the OTHER mother

Mother's Day: What Do You Really Want?

That's the question of the day.  For Mother's Day, what do you really want.  Realism is optional.  But be honest.

[photo by NieckQ via flickr]

Question of the Day: Extravagance

Just Doodles 1
Originally uploaded by {oRiLiLy}

Have you made an extravagant purchase lately? Please tell all.

Question of the Day: The Big D

What do you do when you are depressed?

(photo by Claudecf via flickr)

Question of the Day: Road

Road, originally uploaded by JuliusTheCat via flickr

What are some places you'd love to visit some day? (Assume that money is not an obstacle.)

Question of the Day: From Pearl

Here's a question that Pearl is asking everyone lately:

Do you have a chimney?

Wonder what's on her mind.

Question of the Day: Home for the Holidays

What are your plans for Thanksgiving?  Within those plans, tell something specific that you're truly looking forward to or hoping will happen.

Results from The L Word Survey

The survey results are in.  Thanks for participating.  Most of the 115 participants (96%) have watched either some or most of the episodes of The L Word. The reasons people watch the show are (1) to see other lesbians on television and (2) the sex scenes.  Here are the breakdowns for the questions about the characters.

Which character on The L Word is most attractive to you?

1. Shane (39%)
2. Alice (15%)
3. Bette (14%)
4. Helena (8%)
5. Marina (7%)

Which character on The L Word is most like you?

1. Alice (35%)
2. Tina (20%)
3. None of them (11%)
4. Bette (10%)
5. Shane (8%)

Your thoughts are (as always) welcome!

Any Educated Guesses?

The L Word survey has officially closed now.  Thanks to everyone who participated in the poll.  I will post the results tomorrow.  In the meantime, if you'd like to predict the results, please feel free. 

Question(s) of the Day: The L Word Survey

As I mentioned in the previous post, Marcia and I are catching up with the rest of you by watching season 4 of The L Word on DVD.  On the one hand, The L Word is a silly show. What I mean by that is that I don't think I'd recommend it to anyone who's NOT a lesbian.  On the other hand, as far as I am aware, this show exists in a vacuum.  I don't know of any other television series that centers around lesbian characters, but I'm not a big television viewer--am I missing something? 

Here's my first attempt at a reader poll.  It should take you less than a minute.  I will leave it up for a week and then report back to you with the results.

This survey is now closed.

      

             

The L Word Survey

      

Page One

      

   

       

       

                                      

1. How many episodes of The L Word have you watched?   

MostSomeNone

2. Which character on The L Word is most attractive to you?

	Alice
	Bette
	Helena
	Kit
	Jenny
	Max
	Shane
	Tina
	Other

3. Which character on The L Word is most like you?

	Alice
	Bette
	Helena
	Kit
	Jenny
	Max
	Shane
	Tina
	Other

4. What do you like best about The L Word?

          

              

   

   

               

          

                                                           

         

50%

       

       

 

   

Question of the Day: Separation/Anxiety

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, Marcia and I will be taking our first vacation sans children later this week.  I am wondering what advice you could give us on how to make this event as trauma-free as possible.  Also if you know of story books or videos on this subject that might appeal to Pearl and Carrie, we'd be interested in your recommendations.

Question of the Day: Surprises

This question comes from the Manic Monday series which I found via Shrike & Wozat. Here it is:

What surprises you most about your life so far?

I'm going to try to answer this too.

Soon.

(picture by mohawk via flickr)

Question of the Day: Nonfiction for Kids

Today I am fishing for book recommendations.  We have a nice collection of fictional picture books for Pearl and Carrie. Our collection leans toward imaginary adventures and talking animals.  We'd like to add some books for the summer that are either nonfiction or simply more realistic stories.  But they should be beautiful and well written, of course!

Pearl (age 3) likes dinosaurs, cars, trains, storytelling, and nature.  Carrie (age 1.5)  likes babies, animals, and life-skills such as cooking, cleaning, getting dressed, and gardening.

Three books that we already own that illustrate what I have in mind might be Flotsam by David Wiesner or Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert or The Paperboy by Dav Pilkey.  If you have suggestions for our summer reading list, please let us know.

Question(s) of the Day

For obvious reasons, Marcia and I have been talking a lot about birthday parties.  A while back Marcia shared this website and our main goal has been to keep things simple and child-centered. Here are some questions for you.

1)  Did you (will you) have a big party celebrating your child's first birthday?

We had small family-only parties for Pearl and Carrie's first birthdays because the birthday is really more for the family.  Our one-year-olds didn't know what birthdays were yet.  We did have a cake and we did sing happy birthday.  We had a few gifts.  But that was it.  I've read poll results, though, that indicate that many  families do bigger celebrations for the first birthday than the second or third. I know that some cultures emphasize birthday #1. 

2)  Have you ever been to a birthday party that you considered over-the-top?

I haven't.  Not yet, anyway.  Can't wait to read your answers though.

3)  Have you ever requested "no gifts" for a child's birthday party?

Marcia really wanted to add this phrase to our invitations, but I was not so sure. I would be interested in your ideas about birthdays.  Please sound off.

Question of the Day (Groove Along)

When Pearl starting singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" in Hebrew at the dinner table a few days ago, Marcia and I were shocked.  We do have a cd that's called something like "Songs for Jewish children," but it hurts my ears, and I certainly couldn't have sang that song myself, so it was a big surprise to hear her belting out the tune. 

I guess Pearl must have reached the age at which she can absorb new things that she hears "like a sponge." Our collection of children's music is nothing to brag about.  I was wondering if you could suggest some cd's that a nearly-two-year-old might enjoy.  Right now she's into The Wiggles.  She also has a few books on CD, and she enjoys them too.

Also I wonder if you have introduced a second language to your child and at what age.  Have you experimented with CDs in another lengua? 

Question of the Day (Independent Play)

How do we encourage more independent play?  We are struggling with this question. 

Private Benjamin?

I notice that many of the moms who blog don't use the child's real name or post photos to the public.  My reason for including both is extended family.  They live scattered around the country and enjoy the updates and pictures.  Now I'm starting to wonder whether it's time to stop after seeing how many of my fellow bloggers have decided not to do it.  I would be interested in hearing how you arrived at your decision.

A Costume Question

Halloween, that dark and stormy night, approaches. We are still in the brainstorming phase regarding Pearl's costume. Let us know if you have a great idea. Here are a few caveats: (1) Mosquitos are a bigger issue than cool temperatures in this part of the country. Weather here will be warm. (2) She can't walk. She can crawl very fast though. (3) Costume (should I say "costume"?) should cost little to NO money. With those restrictions in mind, have at it!