the orange white house
I got home from DC this morning, bearing the official Halloween treats from the White House. Jafta was pretty excited that I had been inside Barack Obama’s house. I didn’t bother explaining that it is a privilege available to most citizens – I just let him think I was a really big deal. Kids these days are so unimpressed. You gotta grab it when you can. The rest of them were just excited to eat a cookie. Although there was quite a bit of confusion when I tried to . . .
weekend for sanity
I am in Washington, DC for the weekend. I would love to rationalize this trip as having some great purpose. But I am not speaking, or working, or doing anything of intention. I really have no business being here at all. But . . . I am a huge Jon Stewart fan. I have been for years. Mark has known this about me since we were dating, and he has been very gracious with my potentially inappropriate crush on someone else. So gracious, in fact, that . . .
What I Want You To Know: Emotional Abuse
What I Want You to Know is a series of reader submissions. It is an attempt to allow people to tell their personal stories, in the hopes of bringing greater compassion to the unique issues each of us face. If you would like to submit a story, email me. Today’s story is by Kari, who blogs at http://howardwedoing.blogspot.com/. I want people to know that emotional abuse is just as hurtful and damaging to a family as physical abuse. Emotional abuse often leads to physical abuse. . . .
what you can do
I’ve written pretty passionately about the global orphan situation recently, and several commenters asked: “What can I do if I’m not in a position to adopt?” I’m so glad you asked. Adoption is not for everyone. Nor is it the answer to the world’s orphan crisis. In the best of circumstances, adoption creates a loving family for a child who has been orphaned. But it does not address the root causes of why a child has been abandoned or orphaned to begin with. It is a . . .
behavioral charts
There are two tools in my parenting toolbox that make my life a lot easier. I’ve explained the tattle tally before. I am happy to report that it is still working and there is rarely a tattle in my house. We also do behavioral charts every day. I was just sitting down to email them to a friend, and thought I would share them here. If you are interested, click here to go to a google doc of my family’s reward chart and tattle tally. (Obviously, copy and paste . . .
bitter chocolate
Every October, I see mothers get into spirited debates about how they will handle Halloween. Do they allow their kids to dress up? Is it a pagan holiday to be avoided? How will they handle all the candy? Will they pass out healthy snacks or be “that mom” who passes out raisins? Like all good mommy debates. people are passionate about their sides. Last week on Mama Manifesto, one of our writers shared the truth about chocolate and where it comes from. I consider . . .
picture face
Karis has a very distinct “picture face”. She’s kind of a ham for the camera. You might have noticed in the birthday pictures. Anytime someone points a camera at her, she smiles a slightly crazed smile and says “cheese”. It looks a little bit more manic when she’s wearing blue eyeshadow. It doesn’t matter what she is doing. If you try to take her picture, she will make this face. NO MATTER WHAT SHE’S DOING. (Don’t ask me why she is on the toilet at 18 . . .
what I want you to know: Turner Syndrome
What I Want You to Know is a series of reader submissions. It is an attempt to allow people to tell their personal stories, in the hopes of bringing greater compassion to the unique issues each of us face. If you would like to submit a story, email me. **This is a special submission for me, because Brittani has been our babysitter for over a year. She is such a blessing to our family and my kids adore her. I’m not sure how we could function without her. I think . . .
a weekend in photos: Ojai to OC
I got to spent two days at an amazing retreat this past weekend, and I’ve finally had time to upload my photos (and to steal the photos of Mark’s weekend). The Creative Alliance at Calliote Canyon was an amazing experience. I’m not even sure how to write about the awesomeness. Sure, I could tell you about the food, and the wine, and the late night conversations. I could tell you about reconnecting with old friends and making new ones. I could tell you about the magic . . .
destination birthday: Bears, Buddies, and Toys
I am a fan of the destination birthday party. After years of throwing my kid’s birthday parties at our house, I made a discovery: having a party at my house costs me twice as much as a destination party. (A large part of this is due to the fact that I tend to go into frantic remodel mode anytime I have a big group of people over, and a simple birthday party suddenly means repainting the bathroom and re-landscaping the backyard.) But beyond my own perfectionism issues, I also . . .
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