green AND cute

I drink water throughout my work day. I WANT to be green. I’ve tried a MILLION different reusable water bottles. They never really seemed appropriate for work due to their large sizes or their wide mouths (or if they would sweat on the conference room tables - ugh!). The colors of the bottles (my fault, since I purchased them) would always attract too much attention to them. They just didn’t fit in to regular, normal office protocol. 

Until I found this super cute CUP (which includes a handy straw!!).

I bought two - one for home and one for the office. It’s a good size, about the same as my Starbucks drink cup. It’s not super huge or really small. It’s just right. And simple. Perfect for the office. Doesn’t sweat. BPA free, too.

You can get it at:

BeGoodToPeople.com

$11

i'm not a prude, but a mom? yes.

So I took my eleven year-old shopping for some new clothes with my mom. After going to a couple of stores, we went to the place where we generally have more success (for school clothes): Abercrombie (not to be confused with Abercrombie & Fitch - the store for teenagers). This is the store that is marketed to KIDS.

We walked around. Found some very cute shirts, shorts, tee-shirts, etc. My daughter didn’t want anything from there today (odd!), but on our way out of the store - I noticed something: The mannequins were ALL intentionally styled to have the shirts unbuttoned very LOW. 

I asked the young teenager salesperson if I could talk to a manager (as I had questions about this). I was nice. So was the manager. I asked how old the target customer of this store is - “the upper range ends at 14.”

I asked why all of the mannequins how their shirts unbuttoned so low. 

“Corporate dictates this to us.”

We started shopping in this store when my daughter was 9 (maybe late 8’s). I just think that the store could be a TAD more tasteful and represent it’s clothing to CHILDREN in a more appropriate manner. 

I’m not a prude - seriously, but even my daughter thought that the store should be more appropriate (and that wasn’t because I told her this). My mom had her out of the store before I really went around taking pictures of their mannequins. 

I’m sure there is worse in the world and that I’m trying Very Hard to shelter her from tons of exposure to sexually explicit, overt impressions. I think it’s my responsibility to keep an eleven year old as young as I can for as long as I can. She’s got enough peer pressure in her new middle school to grow up. 

We discussed today that I’m going to shop for her online and return stuff she Doesn’t Like (which hopefully, won’t be Everything Mom Likes). Once the new clothes arrive at home, she’ll be able to see them mixed in with her current wardrobe. Overall, I’m hoping that removing the pressure of shopping in a store (with all of those impulse pressures) will be healthier for our over-protective, sheltering mother/preteen-growing-up-too-fast daughter relationship. Don’t EVEN get me 

started on the fact that the mannequins even have developed breasts!! No pressure.

Every One Is This Unbuttoned.

That’s a directive from some corporate marketing person - who’s kid either hasn’t gotten to the tender age of ten or eleven yet and so they don’t realize how impressionable they are, 

OR

They don’t have kids yet - and DON’T CARE about the message that this is sending,

OR

They have kids that are already all grown up and so, they don’t remember how YOUNG the age of 

ten and eleven really is.

They have the buttons. Soooo . . . someone there realizes that they NEED the buttons. Where is the disconnect between these two departments? The clothing designer gave these clothes buttons. Is that designer upset that the store merchandising stylist doesn’t take into consideration that buttons on clothing for the younger demographic are intended to be used?

I’m purposefully NOT continuing down the path of questioning the fit of the clothing used on the

mannequins, but really - I am pretty curious about why Super Tight in preteen wear is more stylish. 

I guess only the folks at Corporate know these answers for sure.

Abercrombie - if you’re going to have a store for KIDS, then please let them be KIDS and button 

up your shirts!!!

it takes a village

The people who have helped me raise my kiddos which has allowed me to focus on my job have been a very valuable investment. 

Danielle - neighborhood kid who has grown into an incredibly smart college student (practically a big sister to my kiddos):

• the original kid “tutor” (afternoon homework helper and driver to various sport practices)
• the original summertime “too young to be their mom” babysitter - who ensured my kids got to sleep in, or go to a nearly waterpark, or host playdates, or bake cookies, or have smoothies, or put the kids through bootcamp-style conditioning workouts (since that IS her major in school), or go to movies . . . the list here could go on for a mile . . .
• the person who was NEVER mean if I ran late (up to a half-hour!) coming home from work in the evenings
• the person who would empty the dishwasher or sometimes even fold laundry - even though that was so NOT in her job duties (but was a very appreciated HELP)
• the person we had come to rely on as a family to keep the kids schedules in order and their routines and behavior expectations clearly defined
• our friend.

Sandi - Danielle’s mom, our neighbor (until she moved recently):

• the person who taught Danielle how to truly care for our kids (since Danielle did the gig before Sandi)
• the person who the kiddos became EXTREMELY attached to and never wanted her to leave, EVER.
• the. most. understanding. kind. person. (with tons of patience and a huge HEART).
• the person who took care of our house and our kids as if they were her own
• the person who energized the kiddos about their homework - really taught them to embrace projects and make the most out of them (try their hardest to make the “A”)
• the person who we quickly fell IN LOVE with and were very excited about what our kids would do with her (the summer craft projects alone would Blow Me Away when I would come home from a long day’s work)!
• the person that understood our kids, where we were in life and already knew what we had to look forward to as our kiddos grow older
• the person who would accompany us to Kenny’s Burger Joint when I didn’t want to cook (and also became a fellow regular there!)
• the special person who went on our first Girls Night Out (just Brooke, Sandi & myself) to see “Letters to Juliet” - and then late dinner at Kenny’s Burger Joint
• the person who taught us all how to travel through a difficult life change with dignity and to respect yourself enough to realize when it’s time for that change
• the person who sadly moved away to rebuild her life elsewhere (but who keeps in touch!)

AND NOW . . . 

Leigh - BRAND NEW and already making a BIG impression!!!

It’s only been two days since she’s started watching our kiddos in the afternoon and she has already made some pretty major accomplishments:

• Monday night dinner: Turkey and Rice*
• Tuesday night dinner: Tilapia and Broccoli with cheese sauce*
• Major help with the composition notebook decoration project
• Major kiddo happiness because they are a part of a HUGE gaggle of kids (not really that big, but when you’re only used to being around two . . . more seems like a lot to them) and it’s just one Big, Happy Family
• Major Parent Happiness - because like Danielle and Sandi, we know Leigh and her family really well. We feel that she’s perfect to help us transition from someone as loving as Sandi and Danielle to someone that the kids know also very well (and respect, mind, EAT HER FOOD). My son gets to HANG with one of his best buddies every afternoon - which he is SUPER HAPPY about and my daughter enjoys being a “helper” to Miss Leigh and her three year old. She’s learning babysitter skills thanks to this arrangement . . . 
• Another bonus is that Miss Leigh is a fellow Football Mom (our sons play on the same football team) and this means that my son will see that I’m not the only crazy lady on the sidelines who “can’t wait to see you make that tackle!”
• Bottom line is: we trust her. We LOVE the fact that everything else is working out so well, here (I’m in AWE of her skills in training my kids to eat REAL food!!!), but we simply needed someone we could trust to have the best interest of our kids at heart (like Danielle and Sandi did). 

If you work corporate hours (LONG hours) and you have school-age kids, then you really need that support system to know that everyone is getting what they need done and getting to wherever they are supposed to be on time. This support system allows you to be able to work with less worry which equates to better on-the-job focus. This is an investment, but I believe that it is completely essential.

Having grandparents nearby is also SUPER helpful (or those sick days that pop up out of nowhere (always on days that you have a meeting that you Just Can’t Miss) or when you have late evening meetings on the exact same nights that the hubby is also out of town. Gotta love the flexibility of their retirement!!!

Speaking of the hubby, if you have the type of job that keeps you chained to an office for really long hours, it works out pretty darn nice for your partner to have a really flexible gig. That way when the school does something not bright - like schedule new school orientation on a Thursday morning (8:30 until noon!!!), then he can cover it. (I’m not bitter - I just don’t understand how that was only a scheduling issue for ME.)

Yes - it takes a village (a LOT of help, actually!!) to get us through our hectic daily list of activities, homework, projects and dinner. It also takes special people like Danielle, Sandi and Leigh - who spend their time helping us raise our kiddos and mold them into good, respectful, well-mannered future teens. (“Teens” = “yikes!”)

*BTW, the fact that Leigh is feeding our kiddos dinner was an off-shoot from the fact that her family eats dinner WAY earlier than we EVER have (like in the FIVE O’CLOCK hour). We were THRILLED when she offered to feed our kiddos to (since she has the kiddos until much later in the evenings), but Never - EVER expected our super picky eater son to actually learn to eat MEAT (and FISH!!!!) so quickly from her dinner table. I guess the fact that his best buddy was sitting next to him gobbling up Miss Leigh’s food put a little more pressure on him to act a little older (less baby-ish) and just eat the food helped. BUT this kid (who for the majority of his LIFE has maintained that he is a “veterinarian” - which he has always used to mean “vegetarian”), sat me down after the first day at Miss Leigh’s house and told me point blank that I had never noticed that he was a MEAT EATER - and that I had just missed this fact about him (his ENTIRE LIFE!!??!!), was impressive. He’s brainwashed that he’ll love everything she feeds him. WOW.

cute is in the air

We were in The Container Store this afternoon picking up a shelf for my daughter’s locker. I wondered (oh so innocently) over into the “work” area of the store and found these cute - there is no better word to describe - packets of page stickies. I had such a hard time choosing between the three designs. 

Discover these and SO MANY OTHER nifty things to help you enjoy taking notes and personalizing your work space at:

girlofallwork.com

Seriously inspired!

start your engines

Now that the September issues have FINALLY started to arrive, I’m getting super excited about the latest fall trends. These magazines were really well put together - and inspired me to start my shopping now!

My husband isn’t quite . . . as . . . excited . . . as I am. (He will be.)

this may take a while

I’ve got a really long meeting today. I have this meeting once a month and it generally lasts about 3 hours. It’s a meeting in which I’m an active participant.

I like to dress comfortable, but extremely professional because we’re sitting around a table looking at each other for a good portion of the day.

I like to bring my usual essentials to this meeting: notebook, project folder, pencil, eraser, a water, and (at least in my pocket) my Bobbi Brown lipgloss. 

Going into a long meeting, I need each of these items. If something were missing, the world would not turn as smoothly. I don’t think that I would “pout” exactly, but I wouldn’t be at my very best. What are your “must haves” for really long meetings?

when it's almost over

I have that same sinking feeling that I sometimes get from an extended vacation. You know, that feeling of “it’s almost over” and part of me is glad and the other part of me wishes it would NEVER end.

Except this feeling has absolutely nothing to do with vacation (that came and went last month).

This feeling is about the fact that the summer is almost over. My reality is that in a few days, my kids will return from their super fun summer camp and then we’ll have ONE WEEK before school starts back.

I’ve LOVED this summer. I know my kids have been really happy each and every day. My commute to the office has been easy, cheesy (hardly ANY major traffic delays). AND, during the summer, I don’t have to rush after work to pick the kids up from some evening practice. I do have to be home in time to let the babysitter leave, but it’s a doable (almost) time.  The evenings with the kids have been fun: kinda lazy, with lots of quality time together.

Once school gets back in session, the traffic is insane. Pretty much double the amount of time it usually takes me to get to the office (yuck!). And, I’m always rushing after work to pick up one of the kiddos from a practice here or there. By the time everyone has their showers and gets things settled for the next day, it’s bedtime. No time to just HANG.

Okay, enough of the dread. On to the GOOD part of school season starting (because dread it or not, here it comes!). I like the fact that at some point the cooler weather will arrive and the leaves will turn a pretty color. I’ll be in sweaters before I know it, then jackets and my tall boots (I’ve missed them!). I’m already on the lookout for cute, new shoes (yet practical) for the season.

I like backpack shopping. We don’t replace backpacks every year, but this year was the year to replace - and it was seriously fun helping my daughter decide on what she wanted. I love the smell of freshly sharpened pencils (it’s one of my favorite back to school smells!). Fresh, new notebooks with clean sheets of new paper in sparkly new binders. The first day of school outfit. Back to school haircuts (which they both need - especially after being away at camp). I’m excited about the new kid care that will help us out after school (family friend that our kids LOVE). We have a lot of fun plans to look forward to this fall. 

I’ve got to get over the anxious “the vacation is almost over” feeling about this summer. It is almost over and new routines will be made and some sad realities will return (like the increased traffic and travel time for my commute). Then again, that’s just the way life is - take the good with the bad and focus on the good.

political attire

Sunday morning political TV shows dress codes give insight into what these folks wear in their offices. I watch Meet The Press and wonder how much of my tax dollars go into helping people select the most camera-ready outfit, hairstyle and accessories - all in the name of people appearing to have power and authority over their subject matter.

While my office is business casual, people in various positions determine just how casual they push that dress code envelope. I find that the more dressed up I am, the more professional I feel.

I wonder if the people who appear on the political talk shows feel the same way? The more dressed up they are, the better show they can put on. I think given the economical times, I would prefer a little less stuffy attire and a little more straight talk about the state of affairs. 

I question if the American public would take these characters seriously if they dressed slightly more casual. I’m not suggesting really casual, but maybe instead of suit and ties, chinos with a nice shirt and jacket. I just don’t understand why the political office has to appear so stuffy (and expensive). 

(Also - the amount of self tanning, the automatic lowered voices when responding to questions, the size of women’s earrings - is absolutely hilarious! Otherwise, I would get tired-head trying to take it all seriously and pay attention to what’s being said.)

For people who are voted to be the servants of American society (they represent the communities who put them in their position), they certainly dress like they are well above middle-class.

start with a smile

So - I shopped this past weekend for a few pieces in preparation for the upcoming cooler season (even though it’s pretty HOT right now). At first, I couldn’t get in the mood - but then I realized that I would be disappointed when the jacket I wanted was sold out of my size. I seized the moment and discovered some amazing pieces!

I’m TOTALLY starting this week with a smile by wearing one of my new pieces that I can’t wait to try!! It’s from J.Crew and it’s called a Microspun Cowlneck Tee. It’s really thin (so it works for the over-air conditioned office). The moment I tried it on - I knew that I HAD to own it. It is SOOOO soft!

The cowlneck is very flattering. I love the fit - extremely comfortable. I bought one in a light gray and another in black. (They were only $39.50 each.) I have a bazillion meetings today and the good news is that I’m wearing something soft, professional, and yet . . . comfy. It’s the perfect way to kick off a busy week. 

It’s weird to be this happy and it’s not even Friday!

the need for plans

I’m looking forward to the weekend just so i can take a moment to plan some upcoming things. I know that at my corporate office, we take days to think strategically about what we need to accomplish in the upcoming fiscal year and how we’re going to meet those financial objectives. 

It’s such an optimistic thing to do. Looking ahead - opportunities abound. Exciting vibes.

I’m going to assess what I’ve done so far and think through what I want to accomplish and set some plans about how I can push this further.

It’s healthy (and there aren’t any rejections, yet).

Can’t wait!!

paying respect

So, last night was the return of The Rachel Zoe Project!!!!

I LOVE this show. I love the work environment of Rachel’s studio - from an arrangement and set up perspective. I like the insider’s view of the fashion world. I DON’T like the lack of leadership that Rachel has displayed in past seasons (like when she had a staff member make travel decision instead of herself). Now that she has her husband Roger more involved in the business, it seems like there will be more backbone.

There’s been a lot of drama - of course, since this is a a reality show on Bravo TV. With the season opener last night, viewers learned that one of the main characters - Taylor - was fired. It was surprising at how this situation was handled so publicly, but that’s TV for you. 

There were aspects to Taylor that I liked: 

• she looked like she was the most organized staff member
• she seemed to be the most competent (even Rachel made her the primary stylist)
• she looked like the “go to” person in the office if you needed something taken care of
• her hair style
• her OPI “Lincoln Park After Dark” nails (which I painted my nails after watching the show)

There were aspects to Taylor that i didn’t like:

• the perfectionist in her meant that she treated everyone else like they were idiots
• the lack of patience with everyone (including Rachel)
• the heavy sighs that she commonly used to display her exasperation over her work
• the negativity in every word (she was rarely happy)
• the complaining about everything (especially about those she worked with)

I’ll miss her being on the show, and even though everybody on the show talked about her being fired - I’m not exactly sure why she was fired. I’m sure there are always two sides to the story (and nobody was perfect), but ultimately I’m glad the show is back on and I’ll miss Taylor being a part of it.

Is it sad that really the star of the show to me is the office set up and space?? It’s not the clothing and accessories all around that I like - but the big kitchen along with a long table and the lack of offices. BIG fan!

let the light shine

I’m a VERY lucky person who has a HUGE window with a great view in my office. It overlooks a big open green space (part of which is currently under construction). Although my monitor is not positioned in a way that has me facing out the window, the light in the room more than warms my soul. The people who come into my office seem to appreciate the view because they generally comment about how nice it is. I wish that everyone I worked with could have this advantage that I believe the huge window allows. It’s not distracting me from my work because I don’t actually look out my window very much, but I know it’s there and I appreciate it.

Nice big window allows for a broader, more open, perspective.

too much love

Ever take the opportunity to have a nice long weekend? Yeah, not exactly a full 3-day weekend, but kinda close. We ate dinner out after work Friday night and then Saturday morning got up and packed our kiddos to ship them off to their summer camp. 

My husband convinced me to stay in a hotel in a small town close to the camp the night before they were supposed to “check in” by luring me there with the promise of antique shopping. And he delivered! 

Learned a lesson: YOU CAN LOVE YOUR WORK TOO MUCH. 

When I antique shop, I like to think of myself as treasure hunting. I met a couple of owners that seemed SO caught up in their antiques, that they really didn’t intend to sell any. When I walked into one shop - there was SO MUCH stuff (all AMAZING finds, btw) and it was all incredibly overpriced - I knew that I would probably not buy much. The owner was nice to me. Almost seemed a little too nice, but honestly - I think he was just very happy to have someone in his store (I was the only customer on a Saturday). 

There were so many items: rows and rows of furniture, filled with china and unusual odds and ends. One his of rooms (there were three large rooms in this shop) had the blue and white china hung all over each wall (serious collector). He had lamps and light fixtures; art and old figurines. He was INTO this. I asked where he had accumulated his inventory from and his answer was simple: everyone and everywhere. He offered to come and buy items from me, but I had not mentioned wanting to sell anything (I’m still accumulating). 

Then he said the strangest thing in the saddest voice possible: “You want to buy me out?”

Nope. 

He confessed that he had 5 other storage buildings just as full as this shop (and I COMPLETELY believe him). Ultimately, I did buy a hand-painted Italian dish from him (didn’t cost very much, but is VERY lovely!!), and I would have possibly asked to buy more, but it was all so overpriced and quite frankly, difficult to reach (or see very clearly) for all of the items piled on top of each other.

I felt like I had crashed a high-end hoarder. 

My life lesson from this is: yes, you can love your work too much. (That was his reason for all of his inventory.) If he would lower his prices and space his inventory out some, so people can actually shop, his shop would be so busy! But he won’t. He likes his things and is looking to buy more (not sell more).

It was a sad sight and one that could make me a fan of (gulp) more modern design!

After this weekend, I’m feeling the need to purge and live a simple, sparse existence.