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This was our quick go-to vegetarian dish over the weekend. We try to abstain from meat at least twice a week, mostly for health reasons but also as a little reminder that just because you have access to all the food in the world, others do not. Almost like a suffering in solidarity sort of spiritual thing. The Coop had a handy-dandy bag of root veggies I had grabbed the other week, and we had black beans & tomatoes & rice in the pantry. Add garlic, onions, chicken stock, and some seasoning, and you’ve got a little feast. I think I diced up about 5 big cloves of garlic, two small onions, and added 2 bay leaves, basil & oregano. You know the drill: saute…
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Taking a little break from talking with and hearing from our mama readers about their birth and parenting experiences, we want to let you know about the Childbirth Collective Movie Premiere! The Childbirth Collective is this really great local non-profit organization that supports birthing families. This Saturday at Intermedia Arts in Minneapolis at 1pm come and see a fabulous film premiere on doulas’ roles in birth. AA & J & I are lucky enough to be interviewed for the documentary that features a number of local families, birth doulas, and local healthcare providers. It should be a real blast and a treat! It was made by our good friend & doula, Emily Rumsey, R.N. She’s pretty fabulous. The official Childbirth Collective website page discussing the…
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People are always so surprised when I tell them (in response to the question, “What’s his favorite show?”) that SuperBoy doesn’t watch TV. Or have any screen time, really, except Skype with relatives out of town. I don’t think we’re that “out there” as parents to not have screen time for our less-than-two year old. Especially in light of the AAP’s serious recommendation of no-screen-time-before-two (see my post on that here). But because he’s not accustomed to being entertained by something, most of his activities are self-driven. He loves to pounce upon a pile of blocks, books, cars, and start sorting, or just wading through them. He directs his own play, instead of being a passive participant in it. (I’m not judging parents who do screen…
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People who live south of Iowa think that the activities we do in Minnesota in the winter are nuts. Cross country skiing, alpine skiing, ice fishing, hiking, even camping (yes, all outdoors). But the advantages to being cold-weather-ready are that you really do toughen up your blood, live on the edge a little, and get your cheeks pink. I also think it makes us live longer because we have to endure more, and in a Darwinian way, nature will weed out the weak. (There are no stats that I know of to back me up, here.) We went to our family home in Wisconsin recently and J loved loved loved it. Even at almost 30 pounds, he still fits in our great backpack (see…
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This is part 4 of our Birth & Parenting Series. Part 1 (Thoughts From a Mother of Four) is here, part 2 (Mother of Seven Shares Her Empowering Birth Stories) is here, and part 3 (First-Time Mother of Twins) is here. This brave first time mama shares about how she and her husband met their son in a surprise emergency C-section after plans for an unmedicated vaginal birth. She suffered a placental abruption, but miraculously she and her son survived, thrived, and are already at 7.5 months into parenthood. As her story unfolds here, her faith in God and love she shares with her husband is particularly poignant. 1. Tell me a little bit about your beautiful son. Micah was born in June and is 7-and-a-half months old. He…
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Parenting Style Talk: Maybe It Starts With the Parent
There’s lots of talk around the world of media about parenting styles lately. I propose we should focus a little more on who we are and how we behave, and let it follow suit. Are we putting our needs first, disguised as “what’s best for my child”? Are we failing to corral our own behavioral patterns and instead blaming our child’s behavior for our negativity? Let’s look at these articles first and see what secrets they purport to divulge on the great Parenting Style Solution. Remember last year when Amy Chua wrote “Battle Hymn of a Tiger Mother” and there was an excerpt in the Wall Street Journal entitled “Why Chinese Parents Are Superior,” and then a follow up rebuttal piece by Ayelet Waldman…
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