Posts filed under 'parenting'

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Is your child wearing the uniform?

By kate on November 7th, 2007

Today I was at a local community center with Ruby and noticed something. There were 12-15 children playing in the room, and every single girl except Ruby was wearing pink (at least some pink - most had a whole top or bottom that was pink). Every boy was wearing a blue top or bottom (even […]

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Chores: pay me now or pay me later

By kate on November 5th, 2007

A month or two ago, I read an excellent series of blog posts about how to instill a work ethic and get your children to work around the house. It made me realize that I should get started on Ruby right away, as she was getting old enough to do a few small things.
Her current […]

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The Examined Life: Parenting a Toddler

By kate on September 28th, 2007

I’ve realized that, when parenting a toddler, you must be very self-aware. That’s because anything and everything you do can be considered a precedent (in the legal sense). Every action, reaction, word, or activity could be something the child decides should be repeated forever. All day long, I stop and ask myself, “is this something […]

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For Science!

By kate on August 23rd, 2007

Yesterday, Ruby did her part to contribute to science: we were invited to come to I-LABS to participate in a study. I’m a big fan of I-LABS, a UW lab that studies cognitive development, and have had the opportunity to tour the labs and hear about their research. It was I-LABS who recently pissed off […]

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I made Ruby a toy

By kate on July 25th, 2007

Lately, Ruby has been fascinated by plastic buckles, the kind you’d find on a backpack. She has spent a solid half hour intently futzing with the buckles on her booster seat. The problem is that she can eventually clip them, but can’t open them again, so she comes to me for help. After several […]

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First Favorite Parent

By kate on July 22nd, 2007

Right now, I’m unquestionably Ruby’s favorite parent. If I’m around, she insists that I put her to bed (and screams if Steve tries to do it). She tends to follow me around, and asks me to pick her up. I’m the one she wants when she’s hurt. When she’s with Steve, she asks for me.
 
I’m […]

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Why I don’t want the best for my child

By kate on July 3rd, 2007

“I want the best for my child.”
That’s a commonly heard phrase, and if you don’t examine it closely, it sounds pretty good. I kept thinking about it, though, and realized that I disagree.
The corollary of “I want the best for my child” is something like “my child is uniquely special in the world and deserves […]

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Time Management

By kate on May 31st, 2007

Jumping into stay-at-home parenthood has given me the opportunity to set things up from a fresh perspective. I took the time to think about the kinds of things I want to do with my/our time, and figured out some main priorities that I want to make sure get done during the week.
 
There are two main […]

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Maternal

By kate on May 28th, 2007

I’ve been home full-time with Ruby for just over a week, and in that time our relationship has changed dramatically.
 
I feel like a mother for the first time.
 
I’ve been hesitating to discuss this, but I had a lot of trouble bonding with Ruby. It had nothing to do with her (of course), but was a […]

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Confessions of a Slacker Mom

By kate on May 23rd, 2007

No… not me. I just finished a book with that title, and it’s really sticking in my mind. Her parenting philosophy rings really true to me, and I’d like to approach things the same way. Here are some tenets:

Let children experience the natural consequences of their actions. This can mean standing aside and letting them […]

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A bad double standard

By kate on May 22nd, 2007

So, I’m now officially a stay-at-home parent. Steve and I are switching roles for a while, and he’s gone back to work. My last day was a week ago, and now I’m home with Ruby full-time. Overall, I’m very excited. I’ve been feeling for a long time now that I never really get to see […]

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Introducing Ruby Leroux!

By kate on March 20th, 2006

 
Ruby Joan Keelty Leroux was born (in a natural birth) on Friday, March 3rd, 2006 at 3:59pm. She weighed 6 pounds, 10.5 ounces, and was 19.5 inches long.

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Branding & the Baby

By steve on December 29th, 2005

[this entry by Steve]
 
Kate and I are fairly anti-brand-name. Whenever we buy a new bag, we take scissors or a felt pen to the logo to make it disappear. I did the same with the stickers on my laptop. I believe the value of something is intrinsic in the object itself, not […]

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Thoughts on Gender

By kate on October 3rd, 2005

Now that we know we’re having a girl, Steve and I have been giving some more thought to gender. I’ve always said that I want my kids to have all kinds of toys, whether they’re girls or boys. If we were having a boy, I’d give him dolls as well as trucks; frilly dress-up clothes […]

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Nothing to fear but…

By steve on August 24th, 2005

[This is an entry from Steve]
 
Before Kate became pregnant, we bought a book about pregnancy and what to expect. Since then, we’ve bought a few more, and have spent plenty of time noodling about the internet.
 
Most pregnancy literature is written with a female audience in mind. Invariably, when it comes time to address […]

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