Mama Not Making…
I am living in my administrative brain right now. I don’t believe that we’re ever not making, really, ’cause if you’re engaged, you’re bound to create something. I think. But living in my adminbrain, I’m not writing poems. Not rendering images. Not making any ‘zines or knitting any armwarmers.
I miss making. I love developing systems for efficient and effective education of young children, but you can’t hold that in your hands. You can’t point to it.
I’m an irresponsible busy artmama. I should have a small notebook on my person at all times, and a pen, so I can jot notes or dash off sketches of my ideas whenever they come to me. I should be keeping quick records of my ideas since I don’t have leisure creative time the way I used to (but never really realized. Any childless artists out there who may be unencumbered by some weighty, time-consuming, life-consuming responsibility, get your ass from in front of the TV or computer, and go make something). But I’m not doing that. When I remember my notebook, I’ve forgotten my pen. When I get a moment to write, I’d rather sleep. When I’m determined to write something out, I realize I haven’t played with my daughter yet today.
Understand, I am IN NO WAY saying that becoming a parent = death of creative life. To accept that is to succumb to a line of reasoning that is rooted in bullshit. What I’m saying is that your creative life is a privilege. Not a given. Creative expression is like freedom – if you want it, you have to fight for it. The extent to which you fight for it is the extent to which it belongs to you.
So I guess I’m declaring that I’ve been a bit lazy. I’ve taken my creativity for granted. sure, I’ve been busy and tired and stressed and preoccupied. But that’s no reason to take your gifts for granted. I have to stop making excuse. It’s so easy to make excuses about why it’s hard to do what we want to do.
To my credit, I have been writing in my blogs. So I don’t guess I should be too hard on myself – blogging is the easiest way for me to flex my creative brain outside of my internship, and sometimes the easiest way is the only way. But my creative life has been getting the shorter end of the proverbial stick as of late – I need to make a point of paying more attention to it.
I actually think balance is ultimately impossible, but the effort toward it is totally essential. No one can balance what any of us is expected to balance. But trying will make us better people if we don’t kill ourselves in the process. Does that make sense?
Anyway, baby wakes…
Atena
Parents outside their native habitat
around noon
Atena: How are you??
andrea: not too bad. just finished lunch. henry’s napping
Atena: Awesome. Whatcha up to today?
andrea: i got a little motivation and wrote up some questions for the working parent survey for keeley
Atena: Rock n’ roll…
I gotta get my ass in gear – so much to do…
andrea: i was thinking of going to Target to get a few things later
yeah, i bet
Atena: I’ve been doing some “PR” for Double Agents….
andrea: oh. is it getting more traffic?
Atena: Posting on various sites that might draw more of an audience…
andrea: maybe we should get in gear and put up another post. 
Atena: Yeah – you can check the traffic on the dashboard…
I posted something this weekend…
but we should post another chat session soon, too.
andrea: right
maybe something after Concentric. Do they ever address parenting?
I don’t remember young adult conferences ever coming close to noticing that aspect of young adulthood
Atena: I have no idea…
but if they don’t
they will by the time I leave there.
andrea: heh
Atena: Represent!
andrea: yeah, i mean it’s still pretty common for people to have kids before they turn 35
Atena: Yeah -
andrea: I remember one conference I went to a gal brought her baby, which was cool
Atena: Anything after is considered “high risk.”
andrea: yeah, exactly
yet it’s the one thing no one ever talks about
Atena: Yeah, Natalie and I will be representing for the parents.
When I registered…
the woman said there were no other kids registered so far…
But then, I don’t know if they count babies.
andrea: right
on the one hand, i can see how someone attending would want to be able to focus on themselves for a change
Atena: Yeah.
andrea: but on the other hand, it’s kind of this dink/singles bar atmosphere
Atena: Hah.
Yeah – you know I’m thinking…
I’ve been thinking about the whole nursing in public thing as a radical action…
creating opportunities for people to see nursing as a normal, everyday thing…
andrea: *nod*
Atena: But now I’m realizing that just going out to non-child-oriented events is seeming pretty radical.
andrea: yeah!
Atena: Going with your child, that is.
andrea: yeah.
Atena: I don’t know if you read my post from this weekend…
it’s about ghetto-ifying parents.
andrea: like Mark and I wouldn’t really think of going to a YA event because it would be so difficult to accomodate Henry
Atena: Yeah? Not ever?
andrea: and it’s not fair that the one who “plays parent” doesn’t participate
Atena: What about switching off?
andrea: i can’t imagine taking him, in thinking of past conferences i’ve been to
Atena: You make a good point -
Toddlers are a handful, and you can’t always take them everywhere…
andrea: BUT conferences should totally make some accomodation
Atena: RIGHT – ’cause no space will ever become accommodating if we don’t try to carve out a space for ourselves.
andrea: like budget in some nursery care or something
exactly
Atena: They do have childcare at ConCentric! That’s pretty cool.
andrea: oh that’s good
Atena: They were going to cover the cost in my scholarship.
andrea: nice
have you and ian been to any 2U young adult events?
Atena: I went to one…
andrea: with or without stella?
Atena: Ian had stayed at home with Stella.
That’s generally why we don’t go…
andrea: same here
Atena: Because they’re just not designed for parents.
andrea: Quinn asked us about what could be done to be more inviting for parents
i don’t know if any changes were made, though
Atena: It’s good that she asked.
andrea: exactly
Atena: But they won’t have incentive to make changes…
if we’re never showing up.
andrea: yeah
Atena: We should plan to go together sometime.
andrea: we should. although i haven’t seen many events that pique my interest
usually they revolve around purchasing meals, it seems
Atena: I have no idea what they’re doing… you’re right about meals though.
We should bring that up.
Maybe offer to host something sometime…
Bring it onto our turf, in our space.
andrea: i’d been thinking about the whole YA thing, thinking I’d just kinda dumbly look around until, woops! I’m 35!
Atena: Yeah…
I guess the young adult stuff got separated from the parent stuff.
Like being a parent automatically adds ten years.
andrea: is it an issue i want to attempt? will parents in YA groups ever be a partnership?
Atena: I don’t know…
Why wouldn’t they?
andrea: yeah. i think about YA stuff and think that I must be too old for them. i’d be too busy watching Henry do something silly than to contribute any meaningful discussion
Atena: (I just pulled a penny out of Stella’s mouth.)
andrea: there are a lot of college types that have completely different needs and worldviews
(oh lord.)
Atena: Anyway, I don’t think that we should be excluding ourselves from this group…
andrea: and then the young grads, headed to more graduate work or headed to be young professionals
Atena: on account of our children.
We have as much right to participate as they do.
andrea: i just feel too old and distracted to get into what they’re doing
Atena: Well, maybe they should get into what we’re doing.
andrea: is there anything after YA? or do you just wade out into great expanse toward the ‘elder’ horizon?
Atena: I think you just “wade out.”
andrea: hmm
Atena: I think the young adult group would benefit from the parent perspective…
Because many of them will be parents one day…
And many of them have parents in their lives.
andrea: to play devil’s advocate, in what way can they benefit other than the whole cautionary angle, “a duck maybe somebody’s mother” schtick?
Atena: I suppose in the way that anyone benefits from exposure to and interaction with other groups: a widened perspective…
andrea: *nod*
Atena: We can help them learn about parents, learn that we don’t have a disease that makes talking to us impossible…
andrea: (woah.. i’m feeling dizzy all the of sudden)
Atena: you okay?
andrea: that was so weird
Atena: is it over?
andrea: i’m seated, so it didn’t harm me, but i felt my head spinning as though i had been dervishing around. like i degaussed my brain.
and apparently i transpose words when i typed
yeah. maybe i should lay off the Mike ‘n’ Ikes
Atena: hee hee.
So, I guess what I’m trying to say…
andrea: i’m going to look at the YA mailing list archives real quick to see what the events have been recently
Atena: Cool.
I guess we also benefit…
because we get to have an experience of life that is not so child-focused…
That gets us out of our usual box for a while, and reminds us that there are other things in life, and other ways of living.
We can get so isolated – by ourselves, but also with each other.
andrea: True
i don’t see any events having happened other than the soulful potluck and ya brunch. weird.
Atena: Why’s it weird?
andrea: because i feel like i’ve seen other messages posted related to YA
maybe it’s a different mailing list than the one i’m looking at
Atena: Maybe.
Or maybe it’s out of date?
andrea: the events postings are current
i think they may have created a different group when Mark relinquished leadership
Atena: What group are you looking at?
andrea: there we go
yeah, i was at the wrong one. I was looking at 2u_young_adults
Atena: Aha.
Hey, andrea -
I’m gonna change Stella, but then I’ll be back, cool?
andrea: k
Ten minutes later
Atena: Okay – where were we?
andrea: i looked through the past posts and didn’t see too many events that i’d be up for attending. i didn’t see too many events, period. it might be nice to go to a circle worship, provided they had some childcare going on
i didn’t see any future planned events, although it is summer
Atena: Yeah – I think childcare would be possible on a Sunday.
andrea: although that would make for a LOT of nursery time if Henry was there through church and then a second service
Atena: Is there something wrong with a lot of nursery time?
andrea: i dunno. would they be willing to feed him lunch?
the nursery attendents, that is
Atena: They have for other kids, as far as I know.
andrea: okay.
Atena: I can’t imagine why they wouldn’t feed a hungry child.
andrea: *shrug*
Atena: Especially since hungry children are often angry children.
andrea: well, doling out snacks are one thing
but spoons and bowls full of something are different
henry’s not a sandwich guy yet
Atena: I guess you’d have to ask them what they’re willing to do.
And decide how much you want to participate in whatever YA thing is happening.
andrea: for me it just comes back to, am I really that interested to make the effort?
i’m too much of a slacker
Atena: You are not a slacker!
As much work as you do to keep Henry happy and entertained…
andrea: mark and i were just talking about whether we’re raising henry to be a slacker. he was sitting on the couch yelling for me while i was in here typing. wouldn’t get up to get me, just kept yelling
Atena: you can hardly claim to be a slacker.
andrea: oh, i’m lazier than i appear, i think
Atena: What you’re referring to is not being at his beck and call every minute.
Which is actually a good thing.
andrea: my favorite way to play with henry is to roughhouse on the bed because it means i’m laying down
Atena: Heh heh.
andrea: just looked through your recent post to doubleagents
did you feel similarly ignored at the party on Saturday?
Atena: Not so much…
andrea: it seemed more of a kid-friendly crowd
Atena: Yeah -
and there were a lot more people.
Generally a different demographic – ministry students, 2U church members…
andrea: although i never feel like i have anything relavent to talk and secretly hope someone will ask me something about Henry
Atena: The group on Friday were mostly high school teachers…
andrea: ohh
Atena: They had a lot of “Teacher by day, hipster by night” going on…
(another penny out of the mouth – I have to clean under the carpet.)
andrea: yeah, i can understand that scene
(start calling her Coinstar)
Atena: HA!
Anyway, I’ve been to lots of parties where it was totally cool to have Stella, and people were really accepting.
andrea: that’s good
Atena: Yeah – I always really appreciate it.
andrea: Stella’s still at an age where people don’t necessarily fear her
Atena: Very true.
andrea: like I totally wanted to go to a friend of mine’s birthday BBQ
and I would have a year ago
but I think about my friend’s house and all the buttons and CDs and shiny things and breakable/mouthable things and how there would be no way i could actually wear him the whole time
and i had to bow out
Atena: Yeah, I can definitely see that.
andrea: i felt defeated somehow
Atena: It’s harder to get around with toddlers, because the world is so NOT set up for them.
andrea: exactly
Atena: And it blows for the parents.
Because the last thing anyone needs is to only be able to hang out with a toddler.
Though they are very sweet.
andrea: it’s sad because it’s a situation where your child is the reason you can’t go somewhere and not because they’re sick or aren’t friends with the person, but because of their nature at the age they’re at
they’re holding you back in some way just by their existence
Atena: yeah…
andrea: that’s so awful to think about your own kid
Atena: But don’t you think that sometimes toddler parents hold back themselves…
andrea: i’m sure
it’s hard to tell how tolerant nonparents are, though
Atena: and sometimes forget to let their child try to overcome some of the “terror” that’s expected of them?
Yeah.
andrea: like i always feel like i have to ride herd over Henry no matter whose house I’m at
when we were in Iowa, we visited some relatives.
Atena: I think people are by and large less tolerant of children because they don’t have much experience with them.
andrea: they lived on the outskirts of Algona in a really big, really nice house. they had a huge back yard where Henry was able to play, sandbox, the works. But he got tired of that and hot and we went into the house where I just kinda had to let him roam and i was SO scared he’d fuck something up
and my relatives impressed upon me that there was absolutely nothing he could mess up in their space and to relax
Atena: Were you able to relax and let him play?
andrea: and I remember feeling so relieved and also feeling like this was the first time i’d felt that relieved, like someone anticipated my anxiety and truthfully told me that all was cool
Atena: That’s great.
andrea: i know
Atena: I think because of lack of exposure to kids…
andrea: but i’d never know whether my other friends would say “yeah, it’s cool that he’s pulling our DVD collection off the shelves” and mean it
Atena: people fail to think about what it really means to have a kid in their home.
And they underestimate the parents’ capacity to control the child’s every move.
andrea: but it’s really exhausting to control your child’s every move
Atena: Well, yeah, and you shouldn’t have to…
There should be some space where you can let them do their thing.
andrea: so i end up not taking henry to places that i don’t already have experience with
i know. that’s a hard one in the city, unfortunately
Atena: That’s my point…
There has to be a process of integration…
This is where we have to be revolutionaries again -
by letting people know that children do exist in the world, and that we need space for them to be themselves.
andrea: yeah
Atena: I’m really enjoying this discussion -
andrea: i kinda want to live in Wicker Park for just that reason
Atena: but Stella’s losing it.
andrea: okay
Atena: I gotta sign off, but I’ll call you soon.
andrea: kay
Atena: Later!
andrea: bye!
ACT NOW – Help Protect CODEPINK Women Traveling With Humanitarian Aid Convoy to Lebanon!
This action alert was found on hipmama.com, posted by PlacentaMom.
August 12, 2006
Dear hipMamas,
CODEPINK women Medea Benjamin, Gael Murphy and Diane Wilson are risking their lives to bring aid to Southern Lebanon and to expose the atrocities, please help protect them in their passage.
Contact the Israeli Embassy in Washington DC and the Israeli Consulate in New York today to let them know that there is international attention on the Humanitarian Aid Convoy composed of Lebanese and U.S. citizens as well as other Internationals that plans to bring much needed aid to the thousands of civilians that are dying in Southern Lebanon from thirst, hunger and disease brought about by the bombing.
Let them know that we expect safe passage for this convoy – they must know the whole world is watching!
In Solidarity,
Allison, Anedra, Dana, Erin, Farida, Gael, Jodie, Katie, Laura, Medea, Meredith, Nancy, Rae, Samantha and Tiffany
CALL TODAY!
Amir Maimon – Minister-Counselor and Head of Department
Eynat Shlein-Michael – Counselor for Middle Eastern Affairs
Reuven Azar – Counselor for Political Affairs
Israel Embassy Washington DC Political Department
Tel: (202) 364-5581/2
Fax: (202) 364-5490
New York Israel Consulate General
Tel: (212) 499-5000
In Solidarity,
Allison, Anedra, Dana, Erin, Farida, Gael, Jodie, Katie, Laura, Medea, Meredith, Nancy, Rae, Samantha and Tiffany
Reflecting on Parents in Community…
Per our last chat session, I’ve been thinking about what it means for parents to get together. Parents finding community together is important on so many levels. For learning about other perspectives on parenting, or just having someone to relate to – if I tell expectant parents anything it’s this: make sure you’ve got some friends have have kids too, preferably kids who are the same age. Those friends will save your life.
When I was pregnant, I got plugged into the community at HipMama.com, and was immediately hooked. So many moms with so much to share, just when I was on the brink of a major life transition – it was just what I needed.
That wasn’t my first experience participating in online communities – I’ve been working with yahoo groups for a few years now. But there was something about the Hip Mama users was different – maybe because it was a group of people who were able to navigate the internet and website without assistance, or maybe this group were more demographically similar – I don’t know. But it was great.
Now, a little more than a year later, I don’t log on as much as I used to. Every now and again, I lurk around, and sometimes I jump in with a comment or a message. But my needs are constantly changing. Right now, I need more Real, Live Parent action – hanging out with parents, havin’ playdates, creating that space where we can hear the kids, and lend a hand, and share space with another adult. Which is funny, considering all the time I spend online blogging. I love finding online networks and communities, but there’s no denying the very real need to call up my mom friends and say ‘Hey, wanna come over?’ or ‘How about a walk?’ For one thing, it gets me out of the house. I was surprised at how easy it was to spend a week not even thinking about leaving the house when my daughter was younger. Now I think about it, and I find a way to make it happen, because it’s not healthy to stay shut up with a baby. Babies are great, but adults need to stretch out and walk a bit from time to time.
So now we’re looking for more parents to hang out with, which I’m psyched about. I’d like to see what other parents are in the neighborhood and what kind of connections we can make. I’m hoping to meet some more fathers that are cool to hang out with and get to know. I was reading Daddy Dialectic, where they were discussing the potential of the development of Daddy Wars, and the issue was raised that there stay-at-home dads tend to be more isolated in the wider parenting community. I see them occasionally at the park, but the park has such a wierd vibe going on when you’re meeting other parents – it’s like the first day of school, except we’ve all got a really great excuse not to talk each other in our kids. I try to be more outgoing and friendly, but I only have so much energy. Anyway, I’ll step up the friendliness when I’m feeling up to it.
I really hope we can create a functional parents’ action network – a group that kind find tangible, concrete ways to address issues that concern us as parents. Parents are such an untapped resource for action and change. We have to address this somehow if we actually want to see change in our lifetimes. And I think we can all at least agree that something needs to change. Less with the psycho-capitalism, more with the sustainable living.
Anyway, I’m getting tired. Babygirl is teething – she was quite a force to be reckoned with today, very demanding, very stealthy. I think I’ll just chill before I go to bed.
G’night, All!
Atena
In which a harpy reflects on her sins
So what’s the deal with my being so down on per-blogging (i may or may not have just made up that word — it’s a variation based on per-zines.) There are a couple of personal blogs I currently read that are quite awesome and they deal with the same issues as the ones that make my skin crawl. Is it the style of writing? Is it really shallow of me to want to be entertained, essentially? When it comes down to it, blogs are written for an audience and to essentially entertain others. They’re not diaries or super-secret journals otherwise they wouldn’t be online. And the blog entries that kinda whine and hint about some aspect of one’s life without really fleshing out details are basically the equivalent of playing that game where you dare someone to tease information out of you. You know the one where the person you’re sitting with suddenly says, “Oh wow” or “Man!” or makes some kind of tooth-sucking noise and then wait until you say, “what?” Can you tell I hate that game?
So, it’s confessional time. I’m hoping to add this to our regular diablogging so hopefully Atena will be interested in doing this too. I have to confess that I harbored such evil thoughts about a toddler yesterday. We walked up to a nearby park and I was watching Henry playing. He’s at the age where I can now sit back a bit and watch him do various things without having to hover to ensure his safety. Anyway, there was a cherubic little fella sitting across from Henry and it looked like they were about to do some intense staring or scar comparison or what have you. Henry reaches down and picks up a handful of mulch. I thought perhaps he might show this new aquisition to his companion but instead he tossed the handful in the air at the other child. You would have thought someone had told this other kid that he can never see his favorite toy again. He had an utterly mortified look on his face. I kind of floundered and tried to capture Henry and impress upon him that this was not the best sort of playground behavior (he’s not even two — you can’t impress much upon him yet). The other little boy just sat there, still stunned. And sat. And sat. He probably sat there for about five minutes before he started trying to get his mother’s attention, still sitting in the same spot with bits of mulch around and stuck to him. He was a pitiful sight. Finally, after we’d moved on to the swings, his mom answered him and I noticed he was pointing in our direction. Here’s the confession part. The whole time I felt no remorse or sadness that my child had made another child sad. My thought was, “What a wimp! This kid will never make it on the playground if a little mulch SHATTERS HIS WHOLE WORLD.” My god, am I going to raise a bully? Am I that much of an evil, mean girl that I can think such things about a kid who’s probably only three years old? I better go read some Leo Buscalia or paint some happy little clouds.
andrea
Online interactions, creating community…
Around 3 in the afternoon
Andrea: I’m feeling kinda weird today. i tried lurking around hipmama, but most of posts just bored or annoyed me
Atena: Yeah? Like what?
Andrea: like sometimes i just don’t give a shit about hearing about other moms and their interactions with their kids
Atena: Understandable – I think most of us feel that way at some time or another.
Andrea: or what appears to me to be subtle passive aggressive attention seeking
Atena: Yeah – that can definitely be annoying.
Andrea: i guess hipmama’s signal to noise ratio is a bit lower than i want to alot valuable time to
i also found the CV of this girl i knew in college. she’s a PhD now and teaches and does all this stuff. she wrote she got this award that i won and i’m trying to remember if i won it the year she said she won it (thereby lying about winning it)
Atena: It’s gotten to be quite a big community now – there’s so many people, groups and subgroups… I definitely don’t hang out there as much as I used to. It’s not as satisfying, but I still find it to be a pretty valuable reaource.
Andrea: kinda got my dander up
Atena: Wow – yeah…
Andrea: yeah, i guess i’m not sure what kind of resource i’m looking for
Atena: Are you looking to interact, or just to read and have more of a one-way interaction?
Andrea: i guess to interact, but i’m starting to think that i’m a little tired of online interaction. i mean, it was my main mode of meeting others since 1992. it’s been a long freakin’ time
Atena: I guess so…
I’m newer to online interaction, so it’s still novel to me somewhat.
Andrea: yeah
Atena: Online forum discussions can be tiring – I’m more into one-on-one chat with people I actually know, or blog & response discussions, where everyone has time to think about what they wanna say.
Andrea: although i think i could be excited by online interaction if i was actively engaged in a community of upbeat but quirky people
Atena: Well, lord knows there’s enough of us out here…
Andrea: it feels like a lot of the people on forums either have a lot of anger or issues or drama that they need to vent somewhere but it ends up dragging everything down
it turns into a pity party of oneupmanship
or a lot of hand-holding and back patting
Atena: Absolutely. I guess I’ve taken that to be par for the course. The nice thing is you can always find another discussion.
Andrea: and while that’s really vital and useful for folks, i didn’t sign up for a group therapy session
Atena: True…
Andrea: yeah, i guess i’m not finding discussions that are interesting to me
Atena: But it’s nice to have a place to do that if you find that you’re the one who needs hand holding.
It can definitely get tedious though.
So it’s good that the internet is so vast, eh?
Andrea: yeah. i don’t want to stop that kind of compassion (although i might also be speaking of my own rejected attempts and getting someone to hold my hand)
and=at
Atena: Gotcha.
What I’ve been doing lately…
is finding blogs that I like, and then reading blogs linked to those blogs, and so on…
Andrea: *nod*
Atena: That way I can always find new content.
Andrea: oh, i checked in at the hipmama meetup group and chimed in with an RSVP
Atena: Cool! I’d totally forgotten about it.
What’d you say?
Andrea: oh that it sounded too pricy and what about a nice playgroup?
i couldn’t think of anything more biting to say
Atena: I wonder if they’ll respond to the cost issue…
Andrea: i fear it’s going to get buried
Atena: Well, I hope not, but it’s always a possibility.
Maybe we should organize our own Hip Parent Party, or something… Like the Young Breeders’ Society.
Andrea: i wonder if we should start a meetup and be really explicit about who we’re interested in meeting. and maybe do something a little punk-rock, like converge on a place traditionally lacking in mamaenergy (like Filter or some similar hipster joint)
heh
Atena: Oh, that’s a great idea. I’ve been wanting to do something like that for a while.
Andrea: OR! we could do a little activism
Atena: That IS activism!
But what did you have in mind?
Andrea: well, you know those flyers for the mama manifesto site?
Atena: Yeah.
Oh – hold on – Stella’s freakin out…
Andrea: i thought it’d be bitchin to print a bunch out and tack ‘em up around various places. we could have a walk with all the mamas who want to participate
Atena: Cool!
Andrea: and, if we build up enough people, we could crash mommy groups to get out of the ol’ comfort zone
the mamas meet the mommies
Atena: Hmm – interesting…
Which mommy groups did you have in mind?
Andrea: i don’t know any yet, but i’m sure they abound
Lincoln Park, Evanston, Gold Coast
Atena: What would we do?
Andrea: wouldn’t that be a hoot? get all punk rock looking and show up to a Lincoln Park playgroup?
Atena: That would be pretty funny.
Andrea: just show that an alternative world view exists
not necessarily get in their face but just talk about stuff and respond
and nurse
Atena: Of course.
Andrea: whip out the ol’ boobs
Atena: Always!
Andrea: i’m just slinging pie in the sky
the first order of business is to find cool moms, tho
i wonder if we could put up flyers in, like, tattoo parlors and record stores
Atena: They’re out there… we already know a few -
Natalie has been telling me about some moms she’d like me to meet.
Andrea: hell, we could see if we could form some kind of working/awareness group to see what kind of activism we can accomplish
natalie is so impressive. i was very intimidated, i must say. she’s definitely a force of nature
Atena: Yeah – she can be intimidating…
She’s a total sweetheart radical earth mama, though…
Andrea: that’s awesome
she has the kind of strong energy i aspire to have someday when i get my shit together
Atena: We should all get together and have a nurse-in.
Andrea: definitely.
hey, look at this: http://www.momsrising.org/neighborhood/start_a_group
discussion topics! action items!
Atena: Awesome!
You know…
I’d really like to find some rad dads and get together with them. I get so mamacentric sometimes…
Andrea: yeah! that’d be awesome!
again with the Young Breeders Society
Atena: and there’s really valuable dad energy out there.
Right!
Andrea: okay, let’s plan a gathering then
and we’ll invite all the very cool dads and moms we know
should we focus on moms and dads that are a bit more radical/receptive to activism?
Atena: Awesome – I’m nursing and typing one-handed – that’s why i’m so
slow
Andrea: do we want to go in that direction, or make that something separate?
Atena: Good question…
Andrea: i’d totally be interested in hosting the event, since we’ve got lots of sitting areas and a bit table and such
bit=big
(henry is going to sleep forEVER)
Atena: (Stella’s been wiggling like crazy and smacking my hands)
Andrea: (oof. that’s a pain)
Atena: But the event – cool… Yes! -
Maybe we could start out with just identifying and getting to know parents…
Andrea: that’d be good
Atena: and then as we get to know them
invite them to join us in more activism.
Andrea: we should make it a potluck
ja
Atena: Potluck is always a good idea.
Maybe not always, but often enough.
Andrea: yeah
Atena: Alright -
what’s our timeframe?
Andrea: hmm. i guess sooner is cool. might prompt mark to put more boxes in the basement.
Atena: Heh!
(Stella’s laughing too.)
Andrea: hee hee
awww.. henry turned over onto his belly. he looks so sweet.
Atena: Well, how about the end of this month?
Andrea: okay
Atena: Let me look at my calendar…
Andrea: i was thinking perhaps a sunday afternoon? would that be possible?
or would a saturday afternoon be better?
Atena: I’m not sure…
You’re the host -
what’s best for you?
Andrea: i was thinking it’s more likely Mark wouldn’t be shooting on a Sunday
i don’t know when shooting will start again
Atena: Good call.
Andrea: August 27?
Atena: Maybe we should plan tentatively for Sunday the 27th, and find out what the husbands are up to?
Andrea: sounds good to me
Atena: Rock on!
Okay…
Andrea: oh hey… what are you doing Wednesday evening, after 8 p.m.?
Atena: I think I should probably go, ’cause Stella’s got stress hiccups and is looking a bit forlorn…
Andrea: awww. poor little one.
Atena: Here – I’ll call you on the phone, okay?
Andrea: k
Atena: Alright, bye!
