From the time I first learned what LSD is until just a few days ago, I had thought of it as one of the many interesting experiences Earth has to offer and put it in the category, "Things that aren't a high priority for me to try but that I might get around to, someday, … Continue reading Why I Don’t Drop Acid
psychology
Sing a New Song!
I've had a busy few weeks with very little time for writing! But when I saw that today's Works-for-Me Wednesday headline post is about finding balance in your life, I thought of something I've been doing on my way to work many mornings that helps me to feel balanced within this vast and complex world. … Continue reading Sing a New Song!
Things Not To Do: Home Organizing Edition UPDATE!
More than a year ago, I advised my readers never to start a To Be Filed pile, explaining my seven years of guilty woe over not getting around to sorting and putting away those papers. Soon after, I reported making some progress on the pile using the power of Lent, but I admitted that I … Continue reading Things Not To Do: Home Organizing Edition UPDATE!
I don’t wear makeup.
I used to wear makeup. From age 12 to 16, I added more types of makeup to my daily routine each year, and I went through that daily routine even if I wasn't planning to leave the house. I continued for a while into college before I realized that the insanely stressful life I was … Continue reading I don’t wear makeup.
How our thrifty, green lifestyle makes it easier to cut ourselves some slack
Longtime readers may have noticed that I haven't written much lately and didn't write an article about what I learned during Lent like I have most years. Well, that's because this year, I was pregnant for Lent. No, of course that wasn't the Lenten discipline I planned! It was a surprise (not a mistake--we all … Continue reading How our thrifty, green lifestyle makes it easier to cut ourselves some slack
Don’t Save Room for Dessert!
One habit I am very grateful my parents taught me is this: When you finish your dinner, stop eating. If you get hungry again before bedtime, you may have dessert. In my childhood home, "dessert" was often canned fruit in syrup, homemade yogurt with jam, tapioca pudding, fruit crisp, a bagel, or something else that … Continue reading Don’t Save Room for Dessert!
It’s like we’re related or something.
I have a very good memory for details. The best I can explain it is that I retain a lot of details from my experiences and reading, and they are connected to one another in a massive and complex web that I nonetheless find very easy to follow, moving along from one irrelevant-sounding detail to … Continue reading It’s like we’re related or something.
Mama’s Personal DJ
A couple of Saturdays ago, I was all set for a big cooking binge, making a batch of Tart & Tangy Baked Beans from The Moosewood Cookbook plus four loaves of Raisin Bran Bread, then freezing some vegetables and washing dishes while the food was in the oven. I thought my seven-year-old son would help … Continue reading Mama’s Personal DJ
Dining at The Purple Tulip
Our son Nicholas is almost seven years old and has three possible careers in mind: railroad engineer, teacher, and waiter. This last interest has increased in the past year, and at dinnertime he sometimes wants to pretend our home is a restaurant. He got particularly elaborate during my mother's summer visit and named his restaurant … Continue reading Dining at The Purple Tulip
Sleep Strategies for Babies, Children, and Parents
Our son is six-and-a-half years old now, and while we've sometimes had trouble with his sleeping habits, in general we feel that the plans we made before he was born, influenced in part by the amazing books The Continuum Concept and The Family Bed, have worked out pretty well. Disclaimer: We have only one child. … Continue reading Sleep Strategies for Babies, Children, and Parents
Bullying: an article I wrote, and three I don’t have to write
Although I am discussing my work here, the point of view is my own, and this is not an official statement of the Pittsburgh Youth Study. As the data manager of a long-term research study, I recently helped to write this academic paper: Bullying Perpetration and Victimization as Predictors of Delinquency and Depression in the … Continue reading Bullying: an article I wrote, and three I don’t have to write
The Power of Moose
This is a strategy for crossing the street safely in situations where vehicular traffic is reluctant to yield to pedestrians. A friend of my brother's explained it to me years ago. It is based on a simple principle: Nobody will risk crashing a car into a moose. Hitting a moose obviously would damage the car … Continue reading The Power of Moose
A Half-Fast Lent
Happy Easter! Despite my positive past experiences with changing my behavior for Lent, this year I didn't give up anything for those six weeks. Frankly, I kind of felt like I couldn't handle any more self-discipline, since my schedule was so packed with work, meetings, household errands and projects, and trying to be some kind … Continue reading A Half-Fast Lent
Religious Education with Ramona Quimby
I'm an Episcopalian now, but my parents joined a Unitarian Universalist church when I was seven years old, so I was raised in that denomination. There were many things about it that weren't compatible with my spirituality, but I did learn at least one valuable lesson there: Some secular books contain wisdom and moral dilemmas … Continue reading Religious Education with Ramona Quimby
7 Continuum Concept Experiences
For years now, I've been meaning to write something about how The Continuum Concept by Jean Liedloff relates to our parenting style and a lot of my life experiences. It's a big idea, and I have a lot of scattered notes stashed in a draft post, but so far I haven't even gotten around to … Continue reading 7 Continuum Concept Experiences
Vain is the Deep of Man
About 14 years ago, when I was new to the church where I'm now a well-established member and new to living with my boyfriend, I walked into church on the first Sunday of Lent with the dry mouth and raw eyes and heavy heart of a person whose Saturday night had involved too many tears … Continue reading Vain is the Deep of Man
I’ll Keep That in Mind.
Once kids learn to talk and learn that their parents are capable of acquiring new possessions using this magical stuff called money, they generally begin clamoring to own everything they see that is even remotely appealing. Every trip to the store becomes a constant barrage of, "Mama! Can we have peaches? . . . I … Continue reading I’ll Keep That in Mind.
7 Scriptures from My Mirror
Years ago, I discovered that there's just enough space between the glass and the frame of my dresser-top mirror to hold a sheet of paper in the corner of the mirror. I've placed many things there (a few at a time) for inspiration that I see every morning and evening: the Girl Scout Law , … Continue reading 7 Scriptures from My Mirror
Mama, you happy?
My two-year-old repeatedly asked if I was happy. What did he mean, really, and how should I respond?
When life gives you wet socks, make a matching game!
But then Daniel passed me a large paper bag full of yard-sale stuff, and as I took hold of the top edge, the bottom fell out, dumping twenty-seven pairs of wet, dirty, smelly socks onto our kitchen floor. Well, there were enough of them (plus a few other damp garments we found) to make a full washing-machine load. Hot cycle. Oxi-Clean. It was when I was hanging the now clean and fresh-smelling socks on the drying rack that I had a brilliant idea.
The Earthling's Handbook 