Tangent: Attachment Parenting My daughter is considering residential camps for this summer. She’s done day camps since she was five years old, but sleep-away camp is uncharted territory for us, and we’re all kind of feeling our way around with this one. When we were expectant parents, my spouse and I made a conscious decisionContinue reading “TBR List Declutter, Issue 43”
Tag Archives: Family Life
Nursery Song
Today, my daughter recounted for us a story she’d read about a pregnant woman who put headphones on her belly so her baby could listen to music. When my children stopped laughing, I told them I’d done just that when I was pregnant the first time. I’d read somewhere that if you play a song for yourContinue reading “Nursery Song”
Everyday Blessings by Myla and Jon Kabat-Zinn
I borrowed this book from my friend Melanie ages ago (about three years ago, I think). I started it right away after I borrowed it, and while I appreciated the Kabat-Zinns’ perspective, the book didn’t really hold my interest. I’d been through those difficult early years with my kids, and while the suggestions were good,Continue reading “Everyday Blessings by Myla and Jon Kabat-Zinn”
Summer Lessons
A few weeks ago I was tucking my daughter into bed when she said, almost in tears, “Mommy, this has been an awful summer!” That afternoon, I’d made an error in judgment and let her ride her bike up the hill on our street. She’d only learned to ride a few days before. When she askedContinue reading “Summer Lessons”
Motherhood and Planned Obsolescence
People write about “leaning in” and “opting out,” and I just feel entirely outside of that conversation. Ever since I was a little girl, the only thing I’ve really aspired to is motherhood. I had other careers in mind—waitress, clown, firefighter, long-haul truck driver, writer—but those were always secondary to being a mom.
Homeschool – A Day in the Life, Part III: Balance
In Part I, I gave an overview of our homeschooling lives. In Part II, I provided information about the materials we use and how we chose them. In this post, I tackle the thorny issue of maintaining balance while the kids are learning at home. One of the biggest difficulties I have with homeschooling is balance.Continue reading “Homeschool – A Day in the Life, Part III: Balance”
Amateur Parenting
I think my parents misrepresented adulthood. I grew up with the sense that adults knew things. Adults had answers. They not only understood the way the world worked, but they also possessed some level of power over the workings of that world. But as an adult myself, I find this not to be the case.Continue reading “Amateur Parenting”
“These Are My People.”
This post was written as a response to this week’s Weekly Writing Challenge from The Daily Post. I’ve been asking around, both in person and online, for people’s opinions about children in public. The consensus seems to be that children are people and should be permitted to go to any place that people are allowedContinue reading ““These Are My People.””
The Hidden Gifts of Homeschooling
The idea of being with my children all of the time was one of the things that gave me pause when I first considered homeschooling. I was convinced of the value of homeschooling based on all of the logical reasons I outlined earlier, but I doubted whether I would be able to rise to theContinue reading “The Hidden Gifts of Homeschooling”
The Well-Known, Unknown Homeschooler
As a homeschooler, I’ve been feeling a little nervous with all of the news reports and blog posts (like this one and this one) that are coming up making a big deal about the fact that Todd Akin and his wife homeschooled their children. The argument goes that the majority of homeschoolers are evangelical, ultra-right-wing wackosContinue reading “The Well-Known, Unknown Homeschooler”
