Category Archive

grown ups

Let’s talk about acne and pregnancy

You can go ahead and say it: acne sucks. It especially sucks as an adult, when you’re all “Shouldn’t I already be past this shit?!” My skin has never been the most stellar on its own, but after being prescribed Tazorac when I was twenty, I had it under control. Fast-forward a few years to twenty-three, when I was pregnant with Jasper. It turns out using Tazorac while pregnant is a BIG no-no, so I was suddenly stranded without my favorite skincare treatment.

How can I make it easier to be away from my child for a few days?

I will be heading across the country (from Southern California to Nashville! Woo hoo!) for five days in July and it will be my first time away from my ten-month-old son over night. How can I make this easier for both of us?

Broken Phantoms: understanding visually identifiable and invisible disabilities

If there is any one particularly great experiential divide in the vast disability community, it may be that between the visually identifiable and the invisible disabilities. It’s the difference between a world of unwanted pity, and one of unwanted judgment.

Loving the mother I am

My daughter will be who she is. That is the most exquisite thing I could ever want for her. Any push from me to be the perfect mama is all fallow work.

Surprising discoveries I’ve made in my life as an offbeat military wife

Marrying into the military can be scary, especially for those of us who don’t always follow the status quo. However, one thing with the military that isn’t talked about too much is that all sorts of people join.

Four ways to reconnect with pets after you have kids

Sarah was the reason I came home and slept in my own bed in high school. In college, she kept me feeling safe and comforted in my string of lonely student rentals. She greeted my husband at the door on our first date, and she met us at the door when we brought home each of our kids. But that was where the old times ended; the truth is, several years into motherhood, I felt like my relationship with Sarah was altered beyond repair.

Passing for straight: parenting with a man as a queer woman

I hear some of you wondering “Then why bother telling him? If you’re monogamous with a man, aren’t you basically straight anyway? What does it matter what other people think?” All I can tell you is, it does matter. We are talking about no less than who I am, at my very foundation.

Forging a relationship with my new step-daughter

Sophia’s technically not my step-daughter yet, and if I stick with just the off-hand comment of how my fiance has a child, it sounds like I’m not involved in her life. “Soon-to-be step-mom” is awkward and clunky, and referring to her as a room mate is clearly not an option.