An introduction..

So I had a date with my husband last night- the first in a while. Over Aloo Gobi and naan, I waxed poetic (ok, I whined) about my dissatisfaction with my career life. We rehashed my illustrious and ephemeral career path thus far.

• Teaching first grade- bad choice
• Project manager- I never figured out MS project and my ADD caused projects to spin in multiple directions at once
• PR guru and marketing gal was fun, but mainly because it was the middle of the dot-com boom and it was a wild ride for all involved.
• Stay-at-home-Mommy- so far this career choice has lasted the longest and been the most enjoyable, albeit loony at times. But, lately I'm looking for more. I feel a bit antsy when the highlight of my brain activity for the day is putting together Thomas train track.

My husband tolerated the whinging for a while, then pushed me (metaphorically, though he did yoink the last naan) to carve out my own path. "Write about it," he urged. "You keep bragging about some writing contest you won in high school. Become the DC mommy expert. Write a book."

I was intrigued, but hesitant. Where does one start? I have made motherhood a full-time job and obsession, and I love offering unsolicited advice to my playgroup pals, nannys at the park, and newbie mom friends. Could I make it a career too?

I stated my self-doubt. Again my husband rolled his eyes, "blogging.."he handed up as though the word had been spelled out in tikka masala sauce, but I had some how missed it. So here I am today, entering the world of mommy blogging. I know there are hundreds, if not thousands, of us out there, but I believe there is room for all of us. Plus, I offer the perspective of upper-northwest mom with a little Jewish on the side.

For those not in the know, Washington, D.C. is broken into four quadrants, each housing a unique population and flavor. Upper-Northwest is generally where the affluent, educated and often (but not always) caucasion folk reside. This is not to say there is not affluence, education and white in SW, SE, and NE- There is! But, Upper Northwest, in general and sterotypically, can be classified as where the money and higher degrees are. I am the only non-lawyer on my street (I only have a lowly masters degree- in education, horror of horrors!).

Upper Northwest is the antithesis of a Red-state. During the most recent presidential election, a young democrat volunteer with his grassroots zeal burning a trail behind him, came a-knockin on doors on our street, soliciting votes for the Dems. I commended his effort, but tried to gently break it to him that his time would be better spent calling red-states, as one neighbor was a Clinton advisor and another is a senior democratic pollster & lunches regularly with the CA senators. But I digress, I just want to give a sense of the neighbors I rub elbows with while on line for our daily Starbucks fix.

We are the Peg-Perego pushing (bugaboos are too decadent), Seven-wearing, NPR listening Moms. We drive our Volvo XC-90s, shop at Whole Foods and pay taxes and health care for our legal nannys. We live in older homes (never gasp! McMansions) and do a lot of online shopping since Walmart & K-Mart are not in the city. We have 2 or 3 children all spaced under 3 years apart, since most started families in our 30s. We read a lot about parenting and have very definite ideas and neuroses about parenting that we air publicly on www.dcurbanmom.com. For most of us, this is the most serious and stressful job we've had to date.

We all have college degrees; some have post-graduate degrees and most were successful in a chosen career path before motherhood. Yet. giving birth unleashed a flood of insecurities about ourselves and our ability to be the best mother and raise the brightest, most empathetic, well-adjusted children.

Now you have a glimpse into the glossy surface that is the live of the Upper NW DC Mom. Join me as I examine who we really are and share stories from the trenches of mommyhood.

Cheers!

Linda