Cancer Survivor, writing about Health and Fitness as you age

One of the main reasons I stayed home (besides getting our sick baby out of daycare), was so that I could spend more time with our older child and pay closer attention to his schoolwork. To provide some background, neither my husband nor I grew up in the US, and each of us is from a different country, so we have differing perspectives on education. Our older child is now in Grade 1 and one month into it, I am a little disturbed by some of what I see. He doesn't remember what work he did during the day- I understand that to mean he is not interested enough in what is going on. He says that he is still doing revision of Kindergarten work - ahhh...that could explain it, because he did Kinder in daycare and then again when we moved him to public school. One time he was not clear on what his homework was - I understand that to mean that the teacher didn't explain it fully or he was distracted. Usually if it is something new, Lucas is all over it. The first book he brought home t

Most of the parents I see dropping off their kids to school in the morning are wearing relaxed clothing - "active wear", flip-flops, shorts, you get the picture. The few times I have seen working moms in their working clothes, I have to admit to shoe envy. Looking at their polished heels and tailored outfits, I get somewhat nostalgic for times past...When I actually looked professional and competent...I may still be that, I hope, but it is very well disguised. Now, I am making an effort to wash my face in the morning before drop-off and comb my hair (in the beginning I didn't). I never went to drop off in pajamas. I drew the line at that, although I don't always brush my teeth before school. I still feel a somewhat newly minted stay-at-home mom in that I imagine what other people must think of me - maybe that I've always been a full-time mom? And then I take comfort in the fact that 'No! I've been a working mom', and I can do that again, if I had

In the 4 1/2 months I've been home I am forced to admit, I have only had one completely successful grocery shopping trip - yesterday, and that's because the shopping list was very short. I can just imagine the snickers from other parents who do this...but I really do my best..but then things happen...I can't explain it. Now, in my former, professional life, I could be on a conference call, doing instant message with a colleague and be working on a deliverable for my boss all at once, and still be able to respond to a question from the call or pick at something I heard without missing a beat. Foolishly, I assumed I would be able to transfer my focus and concentration to grocery shopping...I mean, surely, surely I could do this, right? Yeah..well, I don't know what the issue is exactly, but it's different each time. First I made up my list, but then I would realize that I had already passed the aisle where the item was. For a parent trying to do a quick grocery run

I've been at home full-time now for about 4 1/2 months, and I guess as with anyone making a transition like this, it requires a series of "re-adjustments". At first of course, it was great fun being home (I didn't do much of anything), just playing with baby and relaxing. But about 4 months into it, it ceased feeling like a short holiday away from work, I actually wanted to achieve something concrete. I reached a point where I seriously felt that despite all the good reasons we had for making this decision and for me to quit my job, I couldn't do it any more. I missed the sense of accomplishment and success I got at work. I think that was my first "re-adjustment". I mentally had to go through the reasons behind the decision (baby getting sick in daycare, hustle to drop off and pick up from daycare - not to mention stress, no time for older child, not living up to my own expectations in my professional and personal lives...). Then I went through the

With so much chaos in the financial sector right now, I suppose I could be writing about something more important, but I find that that situation is maddening, depressing and worrying enough that I don't need to burden myself right at this minute with thoughts about it. Instead, I'll stick to more mundane topics - like my domestic projects. So this isn't about remodeling the bathroom or redoing the kitchen cupboards, my latest domestic project is wrangling with our health insurer. I had finally gotten them to waive our wait-period and was completing some new patient forms when I came to the section for putting the claims mailing address. I pulled out my little insurance card and what do you know? It wasn't on there. So I looked that little thing over maybe four times, and my doing so didn't make the address appear. I was infuriated. Whoever heard of not having that information on the insurance card you are supposed to carry around?! I called customer service

This is my first foray into the blogosphere, and for those of you who may actually read this, I am the CEO of my family's Human Capital. What does that mean? Well, I am a stay-at-home mom..., but CEO sounds so much more impressive..and I AM in charge of my kids development (not to mention my husband's)...so it makes sense? But onwards, back to the part-time, flexible schedule, work-from-home job offer. Having left a successful career to be at home full-time with a 1-year old and a 7-year old, I certainly didn't think I would say "thanks, but no thanks" to such an opportunity... a chance to keep my toe in the professional world (not to mention talk to adults!) Hmmm...On the one side, I am teaching my 1-year old about his physical world - turning the light switch on and off (10 mins), opening and closing the front door and going through it (20 mins), and on the other...work, income, personal/professional satisfaction..... Naaaah! Strangely (?) up until the time