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Cindy Droog
The Stay-at-Work Mom
Cindy Droog is a writer, wife, mom, volunteer mentor, crazy Cleveland Indians fan, dog lover, corporate lackey, reader of multiple books at once, Parrothead, NPR addict and many other things.

She hails from the shores of Ole’ Lake Erie, where she spent her youth building intricate - and sadly, very temporary, ice igloos - which prepared her for life as a public relations professional and the fickle spotlight. She also did a lot of laughing at herself, working at Kentucky Fried Chicken and planning her escape - often all at once. After a few big-city stops along the way, she got as far as Grand Rapids, Michigan, proud home to the U.S. leg of the Dutch Mafia. She now lives there with her hubby Tom, sons A.J. and Alec, and the cat.

She started writing in the first grade, just like everyone else, but later, managed to graduate from the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University. Her weekly column, The Stay-At-Work Mom, is one of her earliest forays into writing under her own name, after spending years ghostwriting for doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, hockey players, and others whose intelligence – or recurring head injuries – paralyzed their ability to communicate with the common folk.

She's an accredited public relations professional who does guest lectures on the subject when bribed, and she also writes for Grand Rapids Magazine, Be Healthy Magazine and Michigan Blue and volunteers for three local non-profit organizations, the Grand Rapids Community Media Center, Mixed Greens and the Grand Rapids Schools of Hope program.

In 2008, she intends to become the founder of the Let’s Ban PowerPoint Society and take on other projects, like say, cleaning her house.

 

Cindy's Previous Columns

 

Student Loan Paid Off: Creative Instincts Were Worth It - March 24, 2008

 

Unleashing Innovation During the Dog Days of Business - March 17, 2008

 

Bra In My Desk; If Only It Were That Exciting! - March 10, 2008

 

Arm-Wrestling: The Future of Corporate Decision Making - March 3, 2008

 

Percival Finds Plain Happiness - February 25, 2008

 

Rest in Peace, Chris; You Fought the Good Fight - February 18, 2008

 

From A (Amoxycillin) to Z: The Working Mom’s Alphabet - February 11, 2008

 

Gentlease Eases the Blow for Baby, But I’m Still Going Gently Into that Long Work Day - February 4, 2008

 

Brother vs. Brother; Boss vs. Boss - January 28, 2008

 

Sexiest Man Alive of 2008: Tom Droog - January 21, 2008

 

Edison and Franklin Invented Nothing; It Was Their Mothers! - January 14, 2008

 

Dreams of My Son’s Career: Brian Williams, Yes, a Cubicle, No - January 7, 2008

 

The Cookie Monster is Everywhere - December 31, 2007

 

Don’t Make Me Bobby Hurley! It’s the New Mom Work Dictionary - December 24, 2007

 

New Employee, and Baby Brother, Orientation - December 18, 2007

 

Large, But Not in Charge - December 10, 2007

It’s Broken, Mr. CEO; My Toddler Can Explain It To You - December 3, 2007

My Hall of Shame: Exploding Microwaves, Spilled Paint and Toenail Cutting Reminders - November 26, 2007

For My Son’s First Romantic Experience, No School-Issued Condoms Please - November 19, 2007

 Home or Work? Where Am I? - November 12, 2007

For the Pregnant Working Mom, These T-Shirts Have It Covered - November 5, 2007

Call Me Short All You Want, But Leave My Son Alone - October 29, 2007

 

OK, Doctor’s Office: From Now On I’m Showing Up Prepared - October 22, 2007

 

Trust Me, Corporate America, You Can Change Fast - October 15, 2007

 

Childhood Games. Corporate Games. They’re All the Same - October 1, 2007

 

Watch Where You Throw That Baseball; It Might Break My Project! - September 24, 2007

 

Like My Son, I Wanna Hold Your Hand - September 17, 2007

 

Pregnancy Experts, Where Am I Going Wrong? - September 10, 2007

 

Calling All Moms: Join the Cause to End the Corporate Book Club - September 3, 2007

 

Just Call Me Working Mother Goose - August 27, 2007

 

The Next Promotion I Seek: Mommy - August 20, 2007

 

Tiger Woods-Like Working Mother Perfection, Here I Come - August 13, 2007

 

I’m Reading Your Words, But I’m Seeing My Little Boy - August 6, 2007

 

Corporate America Needs New Holidays - July 30, 2007

Life as a Marathon: 26.2 Miles of Stair Climbing - July 23, 2007

Front-Page News for Fenders - July 16, 2007

 

Thanks to My Work ‘Parents,’ I Can Feel 17 Again - July 9, 2007

 
We Need Corporate Spirit Week - July 2, 2007
 
Cleveland Indians Help Me Laugh While My Dad is Dying - June 25, 2007
 
The Morning Drive is a Lot Like Parenting... I Hope I Don't Crash - June 18, 2007
 
Hey, You: Invent This! - June 11, 2007
 
I'd Save the World, But It's Not In My Job Title - June 4,  2007
 
Take Setbacks With a Grain of Salt, and a Dose of Sudoku - May 28, 2007
 
Season Finales: Coming Soon to a Corporation Near You - May 21, 2007
 
American Idol: My Fantasy Version - May 14, 2007
 
Nutrition, Yeah, Yeah... Let's Have Some Cookies! - May 7, 2007
 
The Perfect Graduation Gift: The Corporate See n' Say - April 30,2007
 
I Smell a Rat - A Packrat - April 23, 2007
 
Life in America: It All Comes Back to Pizza - April 16, 2007
 
Today, My Celebrity Life Begins - April 9, 2007
 
Life is Good the Breakers Way - April 2, 2007
 
The Return of The Ricker, or Ricky, or Rick - March 26, 2007
 
Marketing to Gen Y? Spare the Tornadic Swirl - March 19, 2007
 
Attention Mommy! Does Not Compute! - March 12, 2007
 
Wasting Away Again in Margameetingville - March 5, 2007
 
EBay: Strategies for Staying on the Wagon - February 26, 2007
 
Forget Monster.com: Let's Do It Bachelor-Auction Style - February 19, 2007
 
Don't Worry, Ray, I Won't Get Even With You, I Promise! - February 12, 2007
 
Here Lies Cindy Droog: Details and Analysis in Section E - February 5, 2007
 
Simon Cowell - Our Weapon of Mass Decision-Making - January 29, 2007
 
The Seven Habits of Highly Annoying People - January 22, 2007
 
Trust Me, Mr. Branson, My Plan Will Fly - January 15, 2007
 
Roommate Wanted? Read This First - January 8, 2007
 
Consider My Silence A Sign of Your Stupidity, Not Mine - January 1, 2007
 
First Date Follies of a Fair Female - December 18, 2006
 
All Of Life's Wisdom, And Fries With That - December 6, 2006
 
'Hello, I'm Glad I Can't Take Your Call' - November 29, 2006
 
Take Your Roller Coaster Seat and Reveal All - November 22, 2006
 
I Want My Two Dollars! - November 15, 2006
 
Forget Mr. Belding; I Need to Hear From J-Lo - November 8, 2006
 
Curb Appeal: Too Comfortable in My Own Skin - November 1, 2006
 
My Lists: Shorter Than Mitch's, But Hey, At Least You're Alive - October 18, 2006
 
Help Me Help You Help Me - October 11, 2006
 
Boardrooms of the Future:  Dumb TV Inc. - October 4, 2006
 
Time to Celebrate the Classically Uncouth - September 27, 2006
 
My Appeal to Science: The Ctrl/Alt/Delete Button for My Life - April 26, 2006
 
Failure Stories: Celebrate with Cindy - April 12, 2006
 
Indoctrinating My Child to Love the Mom Brand - March 8, 2006
 
My Pitchfork Isn't as Big as a Mop - February 22, 2006
 
Twenty-Somethings Kill Stick-In-The-Mud Woman - February 15, 2006
 
Yeah, I'm Pregnant; Now Spare Me the Horror Stories - February 1, 2006
 
TV Weather Reports: The Cause of All That Ails Us - January 11, 2006
 
Eight Simple, and I Mean Simple, Reasons to Celebrate the New Year - January 4, 2006
 
The Clones Lurk in the Shadows - And In My TV - December 28, 2005
 
No Forest, No Glen . . . It's Boring Street! - December 21, 2005
 
Lovemarks, Schmuvmarks - December 7, 2005
 
GOP, Dems: Face It, We're Married - November 30, 2005
 
Column of the Year - November 23, 2005
 
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Candace Talmadge
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Feature Writers
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David J. Pollay
Business Writers
Cindy Droog
D.F. Krause