Are you a “hard” or “soft” parent?
Ariel’s post on Offbeat Empire about being a hard boss got me thinking: could the same principles be applied to parenting? I’ve always hoped I’d be the kind of parent who is strict in certain ways about manners and trying your best at school and in your hobbies, but I know I’ll be very permissive in other areas, encouraging creativity and freedom in certain ways that mainstream society might look down on.
I want to believe: it’s time for an alien abduction maternity shoot
When it comes to maternity photography, I really dig on sessions that leave you with fifty or so photos of magical baby-on-the-way splendor. Or… I thought I did, until I saw the three photos from this alien abduction maternity shoot produced by digital genius ND Photography.
A middle school teacher’s thoughts about teenagers and Banned Books Week
On top of using banned books as enticement to read, I find them an amazing conversation starter. In discussing why a book was banned, conversations about politics and societies and freedom of speech and value systems and personal freedom and religion and appropriateness spring up in classrooms where before there were only crickets. I always walk away from these conversations impressed by the thoughtfulness of adolescents.
A photo tour of Ms. Graveyard Dirt’s day off
MGD is a witch living in the UK, where she gardens, cooks, and salvages the dead animals she comes across. Here, she gives us a tour of one day this summer. -Cat
How playing a Star Wars video game helped my parenting skills
There is no “reload” button on life, no restarting quests if you screw up a step, no taking back what you said if you’ve said it and realized the outcome was less than desirable. But you do get to do all of that in video games! I admit, I take advantage of the luxury in video game just to satisfy my curiosity on the possible outcomes. Sometimes the answers are really obvious, but there are some situations that require much thought (and system saving) before venturing forth on a decision.
All you need to entertain your kids are marshmallows, sticks, and a free hour or two
With fall and winter weather on the way, I start to collect ideas for indoor projects that will keep my kids busy for longer then five minutes. This simple activity is perfect and the materials are readily available and cheap. You simply need toothpicks, mini-marshmallows, and willing hands!
How do you tell your kid you’re an atheist?
How do you have the atheist talk? We don’t believe in any religion, therefore we don’t have any literature, examples, or classes to give him. We tried to explain what other people think “god” is, but just couldn’t find the words to describe it. He ended up thinking that there is a god who is a magician who lies to people, which is not what we want him to think.
Breastfeeding without the milk (using the Supplemental Nursing System)
I waited for my breasts to change the nine(ish) months I was pregnant — to grow or change in some way. I knew that they didn’t always get larger during pregnancy, but I never really experienced anything at all in the way of breast changes. The only time I remember any breast-related pregnancy symptom was having tender nipples once or twice — it was uncomfortable, but secretly I was cheering on the inside because I was worried about the lack of changes. One more than one occasion I did wonder out loud if I would have milk production issues since my breasts were not showing any indication that they would be up to the task.