How you can hack a TV console and make a play kitchen
Back in the very recent past, TVs were big bulky things that played cassettes (also very bulky) via large awkward contraptions. This whole set-up took up a lot of space, and consoles like these were pretty ubiquitous. Chances are, you know someone who one that’s not being used — or you could cruise a thrift store and find plenty. In fact, I scored this one for $18 at a local shop.
They might just be one of the hottest families in the universe
I was going through the photos in the Flickr pool for next week’s Montage when BOOM: my eyes landed on this delightful little mini-feast of beauty and love. There are so many things to discuss: how the mom is so lively and has amazing dreads, how the three kidlets are so stylin’ I can’t handle it, and how the dad definitely has a mild Johnny Depp thing going on.
Embracing toddlerhood in all of its bedazzled, pop-star-inspired incarnations
My foster son Noah dances like a bedazzled, hormone-charged pop star. His foray into mock super-stardom is very likely the result of being babysat all summer along with his hyper-girlie cousin who is six years old going on 16, and his four-year-old sister who emulates everything said older cousin does. Noah is regularly subjected to marathon sessions of trying to nail down the choreography in Miley Cyrus’s “Hoedown Throwdown” and other tween delights.
Some people get things and some people don’t: how do you explain privilege to your kids?
I’m curious: how do various offbeat parents explain privilege to your kids? Not the “you’ve lost your computer privileges for the day, young lady!” kind of privilege, but the kind of privilege we talk about in social justice work: advantages our society hands to people based on their (perceived or actual) identities and experiences.
Why two men went from New York to India and back to become parents
Brian and I yearned to have a child of our own for years. We explored our options via surrogacy both nationally and internationally. Here in the United States we were deep into the process of surrogacy. It was extremely costly, time consuming, and emotionally taxing. Our attempt at conceiving through different surrogates failed six times. Our funds were dry.
Yep, I’m THAT mom: my story of extended breastfeeding one kid while pregnant with another
My daughter will be two-and-a-half in November. She goes to gymnastics, attends preschool classes, and has been diaper-free for months. She also still nurses. She doesn’t nurse much, and she doesn’t nurse long, but every few hours, up to a few times a day, she will ask for “a quick sip.”
My experience being pregnant while serving in the US Navy
Being a woman in a male hyper-sexual environment is difficult enough, but being pregnant is a whole new story. I was serving on board a US Navy command ship in Yoosuka, Japan, as an electronics technician when I found out I was pregnant. The field I worked in put me with an all-male workforce — it took me almost a year to be seen as a hard worker and as an equal. I pretty much dominated my job. I was the best of the best.
Post-apocalyptic zombie-slaying family portrait session
Jessica at Bakan Photography recently worked a whole lotta bloody magic when she shot this zombie-slaying-themed family session. We first heard about this shoot from a reader (thanks, Katie!) and then we got an email directly from the mama of the family, photographer Jennifer Owen.