Rita Arens's Blog, page 50

Post-Tornado, Post-Road-Trip, Pre-Dad 2.0 Exhaustion

So last week, Beloved lived through a tornado. Our Corolla, unfortunately, did not. It's totalled, according to the insurance company. Still, we had plans to go to Iowa on Friday for a reunion with three of my four college roommates (the fourth lives in DC and has a new bebe), so ONWARD! we went. 

Now I'm sitting here looking at a full to-do list, a wrecked and increasingly stinky car and an upcoming business trip to Dad 2.0 on Thursday. My parents are coming down Wednesday because Beloved's...

Go See All the Pictures of the Branson Tornado

'Cause Beloved had his first freight-train experience last night. Pics on BlogHer -- he's okay, but the Corolla, is, um, not.

A Scary Look at Young Adult Parenting

I read an article on Salon this morning by a college professor regarding what she sees going on around her: kids utterly dependent on their parents, still, in college, and parents intent on following their childrens' every move via cell phone or Facebook:

College is a perfect middle ground for this age group: Students are forced to make their own choices and take responsibility for them, but help and guidance are there if they need it. What I see, though, is that the self-reliance they...

Microsoft Word's Aversion to Subversive Adverbs

Hello? That is totally correct.

Why You Won't Find Sleep Is for the Weak on Amazon Kindle

Just as ebooks are heating up after everyone got a Kindle Fire for Christmas, I got a letter this week from the publisher of Sleep Is for the Weak, Chicago Review Press. I don't hear from my publisher very often, as my book came out four years ago, and in publishing dog years, that is approximately What-Have-You-Done-for-Me-Lately-thirty. The letter basically told me why Chicago Review Press's distributor, IPG, got into it with Amazon, which resulted in Amazon yanking the Kindle version of...

My Two-State Quest for Jeans That Fit

Over the past week, I engaged in a two-state, five-store quest for a pair of jeans that fit. I tried on more than fifty pairs of jeans. In front of my seven-year-old daughter, who assured me over the course of two stores that I really didn't look right in skinny jeans. Because I'm not necessarily skinny. She wasn't being mean, she was being honest, and she was actually right. I wear the fact I didn't burst out crying when she said this as a badge of honor and body acceptance. Also the fact I...

I Feel Like These

My awesome sister cross-stitched me these for my birthday.

I know, right? Aren't they great? I can't wait to hang them in my kitchen. 

I'M KIDDING. Sort of.

I just got them this weekend when I went to my parents' house to collect on their bday gift to me -- they kept the little angel overnight and booked Beloved and me in a hotel nearby. A night out with no early morning and no babysitting costs was the best birthday gift ever. 

However, I don't know if it's just trying to adjust after a...

The No Homo Promo

Late yesterday afternoon, I wrote a reaction to a recent Rolling Stone article about a school district that enacted a policy unofficially called the "No Homo Promo." It was meant to bar teachers and administrators from discussing homosexuality at all in the schools. It resulted in teachers and administrators ignoring bullying, which led to a suicide cluster in the district.

Here's an excerpt:

More than anything, kids need to know they are lovable and that they can trust the adults in charge...

Stress-Free Partying for Everyone

Baby needs a new pair of shoes. In other words:

 

 

If you're not interested in this sponsored post, check out The Hospital for Puking Animals.

Question: What is your best tip for hosting a gathering, get-together or party that is enjoyable and stress-free for both the host and guests?

This is really a hard question, because some gatherings are stress-free for the host and some are stress-free for the guests, but seldom are parties stress-free for everyone, right?

Stress-Free for the Host

Bear Anarchy, Part II

I've since learned the bears who faced me during my morning coffee were actually lined up for Bear School, which apparently was being taught in the kitchen that day due to a field trip. Boy, am I glad that's all cleared up.

This weekend, the little angel discovered the stitches in her Michael's version of Build-a-Bear named Tanya -- that she'd bought with her allowance and I stitched together while waiting for dinner in a Mexican restaurant --had suffered an injury in the seams. We prepped...