Think Mama Think

It really is the little things, folks

2012-01-25T09:50:00.000-05:00

On a whim a few months ago I bought two I Like Books, because they were 50% off and cute. I can't pass up a bargain or the chance to feel like a good mom. The I Like Books are for parents to document a daily "like" about their kid. I like your big smile. I like that you are a good friend to your brother. I like that you only were in time out once today. Whatever it is. There are two spaces for

Be Careful What You Wish For

2011-12-19T12:26:00.000-05:00

Three weeks ago I had an idea that was prompted by our family's experience cooking dinner for the men at a local shelter: I was going to collect backpacks, toiletries, clothing, blankets, gloves and hats; and whatever else I could get my hands on to make some care packages for the 30 men. When I decided this I had no idea if it was going to be possible. I had no idea what would become of this

Make Love A Verb

2011-11-28T15:20:00.001-05:00

Last night my family cooked dinner at the Student-Run Emergency Housing Unit of Philadelphia. The shelter is staffed by local college students who volunteer their time. There are 36 guests at the shelter from November to April. A friend of ours is the faculty adviser for the project and she had put the call out for volunteers. So I had signed up for dinner last night and several of my

For all the mothers who mothered me (especially my own)

2011-11-09T21:21:00.000-05:00

I first want to apologize for the rambling nature of this post. This is more therapy than a well-crafted piece of nonfiction. Shit, I have no idea what I want to say. I just know I need to get out what's inside and I'm home alone with no grown ups to talk to and sometimes the internets full of strangers is a better audience than your best friend. If you have no idea what I'm talking about;

Fertility Class Divide - Why It Matters

2011-09-29T21:44:00.001-04:00

I have been thinking about the 'Fertility Class Divide' for a long time now and I can't shake a few troubling thoughts about what it means that women in high socio-economic class are not having children or having much fewer children than women in lower socioeconomic classes. But most importantly, more of those children born to lower income women are unintended. So here are my take aways: 1.

Forgive me Child, for I have sinned

2011-07-28T10:17:00.003-04:00

Some times I can be a real jerk. Lately I have been especially jerky to my boy, for no known reason other than hormonal surges and exhaustion. Tonight the jerk in me came out to play again and I broke one of my own rules. And now I feel terrible, full of guilt and disappointment. Whenever I find myself in this head space I don't know what to do with myself. I feel like I need a time out, a

There was an old lady...

2011-07-20T13:39:00.000-04:00

Joan Rivers' face -the result of our society's ageist sexism Help me! I am getting old. The first clues were easy enough to dismiss, the first gray hairs appeared at 30, but were easily plucked and discarded. The fine lines around my eyes could be tamed by sleep and a cheap eye cream, but no longer. But the proverbial straw has been watching my breasts deflate and head south. I knew that

Freedom Isn't Free, Except When It Is

2011-05-30T20:42:00.000-04:00

Today is Memorial Day, a day to honor those who serve our country, especially those who have died. And a few times today I heard the phrase, "freedom isn't free". I have a complicated relationship with this sentiment. On one hand, I hate it because I associate it with people who think the only way to secure freedom is by blowing up people "over there". On the other hand, I agree with the

Happy F*&^king Mother's Day

2011-05-08T20:30:00.000-04:00

I just finished reading this great post over at the Ms. Blog by Natalie Wilson and it has got me thinking. The more I live my life as a mother the more I realize that mothers get screwed (and not in the MILF kind of way). We are expected to do everything for our families, our partners, our households, and still be sexy, vibrant, put-together women. We are expected to keep quiet about the poor

Reflections of a Grumpy Mother

2011-04-27T21:17:00.000-04:00

Today I ended up putting a big shit pile on top of a day that deserved whipped cream and a cherry. The day was an average day home with my boys: cleaning, working, trip to the library, crafts, laundry, dinner and bed time routine. It ended with me saying stupid and mean things, or at least in a mean tones to my four year old; like I would talk to his father when I was particularly annoyed or

Sharing the Joy

2011-04-24T20:38:00.000-04:00

In November my son completed his first running event and I couldn't have been more proud. He didn't come in first, or even 20th, but won. He won because he loved every minute of it. He's four years old and is so proud of his "shiny gold medal." In a week I am running the world famous Broad Street Run in beautiful Philadelphia, the nation's largest 10 mile race. 40,000 people and I will be

I blog, therefore I am

2011-02-24T20:46:00.001-05:00

I have been blogging in one form or another since 2000. You can see evidence of my earlier attempts here. I do not consider myself a Mommy Blogger. I am a mother who blogs, yes, but I am not a Mommy Blogger. Sure, I write a lot about motherhood, but I am not a Mommy Blogger. I am a blogger who happens to be a mother. Got it? I don't read Mommy Bloggers, for the most part. I read blogs

How do you do it?

2010-11-15T21:34:00.000-05:00

Ridiculous, yet awesome tattoo weirdworm.com At least once a week someone makes a comment like 'I don't know how you do it' or 'I couldn't do all that you do'. They are commenting on the fact that I work part time, parent two children (a 4 yr old and a 5 mo old), go to grad school part time, keep up with a regular exercise routine and whatever else they think I do with my time. I am not

What do we teach our kids about poverty?

2010-11-07T12:02:00.003-05:00

Despite how stretched or stressed your financial life, if you are reading this you are pretty damn lucky. You are not one of the billion plus people (women, children, elders, men) living in extreme poverty. Extreme poverty doesn't mean that you can't afford your rent, it means you might not have a roof. Extreme poverty doesn't mean you can't afford your grocery bill, it means you might eat one

Will Ms. Yellow Sweater please stand up?

2010-09-07T16:48:00.000-04:00

Here I am. Before you think I totally lost my mind, read this Double X piece on pro-life feminists (yellow sweater wearers). I am a pro-life feminist. Which means to me that I find abortion to be a moral choice and one I am equally adverse to as any other taking of life, including the death penalty, murder, war, etc. I do not think abortions should be illegal. I do not think women or

Ratify Women!

2010-09-04T20:33:00.000-04:00

NOW has launched a new campaign: Ratify Women! The United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is the most complete international agreement on basic human rights for women and was adopted by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 1979. To date, 185 countries have ratified CEDAW. Even though the U.S. helped draft the treaty, it is the

Why are formula companies sponsoring breastfeeding guides?

2010-09-04T14:55:00.001-04:00

No matter what your personal opinion or experience with infant feeding, you have to admit that it is a little suspect to have Nestle providing breastfeeding support information/guides. Nestle makes money off of every mother who uses formula to feed her baby. They make zero dollars (or very little) for every mother who breastfeeds. It is in the corporation's best interest to give incomplete or

The Mama Pay Gap

2010-09-01T15:25:00.001-04:00

http://www.pay-equity.org/Bill Singer has a great piece on Huffington Post about the pay gap between working mothers and everybody else. Mothers make about 25% less than our working peers. This used to be explained by pointing out that men were the real breadwinners and mothers played a supporting role, but now we all know that's BS. I don't know a family where the mother's pay doesn't

The Greatest Love of All

2010-08-26T12:37:00.000-04:00

Me at the beach. Nope, it ain't the love you feel for your kids. It's the love you feel for yourself. Thanks to another awesome post on Already Pretty I am feeling the self-love and wanting to share it with my sisters. Your body is amazing and strong and gorgeous. Being a woman is a remarkable gift. Our bodies can create life, make food, and carry the weight of the world. We come in every

Mother's for Women's Lib - Feminist Parenting Carnival

2010-08-16T14:20:00.000-04:00

A little tardy, but I wanted to share the awesomeness that is included in the carnival (including my own It's a Boy post). I am sure that anyone who reads this blog will be sure to find something of interest there. It's heartening for me to read posts by other women thinking about some of the issues I struggle with and offering their own insights. So often I feel isolated and lonely in my

Here we go again

2010-08-04T12:59:00.000-04:00

So I went and had another baby. My son, B., was born by c-section on June 9th. Maybe someday I'll write about his birth but not today. Today's post is about breastfeeding since it is the start of International Breastfeeding Week. I want to discuss breastfeeding in front of other people. This has been a hot topic in breastfeeding circles lately - well it always is. Recently there have been

Contraception as a end to poverty for the world's women? Don't forget education.

2010-05-22T19:37:00.000-04:00

Nicholas Kristoff wrote an op ed earlier this week about contraception as a tool to end poverty for many of the world's women and families. He also wrote a follow up piece on the challenge of building consensus on this issue. His main point is that women in many parts of the world lack knowledge of and access to effective and safe birth control methods. Some of the barriers are due to culture

Kids Are What They Eat (And Watch) Part 1

2010-05-20T15:13:00.004-04:00

This is the first of a series of posts about food, marketing and our kids' health. Our kids are defenseless targets for marketers of junk food and are getting sick and fat because of our inability to say NO and the 24-7 cheap access to non-foods marketed to kids. Here are just a few articles I found on the topic. There will be more to come. I am particularly interested in the links between

It's not easy, but it is necessary.

2010-05-20T10:41:00.000-04:00

Being green, that is. Pampers claims that disposable diapers are better for babies and just as good for the environment as cloth/reusable diapers. So I did a little research and thinking. I have used all kinds of diapers from bumGenius deluxe all-in-one cloth diapers to Pampers with the superabsorbant gels to Seventh Generation non-bleached disposables to Tushies natural ones. I have to say

Book Review: Partnership Parenting

2010-05-10T20:54:00.000-04:00

Kyle and Marsha Pruett (he an MD, she a PhD in social work) offer practical advice, tips, and insight to help parents be effective partners in raising happy and healthy children. Central to the success of a two parent family is the respect and cooperation shared by the parents. The subtitles: How Men and Women Parent Differently - Why It Helps Your Kids and Can Strengthen Your Marriage really