficult to reconcile with our urban souls in practice.

The fact is that we want to raise our kids in a decent area, we want to be able to afford a home in a community where people care, but we also want to be close to people our own age and enjoy the urban activities we miss. We want to live in a progressive area and live progressive lives and it’s difficult to do when you’re in a conservative mecca.

» Continue reading “A Full Day”

Along the lines of a conversation I had online with some friends, today I implemented what I hope will be a new tradition in our house. Rather than fighting to get my older son to vaguely tell me about his day, I have five questions I think every family should consider answering at the dinner table.

What made you happy today?
What did you learn today?
What did you do to help someone today?
What was your favorite moment of the day?
What was the biggest problem you had today and how did you solve it?

» Continue reading “Roses and Thorns”

Follow this link to view the presentation:

How to Lead When You’re Not the One in Charge

I thought this was a good presentation on harnessing/leveraging personal power. It’s particularly relevant for people like me who have chosen career roles that place them outside of the management hierarchy. A couple of years ago I made a decision to take a senior, non-management role at my company, and resign my management position, in order to lead a more personally fulfilling life. My current position allows me to work from home, offering me a decent wage with benefits and personal flexibility. What it does not offer is an opportunity for advancement or positional power. One of the first things that I had to learn was how to collaborate and not dictate, and how to disagree and commit. This series of slides has other good information on how to be a leader when you’re not a manager.