jaimes

I had brunch the other day with a group of moms. I was a bit nervous as I walked into this beautifully renovated bungalow in my Atlanta neighborhood, with the Southern front porch, hardwood floors, and sunlit playroom. I barely know the moms here, usually just waving hi on the morning drop-off to school. I knew the preschool topic would come up, and I was afraid to admit I haven’t signed my son up for Pre-K yet.

Preschool here is like getting tickets to I don’t know, Madonna, or something. The spots sell out fast, and you’re lucky if you get a seat in the nosebleed section right next to the men’s bathroom. Anyway, that’s what was on my mind this morning when Holden and I stepped into the kitchen where 10 or so moms were sipping coffee and giggling. As I took off my coat and peeled my shy son off of my leg, I noticed their voices lowering a bit. Dangit. They’re on to me and my slacker mom ways! They can read my mind, these Atlanta moms! But then I actually heard what they were saying and realized they were just talking about porn.

Oh, thank God, I thought. They’re porn-friendly moms. Now I can relax and enjoy my third cup of coffee. (more…)

Mighty Girl blogger Maggie Mason started a pretty great trend with her Mighty Life List. Karen Walrond from Chookolooks is blogging about her list, too, and let me tell you, these women have some great things happening in their lives. And while lists like these are totally a mom-who-watches Oprah thing to do, I have to admit writing one is a great way to guide your day. For example, one of my items was to learn how to play drums. Something about writing that down motivated me to actually do it.

The process forced me to think about what I’d like my life to look and feel like. So, when I’m an old lady touring the U.S. in leather pants, I’ll be satisfied, proud, and full of great stories to tell my grandkids.

So, I’m jumping on the bandwagon, and I highly recommend you do the same. Start writing your list today while your baby naps, or during that marketing meeting at work. If you get caught, just shout out something like “but what about the demographics!!??”
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I stumbled upon this series of photographs of mothers and their babies by Taiwanese photographer Gao Yuan. The title is Twelve Moons and features 12 moms with their babies, each correlating with an animal from the Chinese zodiac. The women photographed are all married to low-wage construction workers from villages across China (source: Gao Yuan).

Check out the entire series on the Gao Yuan website.

Every now and again, the darkside of life takes me over, and I don’t feel like doing anything. Don’t want to write, hate my clothes, can’t think of anything good to eat. I call it the funk, and it ain’t pretty.

It started a few days ago when I made the mistake of going to Target sans makeup and going down the AISLE of MIRRORS. Wow. Bad idea. The lighting in Target is meant to inspire you to buy everything from trash bags to hand bags. It is harsh and unforgiving even on your best hair and makeup day.

The second clue that the darkside had descended upon me was when I watched the new show Parenthood and cried at least five times. Real tears. Not just the hint of tears that wells up during a sappy commercial. I mean full on crying. Let’s just imagine for a second me with no makeup on and balling my eyes out in the mirror aisle of Target. That’s the kind of mood I’ve been in for the last couple of days.

Because this is not my first time dealing with moodiness, I have figured out a number of ways to combat the funk.
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model. cabaret singer. guitarist. vintage boutique owner. mother of scarlett and henry.

Karen Elson is one of those artists who likes to dabble in lots of creative outlets. She was modeling and performing with The Citizens Band, a political cabaret group, when she met her hubby Jack White. White produced her album The Ghost Who Walks due out this summer and also directed her debut video (source: Pitchfork). The mama of two also owns a vintage boutique shop in Nashville called Venus and Mars Vintage.

Here’s the Karen Elson video “The Ghost Who Walks”

The Alliance Theatre in Atlanta transformed itself into an Ancient Chinese playground last weekend with the premier of Disney’s Mulan. This Families Centerstage production included a festival in between shows with crafts tables and demonstrations of Chinese music, dancing and Kung Fu. The decorations, dancing dragon and pounding drums definitely set the mood for the adventurous story of Mulan. I had the opportunity to take my kids (who are 4 and 5) and my mom, who was visiting from Virginia, to the show.
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