In praise of the “Weird Moms”
We’ve all seen it: tenacious and spectacular women — those whom Kerouac would call The Mad Ones — rounding their edges after their children were born, getting lost in chasing small beasts around with rags and screaming their burning questions about the status of little hands; are they washed or not?! Those of us who occupy the role of Weird Mom have a very difficult job cut out for us…
Any non-gendered advice on meeting the parents for the first time?
I’m in my late 20s and I’ve never really done the whole “meet the parents” thing before. Most of the advice I can find online is pretty sexist (dress conservatively, offer to help in the kitchen to show that you can run a house!). Is there anything I should know that isn’t super gender stereotyped?
We are the future: Our post-millenial, Pagan, LGBT, polyamorous family
This is what our healthy family looks like, our core family that is. It Extends, because that little boy there holding a mask over his head has never ever known what the rest of the country lives like. Add to that most of us are gay, bi, or polyamorous. This means, when one of us has a child we have to definitely “redefine family.”
I had a post-divorce “freedom session” on my would-be wedding anniversary
How does a wedding planner/photographer celebrate her divorce? She drinks her way through Champagne, France, and has a Freedom Session photo shoot.
“You should wait to have kids”: How do you deal with the parenting naysayer
One thing I’ve been so curious about as a newlywed person is “baby advice” — and not the “when are you having a baby” question, but actually the exact opposite. My husband and I have had numerous family members (with children) tell us we should wait ten years for kids of our own. I’m wondering about how other Homies are dealing with the parenting naysayers. Are other couples are dealing with the shaming around becoming parents along with the pressure to procreate after getting married?
The Holidays are coming: We dare you to send this hilarious “holiday application form” to your family this year!
Each year, The Holiday Conversations in our extended family starts in mid-July, when our little unit begins strategizing with our in-laws, to get out ahead of the game. It’s preemptive damage control. Much like leaving a play-date en-masse, we like to present a united front when the parents-in-law begin sniffing around our holiday plans. Our plans for this year’s Thanksgiving were already solidified weeks ago, but I’d like to share it here in case anyone finds it useful. I’ve updated it for the 2015 calendar year…
3 secrets for learning the language of money in relationships
It’s no secret that one the most contentious issues in many relationships is money. It truly does make the world — and our lives — go ’round. Money also doesn’t discriminate as to who its issues affect; it influences partnerships between people of any age, race, gender, background, or income level. I’m by no means an expert on relationships or money, as I’m sure Dr. Phil and Suze Orman could tell quickly given the chance. But I am someone who’s had to examine her own financial values in the context of her relationship. I’ve had to work with my husband to cultivate shared ideas and practices for our life together. The following tenets are a product of my six years of learning, compromise, and growth…
7 ways smoking weed can make you a better parent
I live in Colorado, where Amendment 64 gave us the right to blaze up for pleasure in addition to medical reasons. That includes *gasp* caregivers of children. Sometimes known as parents. And we’re not alone. Marijuana is legal in some form or another in 23 states and the District of Columbia. With weed as popular as it’s ever been, it’s easy to understand that a vast amount of these users are mothers and fathers. Here are some of the many reasons parents are lighting up…