So much good stuff on the interwebs this week. Put a show on for the kids and pretend that laundry isn’t there – I’ve got links for you. Some about sanity. Some about crazy. Some about finding the space in between.
Mother’s little helper | a little pregnant
Nothing makes this clearer than something my friend E. told me, about someone she knows who was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult. Her friend, E. told me, remembers her childhood primarily as a series of angry faces. I don’t want that for my kid. Even if Paul and I somehow managed to develop the most exquisite patience, tolerance, and humor — I could read a book, she said icily — there is still the rest of the world.
American Apparel Introduces Size XL, Holds Search For ‘Booty-Ful’ Models | jezebel.com
Maybe we should be excited that another company is acknowledging the existence of (slightly) larger women, but carrying a freakin’ 12 just seems long overdue. Plus, it isn’t like American Apparel is offering all of its women’s clothing in the larger size. There are only 21 items for women in the "XL & Larger" category online, and four of those are unisex. Even though American Apparel desperately needs customers, it still doesn’t want to see its hipster getups on anyone who actually wears a "plus-size."
Bloggy Playdate | Jillian Lauren
The nice thing about hanging out with some of the other adoptive families I know is that there’s so much less explaining and apologizing to do. They get it. They get that my kid didn’t have parents for a while at a crucial time in his development. It has repercussions We’re working it out. We’re healing. We’re doing great, actually. But our version of doing great looks different that it does for kids who have had a typical attachment cycle in the first three years of life. I’ve learned so much about all of this- attachment, adoption, parenting, faith, love, community- from my blogger friends. They’ve made me feel less alone on many desperately sad and scared nights.
Money choices, part one| but now to live the life
Another thing I am struck with everyday is that the middle class standard of living in the States is not really middle class. It is upper class in the rest of the world because it includes a decorated home with at least two bedrooms, two cars, eating out regularly, entertainment galore, rooms dedicated just to toys, extravagant parties, and all of the newest technology. In the States, this is normal and, most disturbingly, what we feel entitled to. And that, to me, is where a large part of the problem in people’s decision on how to spend money lie. Because if you feel entitled to all of the above, then you’re going to spend money on it without putting the proper thought and prayer into the necessity of that item. As these are items you are entitled to, it will never cross your mind that you could live differently in order to help others.
80 new beds, 80 more lives | Dooce
Because so often any and all of my opinions have been written off as the moronic musings of that woman who spent time in a psyche ward. I am that woman who takes crazy people pills. People don’t joke about me being on my period, they joke about me being off of my meds. Yes, I take medication. I will always take medication. And yet, I run a successful business. I wrote a book that made the New York Times bestseller list. Forbes named me one of the most influential women in media. 1.5 million people follow me on Twitter. And I will stand here and tell you that all of that success was made possible because of those meds. Am I crazy to admit that? It doesn’t matter.
The hard truth about getting old | Salon.com
Her words give life to a core maxim of social psychology that says: What we think about a person influences how we see him, how we see him affects how we behave toward him, how we behave toward him ultimately shapes how he feels about himself, if not actually who he is. It’s in this interaction between self and society that we can see most clearly how social attitudes toward the old give form and definition to how we feel about ourselves. For what we see in the faces of others will eventually mark our own.
How the blogger killed itself off. | Marcy Writes
She gave up her dedicated audience for a few free goodies and couple of nice experiences. And she is working harder than every before- and still not seeing any real income. Her husband resents her time online, her kids don’t understand why they have to play with products and smile for the camera so often and her friends, the -ones in real life- giggle behind her back when she says blogging is her ‘job’. She is a blogger. Brands court her like she is royalty- with little to no understanding of her diminishing influence. She is running in circles to make everyone like her. Trying to create something substantial, respectable and REAL out of thin air and a good wifi connection. *On another note, check out the trailer for this new movie coming out, portraying the true story of Sam Childers, an ex-convict turned missionary to East Africa. If you aren’t familiar with the Lord’s Resistant Army and the terror they have inflicted on the children of East Africa, you should be. I’m glad to see a mainstream movie that is going to tell the story of the LRA and hopeful that more public attention might pressure the international community to take steps to apprehend the LRA’s leaders.
