career

Every year I love the holiday season: the lights, the music, the time with family, and slowing down. I savored all of that this year but I might be enjoying the post-Christmas, pre-New Year's week even more. Chris and I have been in major decluttering and organizing mode this week, which always seems to find us after Christmas with the influx of new stuff. This year our efforts have matched up nicely with the stretches of independent play from the boys, courtesy of new Christmas toys. (Although there's been plenty of fighting, too!) We spent yesterday morning taking down all... Read more →


This is a picture of me last Friday which was my last day of work. I quit my job! You might have some questions. Like "Why??" And "What will you do now?" Or the question I always wonder when people quit jobs, "How are you affording this?" These are all reasonable questions and I'm happy to share a bit more... Why I quit my job For the past six years I've been working full time as a science writer for Arizona State University. I wrote articles (like this and this), reports, and helped create related content (like these – and... Read more →


Recently I've had the opportunity to guest on three different podcasts and have chatted about my experience as a working mom. I love sharing what's great, what's challenging and what I've learned during my three and a half years of being a mother and working full time. I'm a regular listener of each of the podcasts I was on and if you haven't listened to theses shows I would recommend them! They are all available on iTunes or wherever you listen to podcasts. The Mom Hour // Inside the Lives of 3 Working Moms Coffee + Crumbs // Episode 15... Read more →


I work full time as a science writer and at any one time I have several projects or tasks on my plate with varying levels of priority. Some, like writing a new article from scratch, take hours and I need to be fully immersed in the task to do my best work. Some tasks come in suddenly and must be done right away, putting everything else on hold. Some tasks aren't difficult but they require coordinating between several people - writing emails, waiting for a response, figuring out a time everyone can meet and then finding an available conference room.... Read more →


I am a fierce believer in packing a lunch and lately I've been toting giant salads to work. Mornings go infinitely more smoothly when we prep the night before so this weekday salad is made ahead of time and patiently waits until lunchtime the next day. I used to find that I enjoyed eating hearty salads when I went out to eat but could never recreate such enticing salads at home. And then I figured out the magic salad formula! There are several components but flexibility within each to use what you love or have on hand. It's a choose... Read more →


I've had an office job for seven years (!!! I keep thinking it's about three) and I've learned that it's key to keep a few essential items stashed at the office. I have a real anxiety of being somewhere without a snack (is there a clinical term for this? the fear is real!) so of course my stash includes snacks but there are also items lend some coziness or serve to perk me up on a stressful day. Here's what I keep at the office as part of my work survival kit: + Huge water glass. The dry heat is... Read more →


Team Wharton has survived the first couple of weeks with two full time working parents and two little boys. Whew! Life feels full to the brim and sometimes chaotic. Even though it doesn't feel like I have time to blog I'm glad I captured my first transition back to work as it happened and I want to do the same this go around so I'm dashing this off during pumping breaks at work. (See all posts tagged Working Mama here.) So, how it's going. The first time we left Cedric at daycare I cried. But I haven't since then (hooray!).... Read more →


Return to work after maternity leave, take two. Today is the first day of my first full week back at work. The emotion and difficulty of returning to work caught me off guard the first time around with Dashiell. It wasn't terrible but it was harder than I expected. For several months I questioned whether I wanted to be working full time and what was best for Dashiell. I hated feeling uncertain and it was hard to focus at work. Plus I was waking up so many times (so! many! times!) on most nights. Big transitions do not pair well... Read more →


I am now of the opinion that late December is the best time to welcome a baby. Cedric arrived exactly in between the cheer of Christmas and the celebration of a new year, heaping happiness upon an already festive time of year. When he was teeny tiny (as much as a nine and a half pound baby can be) there were twinkling Christmas lights still strung up around our neighborhood and town and wreaths on doors. We had some rainy, chilly days (my favorite) and we dressed him warmly and then wrapped him snuggly in blankets, just what your instinct... Read more →


This past July marked my one year anniversary of being back at work after having Dashiell. So much has changed since then. Dashiell has changed, of course. He is so much bigger and more independent and full of personality. My position at work changed and I love my new job. And I have changed, from feeling overwhelmed to being really happy that I work outside of the home and feeling pretty great about my work/life balance (at least on most days!). Reflecting on it, I think there are several things that I'm finding are really positive about our current situation:... Read more →