This is what I saw today that made me smile as I drove around doing errands.
Nothing like a snowman and his dog!
🙂
Frosty and his best friend!
1
Monthly Archives: February 2013
Working Moms…What do you think of Marissa’s Policy Change at Yahoo?
Working moms of all stripes were excited last summer when Yahoo! named Marissa Mayer CEO, even as her maternity leave loomed just a few months away. Yes, she soon concerned us fellow working parents when she immediately committed publically to a two-week maternity leave. But I still had hope. We all knew she had a troubled company to turn around — maybe her plan was to lead by example with a flexible work schedule?
via Marissa Mayer, Flexibility Isn’t the Problem at Yahoo! | workingmother.com.
As a registered nurse, I was never part of a workforce that could work remotely or from home. We did have “flex-time”, which was another type of scheduling option that allowed us some amount of work time flexibility.
I have to admit, that I am not that surprised by Marissa Mayer’s policy change at Yahoo, since she opted for only a 2 week maternity leave. Â Most moms and even dads realize that 2 weeks is hardly enough time to get to know a newborn much less appreciate the entire lifestyle change brought on by the birth of a child especially when it is your firstborn. But when you are a CEO of a large tech company, it seems, perhaps motherhood has to take a backseat to your corporate responsibility.
Working from home is not new…it would seem that Yahoo because of its’ technology focus would embrace this flexible work from home concept and welcome today’s generation into this ever changing tech environment. It would also seem not unreasonable that Yahoo would look to other companies like Google, that offer so many worker friendly amenities in their fiercely competitive corporation.
To me, making the workplace friendly to moms and dads with family friendly perks makes so much sense. A happy worker is usually a productive worker.
Marissa, I would say, you have really missed a few rungs along the way up the corporate ladder and I think you may find out that it is very lonely at the top, sooner than you ever imagined.
Moms and dads what do you think about this policy change at Yahoo?
Do you think other companies will do the same?
Related links:
http://www.thetamom.com/2013/02/on-marissa-mayer-and-the-telecommuting-ban/
http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/25/yahoos-blow-to-work-family-balance/
Winter Comfort in Food…it can still be healthy!
With another week of winter weather washing over us, I am looking for comfort foods that are healthy and family appealing.
New York Times to the rescue…I love quiche or any “pie” that is savory and delicious….I also love tomatoes and look for ways to use them during every season of the year.
So here is a Tomato Quiche which can be adapted to winter by using canned tomatoes. It is made with a “Mediterranean Crust” Â which might be time consuming but ultimately rewarding.
Sunday is usually a good day to cook in my house and then save meals for the rest of the hectic week ahead.
What do you do about weeknight dinners?
How do you meal plan for healthy meals for families on the go?
Related Links:
You can make a tomato quiche off-season using canned tomatoes for a rich tomato sauce that you blend with the custard filling. When tomatoes are in season I use the same filling but line the tart shell with sliced tomatoes.
Winter Tomato Quiche — Recipes for Health – NYTimes.com.
Vegetable pies and tortes are a recurring culinary theme throughout the Mediterranean region, where cooks pack the season’s produce into dough, enriching the dish with eggs and local cheeses and adding herbs for flavor.
Recipes for Health – Mediterranean Vegetable Pies – NYTimes.com.
Weekend Reading…
This week there was a very sad and shocking incident on a plane….it involved a child and a racial slur in addition to a slap across the face…unbelievable??? not really…. when you read the account below about how it is to travel as a “minority”.
Recently I got into a Twitter conversation with a friend who lives on the West Coast of the United States and is planning a cross-country road trip with her boyfriend.
While I was hit by the headline of this article, I am not sure that I agree with it but what I know for sure is that there definitely is too much information out there for parents. Some of the information is just opinion and other is factual while some internet conversations among moms on various sites are full of personal attacks about parenting styles including breast or bottle feeding.
What do you think?
In part, my mother is right: moms of my generation are more neurotic than moms of her generation. According to Ann Hulbert, the author of “Raising America: Experts, Parents and a Century of Advice About Children,” “with every generation (over the past century at least), parenting norms have become more obsessive and anxiety inducing.” On the web, there are more outlets for parenting expertise than ever before, and the proliferation of doctors, midwives and lay folks telling you the “right” way to parent is profoundly anxiety producing.
Recently, I have been watching Mario Batali and admiring his cooking skills. I guess my favorite cuisine is Italian so I share his taste buds for the foods of Italy.
Here is what sounds like a delicious recipe for “gnocchi” and squash with a kick of heat.
“”Fifteen Minutes of Fame”….is there a price for our kids?
Why I’m Done Posting Photos of My Kid On Facebook.
Over the last few years, since I began blogging, I have been surprised how much and how often moms share pictures and stories about their children. Their photos are usually gorgeous and give beauty and faces to their stories about events here there and everywhere. Many blogs are running chronicles of what life is like in a given family. It is a social media reality show of real life parenting in many cases.
Facebook and Instagram house many family photos and tales. Sites like Babble and their bloggers often share photos and stories about parenting issues from single parenting moms and dads, to families dealing with sleep issues, discipline, feeding and various and sundry situations of family life.
Many times, I have wondered how much is too much sharing on Facebook, Instagram and personal blogs. Occasionally, the comments can get quite nasty and personal too.
I have wondered what the children of today’s parents are going to say when they realize that they have lived in a glass house like the movie, Truman Show that starred Jim Carrey, where his life and all his movements were being filmed without him even knowing it.
The Truman Show is a 1998 American satirical comedy-drama film directed by Peter Weir and written by Andrew Niccol. The cast includes Jim Carrey as Truman Burbank, as well as Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich, Ed Harris and Natascha McElhone. The film chronicles the life of a man who is initially unaware that he is living in a constructed reality television show, broadcast around the clock to billions of people across the globe. Truman becomes suspicious of his perceived reality and embarks on a quest to discover the truth about his life.
via The Truman Show – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This kind of exposure of children and the internet is uncharted territory. In some cases we are only getting a glimpse of what this type of exposure is capable of doing to our privacy.
- Are we as parents willing to take that chance with our privacy and our children’s right to privacy?
- Have you drawn boundaries when it comes to social media?
- Will you set up rules for your kids as they get older and want to share on Facebook?
As a grandparent, I wonder how it will play out…I trust today’s parents will figure it out…Right?
Spanking…
I do not believe in spanking or any type of shaming, belittling or corporal punishment. Here are the opinions of two experts regarding their thoughts on spanking.
Fashionista Kids….
Little Fashion Gallery is a beautiful online store for kids’ fashion, furniture, toys and books.
They have also just launched their own great label for kids … it is European so I am including it here because I do have some readers who live across the pond.
I do not know if they ship to the U.S. but I have contacted them for more information and will share it just as soon I receive a reply.
I hope you have a look and let me know what you think.
Little Fashion Gallery also has a magazine which is just beautiful.
Enjoy!
 http://www.littlefashiongallery.com/en/lfs-press/magazine/
What’s in you kitchen cabinets?
Kitchen cabinet risks…
Teenagers are very crafty when it comes to getting “high”. Here is a clip from “The Doctors” discussing some of the common kitchen cabinet items that teens and younger kids use …
http://www.aol.com/video/how-kids-are-sneaking-alcohol/517670048/?a_dgi=aolshare_emailÂ
Weekend Reading…
- Blowing Colors
All of us experience anxiety which is driven by fears of the future. Even our young children can be anxious. This is a wonderful video explaining a technique that a child or for that matter an adult can use to eliminate anxious feelings. We can teach it to our children while also benefitting from using this method ourselves.
Vegetable-based infant formula offers health benefits.
A new study has revealed that InFat – a vegetable-based fat for infant formula with a similar structure to breast milk – provides beneficial effects for the health and well-being of formula-fed infants.
http://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Ingredients/Speciality-fat-for-infant-formula-boosts-gut-health
If you are planning to breast feed your baby, you must plan for it. It is not always as easy as it looks for many reasons that are different for so many babies and moms. So research and educate yourself about breast feeding, find out how much support your hospital offers and perhaps get the name of a lactation consultant ahead of time and speak to her before you deliver. If you might be considering breast milk from other moms you should do so carefully and this article will help give you an idea what you should do to make sure that the milk is indeed safe.
Valentine’s Day 2013
Valentine’s Day via Instagram
Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite days…a nice meal with my husband and some flowers.
Over the years of course, there have been gifts that I have treasured but none more than my husband’s and I sharing a meal together…talking, reminiscing, and looking forward.
This year, we actually went out to dinner a few days before Valentine’s Day…Monday night…a quiet table and some conversation.
He is my best friend and my Valentine.
Hope you all had a nice day and shared some love with those in your life.