"The time will come when winter will ask you what you were doing all summer. " - Henry Clay

I haven't forgotten you.

I was amused to note this morning that my last post (back in August - whew!) was about Gov. Palin. I have to confess that a large part of the reason I took a break from updating this site was that I didn't want it to become all about politics, and there was a strong risk -- especially with her in the race -- that I would end up writing about nothing about her for two months, which isn't the intent of this site. There has been a lot of good stuff out on the web about her, and how having her in the public eye has influenced the conversation on work-family balance (for both genders). Two articles from the New York Times that I'd highlight especially are A New Twist in the Debate on Mothers and Working Mother Questions ‘Irrelevant,’ Palin Says. Plus this one, one of my favorites: Working Mothers Against 'Supermom' Palin.

On the surface, Palin's selection should highlight the possible: here, after all, is a working mom who brings her infant to work with her, wears a sling, breastfeeds at work, whose husband clearly shares the load in raising the family. Her family understands what its like to work multiple jobs to make ends meet, and to try and balance all those things with the needs of the kids. Its puzzling to me that -- even if she's a social or economic conservative -- why her life experience doesn't drive her to use her position to try and make sure that the "perks" and flexibility she has in her own life isn't available to any working mother.

As I said above, I don't want this blog to be about politics or Sarah Palin. Other people are doing that better and more eloquently than I can.

Next week I'll be back for real. I want to tell you about cardboard playhouses, my new-found crafy side, and the adventure that is inviting your mom to help you tackle some home improvement projects.