When I had just one child, Emma, I read to her all the time. She eschewed most toys in favor of books and we’d sit and read and not surprisingly, Emma talked pretty early. I mean, she was my first born and I was PRETTY sure she was a genius anyway so I wasn’t surprised.

Now my twins as mentioned in earlier blogs have come along and they are not talking nearly as much. They say the basics like juice and mommy and daddy and Coco says “Sydney” but Sydney, who thinks the world revolves around her, doesn’t bother saying “Coco”. (Coco also points to herself in pictures and mirrors and says “Sydney”).

The twins WANT me to read to them a lot but I just can’t, can’t, can’t read the same horrible books over and over and over! Some books are just great and I love them and laugh (I was literally laughing out loud in the Borders the other day looking at “Walter the Farting Dog” but I’m pretty sure I don’t want my kids to read it). But others are so horrible that I keep throwing them away. One kids always finds it in the trash and pulls it out. And I feel sort of guilty so it goes back in the shelf.

The point is I certainly had more patience with Emma and less with the twins to read and do baby things. Thus they can’t talk, entirely my fault I’m sure. But a friend of mine told me she had a revelation one day that it’s OKAY. She pointed out “I’m 35 years old. It’s ok if I don’t want to do 3 year old things”.

So I try to keep that in mind and read the books once or twice. I try to find things we can all do together that don’t make me nuts. I try to keep some me time. And sweetest of days…I saw a light at the end of the tunnel the other day when the twins sat next to Emma and SHE was reading to them. It only lasted like 5 minutes but I foresaw the time when she’d happily keep everyone amused for hours at a time while I did whatever I wanted blissfully.

And in the meantime I look for books that all of us can like. And keep stealthily trying to throw away the stinkers.

My new favorite thing is the Delta Shuttle—NY to Boston.

I had to go to Boston today from NJ and usually I go through Newark, not even a half hour from my house. But since today I had to stay a bit later, for a great roadshow led by Corrie Martin, at the Tuck School, about their “Back in Business” program—I took the shuttle.

It is SO civilized. You go and it’s all business people—I had a good day, so it took off close to on time, landed close to on time. There’s a nice coffee lounge as you wait. No crowds of kids and suitcases getting on—just business people loading on and as directed by their boarding passes, sitting in “ANY” seat.

I looked around and I felt like a professional working person! I felt back on the career track and it felt good. And it was a day, so it wasn’t long enough to feel guilty about leaving the kids—that’s my guilt when I work from the office these days, even for a shortened work week. No, today’s glorious trip to Boston was all about being a “professional” and as I looked around at all the bright, surely talented people zipping back and forth in the NY-Boston commute…as I enjoyed a glass of wine prior to boarding my last-of-the-day shuttle back to LGA…as I felt like a “real” professional again I didn’t think about anything but “When can I get myself BACK on this Delta shuttle again??”

Does this mean I’m ready for a “real” career again? I’m not ready to do 5 solid days in an office, I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to do that again. But I certainly am ready to be taken seriously again as a real professional! To be counted amongst the ranks of the smart folks. Today was one day, an easy day—I know myself I can’t even do once-a-week travel with my little ones, still so little. But one of the speakers today made a great point—that we all have to redefine our success, at different levels. I have to be happy with the things I’m accomplishing now…and also, take to heart what someone else said. It’s not forever.

All of us are on such nonlinear careers—right now, my focus and my passion is in building this forum…but down the road, maybe I’ll go corporate again—if I can get someone to recognize my experience and talents and treat me well.

At least as well as they treat me on the Delta Shuttle.

I have a confession: I am a total sucker for novelty pools. This is a bit at odds with the rest of my purchases because in general, I’m pretty cheap. I only buy stuff on sale, I love bargains, and all that.

But now for the third year in a row I have been lured by the picture on the box of the family of 6 having the TIME OF THEIR LIVES in their blow up pool, in the backyard. I am a smart person, I have an MBA in marketing, I know in my head that literally, a family cannot even FIT in a blow up pool that size–much less cavort and laugh and make the memories that the family on the box in the Target were making.

Last year’s item, with a slide and a giraffe that supposedly shot water, was a huge disappointment. First off, it was purchased prior to our purchase of an inflator (which I actually bought because I thought it would blow up bike tires, it doesn’t). So Aunt Kate had to single-handedly blow up the slide part while I used a hair dryer on the pool part’s bigger nozzle. And within 4 days Emma was bored—because it didn’t really work right, then it got holes, then we had only the slide and like 50 rules about when it could be used—SO not the amount of fun pictured on the box. I kept the slide without the pool through fall when my mom came and just threw it away one day.

So I was resolved that this year we’d just suck it up with the old pool left over from 2 years ago which yes, has holes, but still stays inflated for a little bit. Then I saw the SUNFARI.

It is so sweet. As I was blowing it up with all 3 gathered around me (in barely 70 degree weather, wearing swim suits) I KNEW I had hit the motherlode. It has a slide that is part of the pool (thus it works properly); it has an elephant ring toss, basket dunks, TWO areas of pool (wading and larger size)—it is so sweet that I know it will inevitably pop in 2 days. But our family will DEFINITELY have the amount of fun on that box in those 2 days.

I’m always on the hunt for that elusive toy or game that will entertain and delight all three—so I don’t have to be ON 24-7! When I heard Emma reading to the twins one day I thought I was almost there, off the hook on countless Elmo renditions—but she’s not quick enough for them (because she’s 3 and can’t ACTUALLY read) so no dice. But I think I may be close with the pool-o-fun. I obviously can’t leave them in the backyard and go drink margaritas. But at the very least maybe I can catch up with a book while they shoot ring-tosses at the elephant noses…please, just 5 minutes of me time that I am watching them but still doing something I want to!

At least for 2 days before it pops.