My, you have really put on weight!

I'd be curious for you to do a post on why you...

2012-05-24T15:15:53.837-04:00

I'd be curious for you to do a post on why you'd prefer the low-tech schools. We live high-tech lifestyles and our daughter is in a no-tech pre-school. But I wouldn't want to send her to a no-tech high school. I'd worry about her being competitive in future job markets. Also, I'm a little concerned that most of the famous grads they listed from the no-tech school are in the arts, which can become a huge trap if you find it's not for you or that you're not whatever enough to make a living at it. Then what are your alternatives? One thing I love about knowing technology is that it gave me options from early on. I make my living as an artist, but I got paid more at my Smith work-study job because I was able to land a cushy job in the computer lab -- thanks to computer science classes I had taken during the summer in high school. It's much easier to make the transition from techie to artist than vice versa. And even in the arts, those people who can't intuitively handle tech drive you crazy. I'm trying hard to figure out how going to a no-tech high school doesn't put its students at a disadvantage and I'm having a hard time reconciling it.

my advice, ignore the advice, stop reading the adv...

2012-05-18T17:42:39.874-04:00

my advice, ignore the advice, stop reading the advice, be yourself and when the right person comes along being yourself will be perfect.

we cook one meal for most meals and you either eat...

2012-05-09T19:16:27.727-04:00

we cook one meal for most meals and you either eat it or you don't. no such thing as kid food in our house, just food. sometimes when i know i'm making something that my youngest absolutely won't touch, i'll give him leftover pasta or that sort of thing. there's absolutely no convincing him to eat something he's not interested in or i guess even scared of; we were told this is sort of a natural psychological thing for many food allergy kids. it drives me crazy that he is so picky on top of his allergies but we were told this is very normal so anytime he adds a new food, it's really awesome!

My first big ex didn't like many of the same T...

2012-05-07T13:37:53.526-04:00

My first big ex didn't like many of the same TV programs I liked, and it seemed like such a little thing in the beginning, but eventually it became one of the many things we didn't have in common. I always joke that I knew my husband was the one when I gave him a hard time about not having seen the latest incarnation of BATTLESTAR GALATICA and he immediately set about watching it. I also find that it helps that we have about the same amount of energy for various things. Like neither of us are about hiking on the weekends, but we both love to travel and not hit historic monuments but more "hang out" in the place we're visiting. The little stuff becomes the big stuff as the relationship gets older, and I've found the big stuff became smaller and smaller.

Still, I'm very grateful to all the guys I dated before him, because like how do you know what you want in a relationship until you know what you don't want? Break-ups can be harsh, but relationships -- especially the ones that didn't go on too long -- are lessons learned.

You did a great job with this one and I love your conclusions. Respect.

this will sound cliche but i really think when you...

2012-05-05T21:18:54.958-04:00

this will sound cliche but i really think when you find the right person it's easy and there's not a lot of compromise. i had a few friends, actually guys, who gave me a hard time when dh and i first started dating, they thought we were "moving too fast." but it was pretty easy to tell from the start that i lucked out and found the right person. my close lifelong friends and brother could tell it was a good match from early on too. we had a few significant life decisions to make early on since dh was in the navy but we knew where the relationship was going so it was more of choosing how our life together would be than compromising parts of who we were. i'm glad you're doing ok!

The roles in a relationship are interesting, espec...

2012-04-20T09:26:31.328-04:00

The roles in a relationship are interesting, especially as they go on over time. My roles expanded when we have kids, I am the planner/secretary/treasurer for the family but I like that because I want to be the one coordinating everything. I'm one of those who likes control on some things so it's nice that I get to do all these things, though it can get to be a bit much. We plan vacations together but I do all of the actual calling/sending money. My brother sounds a little more like your F. He finally booked his flight for vacation and ended up having to take a later flight because the prices on the earlier flight went up so now we have to adjust our schedule the first day. I wasn't thrilled but also know he's on a limited budget and we're excited to have him on vacation with us, so in true more laid back than me fashion, husband said, oh, that's no problem, we'll pick up dinner for all of us in Portland when I get him (maine). This actually allows us to try a new restaurant without having the kids there since I'll be at the "house" with them, so it's all good in the end. Glad husband is more laid back than me on these things.

I know her! We went to the same high school and sh...

2012-04-16T10:30:08.088-04:00

I know her! We went to the same high school and she was in my brothers grade. She also worked at the same summer camp and was my junior couselor one summer. I keep meaning to bug my brother to ask her out on a date, he'll kill me for this comment if 1. she is also friends with you and reads this and 2. you are friends with her and relay this message, but hey, I've got an amazing matchmaking record!

Babyfood cereal is nasty! I remember trying to feed it to my oldest and wondering why he wouldn't eat it, then I tried it and gave him green beans instead. Success! Had the youngest try it just to be sure he wasn't allergic, but he wouldn't eat it either, so he started with veggies as well. Thanks goodness for apples and sweet potatoes for him! I wish I had better eating habits growing up, I'm hoping to teach my kids how to eat better so they don't run into weight issues like we have.

so the kid stepped out in front of you and the par...

2012-04-09T08:11:13.103-04:00

so the kid stepped out in front of you and the parents said please don't run them over? that's insane. i would have grabbed by kid back and apologize. the other day i had to slam on my breaks while driving in a parkig lot when a child bolted out of a store and into the road in front of me. the mom and probably grandma gave me lots of waves and thanks and were clearly taking to the child about what they had just done.

i always try to be aware of my potential for head up the a$$ travelling, sorry you ran into people like that

That's so funny that you should say that, beca...

2012-03-28T18:08:49.214-04:00

That's so funny that you should say that, because we ended up have a really fantastic champagne while we were there, assumed it was a California at the price, and were told it was local. We also had some great wine. Sadly, I was too busy enjoying it to note the name(s). :(

one of our friends had an easter egg hunt at their...

2012-03-26T22:01:26.109-04:00

one of our friends had an easter egg hunt at their house last year and invited us and some other families in the neighborhood. she instructed us to only take one golden egg per kid. the boys each found one and i was just blown away to see one mom seek out as many of them as possible for her daughters. the golden eggs each had a dollar in them. this same mom didn't get the hint that when the hunt was over it was time to go home so our host could have a nice family dinner with her boys and grandchildren that were all in town at the same time. maybe not helicopter parenting but one of the most competitive for no reason parents i continue to encounter and wish to avoid.

My husband does the same thing. You have to look a...

2012-03-26T18:06:53.084-04:00

My husband does the same thing. You have to look at it from their POV. Usually you're talking. When you stop, it's strange. What's really interesting is that he's sort of right to worry. Even after seven years, If I'm quiet when we're together, it's either because I'm a) working out a knotty story issue or b) fretting about something.

It's usually the latter. And what's funny is that he seems to get that I need to talk to him about whatever has me so quiet before I do. But at first it was a little strange to be asked, b/c it had never come up with past BFs.

And regarding the first link - that's just atr...

2012-02-28T22:10:01.681-05:00

And regarding the first link - that's just atrocious and that priest need to be schooled uncommon human decency.

I agree with the post that you shouldn't subje...

2012-02-28T22:08:17.956-05:00

I agree with the post that you shouldn't subject others to the screaming, no matter what kind of lesson you are trying to teach. The right thing is to take them out of the situation. Yes, it is not always the most convenient, but no one has children because they want their life to be convenient.

I will argue that most children will refuse food w...

2012-02-14T20:30:57.239-05:00

I will argue that most children will refuse food when they're not hungry or don't like it. So I can bring that spoon to my kids face all I want, but at least my kids won't eat it if they're full or not hungry. We work hard at not untraining what I like to refer to as the "full-meter," when the kids recognize they're full, we never make them eat past it. My oldest can pack in the food, but he will stop when he's full, makes it easy to tell when he's having growth spurts. He was spoon fed. Not as long as my youngest who was spoon fed way longer than I would have liked, but he's got other food issues. I would love to still be able to spoon feed him to move him towards a more normal diet, less liquid more solid.

I don't buy the spoon feeding article. There ...

2012-02-12T20:14:22.824-05:00

I don't buy the spoon feeding article. There are so many other factors to whether or not a person/child eats well, stops when they're full, etc beyond spoon feeding.

Thanks! That decisions one turned out to be strang...

2012-02-01T19:39:01.229-05:00

Thanks! That decisions one turned out to be strangely popular. I'm always surprised by what resonates and what doesn't.

they're building a lot of new retail space out...

2012-01-20T20:58:21.861-05:00

they're building a lot of new retail space outside of work so new restaurants have come to town. we were going out with friend and wanted to try the new seafood place. i checked yelp and posted on jbay and the reviews were bad from all sorts of vantage points. we avoided and decided that if we were going to try it it would be at lunch when it was less expensive and not taking up a night out away from kids. i agree with your analysis though. have to say, the new indian restaurant in town is awesome 1st or 2nd best I've ever been to! i probably trust word of mouth more than yelp but def check out those reviews when we have a rare night out and want to try somewhere new.

my 1st wouldn't nurse but second one did like ...

2012-01-04T22:19:44.268-05:00

my 1st wouldn't nurse but second one did like he was born for it. i never did NIP but only b/c my boobs are so large there was no discrete way to start/finish. i did use lots of dressing rooms and my vehicle though. i liked the freedom of not needing to prep a bottle every time we'd got out and about. either way though, both my kids got fed, so that's a good thing!

throw her for a loop and tell her you're fat o...

2011-12-28T20:11:33.385-05:00

throw her for a loop and tell her you're fat on love or some sort of nonsense and see what sort of reaction you get?

you know, after reading your blog for so many year...

2011-12-27T18:44:54.425-05:00

you know, after reading your blog for so many years now, that's exactly how i pictured your parents home to look.

i liked the link you posted earlier with the story of the single moms on the plane

i love the idea of the pull string parent doll, it's pretty brilliant actually

The question isn't so much "is she entitl...

2011-12-23T08:00:50.170-05:00

The question isn't so much "is she entitled to take her child anywhere" but " should giant strollers (or strollers in general) be banned from certain places?" I say yes and I have definitely seen ads for things like a CHILDREN'S consignment sale where strollers are not allowed. Even though I am the mother of a small child I don't think that I have the right to block other people with a stroller...but that's part of why we are friends. (ps I think strollers should be banned, like bikes, from the metro at rush hour.)

i made a vegan pumpkin pie without tofu and it was...

2011-11-26T17:48:37.403-05:00

i made a vegan pumpkin pie without tofu and it was outstanding. hope you had a good thanksgiving!

yeah, i wouldn't let just anyone cut your hair...

2011-11-08T18:14:49.097-05:00

yeah, i wouldn't let just anyone cut your hair, or my hair, a bad haircut on our type of hair is a disaster! middle school was a total hair disaster for me :)

i've never used sleep meds but think i'm p...

2011-11-07T19:17:18.802-05:00

i've never used sleep meds but think i'm pretty well organized; everything that's important enough to need to be remembered (great grammar there) is on my calendar at work. sometimes i don't get something done at night for the next day but that just means i get it done the next day and possibly arrive at work 5 or 10 minutes later than i'd like. my boys sleep 11 -12 hours a night so i should be able to get what i need done during that time or while i'm at work. i will say though, the lack of sleep in infancy was a huge factor in whether or not we would have a 2nd kid but we knew it would pass, eventually. wonder if these moms in that article have someone helping them?

i like coldplay and i like chipotle. i like that ...

2011-10-29T20:23:12.486-04:00

i like coldplay and i like chipotle. i like that i can go to chipotle and totally hold up the line because they're allergy friendly enough to know change their gloves, and wipe down the are where they make the food and that they know all the ingredients in their food and that some are even good enough to ask what the allergies are to make sure nobody messes up. coldplay sounds like u2 in many of their songs and i'm a huge u2 fan and happen to really enjoy listening to coldplay too.