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An Afternoon with Arthur
I looked out the window on Saturday during “post-tropical storm Arthur” and noticed that there were small-to-middling sized branches on the ground all around my car. I was concerned about the windows. I said to my mother, “Um. Do you think that the cars should be parked directly under the trees?” “Hm. Maybe not. Let…
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Parenting Towards Enlightenment
We, a class of aspiring yoga teachers, are sitting on the floor of the meditation hall at the ashram in India when the conversation turns to the conflict between practice and parenting. “But how,” asks one of the men, “do you work with being here when your children are somewhere else? You have to worry…
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Wordless Wednesday: Playing Science
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About That Beer…
Remember when I told you that I got lost on the way to a major national monument, and took 45 minutes to go the last kilometer on foot, and that I wouldn’t tell you the story without beer? I totally lied, because I looked at the pictures again. Seriously, how could I resist this: “It’s…
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Spring Comes, Eventually, With Birds
We’re just going to pretend May didn’t exist, ‘k? I might talk about it sometime, but suffice it to say that it was a month of profound imbalance, lived largely in vehicles and including an astonishing number of grabbed meals on-the-run, and the gaining of 10 pounds. I’m cranky, irritable, and generally not much fun…
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The Mouths of Babes
It has been a strange week in the world of The Dilettante, and my writing has suffered as a result. On the other hand, I had a chance to reconnect with old friends, eat fabulous restaurant food, and revel in one of the great luxuries of our day, a weekend in the city. Upon returning…
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Growing Outside
Welcome to the May Carnival of Natural Parenting: Growing in the Outdoors This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have shared how they encourage their children to connect with nature and dig in the dirt. Please read…
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A Grand Scheme
After ten straight hours of bingeing on chocolate eggs, what eventually hatched was a scheme. Lacking a phaeton-and-four, it was a simple plan. (The author has just finished a Jane Austen book, and is thinking of seasides, horse-drawn carriages, and misadventures that result in stays of se’ennight, ending in marriage.) It began as a casual…
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Advocacy? Me?
Welcome to the April Carnival of Natural Parenting: Compassionate Advocacy This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have shared how they advocate for healthy, gentle parenting choices compassionately. Please read to the end to find a list…
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Being the Good Enough Mother
I had an odd experience yesterday: I had a moment of feeling… oh… what’s the word? I’ve felt it before, but it is rare and fleeting. Ah, yes. That’s it… accomplished! And what brought me to this strange state of affairs? It was nothing more than what I read about other people doing every day.…
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Signs of Spring
1. We can find the remaining firewood (it’s all in disarray because we finally had to get the plow in, and it was by the edge of the driveway): 2. Sliding now involves an actual slide: 3. The garden beds are reappearing. We’re thinking cranberries: 4. The annual construction season has started: 5. Dreams of…
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Ten Fundamentals
Welcome to the March Carnival of Natural Parenting: Natural Parenting Top 10 Lists This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have shared Top 10 lists on a wide variety of aspects of attachment parenting and natural living.…
