I didn’t want to. I just did. Cry, that is. I was actually having a lovely time at the “Conversations and Connections” writing conference until we hit the moment of speed dating with editors. I froze. Choked. Lost it. Whatever negative verb you want to pick, it probably fits. The problem was partly that I’d…
Coconut flour cupcakes
This recipe adaptation comes from Bruce Fife’s Cooking with Coconut Flour I’ve reduced the sugar and replaced butter with coconut oil to make a fully dairy-free and gluten-free cupcake. These are high protein, high-fiber and rich, even without the butter. 3 Tablespoons coconut oil (melted)3 eggs (warmed in water first so they don’t clump up…
Mama meets with other writers
“Mommy’s going to work all day tomorrow,” I told my son. “To work with your student?” Usually I leave for work only in the evenings, to tutor. When the sitter is here on Wednesday mornings, I say I’m working in the basement, usually for my “meeting” (new chapter of Holistic Moms Network). But tomorrow I’m…
Spring cleaning
I went to a great detox class the other night with Monica Corrado of Simply Being Well. She talked about ways to use nutrition to support your liver and why spring is the best and most natural time to do detox. I hadn’t realized that a “cleanse” is the most intense thing you can do…
A bra costs WHAT?
This post originally appeared on DC Metro Moms on April 7, 2009 A bra costs WHAT? I feel like Sleeping Boobie. In 2006, I had a baby. Three years later, he weans and I find out that a nice bra costs as much as a good massage. I’m sure you can get a decent bra…
Another mama’s baby
Call me a sucker, but I’m so glad I finally got to see the new baby gorilla at the National Zoo. It is just so darn cool to see such an expressive and tiny face on another animal, especially when the baby is naturally clinging to its mama like I’ve tried to mimic by using…
Ionic foot soak
So, now that my son has weaned, I’m ready to do some detox. I tried an ionic foot bath twice the year I got pregnant. The water turned very yellow both times — like egg yolk. I heard at the time that this was connected to hormone issues. Last week I tried it again, and…
Wanna take pretty pictures
I’ve been saying lately that I want to take a photography class before I turn 40. Well, I’ve got less than four years to do that now. I’m not sure how it will fit in to everything else I want to do, but I do want to learn how to capture things that I think…
Planting seeds of unknown future
So, we might be moving – nearby, but still. A move is a move. It’s hugely exciting to think of having a house that works better for our family, but it means I’m not sure what to do about planting anything. I don’t want to invest in creating a big raised bed (a la Square…
A room of my own?
Nothing is for sure yet, but we are moving in the direction of buying a larger home not far from our house. There are a lot of reasons I’m excited about this and crossing my fingers that it happens without us losing our shirts on two mortgages or unexpected repairs/upgrades (“might as well before we…
Birthday happenings
Our birthday celebration this year was to have a bunch of friends over just to play on a Monday morning. It was a little too crowded (too cold to go outside), but it was nice. I did get balloons, but all the food was pretty natural/low-processed — fruit, kale chips (baked kale), rice pasta with…
Surviving the unexpected guest
This post originally appeared on DC Metro Moms on March 19, 2009 Surviving the unexpected guest I’ve never been much for spontaneity. Or hospitality. I’m not proud of being a crappy hostess or an anxious mess when things don’t go according to plan, but I can accept that it’s okay because there are other things…
You don’t have to breastfeed, and we don’t have to be best friends, either
So there’s another big to-do about breastfeeding with the publication of Hanna Rosin’s article, “The Case Against Breastfeeding.” There are debates/opinions all over the email list on DC Urban Moms and I’m sure every other moms list out there. I’ve looked over a few posts, but I’m blogging to say that I’m kind of sick…
My friend, a prize-winning author!
I just got back from a great meeting with my writing group — women who consistently challenge me and teach me, as a writer and as a mother. One of our members had to stay home with a sick child tonight, but it was great to see that she recently won the Silver prize at…
How I’m Seen
This is a photo my son took of me two days ago at the end of a sled run in our yard. He will be three in three weeks. I saw a former student of mine in the grocery store yesterday. I had no makeup or jewelry on. Just a little boy as my sole…
Experimenting with Quail Eggs
Last week at Whole Foods, we spent some time looking at the fresh, loose eggs, which I’d never purchased there. (We get our chicken eggs through a farm share, and I just placed my first order through Joel Salatin’s Polyface farms). Quail was a new word for us, thanks to the one bit of TV…
When your story is out there
So, I wrote about sex, and I wrote about my family. Not in the same piece. One in a poem at Exhale zine and one in an essay in the Journal of Attachment Parenting International. The latter disclosed some stuff I’d never shared with my mom. I happened to be talking her around the time…
When toddlers bring up race
This post originally appeared on DC Metro Moms on March 3, 2009 When toddlers bring up race Looking at the drawing in the book My Freight Train of two hands mimicking couplers holding trains together, my son announced, “There’s one brown hand and one regular hand.” My heart sank. “Regular.” My son sees peach-colored skin…
Getting it all down in pixels
“I’m using Yahoo Calendar!” I chirped to my husband who’d suggested it when I asked about Outlook. I’ve been a paper calendar girl this whole time — never entering the 21st century. I don’t have a Blackberry and honestly have a hard time even justifying my regular cell phone bill if I didn’t have the…
Choose the right ingredient
This is what coconut flour waffles (with a little almond meal and flax meal) should look like: This is what they will look like if you accidentally put in 2 T of xanthan gum instead of arrowroot (which we use instead of corn starch in this recipe, and we use coconut milk and almond milk)