Trip to NC...

Last weekend my husband and I spent the weekend at Charleston, NC (Kiawah Island to be exact) for a company gathering. It was a short trip; we left home Saturday morning and came back on Sunday afternoon. The main purpose of the trip was a dinner party on Saturday night.
It was nice to spend time alone without the distractions of daily life, thanks to my mom who was taking care of the kids...

We had lunch at La Tela... It was the best pizza that I ever had...
I mean, it was that good...
And the interesting thing was the pizza did not even have any sauce or cheese. I still think about that pizza almost every day...

These were the appetizers that we had...

And look at that pizza and the handsome guy behind it...

For the rest of the day, we walked at the beach, sat in the hot tub and took a nap... What a wonderful combination...

Then we got all dressed up and headed to dinner...

I bought that top a few weeks ago from BCBG on sale and it worked out great...

Ventura

Ventura has been home away home for me and some of my co-workers for the last year and a half. It is a nice little town by the beach with lots of great restaurants. Here, sun does not stop shining with the exception of June - gloom. I can never get packed based on "real" seasons when I am travelling to here. I always need a decent jacket, socks, and flip flops. I know it is a weird combination but you can easily live 4 seasons here in a day, day after day...

We say in downtown which gives up ability to walk to the restaurants and enjoy the little stores. This is a thrift store heaven. I still have not been able to make it to any one of them but I am planning for it this summer.

Santa Barbara

For my work, I do travel to California quite a lot. But up to the last few weeks, the work has been very busy and we really did not have much time to do anything but work. Last week we got to leave work at decent times and do some sightseeing.


We ended up driving 20 minutes to Santa Barbara. This is a beautiful town. The beach, the sun, the people walking around… It was refreshing. On Tuesday afternoons they close the State Street to have a market. We got to see (and buy) delicious fruits and nuts.

Then we ended up this incredible French restaurant (Cafe Luck). I had the red snapper that was cooked in dry salt. And a glass of red wine... What else would I ask for...

Just spending two hours away from work and hanging out with friends energized me for the entire week…

Travel Weeks

I am not only a working mom, but also a traveling working mom. I have been traveling for the last year every other week for four days. This project that I am managing will go until the end of next summer. It is hard to travel with two young kids and I don't see myself doing this long term, especially after both my kids start school. But in the meantime, I do everything to make it work. I love my job and my family.

For moms who also travel, even an occasional travel, i wanted to give some tips that work for me...

- Always have backups, especially try to find a sitter who can come in on a whim, when the school is out for snow or when one of the kids is sick

- Plan, plan, plan: I plan for all the meals, kids activities, things to take to school, lunch menus, etc. Every week that I travel, we make a weekly plan with all the activities including dinner, snacks, library day at school, etc.

- Work late when you travel, and don't bring work home. I don't work after 5:00 pm when I am home and almost never over the weekend

- Make the most of your time when you are home. I volunteer at both of my kid's schools on the weeks that I am in town, I make breakfast every morning for the young one, I walk to school bus every morning with my older one, I make dinners, do puzzles, coloring, and play all kinds of games with them.

- Explain to your kids why you have to travel and when. Be specific and clear on when you will be back, don't give inaccurate information even if it is hard to tell them sometimes. We always talk about how many sleeps mommy will be gone.

- Ask for help: Talk to teachers and coaches about your schedule. Ask them to watch for things that are unusual. Ask help from family members if they live close by. It also helps to have a loving and helpful husband. I am lucky that mine falls into that category.

- Keep your sprits up. Think about thousands of people who do not have jobs and be thankful for your blessings.

- If you are miserable, then look for a new job. Life is too short to be doing something that you don't like especially if it is keeping you away from your loved ones...

Keep up the good work and still have a daily dose of domestic bliss...