merryyen1Mar 254 minAm I a bad mom???When was the last time you thought to yourself, “am I a bad mom for __________?” For me, it was a few weekends ago. We were on a 4-day...
merryyen1Dec 3, 20214 minWe have no family... or do we? Like many folks living in the Bay Area, Ben and I don't have any extended families living in the Bay Area. I came to the Bay Area to...
merryyen1Nov 12, 20214 minLove with Vigor, Laugh with Glee I celebrated my 45th birthday last month. 45. It seems unreal. I remember turning 44, vaguely. I sort of remember 36 and 40, that’s when...
merryyen1Sep 24, 20213 minNew Life, Who Dis? Ever since I stopped working for Big Tech, I found myself ever-stepping into a more traditional mom/wife role: I take my 2 boys to school...
merryyen1Sep 16, 20215 minWe LOVE San Francisco!! 2021 Labor Day Weekend Trip Report In my late 20s (after I started working at Google), I learned about Burning Man. I heard that it’s basically one giant party in the...
merryyen1Sep 3, 20215 minWe love the NEW Great Wolf Lodge (in Manteca!) Just in time for Labor Day Weekend… Here’s a trip report from our visit to The Great Wolf Lodge in Manteca! In 2020 we visited the one in...
merryyen1Aug 25, 20214 minBe Kind, Decline (the extra stuff) As a person who came of age in the 90's, I have fond memories of visiting Blockbuster Video on Friday nights, strolling through the isles...
merryyen1Aug 20, 20214 minThe Schlep (AKA oh $h!* who's picking up the kids today??) Starting next week we’re making a BIG change in our family. We’re moving my littlest one (A) to his brother’s school, starting on Monday....
merryyen1Aug 7, 20217 minSo, your husband is a great guy.....This post is in response to another post on the FB Moms In Tech group. The post was around that women tends to do most/all of the...
merryyen1Aug 2, 20213 minBrave So, recently a strange thing has been happening to me…. Whenever I tell people I left Google to start my own business, a common response...
merryyen1Jul 28, 20213 minROAD TRIP!!!!!!!So, I’ll start by saying that we’re not road trip people. I don’t enjoy driving in general, and longer distance driving seems like...
merryyen1Jun 19, 20213 minChange is always going to be hardSo the Be Merry page has been quiet for a bit because there are big changes happening in my life. After 18+ years working for one of...
merryyen1May 27, 20213 minKeeping our sanity, one date night at a timeWhen Ben and I decided to get married, right after we booked a venue and booked an event planner…… we found a marriage counselor. We...
merryyen1May 20, 20215 minLessons from the Pandemic, Part 1 With increased vaccination rates comes more reopening of places, offices, and activities. As we step back (or forward?) into our new...
merryyen1May 12, 20212 minSpring time in Northern CaliforniaI don't know about you, but I'm a sucker for Spring time in Northern California. As wild flowers carpet the hillsides, citrus trees...
merryyen1May 6, 20213 minWhat do you want for Mother's Day?For many moms, they say what they think is the right thing to say: "Anything you make would be lovely!" "I'd love a nice breakfast!" "How...
merryyen1Apr 22, 20214 minSummer is coming..... Let's talk about camps I know in calendar time we’re in the midst of Spring -- we just celebrated Easter, in gardens and yards across California, flowers and...
merryyen1Apr 14, 20215 minHow to not hate your husband when you're on vacation?To start, let’s say: A “family trip” is where the parent and the children travel together to a destination. The parents are with the kids...
merryyen1Mar 30, 20215 minEverybody's Gotta Eat! Even before pandemic times, the question of dinner (what to make, when to make it - or more specifically, when do I have time to make it)...
merryyen1Mar 24, 20214 minDate Nights during the Pandemic, but HOW???It's been a looong year, and we're all exhausted. You could probably use a night off, whether it's to go soak in a tub, go out to dinner...