by guest blogger Renee James, humorist and blogger “May your hearts not break…”—A Wish for My Children, Evangeline Paterson I don’t remember anything about my last Mother’s Day with my mom. Other than that it was in 2011. It may be because it was ordinary and the details would disappoint in their blandness. We gathered […]
Tag Archives | parenting
Simple Is Better, Or Spiderman Does Cry
by guest blogger Renee James, humorist and blogger A few months ago, I wrote about my newly adopted philosophy of life: “Nothing Is Easy.” At this point, I’d like to add a corollary: “Simple Is Better.” Given a choice between an overwrought, tortured approach to a problem, or a direct, hands-on solution, simple is better. […]
Standing on the Frontlines: Parenthood Rx
by guest blogger Robyn O’Brien, author and former financial and food-industry analyst The last few weeks have brought about a flurry of headlines for 21st-century parents: A new food allergy study suggested that we should be feeding our babies peanuts after a prior study suggested the opposite. A Girl Scout troop in Houston, made up […]
On Sisterhood, Stretch Marks and Scars
by guest blogger Renee James, humorist and blogger When I was 16 years old, I had major surgery on my kidneys, which left me with an enormous, obvious scar. It starts in the middle of my back and winds around my waist to my abdomen. There were no fade creams in 1975; I applied cocoa […]
Skiing the Conditions of Parenthood
by guest blogger Renee James, humorist and blogger About 15 years ago, I wrote a column about my boys and the day one of our gerbils died. Like most stories I wrote about my sons, it taught me a great deal about them, even more about myself and about why most of what I often […]
‘Amazing’ Is in the Eye of the Beholder
by guest blogger Renee James, humorist and blogger Many things sound so much better in theory than they turn out to be in reality. Unfortunately, you usually can’t tell if that’s the case until you’re in the midst of the experience. Then it begins to dawn on you that, in fact, you’re in a bleak […]
20 Not-Stupid Questions to Ask Your Kids over the Holidays
There is nothing like a holiday to bring people together. And once you’re together, you have to converse. There is a whole list of typical questions we ask our kids at some times: What’s your favorite subject in school? How are things going? But there is a subtle art to going deeper—to finding those brilliant […]
On Motherhood, Mayhem and Moving On
by guest blogger Renee James, essayist and blogger “The world will break your heart 10 ways to Sunday. That’s guaranteed. I can’t begin to explain that. Or the craziness inside myself and everyone else.” Those lines, from tortured protagonist Pat Solitano in Silver Linings Playbook, sum up his feelings about his recent past. I don’t […]
Scratch
Raised on America’s first organic farm, Scratch author Maria Rodale learned how to make everyday favorites from, yes, scratch — the way you remember them; the way they turn out best.
Order NowOrganic Manifesto
Drawing on findings from leading health researchers as well as conversations with both chemical and organic farmers from coast to coast, Maria Rodale irrefutably outlines the unacceptably high cost of chemical farming on our health and our environment.
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