Geek in Heels - Page 45

Jul 12, 2012 • In Motherhood, Personal

Dressing the Part: Should Moms Dress More Conservatively?

Now that I have lost most of the baby weight (just a few more pounds to go!) and can fit into most of my old clothes, I have come to a realization.

“Did I always wear clothes this tight?” I asked J.

“Yep. That shirt looks just the way it used to on you before the babies.”

Because I became pregnant with Aerin just a few months after having Claire, I can safely say that I have spent the majority of the past 2.5 years pregnant and obviously well above my usual weight. I was also no longer working, thus being prompted to dress in loose shabby clothing or maternity wear.

Being able to fit into my old clothes is exciting. But because it has been so long since I have worn these clothes, I had forgotten how they fit. More specifically, how form-hugging they were.

My mind flashed back to a conversation I recently had with a girlfriend. I had treated myself to a girls night out, and we were sipping drinks at one of our old stomping grounds: a lounge that is popular for pre-partying before heading to clubs. As I checked out the scene and noticed the other girls — the majority of them clearly in their early twenties — I asked my friend, “Can you believe what girls are wearing these days? I would never let my daughters walk out of the door like that.”

My friend rolled her eyes. “Oh Jenny, please. We used to wear stuff like this all the time when we went out, remember?”

“No we did not!” I retorted.

“Yes we did. And some of our outfits were way more scandalous than what these girls are wearing. Go look at pictures of us from back then.”

And she was right.

Me, circa 2002. You can’t really tell from this picture, but the
top I am wearing has a lace-up neckline that bares a lot of cleavage.

Has having kids transformed my fashion tastes? Have I become a typical mom in conservative clothes?

I then did a quick assessment of my closet. Can a mother of two pull this off? SHOULD a mother of two wear this?

I know that I am still relatively young (31), and I am constantly told that I look more like I’m in my mid-to-late twenties. I am pretty certain that if I were to don my old, form-fitting clothes, most people wouldn’t bat an eye. I know that I should wear whatever makes me happy, just as long as it is appropriate for the venues I may be attending.

But now I can’t help but ask myself if I feel comfortable wearing these clothes.

And the answer is no. At least, not all of them.

I have always said that my biggest motivation to lose the baby weight is economical — I did not want to buy new clothes! But now that I have become a mother whose fashion sense has become more conservative, I may need to add more mature pieces to my wardrobe.

What do you think? Should mothers dress more conservatively than they did in their pre-baby days? Have you found your taste in fashion growing more conservative as you get older?

Batman Through the Ages [Infographic]

There’s only a week and a half left until The Dark Knight Rises hits the theaters! Is anyone else as excited as I am??!!! Because if rumors are to be believed, this final installment of the Christopher Nolan trilogy will be the best yet — and nobody can deny that The Dark Knight will be pretty difficult to beat.

(I recently read that Warner Bros. had originally planned on The Riddler, not Bane, as the primary villain in The Dark Knight Rises. And that they had wanted Leonardo DiCaprio for the role…HOW FREAKIN AWESOME WOULD THAT HAVE BEEN?!?? I mean, isn’t Leo just PERFECT for The Riddler? He would have brought to the role the same darkness that Heath Ledger had given The Joker…sigh. Perhaps they will make a future Batman film with this casting in mind.)

In anticipation of what will probably be the biggest film of the summer, Redditor gonzoblair has created an infographic titled “From Kane to Nolan: Seventy Years of Bat Evolution.” Check it out below — and don’t miss what he has titled the Joel Schumacher era!

The Dark Knight Rises will be one of the few films that J and I purposely fork over extra money for the IMAX version, because it was actually shot with IMAX equipment, and not only converted to IMAX in post-production like most other movies. In fact, this movie will contain the most IMAX footage ever for a Hollywood feature. So if you have an IMAX theater nearby, try to see this latest Batman movie in the format for which it was created.

Famous Logos: Original vs Current

You know me — I can never resist a good logo story! Brought to you by Flavorwire, here are the logos of 10 famous companies, placed side-by-side with their originals:

Our Family’s First Trip to the Beach

…was a big fat FAIL.

This past Saturday, J and I loaded up the car, strapped both girls into their car seats with me sitting uncomfortably between them, and drove a little over an hour to Long Island for a day at the beach with family and friends.

I was admittedly uncomfortable with the idea of bringing Aerin to the beach because she tries to put everything into her mouth these days — even my nose! — but J assured me that he would take care of her while I watched Claire.

Anyway, back to the story. We had purposely left an hour after everyone else so that the car ride would coincide with the girls’ nap times. We figured that the girls would zonk out soon after we hit the road, and that they would be refreshed and well-rested when we arrived at the beach.

Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids.

The girls refused to fall asleep almost the entire ride, only dozing off a mere FIVE MINUTES before we arrived at our destination.

We decided that I would stay in the car with the girls while J took our bags to go find the others.

Did I mention that this day was one of the hottest days of the year with temperatures reaching 101° (they estimated that it felt like 105° when you factor in the humidity) and that Long Island is where most people residing in the NYC area choose for the beach? Add to that it being a Saturday…there seemed to be thousands of people lying out in the sand.

Jones Beach, where we spent Saturday morning ~ afternoon.
Only it was more crowded than this picture which I found here.

J returned 20 minutes later — just as Aerin began stirring from her nap — and announced that he was unable to find the others. We had been told to make a right from the parking lot and meet them in the BBQ area, but he couldn’t find a BBQ area. He had lugged our bags up and down the beach and through the boardwalk in search of the missing BBQ area for 15 minutes under the blazing sun. When he finally asked a lifeguard for help, he was informed that we were supposed to make a left from the parking lot, not right.

So we woke up Claire, loaded both girls into the stroller, and made a left from the parking lot toward the BBQ area.

The only problem was, our friends and family were not there.

J called his cousin to confirm that we had to make a right from the parking lot. He also discovered that they were at the end of the boardwalk.

So we began the slow trek down the half-a-mile-long boardwalk. It was hot, we were sweaty, and the girls began to fuss.

We decided to take a break in a shaded area in order to change Aerin and give her a bottle, give Claire a juice pack from the cooler, and slather on sunscreen. After this short break, we headed down the boardwalk again, and began to make out some BBQ stands and picnic tables in the distance.

But the area was completely empty.

J once again called his cousin who repeated the same set of directions. “We’re right by the golf course. You can’t miss us,” he said.

“What golf course?!??”

“Are you guys in the right field? Field 2?”

“Yeah, we’re at Field 2. We see a couple of softball fields, but no golf course.”

“What softball fields???”

By this time, both girls were wailing. They were obviously uncomfortably hot and bored and did not hesitate to let us know.

We turned around and headed back where we came from, keeping our eyes peeled for the elusive golf course. We were all tired, hot, and cranky. I suggested that we should just settle down — just us four, and have a family day at the beach.

But there were sooooo many people on the beach and the water was quite far from where we were.

We had been walking around, under the blazing sun, lugging our bags and pushing the stroller for over an hour by this point. The girls were now practically screaming.

Then J said what I had been thinking: “Oh, the hell with it. Let’s just go back home.”

I waited in the rest area with Claire and Aerin, sharing a soft-serve ice cream with them while J left to go get the car. As we left the parking lot, J called his cousin to let him know we were leaving.

It was only then that we figured out the problem:

WE WERE AT THE WRONG BEACH.

It didn’t matter where the misunderstanding/miscommunication had occurred, and by whom. J’s cousin urged us to drive down to the correct beach, but we were all too exhausted and cranky. We continued on our way home.

J and I could only laugh about it on the drive back. “At least we got some sun!” “Well, we were technically at the beach…” “Aerin had her first taste of ice cream and she loved it!”

How was your weekend? I hope it was better than ours!

Then & Now: The Real-Life Values of Monopoly Properties

Does everyone who plays the classic boardgame Monopoly know that its properties are based on actual streets in or near Atlantic City, NJ? And since the game was conceived in the early 20th century, the property values must have changed drastically, no?

This was the rationale behind Movoto Real Estate, who took it upon themselves to revisit the properties that make up Monopoly and re-create the board with the current real estate prices:

(Note: Movoto has removed two zeroes from the current values on the board. Oriental Avenue’s $2,800, for example, means homes are selling for $280,000. A “???” means there are no homes for sale on that street.)

It’s interesting to see that Park Place no longer exists — in its place now stands the entrance to Bally’s Casino. Boardwalk is a lot more affordable than most would initially think; the most expensive property that is currently listed is a condo unit for $669,000 (the price for a decent 1-bedroom in NYC).

On the other hand, Baltic Avenue, the second-lowest priced property on the game, has fared extremely well through the years, while Marvin Gardens is now home to upscale properties in the $1M+ range.

Head on over to Movoto to learn more about the properties that make up Monopoly!

An Update on Comang

Four months ago, J and I made the difficult decision to give away Comang.

If you can recall, I had found a very nice family to take him in and give him a loving home. I am happy to say that they have continued to send me updates and pictures, and still thank us profusely for choosing them to be his new family.

From the many emails and texts I have received, it is apparent that they absolutely adore Comang. With three boys in the house, I know that he is getting all the attention he deserves (and perhaps even more). He also seems to have lost the weight that he had gained in the past year — obviously, life in the suburbs agrees with him!

Comang’s new family took a trip to Philadelphia for Memorial Day weekend, and they brought him along! When they sent me this picture of him checking out the view from their room at the Hyatt, I joked to J that Comang is living a more comfortable life than us. (But then again, he had it pretty good here too. 😉 )

Do I miss Comang? Absolutely. I think of him every day and wonder what he may be up to at that particular moment. I especially miss him when I see Claire with my sister’s dog Dante. Like most kids, Claire LOVES animals and she has a special fondness for dogs — she tries to run to them even when they’re viciously barking and scaring the pants off of me. She has learned to give Dante commands for treats and loves to tag along on his walks.

Perhaps our family will adopt another dog (or two) down the road, when the girls are older and we are living in a larger home. However, I can’t help but be doubtful that we will find another dog as lovable and well-behaved as Comang. I teared up last night as I listened to the fireworks booming outside — I was thinking back to past Independence Days, when the sound of the fireworks would terrify him and he would run to be by my side.

But I know that we made the right decision. His comfort and happiness matters more than my nostalgia. I know that his new family is able to give him the life we were not able to provide for him, and for that I am happy.

The Science Behind Fireworks

Happy Fourth of July!

To celebrate our nation’s Independence Day, and to pay tribute to one of childhood’s greatest pastimes, I’d like to share some interesting tidbits I’ve discovered about fireworks.

The first — where do the colors of fireworks come from? This neat chart shows us exactly which chemical(s) contribute to each color you’ll see in the sky tonight:

(via Boing Boing)

The second is a video which describes the science behind fireworks — featuring John Conkling, a leading expert in the field of pyrotechnics, this clip talks about the chemical composition of fireworks, how mortars work, and how colors are formed.

I hope you guys have a great holiday, and be sure to think back to what you’ve learned here as you see the sparks dance in the sky tonight!

How to Cut Babies’ Nails

I used to dread cutting my children’s nails.

I know that many mothers do it while their babies are asleep, but my kids sleep in dark rooms (with black-out curtains) so that idea is out. I also know some mom bite their babies’ nails. Well, those moms must have really sharp teeth because I have found that practically impossible!

Confession: while attempting to clip their nails, I have cut into both Claire and Aerin’s skin several times. And as any decent mother can tell you, making your own child bleed her own blood (anyone know what movie that’s from? 😉 ) ranks up there with being covered in a thousand paper cuts and getting dipped in a vat of sweat.

But all that changed a couple of months ago when my mother saw me struggling to clip Aerin’s nails…

“No, don’t do it like that! Line up the bottom blade with her nail!”

And it clicked. Why hadn’t I realized this before??! Because clipping my own nails had become so natural to me that I had not recognized this tiny yet significant detail.

Not sure what I’m talking about? Here is a simple diagram:

Previously, I had been doing this:

Or this:

Once again, the correct way to cut a baby’s fingernail (or anyone‘s nail, for that matter) is to line up the nail with the bottom blade, like so:

I am proud to say that all of our nail-clipping sessions have been tear-free and blood-free since I started using this method.

Now, you might be reading this and shaking your head, thinking, “Wow, what a moron. This lady didn’t even know how to cut a fingernail!”

But if you are another mom who has trouble clipping their children’s nails (and I know you are out there), I hope that this simple tip will help make your clipping sessions a bit less painful. 🙂

Employer Loyalty: Cultural or Generational?

J has been offered a prestigious position at a new company. 🙂 You don’t know how stinkin’ proud I am — he always busts his behind at work to provide for our family, and he is finally being recognized for his dedication and hard work. He gave his two weeks notice yesterday, and will be starting at the other company in mid-July.

When I first informed my parents that J might be switching jobs, they were doubtful to say the least. Both of them prefer that J stay with his current company; they believe that if he works there long enough, he will eventually be promoted and eventually land a top position.

Frankly, they don’t understand why we “young people” continue to job-hop.

I couldn’t help but disagree with them, because J has been with 3 different companies since we first started dating almost 8 years ago — one of which was in a different state — so compared to our acquaintances, he actually has a good track record of employer loyalty.

I tried to explain to them that corporate America is the one that is not always loyal to its employees. Most large companies I know usually source their topmost positions externally, passing over those who have been with the company for years and may actually be better equipped for the job. Sure, there may be annual salary increases, but these tend to be in the 3-5% range, which is barely enough to cover inflation and the rising cost of living in many parts of the country.

Is the movie “Office Space” an accurate portrayal of corporate America?

At my first full-time job, my direct supervisor — who did not have the power to promote me or give me a raise — informed me that our VP — who did have the power to reward my good work — would never promote me anytime in the next 5 or so years. The reason? Because I was too good at my job. In my supervisor’s own words: “Why would she voluntarily give up someone who is doing her current job so well?”

I have been in positions where I have had to “train” my supervisors — people who had been hired externally and had no clue as to the inner workings of the company…or even their own jobs!

I have seen too many dedicated and hard-working people who have been at the same company for years and years…and all they have gotten in return are meager raises and/or paltry promotions.

Perhaps it is different in other fields. But from my experience and from what I see of my friends, the best (and easiest) way to get a decent promotion and a significant salary bump is to jump ship to another company.

I know where my parents are coming from. First-generation immigrants are known for their hard work, because they honestly believe that putting in more time and effort leads to more money and prominence. After all, isn’t that what the American Dream is about?

My parents are also from Korea, where — now, the situation may be different from when they were still living there 20+ years ago — companies reward loyal and reliable workers. Where staying with the same employer long-term would almost always guarantee that you will move up in ranks within the same company.

Take my uncle, for example. His very first job was splicing film reels at MBC (one of the major television networks in Korea) — a position that would barely qualify as entry-level. He stayed at the same company for his entire career, and eventually became VP of Broadcasting, then even the CEO of a child company.

Is staunch employee loyalty a cultural or generational phenomenon? Or is it a combination of both?

What is your own experience with the corporate world? Is my portrayal of the current corporate American accurate? Is it different in your field?

Marvelous ‘Alice in Wonderland’ Pop-Up Book [And More!]

Claire has been a big fan of pop-up books since she has been able to reach for, and grab at objects. And as soon as she turned 1, she began a love affair with books of all kind (just like her mama) and finally stopped ripping out pages or ruining the pop-up mechanisms.

I too, love pop-up books because not only do I believe all books provide enrichment of some kind, but also because I am fascinated by how they work. As a matter of fact, one of Claire and my favorite activities these days is to read and flip through The Little Prince pop-up books that my sister had gifted me — both the English and French versions.

So when I saw this amazing Alice in Wonderland pop-up book featured at Brain Pickings, I knew that I had to share…

Dressing the Part: Should Moms Dress More Conservatively?

You may also like:

Batman Through the Ages [Infographic]

You may also like:

Famous Logos: Original vs Current

You may also like:

Our Family’s First Trip to the Beach

You may also like:

Then & Now: The Real-Life Values of Monopoly Properties

You may also like:

An Update on Comang

You may also like:

The Science Behind Fireworks

You may also like:

How to Cut Babies’ Nails

You may also like:

Employer Loyalty: Cultural or Generational?

You may also like:

Marvelous ‘Alice in Wonderland’ Pop-Up Book [And More!]

You may also like:

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