This post originally appeared on DC Metro Moms on April 1, 2010 Navigating the birthday present conundrum I was pretty comfortable with my “No gifts, please”/Birthdays Without Pressure approach until last week when my newly-four-year-old son said of the friends coming to his playdate, “But I want them to bring presents!” Am I an evil…
Activism & Politics
NIH conference addresses vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC)
More personal reflections will follow, but below is my official report from attending day one of the NIH conference on VBAC, a post I’ve also published in my column at the Washington Times Communities. This week, the National Institutes of Health is holding a Consensus Development Conference entitled “Vaginal Birth After Cesarean: New Insights,” a…
Planes, trains and governors, oh my!
This post originally appeared on DC Metro Moms on November 17, 2009 Planes, trains and governors! Who am I? “He was so good!” praised the woman sitting behind my son during our flight from Reagan National to Detroit Metro as we stood waiting to exit the plane. Usually I’m a descriptive praise sort of gal,…
Gym childcare: mandatory TV?
This post originally appeared on DC Metro Moms on November 6, 2009 Gym Childcare: Mandatory TV? When a huge new gym with a low monthly fee opened a mile from my house, I was excited to try it out. During the tour, I asked about the TV in the childcare room. In my previous gym,…
Balancing action with rest
I had a fabulous week last week of attending three (partial) days of the NVIC conference and then all day of “Perinatal: A Symposium on Birth and Reproductive Rights.” But now, instead of volunteering at the Holistic Moms Network table at the Green Festival, I’m home with a slight fever. I don’t feel that bad,…
Art as birth activism
I’ve known artist Jessica Clements for a while, but it was a thrill this week to attend the symposium she organized and to see her MFA thesis exhibit of birth paintings on the campus of George Mason University, right in the middle of the Johnson Student Center. Talk about bringing art and activism to the…
Where are reporters when you want them?
I just attended three (partial) days of an amazing conference where doctors from around the world were presenting fascinating information, including explaining how they came to question practices they’d had for years — even decades — before something caused them to question what they were doing. There were a few camera crews, and I’m told…
Writing mama as citizen journalist
Today Mothering Magazine editor Peggy O’Mara spoke about the “new health journalism” at the National Vaccine Information Center’s Fourth International Public Conference. She contrasted “industrial media” — most of which is owned by only 10 companies — with digital media. I like thinking of myself as one of many “citizen journalists,” a “participant observer” reporting…
In another mom’s shoes: vaccine injury really happens
This post originally appeared on DC Metro Moms on October 2, 2009 In another mom’s shoes: vaccine injury really happens Imagine your 14-year-old daughter going from a competitive cheerleader with a 4.0 average to someone who has daily seizures, partial paralysis and a drug regiment of 33 pills a day. I’ve been attending the National…
Great play about WAHM
This past weekend, I got to see a (free!) reading of a new play by Karen Brody, author of Birth: The Play. At the Kennedy Center, as part of the Page to Stage program, actors read from evolving scripts, including Brody’s one-act “Michelle Obama: Taskmaster”. The play introduced us to Beth, a working-at-home mom of…
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…
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…
When Round Two is with Baby #1
this post originally appeared on February 19, 2009 on DC Metro Moms When Round Two is with Baby #1 Haven’t I been here before? Nursing all day long on the couch, my arm falling asleep as I try to hold a book underneath a head and sleeping body. My breasts aching for a break. My…
Toddlers aren’t the only ones who whine
This post originally appeared on DC Metro Moms on February 5, 2009. The original comments follow below. It’s been two months since my husband took our son, almost three, to the Scottish Walk in Old Town Alexandria and, despite all the dogs and bagpipes, the memory the boy shares of that day is “Daddy and…
My-my-my-my Obama
This post originally appeared on January 20, 2009 on DC Metro Moms My-my-my-my Obama The next time I see my son, there will be a new President. And if things go as I think they miraculously might, thanks to the generosity of a friend, I will get to say that I was actually there, within…
Glimpsing history — getting close (or not) to January 20
Today a friend in my writing group sent a link to a contest for essays about “what this inauguration means to you.” I don’t know if I can come up with anything intelligent-sounding by midnight January 8, but I will say that I had a lump in my throat today when we saw part of…
Train them young to be stay-at-home dads
This post originally appeared on DC Metro Moms on December 27, 2008 Train them young to be stay-at-home dads I know that it’s ridiculous in this economy to say that I didn’t want my husband to find another job right away, but it’s true. He’s been a consultant working on a contract basis for a…
Reduce = Relief
This post originally appeared on December 10, 2008 on DC Metro Moms Reduce = Relief One sister wants socks. The other wants to just to re-gift or to do a white elephant. The brother is always gunning for t-shirts. This year, the name of the game is one item under $10. Two years ago, when…
Diversity and Language: Not Just Words
This post originally appeared on DC Metro Moms on November 21, 2008 Diversity and Language: Not Just Words “How do we say manos in French?” my two-and-a-half-year-old son asked, his open hands twisting on his wrists high in the air. “Wait, he’s learning two other languages?” my friend asked, head cocked to the side. French…
People who live in houses with smudged glass doors should do some cleaning
This post originally appeared on DC Metro Moms on November 13, 2008 People who live in houses with smudged glass doors should do some cleaning When I brought out a spray bottle of Parsley Plus to wipe off our patio table during playgroup, my son nearly outed me as having a housecleaner. “That’s for Selma,”…