1.6k June 21, 2018 Swinging: an insider's perspective (plus how it differs from polyamory!) I've been seeing lots of awesome posts about polyamory and ethical non-monogamy. I wanted to offer some thoughts on a variation that I haven't seen talked much about yet: swinging. Swinging or, "the lifestyle," as we often refer to it with each other (sometimes indicated by a black ring on the right ring finger for those who like to advertise their proclivity), is one subculture among many with countless variations and expressions. Here is my personal perspective… Read More June 20, 2018 A reminder in difficult times: Love is an extraordinary and beautiful thing Each person expresses and feels love in many ways. We love people in our lives with different kinds of love — the love for a child, a parent, friends, and lovers. Each love is defined and felt in personal ways depending on who receives it. I have loved many people in many ways in my lifetime. Loving someone is a selfless endeavor. To love someone is to bare your soul. To trust that person with the deepest parts of you. Love is gentle and selfless and kind. Here's a reminder about love in these difficult times… Read More 1.4k June 18, 2018 I'm a tattooed, blue-haired mom dealing with mental health stigma: do I need to tone down my look? I'm a tattooed mom with blue hair who loves her family and teenage kids and live in a home full of love. Recently we've been working through challenges relating to mental illness — minor but requiring therapy and medication. I've lost some friends over it, people who could overlook the superficial style stuff, until it seemed less superficial. My wardrobe has toned down a LOT in the six years we've lived here — but should I go back to being a brunette who tends to stick with long sleeves in the summer for the sake of my teen daughters? Read More 1.0k June 15, 2018 "Are you a boy or a girl?" How do you explain gender to a child? My kiddo is biologically male, but when kids ask him if he's a boy or girl, he says, "I'm me. I'm a person." Kids, however, don't accept this answer and pester him to the point of tears. I don't know how to tell him the difference between boys and girls, or if I want to tell him that there is a difference at all (besides anatomically). How do you explain gender to a four-year-old? Read More 10 Comments June 13, 2018 Partner bashing: Are you venting about your partner too much? Partner bashing (in my case, husband bashing, though it's not limited to heterosexual couples by any means) is one of my biggest pet peeves. I notice it happens a lot in mom groups; women get together and complain loudly about their husbands. I recognize the importance of venting, but is it ever too much? Read More 1234…400
June 20, 2018 A reminder in difficult times: Love is an extraordinary and beautiful thing Each person expresses and feels love in many ways. We love people in our lives with different kinds of love — the love for a child, a parent, friends, and lovers. Each love is defined and felt in personal ways depending on who receives it. I have loved many people in many ways in my lifetime. Loving someone is a selfless endeavor. To love someone is to bare your soul. To trust that person with the deepest parts of you. Love is gentle and selfless and kind. Here's a reminder about love in these difficult times… Read More 1.4k June 18, 2018 I'm a tattooed, blue-haired mom dealing with mental health stigma: do I need to tone down my look? I'm a tattooed mom with blue hair who loves her family and teenage kids and live in a home full of love. Recently we've been working through challenges relating to mental illness — minor but requiring therapy and medication. I've lost some friends over it, people who could overlook the superficial style stuff, until it seemed less superficial. My wardrobe has toned down a LOT in the six years we've lived here — but should I go back to being a brunette who tends to stick with long sleeves in the summer for the sake of my teen daughters? Read More 1.0k June 15, 2018 "Are you a boy or a girl?" How do you explain gender to a child? My kiddo is biologically male, but when kids ask him if he's a boy or girl, he says, "I'm me. I'm a person." Kids, however, don't accept this answer and pester him to the point of tears. I don't know how to tell him the difference between boys and girls, or if I want to tell him that there is a difference at all (besides anatomically). How do you explain gender to a four-year-old? Read More 10 Comments June 13, 2018 Partner bashing: Are you venting about your partner too much? Partner bashing (in my case, husband bashing, though it's not limited to heterosexual couples by any means) is one of my biggest pet peeves. I notice it happens a lot in mom groups; women get together and complain loudly about their husbands. I recognize the importance of venting, but is it ever too much? Read More 1234…400
1.4k June 18, 2018 I'm a tattooed, blue-haired mom dealing with mental health stigma: do I need to tone down my look? I'm a tattooed mom with blue hair who loves her family and teenage kids and live in a home full of love. Recently we've been working through challenges relating to mental illness — minor but requiring therapy and medication. I've lost some friends over it, people who could overlook the superficial style stuff, until it seemed less superficial. My wardrobe has toned down a LOT in the six years we've lived here — but should I go back to being a brunette who tends to stick with long sleeves in the summer for the sake of my teen daughters? Read More 1.0k June 15, 2018 "Are you a boy or a girl?" How do you explain gender to a child? My kiddo is biologically male, but when kids ask him if he's a boy or girl, he says, "I'm me. I'm a person." Kids, however, don't accept this answer and pester him to the point of tears. I don't know how to tell him the difference between boys and girls, or if I want to tell him that there is a difference at all (besides anatomically). How do you explain gender to a four-year-old? Read More 10 Comments June 13, 2018 Partner bashing: Are you venting about your partner too much? Partner bashing (in my case, husband bashing, though it's not limited to heterosexual couples by any means) is one of my biggest pet peeves. I notice it happens a lot in mom groups; women get together and complain loudly about their husbands. I recognize the importance of venting, but is it ever too much? Read More 1234…400
1.0k June 15, 2018 "Are you a boy or a girl?" How do you explain gender to a child? My kiddo is biologically male, but when kids ask him if he's a boy or girl, he says, "I'm me. I'm a person." Kids, however, don't accept this answer and pester him to the point of tears. I don't know how to tell him the difference between boys and girls, or if I want to tell him that there is a difference at all (besides anatomically). How do you explain gender to a four-year-old? Read More 10 Comments June 13, 2018 Partner bashing: Are you venting about your partner too much? Partner bashing (in my case, husband bashing, though it's not limited to heterosexual couples by any means) is one of my biggest pet peeves. I notice it happens a lot in mom groups; women get together and complain loudly about their husbands. I recognize the importance of venting, but is it ever too much? Read More 1234…400
10 Comments June 13, 2018 Partner bashing: Are you venting about your partner too much? Partner bashing (in my case, husband bashing, though it's not limited to heterosexual couples by any means) is one of my biggest pet peeves. I notice it happens a lot in mom groups; women get together and complain loudly about their husbands. I recognize the importance of venting, but is it ever too much? Read More 1234…400