Yesterday I considered red paint for my walls, red paint for my hair, and settled for a new shade of vermilion on my toe nails. Last night, I also cut myself bangs. Very Sandra Bullock. And don’t we all know that she appeared at the Golden Globes with a new do? Blunt bangs, and commentary […]
To Be Or Not To Be: Choosing Your Child By Gender
How could I not be a little horrified when I read this headline? Couple aborts twin boys because they want a girl using IVF. When it comes to the art of headline writing, I’d say that qualifies as a grabber. It caught my attention, provoked my ire, and brought me to this article that appeared […]
Giving Shape to Invisibility
Giving shape to invisibility. I plucked those evocative words from a writer I’ve recently discovered, Wolf Pascoe at Just Add Father, and the reference comes from this: When I was eight, my father died suddenly. My mother never remarried. As a result, a good part of my life has been defined by what was missing. […]
Resolve
Knowing what you want is one thing. Knowing what you need? Quite another. You can’t always get what you want, right? Hey – the Rolling Stones told us so! But New Year’s Eve was all about my son getting what he wanted, and me – not getting what I needed. Yep, I did it to […]
Open to the Future
It’s been quite a year. On every dimension that I value or that keeps this household afloat – emotionally, physically, financially – I will say it again: it’s been quite a year. Last year I dared to write a letter to the new decade, imploring the universe to grant a bit more light. This year […]
People Pleasing, Big Bellies, Weird Facts
What better time of year for a story of a ho ho ho big belly? No – I’m not referring to Santa Claus, Saint Nick, or any other variation of bearded man in a red suit. However, while researching sneezing the other day, I ran into the following juicy tidbit. Thank you Guinness Book of […]
Safe and Sound
The expression “there’s no place like home” surely comes into play for our children after a time away, after difficult periods, after challenges that take the air out of their tires – even a little – and they find themselves at last, coming home. “There’s no place like home” is reflected in their comfort, their […]
End of the Year Clearance on Complaint Monday!
You’re sitting in your office trying to make peace with your inner pout. You’re trying to remember where you put the last of the Christmas cards. You’ve got to jam just one or two more holiday errands into the lunch hour. OHMYGOD will you remember to tip the mail carrier and the mechanic and the […]
48 Hours
48 hours. Well, technically, it’s been less. But in the past two days, we’ve had some of my true drug of choice: sleep. My son has scored some serious snooze time, and I’ve racked up more zzzzs than usual, though I’m staring at a pretty depleted well after our marathon of days and nights this […]
The Feminist Factor: Do Men Fear Women?
This question has been rolling around in my mind for days: On some level, do men fear women? I’m not trying to be provocative. But I was reading a discussion on contemporary feminism recently, and the implications around gender-based control keep bringing me back to the issue of fear. Don’t we all try to combat […]