Thinkingmama

A recent Wall Street Journal article talks about how many companies are cutting back on maternity-leave pay and time off, compared with 10 years ago. This made me realize how lucky I was to be able to maximize my leave to be at home full time with my baby for the first 5 months of [...]

This piece in Salon about a writer who worries about what her kids will think of what she writes about them is thought-provoking. I used to think of myself as a pretty private person. I mean, I can be a chatterbox, but most of the stuff I shared with others was just light-hearted banter. But [...]

It was hard to stop reading this, a very public display of resentment from the daughter of Alice Walker (”The Color Purple” about how she grew up having a famous mom who apparently didn’t care much about being a mother.
Among other things, Rebecca Walker says: “You see, my mum taught me that children enslave women. [...]

I can see this going all kinds of ways. A recent study has found a correlation between a woman’s diet and the gender of her baby. (I’ve heard of this before, somewhere. I read and watch so many things I can never remember where.) Anyway, this is supposed to be new research that just confirms [...]

My new job allows me to telecommute at least a couple of times a week. I’m only on Week 2, and so far I can say it really is going to save my sanity. It saves me money and time, plus gives me a break from the (sometimes physical — can you say stiff neck?) [...]

Yesterday was my first day back at work. When I left my daughter in the morning, I was OK. I felt sad but not heartbroken. I was excited about working again.
But after hours away from her, coming home was heaven. I scooped her up in my arms, held her as tight as I thought I [...]

Unfortunately, they called it Bay Area Moms (at SFGate.com), and boy, are some people upset!
Anyway, politics aside, it just launched and looks like it might grow to be a good resource for many of us. It even includes a place for people to start their own blogs, and through it I think I just discovered [...]

It’s not the first time I’ve ever felt like I wanted or needed to be in two places at once, but this is the first time it has felt this way. I’m getting ready to go back to work after almost six months with my baby, and it’s tough. It’s emotional.
I’m excited because my new [...]

This Thinkingmama’s life — and my family’s — is changing again.
I am about to accept an offer for a full-time job that will allow me to work from home two days a week. It was a tough decision, but the opportunity is a good one, and the return of a second income will free my [...]

So my first few official days of stay-at-home motherhood have been quite busy. I’ve got a freelance gig already, plus another one possibly on the way. I’m completing the paperwork for my departure from the newspaper. My husband and I are talking life insurance, home buying. And did I mention I’m taking care of the [...]