Miriam Savage is another of my amazing working mom friends. Read her story below.
- Do you stay at home, work at home, or work-outside the home?
Work outside of the home – but I work FROM home a lot too. - How many kids do you have?
4 – 2 girls and 2 boys - What’s your go-to dinner during the week? Do you care to share a recipe?
I have come to love crock pot soup! I dislike cream of anything and regular meat in the crock pot is not a win for my family. But crock pot soup seems to go over pretty well (which makes sense – since much of soup cooking is throwing stuff in a pot and boiling it…). My kids favorite is here:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-chicken-taco-soup/detail.aspx
I use a homemade taco seasoning recipe (found here: http://iowagirleats.com/2012/03/06/low-carb-taco-boats) and skip the red pepper flakes because my kids aren’t big on spice. - What are your best tips for staying sane?
I think I’d argue I’m not really successful in this area. J However, I focus on what is important in the moment and not everything. For example, if my house is messy but my heart desires to go do something fun with my kids – I do that. If my house is making feel stressed out – then we stay home and clean. You can’t have it all (unless you can afford house cleaning – which we choose not too at this time). So what is important today? - What are your favorite tools for time/household management?
I have a google calendar and a paper calendar. I use the google calendar for things like school being out….reminders I may need when I’m out and about. I use the paper planner for the overall family scheduling. It is just easier to write it down. I’ve tried all digital and it doesn’t work for us.I also have an entire counter dedicated to holding kid junk. I’ve tried nice neat folders, but it just explodes too quickly. Anything of importance is on this counter and I typically clean it weekly. (It gets ugly when I don’t…ugly as in missed activities/signed papers or other important parental duties overlooked!)Another of my favorite tools is the “Our Groceries” app. I can make a list (usually groceries, but not always) and share it with my husband. In our house, I do the list making and he goes shopping for it. (Sometimes I even add stuff WHILE he is shopping. He always loves that!) - Do you have pets? If so, what kind?
1 Dog – Sam. 8 fish. I know fish aren’t usually all that interesting, but I’ve ended up with some weird fish that come and “say hi” when you hang out by the tank. I’ve never had fish with so much “personality”. - What are your hobbies?
Picking up after my kids.
Oh wait…that is what THEY think… 😀
I enjoy running (but haven’t in a long time), reading fiction (I really try non-fiction because it makes you smarter…but I prefer fiction), playing video and board games, watching tv. Yes – these are all solitary activities… J - What’s on your bucket list?
My instinct was to run and look at everyone else’s. I didn’t.
– I’d really like to go check out some other countries sometime. One would even be fine.
– Learn to fly a plane.
– Run a 2nd half-marathon and complete it in a time I wouldn’t be embarrassed to share. (This may be 2 items… J ) - If you work, what do you do? How did you decide?
I’m a software engineer. I sort of lucked into this position, but have stayed because I really like it. I enjoy figuring out how to make things not work – and that is exactly what I do. - If you work, what’s the most rewarding part about it?
Making developers cry.
Just kidding.
I work with really great people. The work itself is just that…work. But my coworkers make it awesome to be here. - If you could choose any career, what would it be?
A writer. I haven’t ruled this out yet. But sitting in a quiet cabin in the middle of nowhere writing all day sounds very appealing. (Although – it probably wouldn’t be very good for me.) - If you could tell your younger self something, what would it be?
My younger self is entirely too stubborn to listen to anyone older and wiser…even if it were me.
But seriously – I’d tell myself that we are all talented. All. And there is a place for those talents somewhere.
