My hopelessly-hooked-on-Craigslist home tour
We moved in a month ago and have worked extremely hard to make it feel like a home. We are strong believers in “reduce, reuse and recycle” and try to apply it to our home as much as possible. We tend to shop at thrift stores and garage sales — and love a good Craigslist deal. Take a look around and I hope you find inspiration in what you see.
How can I easily navigate the transition back to working outside the home?
I’m getting ready to go back to work, but here’es the catch: I haven’t done paid work in six years. I am feeling so anxious about every step of the process: proving that even though I didn’t get paid, I’ve built skills steadily along the way; learning how to get back into the groove of dealing with co-workers; what might make the transition easier for me and my two sons, right down to wondering what professional women wear nowadays.
The Incident: my son was bullied for having gay parents
A few months back, I wrote that my son had never been bullied at his Texas public school. Perhaps it was inevitable, given that Waylon is in third grade now, but a week or two later there was an incident. The story unfolded over dinner at our favorite neighborhood Texmex restaurant. Waylon was well into his second bean and cheese taco when he broached the subject. “Mom, B– said that being gay is bad.”
I’m a grownup who loves kid decor
Circo? Is that a kid’s brand? It had some circus-y merchandise around it, sure, but certainly I didn’t buy something aimed at kids again, did I? Yep, that’s my burden. To search the world for elephant-shaped mugs and eyepatch-wearing bird art. Hi. I’m Superman, and I buy children’s decor but have no children (that I know about).
I want a doula, but my partner doesn’t. What to do?
I’m only 13 weeks, so this is super early, but I’ve been thinking about how much I’d like a doula with me during labor. I’m not super crunchy, but I plan on having an unmedicated birth and I’m really happy with my choice in hospital and doctor. However, I also think a doula would provide even more support and make it as close to the experience that we want as possible.
Tips for helping your family rock at music festivals
A common passion that my husband, Eric, and I have is seeing live music. We enjoy festivals in particular because we can see a bunch of bands during the weekend and possibly become a new fan. We decided that just because we have a baby didn’t mean our love for live music had to change — so we just started taking her with us!
How do you create a village for your child when you don’t have a network?
My partner and I are considering having children sometime in the next few years, but the question of “community” has been holding us back. We both grew up in religious households but we are pretty much agnostic. However, we both know how powerful that supporting community can be.
My four-year-old son and his eggplant sibling
So my pregnancy ticker tells me week by week how big my new baby is in relation to produce. My nearly four-year-old son loves it. He’s an on-hands learner (His grandmother the teacher says it’s a ‘kinesthetic learner’) and it gives him a tactile idea of how big our new wiggly addition to the family has grown. He asks me constantly how big the baby is now and really grasps the process of growing with the progression of fruits and veggies.