As if I needed justification? Conveniently, I already had a mom-date on the books for tonight with a group of local gals whom I really like — smart, funny, and educated! If I weren’t working, I’d see them more often…but damn it all…
One gal sent this article with the email titled, “Proof that […]

Rough paraphrase of something I told my counselor last week:
Growing up, I never had a concept of myself as an adult.
Seriously, I think my first major depression (at age 26) was largely brought on by a lack of vision for myself and my future. I’d grown up expecting to go to school, get good […]

I remembered that Effexor does wonky things to my appetite. Last time I took Effexor, I dropped 7-1/2 pounds during the two weeks I was on a sample package (142 to 134.5). So, my starting to feel ambivalent about food (I want to physically eat — comfort — but the idea of food […]

This morning, I saw my physician assistant and got the ball rolling on the medical side of the what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-me puzzle. He walked into the room, glanced at the chart, looked at me, and commented, “you’ve picked up some weight, eh?” That’s all it took for the tears to start. I hate crying […]

[Mary has well-behaved toddlers in public] by clear communication in advance, by making expectations understood, and by following through with firm, compassionate, consistency. The key to avoiding conflict and acrimony, and to creating a warm and nurturing environment, is good communication.
Mary P. (of It’s Not All Mary Poppins) is part of a new blogging community, […]

So, what do you think — is it okay to self-medicate if you’re doing it intentionally?
A little background: Before my initial “real” diagnosis with depression, and even a bit afterward (even until I began counseling), I had a propensity to drink a smidge more than is generally considered a good idea. This decreased significantly […]

I just finished what was a difficult session with my counselor, but one that provided insight into some ideas I believed true (deep down, if not consciously), but hadn’t even considered.
One of the biggest presenting symptoms for me with this current dip into depression is frustration with my seeming inability to get. stuff. done. […]

On Monday, something that’s blindingly obvious in retrospect ocurred to me: I’m teetering on the edge of a serious bout with depression, and I’m starting to lose my balance. Collapsing into a puddle of tears and heaving over something minor was a big wake-up call, and since then, I’ve felt a bit better because […]

Now that’s more like it — reply from a different contact.
Now *this* is how to tell someone why you decided to send them an email:
Thanks for the reply. I was really impressed by your profile. My masterpiece is someone such as yourself who has beauty as well as an intellectual side. Physical attraction is only […]

The board where I initially posted this is very progressive (what an oasis in Colorado Springs!), so you might imagine I got some pushback about my first (short) post. In addition, I wasn’t clear enough in my first post that my black box comment was an *addition* to the commentary at Feministe, not the […]

This post and the next one were originally written as a post on a local bulletin board — but I think the topic is important enough to cross-post here.
I think it’s fairly safe to assume that most of the moms on this board are pro-breastfeeding. Yes, breastmilk is what nature has designed as the best […]

I’ve jumped off the bandwagon after one week, four days of ingesting flavorless calories. Why, you might ask? (Or maybe you don’t.) If the SLD tricks were working to lower your appetite — and even change your cravings to more healthful food — why stop?
Mental health, baby.
As I posted before, taking oil had […]

“I’m glad I didn’t have a girl. She wouldn’t get to leave the house until she’s 30!”
The Happy Feminist posted about this kind of comment, and she boils it down (mostly, anyway) to a father’s perception of a daughter as a sexual being — in this case, one that should be preserved and protected […]

From Hugo:
…we must remember that to follow Jesus is to match our language and our lives.
His post happens to be about the deceptive tactics of some “crisis pregnancy centers,” but the idea applies across the board.
On topic, this is exactly why I chose to keep the pregnancy that resulted in my little girl. […]

I’m not sure whether it’s more appropriate to laugh or cry…*this* is why my biggest goal with my daughter is to hand her as little baggage as possible.
They fuck you up, your mum and dad,
They may not meant to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for […]