Category Archive

Families

Our sister site Offbeat Mama launched in 2009, became Offbeat Families in 2012, and was merged into Offbeat Home & Life in 2015. This archive contains all the posts ever published on those sites! We believe that while children change your life forever, being around kids doesn’t necessitate abandoning your identity. We believe in supporting and inspiring parents and caregivers who are moving beyond mainstream visions of parenting. We welcome anyone who’s interested in families, whether you’re pre-parental, in the process of becoming a parent, or choosing to live childfree.

Create a stamp from your kid’s art

My sweetheart’s goddaughter Avery turned four this weekend and we were lucky enough to score an invite to her birthday party at the zoo. I’ve been trying to include some small homemade element in gifts I give to make them more personal, but I wasn’t sure what to make for Avery… then I had an idea. Stamps! Kids love stamps, I love stamps — it was perfect.

Getting crafty with a toddler: flower press fun

I’m trying to come up with creative things my two-year-old and I can do together at home. I feel like I’ve been a little too focused on go-go-going all the time (mostly because he developed a habit of asking “Go in yellow car now?” each morning) and not really making sure that he’s cool with just… kicking it at the homestead. I wanted something we could do no matter what the weather was like, and then it hit me — a flower press!

How can we honor friends and family who helped during our NICU experience?

After the birth of our twins at 27 weeks our friends, family and coworkers really banned together to help us get through what was the worst period of our lives. Our twins are now five-months-old, and we want to do something to celebrate the people who are still very actively involved in all of our lives. How do I ever thank them and make sure they know that they are our babies’ extended family?

Convincing my five-year-old daughter that boys can like pink

We’re friends with a family with a somewhat gender-variant son, Q, who likes pink and wears his hair long. Our five-year-old daughter, Leigh, has played with Q a few times, and thinks he’s fabulous, and specifically asks if we can play with him again after we see them. She also insists that he is a girl.

DIY your own foam battle gear for your little ninja

I have discovered that foam is an awesome replacement for what could potentially be a dangerous object. It’s malleable, flexible, strong, lightweight, and unless you take it directly to the eye (which could happen with any toy), it’s pretty darn safe. I like to use either thin pool noodles, which are readily available at most discount chains during the late spring and summer, or pipe insulation foam, which is found year round at the hardware store; it comes in a variety of thicknesses so you can choose the one that suits you best.

A Sweeney Todd photo shoot — starring kids

I’ve always wanted to do a Sweeney Todd photo shoot, but starring myself — it’s never occurred to me that KIDS would be even more awesome! Check out these photos…

If I have my baby at home, what will my neighbors think of the noise?

Ideally, I would like a midwife-assisted home birth, but we live in a condo unit where the sound carries through the ceiling. What steps should I take to ensure we are good neighbors should we decide to go through with this?

Swedish goth moms blog too, y’all

We got a link a few weeks ago from reader Tearsong about Adora BatBrat, a “self-proclaimed goth version of Martha Stewart.” SAY WHAAAAAAAAAT! She’s named her kids after synthesizers (Synthia, Fairlight, and TeeBee), and blogs about everything from having a goth party for her eight-year-old to being a model, so a lot of ground is covered.