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.

Stomach tattoo + pregnancy = ???

“I’m pregnant! …but what about my tattoo?” Ok, this was not my first thought, but as a bellydancer, it was an unavoidable one.

How to find the perfect midwife or OBGYN for your birth

You have mentioned the necessity of finding a health practitioner you trust and feel a connection with. Do you have any tips for how to go about this? Are there particular questions you recommend asking to help “screen” potential midwives and doctors? Any responses that should trigger a warning? The very first step is to […]

Slings, rings, and all these things — how baby wearing can save your sanity

I think kangaroos are definitely onto something! Aside from the Baby Bjorn, baby wearing was a completely new concept to me before having a child. I thought when I had a baby that I’d be able to lay him down on the floor with a toy and then go about my day as I always […]

Why are mamas so obsessed with cloth diapers?

First, let me say this: we are using cloth diapers. I like cloth diapers! Several of my friends are cloth diapers! Now that we’ve established that … I am genuinely confused by how genuinely obsessive many mamas are about cloth diapering. There are multiple online communities dedicated to cloth diapering discussion, swaps, and drama. There […]

Handmade dinosaur bed for kid’s room

This may take some serious carpentry and creative skills, but your little dinosaur-lover would “snap” at the chance to sleep here. The textured face… oh, and the way the mural on the back wall extends the body… those vicious teeth! What a flippin’ fantastic themed bedroom. This sure beats the heck out of my Strawberry […]

How to dye your kid’s hair

This wonderful photo of Dylan from sadiemayb, reminded me of a post SJ over at i, asshole wrote about how to dye your kid’s hair. Should work for blue mohawks!

Cort hunts AND paints his daughter’s fingernails

Every week on Offbeat Mama, we express our appreciation for dads everywhere by featuring photos of hottie DILFs. Here’s this week’s papa … oh and PS: Let us oggle your partner! My partner, Cort and I have been together since high school. We have two gorgeous kids who get their looks from their daddy. He […]

A premature baby can change your entire birth plan

Our baby, Jasper, was born on 27 March 2009 in Portland, Oregon. My husband and I moved to Portland in December of 2008, and I hooked up with the nurse midwives at OHSU for our birth shortly thereafter. Before going into his birth story, let me preface this by saying that my husband, Sean, and […]