• Created on 8/26/10 by Mothering Editorial

By Shara CampsallWeb Exclusive - January 15, 2007 I stood in line with students, single moms, and other young couples. We were all waiting to view the home and eventually race to apply for occupancy. I eyed up my competition, and felt certain we were a shoe-in. A family of three, working professionals in our mid-thirties; we were excellent tenants. The home was unkempt, but had the space we would require as a soon-to-be growing family. I quickly made furniture arrangements in my head, and pictured how curtains and flowers would liven the place up. I introduced myself to... read more

• Created on 8/24/10 by mamazee

I love sharing cool new (to me) kids’ clothing companies that are really beautiful, unique, and hip. Especially when so many kids’ clothing options at big box stores are crappy, trashy, and banal. How do I really feel, right? Their kids’ clothes go from baby sizes up to size 12! Tea Collection is giving away a $100 gift certificate to one lucky A la Mama reader who enters the contest (by leaving a comment below). They also carry beautiful clothing for women, and so if you decide to procure some sweet threads for yourself, your secret is safe with me ;... read more

• Created on 8/22/10 by mamazee

by Sarah Juliusson of www.MamaRenew.ca – Find Mama Renew on Facebook & Twitter It’s that classic final week of summer and I have to say, I’m ready for school to begin again. Call me a grouch if you need to, but this readiness has nothing to do with my Love of summer, my joy at having our boys at home with us, or my longing to spend each and every day outside in the sun.  As Jennifer Margulis wrote this week in her Mothering blog, these final days of summer are to be savored. I am, quite simply, ready for rhythm again. Way back in the final... read more

• Created on 8/22/10 by Jenny Rough

For some reason, I have been blessed with lots of reading time this summer. I suppose it’s easier to find time for books when you’re trying to get preggers, rather than when you actually have a live baby to feed and diaper and cuddle. Still, I envision plenty of family reading time with my own kids (if our lives go in that direction) . . . and with my new nephew. Meet Noah: He is a precious gift! He’s a little over a month old, and I cannot wait to hold him when I visit him in October. I plan to arrive with a big ol’ stack of books. As his writer aunt, it’s my duty to... read more

• Created on 8/22/10 by Jennifer Margulis

Not-quite-three-year-old Etani swings on a swing in the guesthouse where we stayed when we first arrived in Niger (note the words on his T-shirt!)I started babysitting when I was still in elementary school. I worked as a mother’s helper for a family of six when I was in junior high. It was so much fun—combing knots out of tangled hair, lulling a crying infant to sleep, sorting buttons with a 4-year-old, playing African Safari and hunting lions under the dining room table. I knew just what to do to comfort a crying child. I was firm and consistent without being scolding,... read more

• Created on 8/20/10 by mamazee

My daughter was lying on my bed. She was five and a half. She looked around the room and said it was so peaceful and beautiful. She noted that my room had altars with candles and photos and there were no toys in my room. She said that she liked my room more than the room she shares with her brother. She went on to decide that she hated her room and that it wasn’t fair and I had the good room. She worked herself up rather quickly. I went through a myriad of response feelings internally: “Back off, this is my room. Of course my room is peaceful... read more

• Created on 8/19/10 by Jennifer Margulis

It took our family a long time to transition into summer. Now that we’ve finally settled into a rhythm to our days, summer is winding down. The tomatoes are ripening on the vine, the air is cooling off at night, the university students are coming back, and it’s almost time for the kids to go back to school. In the meantime, Bill Clinton just celebrated his 64th birthday, Dr. Laura dropped the N-word bomb eleven times and is now resigning from radio (true confession: when I worked as an ESL teacher in Atlanta and commuted from Little Five Points to Buford Highway I... read more

• Created on 8/18/10 by Mothering Editorial

My Upside Down Life: The Joys and Struggles of Living with Mom and Dad By Cynthia MirandaIssue 120, September/October 2003 I was in yoga class, practicing the Salamba Sirsasana, or headstand. The teacher was explaining that one of the benefits of this asana is that it gives you a different perspective. It turns your world upside down and helps you deal with any challenge in your life. As I relaxed into this asana, I reflected on how this last year has been one long sirsasana . . . During the time I was pregnant with my daughter, Jade, I was promoted to the position of... read more

• Created on 8/18/10 by Mothering Editorial

Issue 128 - January/February 2005 Benefit packages offered throughout the US economy include a set of policies and practices termed “family-friendly.” Their basic intent is to help working parents balance personal or family life with work responsibilities. These policies can include maternity and pater-nity leave benefits; allowances for personal and sick time; work-schedule flexibility, including policies related to part-time work; telecommuting policies; breastfeeding arrangements; employer-supported childcare; and counseling referral programs. Yet some question... read more

• Created on 8/16/10 by mamazee

Snow Creek, California The Talking Stick ritual was introduced to me from a man who learned the tradition from his elders. It was taught to me thusly: Gather in a circle There is a stick or sacred item in the middle of the circle Whomever is holding the stick speaks and the others in the circle listen Words spoken are lean Whatever is said in the circle stays in the circle (unless permission is given) The one using the talking stick speaks from his/her heart, about his/her truth A... read more