jaimes

I’m trying to stay on top of regular posts, but I’ve been a little sidetracked. Last week I was busy preparing for Devon’s fancy pancy tea party for her 6th birthday, which was ridiculously cute and a big hit. And, I’ve been working on some marketing materials for the blog and my freelance writing stuff. On top of that, I’m getting ready to go out of town and preparing for my mama to visit. So, cleaning, packing, grocery shopping, outfit planning, and working on writing jobs that pay me, these things have kept me pretty busy. Oh, and, yesterday I received a warrant for my arrest in the mail. (more…)

Sarah Haskins is a funny bitch. She’s pretty much mastered the art of making fun of gender stereotyping, in particular, the media’s portrayal of women. You know how advertisers take our everyday concerns with our hair, skin, and cleaning products and elevate them to the level of life and death? Well, Sarah knows what’s up, and she’s been letting the world know through her Target Women shorts on Current TV’s InfoMania. These episodes reflect on the television world where women have affairs with mops and men barbecue. A lot. (more…)

My cousin Ryan (also known as Ry, Ry-Ry, Shadow, Ace, and Boo) gave me a book by Francesca Lia Block for Valentines Day. The book is called Guarding the Moon: A Mother’s First Year. It took me a while to finish it because my book reading time is limited to ten-minute blocks every few days, but I really enjoyed it.

Guarding the Moon is a memoir about the author’s first year as a mother. The book is raw in its honesty, but not in a down in the trenches way. She speaks of the brutal realities of motherhood: the exhaustion, breast infections, fears, both real and imagined. But, while many motherhood memoirs seem stuck in the point-of-view of a victim, focusing heavily on the sacrifices we make, Francesca’s perspective is always blanketed in gratitude. (more…)

I need funny stuff in my life like kids need naps. Laughing makes the world a much better place, and helps me get through stuff like bad hair days and dark circles. And while I really do try to stick to the “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all” rule, I do openly laugh at unfortunate souls when necessary.

For example the other day, when my mama friend Patti and I heard about a terrible illness that could endanger lives in the Northwest United States. Sure, a normal response to tragedy would be, “how terrible,” or at least, “wow.” But no.

My reaction: “But, what would happen to the indie music scene if all those people died?”

Her response: “They would save themselves with flannel shirts.”

My reaction: “Oh, and the flannel shirt business would go under!”

Good Lord. The economy could be blown to smithereens at the fall of Portland!

So, you see, mean and funny go well together sometimes. Especially when a couple of tired moms get together and drink. And maybe after full-time mothering, your generosity meter runs out, and you need to laugh more than you need to be nice.

Regretsy gives me a reason to smile and feel superior on a daily basis. Go ahead. Laugh at the expense of others. They kind of asked for it when they attached monetary value to their “art.” (more…)

Ever feel like you were born in the wrong decade? As soon as I was old enough to attempt my own “style” (somewhere after Chic jeans and before senior portraits), I looked to the past for inspiration. Louise Brooks, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Katherine Hepburn, these were my style icons. No I was not popular in school. I grew up in Virginia Beach, where Roxy rules the day, dude. No offense to my surfer friends, Roxy has some seriously cute dresses, and surf shops will forever remind me of home. But I was not a surfer girl. Probably has something to do with not liking the water, swimming, or tanning.

Of course, my fashion lens to the past may have something to do with the decades I grew up in: the mid 70s to the 90s, probably the worst style decades, ever. We went from bell bottoms to shoulder pads to oversized t-shirts that said, “Can’t Touch This” in neon letters. By contrast, the styles of the 1920s up through the 60s and a bit of the 70s pretty much kick ass. By the way, 80s fashion is considered “vintage” now, so those of us who grew up watching Punky Brewster can feel really old right now. (more…)