Scars, costs, and regrets?: My tubal ligation FAQs
A few women have asked me about my tubal ligation, including a couple media outlets like ABC News and Huffington Post. As sterilization with the goal of never reproducing now seems to be a hot topic, I thought I would discuss a few frequently-asked questions. I hope this information helps other women who are thinking of making this decision for themselves.
My divorce made me love my wedding video
Offbeat Bride readers might remember me from this post. That marriage ended two years after our wedding. It took two more years after that for me to revisit my wedding video. I expected to feel pain, but I felt so much joy instead. My wedding video means more to me now than I could ever have anticipated four years ago…
BDSM in mainstream media: Why I taught my kids about safe words
Kinky sex has made its way into mainstream culture in places other than poorly written erotica-gone-NYT-bestsellers-list. Music videos like Rihanna’s S&M, Christina Aguilera’s Not Myself Tonight, for instance. Our kids are seeing it, hearing and some of them are even reading the book. I anticipate that the majority of learning on the topic will not be from me but they’ll likely see videos and ads, or hear things from peers that could use some context, and I prefer to be the person who provides that context.
My pregnant battle with Body Image Demons
Like a lot of people, I have a complicated relationship with my body. My body is wonderful. But due to not unusual hang-ups and high school experiences, I don’t treat my body as a friend of any sort. My body and I are were getting to a good place though. And, then I got pregnant. Though I was (and am) very excited to be pregnant, I was also now in full combat with the Body Image Demons™.
This is what I wish someone would have told me about relationships when I was young
Here’s what I wish a loving older brother or sister figure would have told us (and what I’m passing on to you young Offbeat Homies out there): there is nothing wrong with wanting a casual relationship. Not in your late teens and early twenties, and not even in your late twenties, thirties, forties… you get the idea.
3 good relationship habits we carried over from wedding planning to married life
The wedding is over and it is still leaking into a lot of aspects of our lives. Some of the things I (and my partner) learned and implemented while planning the wedding are going to carry over into married life. Here are three good habits my husband and I have carried over from wedding planning to married life: Stir Fridays, Tasting Tuesdays, and Wedding-Free Wednesdays.
Not just for toddlers: Instigate time outs for roommates
We all, at one point in our lives, have lived with someone who we sometimes can not stand. Chores, curfews, cooking, bathroom space, they all come with challenges. Challenges and disagreements that can lead to arguments, which can lead to anger. The simplest and most effective solution I have found is something that is commonly believed to be only for young children: the concept of “time outs.”
How to move back in with your parents when you have kids
It was only supposed to be temporary, but long story short, a year later we’re still here in my mother-in-law’s basement. I share my bedroom with my husband and almost-two-year-old daughter, while my son sleeps in the upstairs guest room and plans his eighth birthday. We’re getting ready to move back to the Island but in the meantime I’ve been learning how to share space with two other adults who also happen to be my kids’ grandparents.