Nutty but Fun

New Jobs are always overwhelming at first. This one's no different. I imagine it will take me another month or so before I stop feeling like I'm continually several steps behind, and I can start leading my group, rather than pulling along projects while running after things and figuring them out.

Yet, oddly enough, despite the hectic pace and the newness insanity, I love the change. Maybe it's the energy of the place, maybe it's the change of scenery, maybe it's just getting out of an old rut. Maybe it's the knowledge that I can definitely contribute in this place. It doesn't matter, it's good to feel this way.

Still, it will be good to get over this initial work phase, to have more time for leisure & family activities. With such a cute boy, who wouldn't want to spend time with him. Here's the munchkin with his new fireengine, a gift from his aunt.



Last weekend was also Kevin's second birthday. He is growing up to be quite the little man. Gone are the days of our baby-boy. Good morning the advent of the little lad. He is funny too. He's discovered that he can grin, not just laugh, and he does this often when he considers something amusing or naughty, he'll look at us and grin. Just like he did on Saturday when he was eating birthday cake with 2 forks....yummy

new job

The new job is talking its toll. I've been working evenings for pretty much the last 3 weeks..hence the low volume of updates recently...but the end is near. We are nearing completion of our company's new branding campaign, website overhaul and products' relaunch...hurrahh. I'll be coming up for air soon....

contrary to popular belief

We working women often feel guilty about having our kids in day care and not spending more time with. General societal messages - and homemaker moms - also do a good job at reinforcing this theme.

Yet facts tell a very different story. I just read a very interesting article in the New York Times, based on a study by the census bureau. Apparently, we working women actually spend more time actively engaging with our kids then our non-working predecessors use to do. How? We sleep less. How about that for dedication :-) Not sure this is a sign of progress though... kind of sad when you think about it, but at least, more ammo to get over that sometimes naggingly guilty feeling.

Here's an exerpt from the article.
"What happened on the road to gender equality?" said Suzanne Bianchi, a sociologist at the University of Maryland. "A lot of work happened."
Bianchi, who studies time-use surveys done by the Census Bureau and others, has concluded that contrary to popular belief, the broad movement of women into the paid labor force did not come at the expense of their children. Not only did fathers spend more time with children, but working mothers, she found, spent an average of 12 hours a week on child care in 2003, an hour more than stay-at-home mothers did in 1975.
Instead, mothers with children at home found the time for outside work by taking it from other parts of their day. They also worked more overall. Bianchi found that employed mothers, on average, worked at home and on the job a total of 15 hours more a week and slept 3.6 fewer hours than those who were not employed."

Grabbing a bite

Overall, I'm not a fan of the American fast-food culture. It changes what should be leisurely time with friends and family into a purely functional activity: simply taking in the necessary calories in the least amount of time with the least amount of work. And since I'm somewhat of a gourmet, it saddens me to no end when people consider 'chicken fingers' or 'hamburger helper' a decent meal.

I must admit however that since I've become a mother, I am very greatful to the family style American restaurants that are very popular here. I'm not talking about your McDonalds or Burger kings, but the Vinnie's, Mamma Mia's or El Torrero types. The food is average, nothing to write home about, but they are set up to handle families with small children well. They have high chairs, booster seats, crayons, drawing paper, silly straws, children's meals, etc. All in all, they are equiped to give moms & dads a bit of a break at dinner time.

This is different from the European culture. Restaurants are visited more sparingly, and more on special occasions. They invariably have much higher standards for food, but as a result, usually don't bend down to the level of children's meals nor try to accomodate children much. when, in the future, we'll return to Europe, this is something I'll miss.

Evan, Kevin et al.

Door het starten van een nieuwe job was vorige week ontzettend druk, maar gelukkig had ik een weekend om naar uit te kijken en wat uit te blazen. Niet dat we niks gepland hadden voor het weekend. Integendeel. Het zat vol activiteiten, maar allemaal leuke.

Zaterdag gingen we met z'n allen naar het verjaardagsfeestje van Evan, een vriend van Kevin. Kevin was opgetogen om zijn vriend Evan cadeautjes te geven die hij uitgekozen had (vingerverf, verfsponsjes en een draaitol met lichtjes). Hij zat continue te babbelen van 'pakjes, pakjes...' en (hiep, hiep) 'hoera'. En het eerste wat hij deed toen hij bij Evan's huis binnenkwam was Evan een grote knuffel geven. Schattig gewoon.

's Avonds hadden we een babysit ingehuurd en aten John en ik een etentje uit, gevolgd door de musical Cabaret. De musical was goed, maar niet zo goed als ik hem met paps in NY al eens gezien heb.

's Zondags was het onze beurt om een verjaardag te plannen, of ten minste om een plaats uit te checken waar we Kevin's verjaardagsfeestje misschien kunnen geven. Playspace Children's Museum is een non-profit organisatie die een programma en gebouw heeft ingericht speciaal afgestemd op kinderen onder 7 jaar.

Het gebouw is ingedeeld in verschillende afdelingen die allemaal zaken op kleine schaal voorstellen waar kinderen mee kunnen spelen: een winkel, een keuken, een brandweerkazerne, een kasteel, een theater, een concertzaal...allemaal compleet met kostuums en accessoires. Fantastisch voor kinderen. Zoveel museums zijn gericht op volwassenen of oudere kinderen. Deze plaats was gewoon perfect voor Kevin. Je had hem moeten zien, zoals hij in 'de keuken' pasta aan het koken was, of op de buhne stond te dansen en zichzelf op het scherm zag....hij was in de wolken, en wij ook. Dit is een schitterend initiatief voor kleinere kinderen, en wij zijn bijna zeker dat we hier Kevin's verjaardagsfeestje zullen geven.