I hate my nickname and just can’t shake it
My name is Catherine. I was named after my maternal grandmother who went by “Kitty.” When my mother was looking to nickname me as a baby (since I guess that’s what you do with more formal names?), she settled on “Cathy” since she felt that something like “Cate” was too weird. And Cathy stuck. Forever. Despite my first attempt to change it back at the age of eight and the many (many) attempts after. I just can’t shake this name that I don’t like and with which I don’t identify…
Distance is only physical: How to make the most of your out-of-state family members
No matter who is a part of your valued clan, they are likely people who mean something to you and with whom you enjoy spending time in one way or another. So what do you do when they are spread out over the coast, country, or even world? I’m here to tell you how to make the most of this common situation…
Let’s talk about the silence and uncertainty of possible infertility
I’d started off so optimistic… I was healthy and young, of course I’d get pregnant today or sometime soon. The longer it took, the less I believed that or my doctors reassurance. My mind became wrapped in a negativity I’d never known before.
It is absolutely, positively, fantastic that there is a growing movement of woman making it more socially acceptable to talk about infertility. What we’re not talking about is what comes before that. The months of uncertainty, of wondering if you’re infertile…
My husband wants space and I don’t. Are we doomed?
My husband and I have been together for three years and always struggled with the balance of personal space. I don’t need to be alone at all — in fact I hate it. He is the opposite and thinks we should live apart, feels smothered…
How can our relationship survive if he doesn’t want to be around me 90% of the time? Isn’t him wanting to live separately just the first step in ending the relationship? Or is it already over, and I’m refusing to acknowledge it?
Go off-brand & black-ops: How to have a baby on the cheap
Three days before I found out I was pregnant with my first baby, in an example of worst-timing-ever, I quit my job. Now nine months of being pregnant, broke, and bored loomed ahead. After the first (but not last) major panic attack was over, we realized we would have to become money-saving ninjas, embracing the second hand, the cheap and the wonky, and we would cope.
So now I’m in my second pregnancy, I’d like to share how we managed to keep down the costs of preparing for a newborn…
Shit. I think I may be non-monogamous. Now what?
I can’t deny it. I feel strong pulls to be emotionally, and perhaps down the road, physically involved with other men with whom I’ve developed emotional connections.
I recently told all of this to my husband. He met me with open arms and respects my feelings. But I don’t know how to sort through these feelings I’m having towards a new lifestyle…
When it’s necessary to overrule a child’s “no touching” requests
I am a pediatric nurse, and I was just worrying the other day about the message I was sending to a four-year-old girl during a treatment. She very clearly said “no,” but of course it was necessary for us to treat her (nasal suctioning — totally not fun!).
I would love to hear more suggestions from parents about what works when it is necessary to overrule a child’s wishes about their bodies.
4 ways to survive being an accidental stay at home mom
I am an accidental stay-at-home mom. It’s not all roses however, as there was a learning curve to the two of us being home all day together. My husband now jokes that he was certain he would come home one day and my son and I would have divided the house in half with tape and claimed territories!
All joking aside, there are some great ways to help make the transition easier and to break the monotony of it all…