Why I consider “homemaker” one of my jobs
I’ve always heard the term “homemaker” applied to people who don’t do anything else, a PC term for “unemployed and not looking.” If you had another job, no matter what it was, that was how you identified yourself. But I’m an editor and a homemaker, and I’m proud of both of those jobs.
How being a nanny to a three-year-old has taught me self-acceptance
As I evaluate my role as a strong, positive role model in Johannah’s life, I am particularly cognizant of the image of myself that I share with her, that I unconsciously project into the world. I may be found, at times, in front of a full length mirror scrutinizing the lumps and bumps of my body, rough patches of skin, the crookedness of my front teeth.
How my hospitalised, medicated, induced birth experience healed me
When I fell pregnant with my second child, I was terrified of the same experience. I suddenly understood why women would choose to birth at home over a hospital, although this wasn’t an option for me. I did everything in my power to gain knowledge and make decisions about my birth before choices could be made for me. Even though I was birthing in the hospital again, I hoped for this to be the birth I wanted with the elements that were important to me. However, my baby had other plans.
Wills and Trusts: What are your plans?
Call me morbid, but since age six, I’ve had a living will or last will and testament of sorts. I’ve changed it over the years (pretty sure Husband wouldn’t want my Moondancer My Little Pony and would instead want to know what to do with my 401k), and now know to make it a legally binding document. I am by no means a legal expert, but here are points I’ve deemed as important to include in my will…
Why I’m saying no to maternity leave
Now that my husband and I are expecting, of course the issue of maternity leave has come up. I think I initially just thought that a standard 12-weeks would be assumed. I have so many friends who wish they had more, who would tell me “after the baby comes, you won’t want to go back to work!” And I tried to believe that. Really, I did. The problem was that I never, ever felt that way.
Shift work: Learning to love our offbeat schedules
My fiancé is a police officer. The biggest hurdle this job presents to us as a couple is the schedule. He works afternoon shift and his “weekend” is Wednesday and Thursday. I work a regular daytime Monday through Friday job. After a few years of living together we’ve worked out a happy situation and even found positives in the shift work shuffle.
I was instantly both scared and brave: this is about my emergency Cesarean section
This was just how it was going to be and it had to be done. Pretty soon I was to meet my son for the first time. They wheeled me to a bright, clean, white room and prepared me for surgery. I didn’t feel pain, but I felt pulling and yanking and my body and head were moving along with the pulling. I heard lots of eerie scrapping of metal and the doctor sternly demanding for things to be handed to her and nurses talking and my husband telling me it was going to be alright. I just remember feeling frozen and like I was gone from it all, gone from everything.
Bringing home baby, reptile edition: a guide to owning your first reptile
Buying an exotic reptilian isn’t an endeavour for the faint of heart. The idea of owning and loving a lizard from the other side of the planet hadn’t dawned on me until my partner did just that. And you can be too, with these helpful tips.