Jordan Reid's Blog, page 7

#PayTeachersMore

Early sketch from the new book!

In the leadup to the publication of The Big Activity Book for Teacher People, I asked Hayley Spira-Bauer to weigh on on what life has been like for teachers these past couple of years, and why the wage gap needs to be closed.

There is a pervasive narrative that exhausted mothers everywhere share regarding the unbalanced burden of responsibilities they carry in and around the home. In fact, with the recent release of Encanto, moms everywhere clung to Luisa, the M...

The Big Activity Book for Teacher People

Teachers: They’re basically superheroes. They’re educators, sure—but they’re also counselors, custodians, referees, detectives, party planners, epidemiologists, and traffic controllers (among the many, many other jobs that they don’t get paid for, but should).

Now available for preorder: The next book in the Big Activity Book series, The Big Activity Book for Teacher People. This one was inspired by the many, many, many hilarious tales my teacher friends have told me – and by the fact that teac...

Before And After: Charcoal Bathroom Makeover

zzzzzzzzzz

OK, so nothing was wrong with the second bathroom in our new place – not technically, at least. Our condo is a new build – the original structure burned to the ground in the Woolsey fire a couple of years back – so everything was in great shape, but it just felt like…a hotel. You know, what with the large flat mirror, the nickel-plated lights, the white walls. It was one big “meh.”

You know what I enjoy, though? A blank slate. Give me a boring room, and I am a child on Christmas morn...

When Cancel Culture Goes Too Far

My latest piece for Straight Arrow News, in which I talk Whoopi Goldberg and “counsel” versus “cancel.” (Check out all my segments here.)

The post When Cancel Culture Goes Too Far appeared first on Ramshackle Glam.

Mudder F-er (Or That Time I Ran A 5K Tough Mudder While Shockingly Unprepared)

Questionable advertising on that faux tattoo there

I am not a runner. I’ve tried to be, from time to time: When I briefly lived in Malibu back in my early twenties, I decided to try running on the beach in the mornings because it seemed like the kind of thing that one does when one lives in Malibu, only to have my knobby little offset kneecaps swell to the size of tennis balls. More recently, I adopted a golden retriever puppy under the misguided belief that ownership of said puppy would automa...

Before and After: Blush & Bashful Powder Room

The “before” (totally fine, but zzzzzzzz).

First, please tell me you get the reference in the title. Thank you. Now, you may recall I have a thing for pink bathrooms – I painted the tiny bathroom in our San Jose house a deep rose shade (vastly improved from the prior olive-and-vomit-themed aesthetic). In my new place, the main bath is very much not-tiny: There’s an entirely separate vanity area (pictured above) with its own sink and walk-in closet in addition to the toilet-and-bathtub bathroom ...

The Everybody Gets Anxious Activity Book

Available for preorder now: My first kids’ book with Erin Williams, and what might be my favorite project I’ve ever worked on. It was written during lockdown, while all of us watched our children struggling with anxiety. I’ve dealt with (clinically diagnosed) anxiety for years – as readers of The Big Activity Book for Anxious People and anyone with even a passing familiarity with this site know – and have discovered that, for me, the best ways to cope with anxious feelings are to 1) Talk about ...

Surprisingly Speedy Chicken-Ginger Broth (For Ramen Soup)

During quarantine, I got really into making my own ramen. I made it in the biggest possible pain-in-the-butt way that I could, because honestly: What else did I have to do? Might as well spend two days making soup!

Except I don’t always want to spend two days making soup. Sometimes – like last night – I want truly excellent ramen, except I want it now.

Enter: This absolutely spectacular (ifIdosaysomyself) broth, which blends in hints of lemongrass and ginger to make it a perfect, ever-so-slight...

Straight Arrow News: Vaccine Mandates In Schools

Before you object to school vaccine mandates, hear me out. And yes, pooping in the streets is part of my argument. Of course.

P.S. You can check out all my segments for Straight Arrow News here.

The post Straight Arrow News: Vaccine Mandates In Schools appeared first on Ramshackle Glam.

Preteen Boy’s Room: A Makeover

First of all, I almost sobbed typing the word “preteen” into this post’s title, because I had flashbacks to this. He seemed so. big.

Moving on, so I don’t watch that video again and start crying.

The thing about my son’s room in our last place was that it was…how do I put it…

…

…

…awful.

It was teeny-tiny, with one teeny-tiny window (so it was effectively a teeny-tiny, dark box). It also had a hole in the ceiling – and sure, I patched it, but still. That place might’ve had a million-dollar view...