Life after ditching my smart phone
We were just like any other couple with smart phones: checked in on Facebook or Foursquare, had work emails set up so we looked at them way too often, shared funny photos and spent part of work surfing the internet. Then it all changed. We ditched our smart phones and have lived to tell the tale.
I am Deaf, my partner is hearing, and we’re about to have a baby
I do know that I will love my child, and so will both sides of the family, Deaf and hearing, regardless of whether they are born deaf or hearing. I know that we will adapt and I will, along with the child, learn better communication with everyone. I know this child will be a joy and a terror. This child will experience love and loneliness no matter where they go in life, and I will try to teach them to embrace the good and bad, and to accept or fight against certain situations. I try to explain this to my partner, and I try not to worry.
Labels vs. Constellations: sexuality for the next generation
A chosen or assigned label like “male,” “female,” “straight,” or “gay” will still never do justice to the wholeness of any human being, so why boil people down to those categories? It’s not about political correctness; it’s about a bigger-picture awareness of the fact that humans are fascinating multi-faceted beings.
Throw this party: A Midsummer night’s shindig
In the Northern Hemisphere, we’re nearing the summer solstice. Balmy nights, cheerful crickets and dewy grass beg us to head outside and celebrate the season. Midsummer has its roots in Northern European cultures, though it’s celebrated all over the world in some form or another, whether as a religious or secular holiday time. Some of the celebrations happen on the date of the actual summer solstice while others fall anywhere between June 19 and June 26. Want to host a Midsummer celebration? Here’s some tips:
On refusing to let your kids take over your life
I want my daughter to see that I am happy with my life now. I want her to understand on a fundamental level that she deserves happiness, too. And, I want her to be able to handle life’s obstacles as a confident and capable individual… Preferably one who doesn’t grow up to live in my basement.
How can I protect my mailbox?
I’ve noticed that many mailboxes in my area get destroyed by kids driving by and smashing them with baseball bats. How can I protect my mailbox?
One-lowsmanship, money anxieties, and being a work in progress
There is a great article that John Cheese wrote about what growing up poor does to your brain. It’s pretty dead-on. One of the things is that when you have extra money, the desire is to spend it RIGHT NOW before some disaster happens and you have to use it to take care of that instead. For years, that was me. And then, after lots of soul searching and hard lessons, I went so far the opposite direction that my cheapness probably qualifies as a mental illness.
Little Free Libraries: Restore your faith in humanity, one book at a time
I’m totally falling in love with the Little Free Libraries. The idea is so simple, it actually works: take a book, return a book. It’s cute, it’s clever. It brings a community together, it promotes literacy. Here’s how they work…