Lela Davidson's Blog, page 9

Packing the Playroom

We’re moving. It’s painful, and not just because of the boxes and the arguments over precisely the right moment to pack the living room lamps. While packing the playroom, I found the sole remainder of the Whore Barbie.I’m not sentimental. As I packed, most of the toys we had been holding onto, for no other reason than because it was easier to shove them in a drawer than give them a proper burial, landed in one of many plastic trash bags. But a few things I could not throw away.

I kept the Fish...

Stages of Re-Entry: Mom Goes Back to Work

I’ve been writing lately about my new job and how exciting it is. But change is hard and the whole family has been adjusting to the new schedule and responsibilities. Some days are so easy I wonder what all my fuss is about. Others make me realize how hard the “working moms” have been working all these years. I’m in awe of all of us. Calendars and schedules aside, there’s an emotional ride to these readjustments as well.I believe I’ve stumbled upon the five stages of re-entry.

Thrill and Terro...

Back to Work, Back to School, and Being Miss September

The summer shaped up to be busier than expected. I spent a lot of time writing, helping VolunteerSpot get the word out about their amazing resource, and ended up in a brand new job. Here are a few highlights from August.

I was interviewed by CNN’s fabulous Kelly Wallace about work-life balance from a working-at-home mom perspective.

Take the case of Lela Davidson, whose children are 13 and 15 and who has been working from home as apublished author, freelance writer and bloggersince her children...

Advice for JLo and Other Would-Be Room Moms

Celebrity gossip sites buzzed last spring as Jennifer Lopez shopped elite private schools for her 5-year-old twins, Max and Emme.TMZ reportedthat the megastar was considering the prestigious Buckley school and many headlines screamed surprise at the $33,000 annual tuition per child.

Whichever school Lopez decides is best for her new kindergarteners, we think she’d make a fantastic room mom. Here are a few words of wisdom from the trenches, for JLo and every other mom volunteer, too.

Keep it sim...

Get Your Notable Southern Writer Right Here

I have been holding onto this one for a while, waiting for them to update the website, in part because I didn’t believe it could possibly be true. Surely they’d wise up. Because this is bigger than conference clarity. It’s bigger than my fabulous new job.

This is NPR. (

Tales from the South. It’s official on their website and they can’t take it back now. I’m officially Southern, or a Southern writer, at least. (Hey, I qualify. I checked.) If you’re anywhere near Little Rock, Arkansas, please co...

Farewell, Bonbons, Momma Got a Job

What a week it’s been. Two actually. I am delighted to let you know that last week I joined the marketing team at Acumen Brands. If you’re not local to Northwest Arkansas you probably don’t know that we are building a world-class e-commerce business right here in the Ozarks. (You probably don’t know what the Ozarks are either, but we forgive you.) Acumen is home to Country Outfitter and Maple & West, along with a army of talent on steroids.

But, Lela, you sit around in yoga pants making smart...

Good Day, Northwest Arkansas!

Okay, so it’s really Good Day, Chicago, but we talked teens and social media, not the Sears Tower, so I thought you might like to see. Just pretend the gorgeous Anna Davlantes is Neile Jones and we’re reporting live from Dickson Street instead of the windy city.

This is where I was two weeks ago today. What a difference two weeks makes. More on that soon enough. For now, watch the video segment to find out my stance on teens and all their screens, and how to keep kids safe in real life, includ...

Clarity in the Chaos, BlogHer13 Delivered

On a clear day you can probably see Alaska from the top of the John Hancock building in Chicago. That’s where I spent my first night of the most beneficial conference I have ever attended. Yes, BlogHer, even with the madness and drama, the overloaded schedule and under-rested body, provided a clarity I have never experienced in a conference setting, or maybe anywhere else. I know we’re all supposed to be cool and jaded and bitch about the food and the air conditioning and the parties we didn’...

Organization Obsession: Zip Pouches Inside My Bags

For the last two years I have been searching for the ultimate handbag/tote/computer bag organization. Because I am all about the home organization porn. And now I’ve found it. Forgive me if I’m the last to know about the absolute MAGIC of zippered pouches, but it is often like that with me. After years of searching for bags to go inside of bags, bags that would hold my computer without making me look like Tess from Working Girl (not that there’s anything wrong with that, love you 1986 Melanie...

Top 10 Reasons to Skip the Speedo

Recently I offered some friendly advice about circumstances that might call forretiring the bikini. After that post I received several requests for similar advice for men. Specifically, when is a good time NOT to wear a Speedo. You know, except NEVER. In my opinion there is only one good reason for a man to sport a dickini. In fact, I’m confused as to why the world supply of Speedos is more than ten. We’ve all seen the scrot-totes slithering down the beach, the nut-huggers polluting the pool....