Category Archive

People

“Homeowner”, “renter” or “squatter” – whatever the label, these occupants take the Offbeat wherever they go.

I saw my birthdaughter, she loves me

I recently saw my daughter for the first time in about a year. She turned 6 this past fall, is going to school, and looks just like me. She calls me by my name. I think if she ever called me her mother, I’d cry as I corrected her. She may be my daughter, but I am not her active parent, her active mother. I am her birthmom — not as a derogatory term, but simply as a clarification. A different type of mother.

The Bot’s Room

The illustrious blogger, soon-to-be mama and previously Offbeat Bride-featured Steampunk Bride,  The Pregonaut, did an AMAZING job with her little Bot’s room and was stoked to share it with us. Bask in the pop art glory awesomeness of these new digs! – Offbeat Shrie We’re at 38 weeks and the room is finally complete! Now […]

Calculated risk, or why I let my kid sleep on his stomach

I’m not stupid: I know that it’s recommended that infants sleep on their backs, and I understand why it’s recommended. SIDS is scary, terrifying stuff — and the fact it’s still mired in mystery means that there’s extra fear around it.

Yeah, so my son was born in the backseat of a taxi.

Summer wanted a natural childbirth free from medical interventions. Well, she got what she wanted, right there in the back of a taxi cab on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway.

Childproof your home — not your life

We baby proof our lives so much we get scared. We as parents want to protect our children, but I think we’re over protecting them 90% of the time.

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 […]