I’m the Queen of “succeeding as a working parent is keeping your kids on the DL”—not a lot of doctor’s appointments, photos, etc. It’s OK to bring your dog to work but your kid- no way! This way people treat working women like bosses, co-workers and NOT like Moms.

My philosophy was completely shot to hell late last month as, in between camp ending and school starting, my childcare fell through! My husband saved the day and invited DC to his office at Raymond James to buy and sell stocks.

DC pleaded and cried not to go. She actually said, “Mom, I like investing but kids needs their moms!”

I explained that she would need to be up at 5:30am and that she basically would have to sit at a desk and make a Bon Voyage card for my co-worker and not talk to anyone. If she went to a meeting- SILENCE.

Sure enough the next morning she tapped me on my arm fully dressed and ready for Starbucks at 5:30am. At the office she:

• Created a Bon Voyage card for Andy, introducing herself to everyone in the office to gather signatures.
• Talked non-stop not only to me to a woman who sat near her.
• Charmed everyone by passing out construction paper snow flakes, which are still pasted on various bulletin boards.
• Ate lunch at her desk (I know, I know. Well, it was busy).

As I put her backpack full of stuffed animals, crayons, construction paper and homemade books into my sister’s car around 3pm and watched my little assistant drive off, I almost got a little tear.
I would do anything for her… even lose my cool cred at the office.

I’ve received several emails from working women friends urging me to take a shot at Palin via womenagainstpalin.com. I can’t do it. I’m drinking the Palinade. I like her!

Although I support Obama and Biden and am against McCain, I do not want to be against Sarah Palin. She’s smart, hard working and bringing home the bacon AND moose. (The moose felling is a bit odd but I blame her Dad).

She said that she doesn’t sleep much. She’s “either breastfeeding or on her Blackberry”. I can completely relate to that (That was seven years ago, but still). While I do not agree with her stances on most issues, I still want to high-five this woman. 

She’s the Break Girl, Wonder Woman and Geena Davis from “Commander and Chief” all rolled into one. Just as Obama usurped Hillary’s media attention, the Palinator is the Republican rockstar.

As I’m getting ready to schlep my kid to yet ANOTHER structured camp, robbing her of a stay-at-home Mom’s summer of swimming, activities and sleeping in, these five words go down smoother than bio-diesel in a Volvo conversion car: Colin Farrel is a Parent.

Once again a celebrity parent helping us all in the real world feel better about ourselves. At least we bathe every day…well, unless we work from home.

Tips for Working Parents to Get Promoted

• Arrive earlier
• Stay calm, solution-oriented and laugh a lot
• Set up support system for child pickup and drop-offs
• No whining - we choose to work and parent!
• Keep appointments out of the office vague (kid-specific ones on the DL)
• Stop gushing about your kids to people who don’t have them
• Give back with your time, talent and finances

(Photo credit: collegecandy.com)

Sometimes my news intake consists of NPR during my commute and a glance at the headlines during the day at Yahoo.com. In late May I saw two headlines stacked on top of each other:

1. 100,000 people suspected dead in Myanmar cyclone

2. Conservative group raised over 2M dollars to overturn gay marriage in California

Let’s get our priorities in the right place. As Americans we have power to raise money for any cause yet a group of self-righteous jingoistic individuals places a higher priority on stopping California men and women from loving someone of the same sex than helping starving and homeless families in Burma or China.

Help gay Californians keep their right to be married by contributing to Equality California.

Assist the efforts to rescue homeless families around the world by contributing to the Red Cross or Shelterbox.

Every day I read about the violent deaths of U.S. soldiers and civilians in Iraq. Approximately 4,300 coalition members have died in Iraq including 174 Britons. Some estimates list the number of Iraqis who have died at 80,000.

All this blood shed in the name of democracy and Britain can’t even allow a work permit for Nashat Akram, 24, a young Iraqi hero to play for Manchester City Football Club? (Full Story: LATimes)

Sports bring us together and Britain should allow Akram to play for Manchester. I’m angry and ready to accompany an international team of ball-kicking envoys to help get this kid to play. I recommend the UFC’s Mirko Cro-cop to bust through the door to get everyone’s attention and then Madeleine Albright and Tony Blair can smooth out the situation over high tea. Let’s get the Brits to TapOut.

Hillary Clinton

I walked out of a restaurant on Friday to find posters of Hillary in a Russian uniform tacked over Culver City, Ca. There’s a dangerous anti-Hillary sentiment out there but she’s one of the fiercest candidates and quite capable of taking on anyone including poster boy and probably Putin, too.

In ABC’s debate last night, she seemed really pissed that she’s even on the same stage with Barack Obama– implying that words don’t amount to experience. She has a temper and I kind of like that. No one will ever accuse her of being an emotional female.

Likes

• One of her first jobs was as an attorney for the Children’s Defense Fund.
• She’s the first First Lady to have an office in the West Wing and take on real policy.
• She was an early-adopter of universal health care.

Dislikes

• Her refusal to compromise for health care reform led to its downfall.
• While in the White House she had an opportunity to stand up to NATO and bomb Serbian forces in Bosnia two years and 250, 000 deaths prior to when we actually intervened. — Newsweek

John Edwards

Raised as the son of a mill worker, he’s a rags to riches American and one of the only candidates who ever mentions the word ‘poverty’ through his two Americas speeches. Most of his work experience is as an attorney- 20 years.

Likes

• He seems genuine about helping the poor.
• He’s endured hard times- the death of a son, his wife’s cancer.
• Tight family unit and damn, he’s a good looking man.

Dislikes

• Only one term in office.
• He seems more of domestic policy person, not so sure about foreign policy.
• His wife’s cancer is in her bones - shouldn’t they be chilling out in Maui?

Barack Obama

Barack Obama and his wife are a Harvard Law duo. They met when Michelle was assigned as his supervisor at a law firm where he interned so I think she’s about five years older than Barack.

The bulk of his career is 13 years as a civil rights attorney. He stresses his ability to bring people together.

Likes

• He doesn’t lose his cool in a debate.
• Just like the Clinton/Gore “Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow” campaign, he gets me excited about the future of our country.
• Even Republicans and Bill O’Reilly seem to like him.

Dislikes

• He became a senator in 2004, not a lot of time in D.C.
• Short on foreign policy experience.
• Would he have won Iowa without Oprah?

Tried reading, counting sheep, counting images of my kid jumping over a fence, counting numbers like the Count on “Sesame Street” and more reading. I should get up and take Valerian, a natural sleeping aide, but do I still I have the bottle as it was stinking up the medicine cabinet last year? Will be slightly foggy now for meetings, hope I don’t fall asleep at desk, maybe I can take nap in the car, hope I don’t wreck the car, hope I get up to get little person out the door with no drama and find the lost baggage.

We returned from Atlanta on Sunday the 27th with five bags and left with four.  Standing in front of baggage claim in my post-flight haze I forgot that there was another bag. My child has three pair of shoes that fit her right now and that bag has two of them.  Sigh– going to Delta airlines at LAX after work this evening to see if I can find it sans baggage ticket.

Fortunately, I do have a backup pair of glasses… that is unless I lose them.