Saturday Stuff

I wrote about kale. Sick of kale? That's cool, we can agree to disagree. I looooove kale, and that deep, passionate love is best summed up by Emma Thompson’s character’s love for Joni Mitchell in the movie Love Actually.

Indulge me for a moment: Alan Rickman’s character, Harry, asks his wife Karen (played by Emma Thompson) what music they’re listening to, Karen replies that it’s Joni Mitchell, and Harry grumbles: “I can't believe you still listen to Joni Mitchell.” Karen matter-of-factly says: “I love her. And true love lasts a lifetime.” Me + kale 4eva.

I wrote about taro too, which I like well enough, but will not profess my undying love for. Sorry taro.

How we created an entire generation of unsophisticated, picky eaters — and why we must stop the tasteless cycle.

12 women who had the perfect response to sexist questions.

"February is thirteen months long in Michigan." Indeed. C'mon March!

Meet the unlikely Airbnb Hosts of Japan.

I know a mama who.

What I learned during our week of doing nothing.

"The Love More Shop is a (you guessed it) love inspired brand that reminds people to love their family, friends, and world more each day because creating empathetic, kind, whole human beings starts in a loving home." That's a brand I can get behind.

15 things that emotionally strong people don't do. via Shutterbean

How should I teach my kids about money? via Shutterbean

34 truths we need stapled to our forehead. via Shutterbean

This Week (and the last one)

I wrote about bananas and plantains.

This guy walks 21 miles to work and back every day -- and that's only part of his commute.

Vegetables lit up.

"We are on red alert when it comes to how we are perceiving ourselves as a species. There's no desire to be an adult. Adulthood is not a goal. It's not seen as a gift." -- Frances McDormand rocks. via Orangette

Tinder scares me.

In praise of revisiting a favorite city.

What not to wear after 50: the final say.

Misused quotation marks crack me up. via Dooce

I always hated taking my shoes off in people's homes, until we lived in Japan and it became second-nature. Now I'm happy the habit stuck. via Design Mom

Reminder to self: Make magic mushroom powder. via Shutterbean

30 day minimalism challenge. via Shutterbean

Why millennials don't want to buy stuff. via Shutterbean

Dancing to the Beat of My Own Drummer

Josephine's response to music is undeniable. The instant music comes on, she starts moving to the beat in wild -- yet rhythmic -- motions. Even when she was a baby, music could (almost) always be counted on to calm her down. So between her love of music and the fact that her body exists in seeming perpetual motion, dance classes seemed inevitable.

We're not entirely sure what prompted it, Lambie on DocMcStuffins perhaps, but sometime last fall she started asking for ballet lessons for Christmas. Actually, she started asking for "a tiara, a tutu, and ballet slippers" all in one breath, words smooshing together as if she couldn't get her wish list out fast enough. When anyone asked her what she wanted for Christmas, she'd repeat these requests, always in the same order -- occasionally adding on ballet classes at the end of the list when she remembered what she'd wanted to be using those items for.

She got her wish, and we signed her up for ballet classes. When the day of her first class finally came, I re-read the list of requirements, and my eyes landed on this one: "This class is an independent experience. Parents/caregivers are requested to remain in the hallway so that students may remain focused on instruction. You are welcome to observe from outside the dance room." I knew Josephine would be okay with that -- though I still warned her ahead of time -- and I figured there would be windows for watching, but grabbed my book just in case.

The classes are held in a quaint performing arts center smack-dab in the middle of a neighborhood, a fun little building, but not one designed for class observation. The dance room has double doors for ingress and egress, but they are dark safety glass, lined with wire mesh -- not great for visibility. Plus, there are a dozen small children in the class, which means there are more parents than viewing space.

I peeked in long enough to see that Josephine was running around and having fun, and then sat down on a bench and opened my book to read. It's a great book, I'm completely engrossed in it, but all the same, I found myself having to give myself a pep-talk every few paragraphs.

"It's okay that I'm not standing by the door to watch."

"It's okay to enjoy this time for me."

"It's okay that I am the only one not craning through the dark glass for a glimpse of my little one."

What I wasn't admitting was that I was really telling myself: "I am not a bad parent." It might sound silly (and I did still manage to enjoy my book) but it took work to convince myself that I wasn't going to turn myself into a parent pariah -- the parent that no one wanted to talk to for the remaining nine weeks of class. It took work to remind myself that who I am and my sense of self-worth is not dependent on anyone else's actions or opinions. I think it's okay that I have to keep reminding myself these things -- and I will -- until they are stuck in my head and I no longer give those ideas a second thought.

The second week of class, Josephine once again bounded away to the door the instant her instructor opened it, and I settled down again with my book. Only this time, four other parents sat down away from the glass doors -- and two of them brought books.

What I Read This Week

Radical brownies: In California, a new breed of Brownie is learning about social justice instead of sewing, empowering young girls marginalized by the mainstream.

How the smell of rain bubbles from the ground.

Between reading The Third Plate and then Tim of Lottie + Doof's post on flour tortillas, I'm convinced that I need to start using more Ansom Mills products.

The definitive guide to healthy eating. via How Sweet It Is

20 things only people who love going out to eat understand. via Shutterbean

This girl can. via Design Mom

Things I've learned in 40 years of living. via Design Mom

"I don’t get hung up on being initially terrible when I try a new thing." I can't wait to be 40. via Ann Friedman

Getting real about the partner-subsidized freelance life. via Ann Friedman

Anti-Vaxxers Ruined Disneyland: Why this Public Health Nightmare Needs to be Stopped via Dooce

The Kinspiracy: Making white people feel artistic since 2011 via Dooce

 

I wrote about oroblancos and shared recipes for sweet potato butterscotch scones and raw, vegan brownie batter bites.