The open records language has been removed from HB 7. This is despite moving testimony supporting the right of adopted people to have copies of their original birth certificates and absolutely no testimony against it. That’s right — Ohio’s elected public officials rate the concerns of imaginary people over the concerns of those folks who [...]

Well, Bliss Notes. Jen Lawrence has just launched this fabulous -- and free -- newsletter, Bliss Notes. Make sure you're on the list to receive it. Anything Jen does is quality, quality stuff. (Yes, I'm her friend, but I'm also her fan, so my conflict of interest gets canceled out. At least that's the way I see it.)

Right now, I'm trying to get as much done before one (or both) of the kids' schools calls to tell me that one (or both) or the kids are too blech to continue with his or her (or their) day....

The squirrels still mock Barney. The sock has about 3 inches of ribbing. Progress on The Sweater has been virtually nothing, mostly because I suddenly realized that it was May, which means all of the deadlines that I didn't have...

I only turned my attention to the summer a few weeks ago, when my own situation started to become clear. Yes, in April I realized I needed six weeks of serious childcare--and the two weeks of camp which were all I'd signed E up for only overlapped with one of those weeks. But once again, luck and the kindness of friends have prevailed, and I have managed (KNOCK WOOD) to construct just the kind

My new haircut - Makes me feel all momified, which I'm not sure is good. I'm not sure it's bad, tho. I'm conflicted. I also need to hop off the fence about the gray and either color it or stop...

I must confess I had no idea Myanmar was on an ocean. I think I was imagining it where Bhutan is.

I'm interested in this report on daycare centers and preschools not taking kids outside. Like the first few commenters, my kids went outside every single day in preschool--but my kids also went to high-quality, progressive preschools.

One of the things I love about E's afterschool program is that they go outside for an hour every day and the rules are much looser than at school. They have

A few more events on the horizon:

-Tuesday, May 13th, 6pm: Covina Library
-Sunday, May 18th, 3pm: Raqs LA Dance Festival
-Thursday, May 29, 11am: Brandeis Women's Book and Author Luncheon, Rancho Santa Fe
-Friday, June 6-Tuesday, June 10: Kachemak Bay Writers Conference, Homer, Alaska
-Monday, June 16, 6:30pm Buena Park Library
-Wednesday, June 18, , 6pm, Alta Dena Library
-Thursday, June 19, 5pm, Bay Shore Library (Long Beach)
-Saturday, June 21, Arcadia Library, 2pm (I think I'll also be reading at Antioch University that evening)

I have more to add, but I'll do that when the time draws nearer. I still can't believe I'm going to Alaska (and racing home to get to my son's high school graduation)! June should be a rich and crazy month; May already is...

I have thrown in the towel and joined Facebook. I had to, for work reasons (and that really is true). I am taking the fact that the words I had to type to join were "Maurice daily" as some kind of positive sign that E.M. Forster and Samuel Pepys would have approved, or at least accepted. The apocalypse has arrived. (Speaking of the apocalypse, for more information, or non-information, alas,

Since today is kindergarten registration day and Ms Thing has a half-day (yes, another one), a list follows. However, two for tomorrow, which I mention here so that I'll remember them: 1) after I pick up the Diva we are...

A brief note to let you know where you can find me over the next few days:

Tomorrow, Sunday, May 4th, at 2:30pm, I will be moderating a panel on the "Spirit and Craft of Writing: Finding What Works" with Alex Espinoza, Kathryn Jordan, and Marisa Silver at the Palm Springs Book Festival. The festival runs from 10am-6pm and is chock full of great readings and panels, even cooking demonstrations!

Tuesday, May 6th, at 11am, I will be giving the keynote address at San Bernardino Valley College's Humanities Day.

I hope some of you can come and make funny faces at me while I'm on stage! :)

or We're So Liberal Elite We Might As Well Just Move to France and Be Done With It

S thinks it's great that Barbara Walters had an affair with Edward Brooke. I think it's fine, really none of anyone's business, especially given that he was separated from his wife at the time, but I question the timing of Walters' revelation--well, really I question her revelation altogether...why does anyone

"But last night we took place in a larger gathering, for our beloved Stephanie (Yarn Harlot) was here in Portland for Earth Day and came to brief us yet again on the state of knitting. I really feel like Stephanie...

This morning I quit a job I just got that was already proving impossible. I'm pretty pleased: I agonized for about a day, S told me I had to quit, and then I just did it, with significant grace and pleasantry on both sides. And then I was glad I'd done it, though it means significant financial loss. Then again, getting the job was a pleasant surprise, so really I'm right back where I was a

We can't possibly be the only people in our corner of the Greater East Coast Big City Area who want to have more than 100 people at a bat mitzvah and refuse to have it in a hotel. There must be a pretty place with nice food that seats 140 people (no tent, we're talking early April), only we can't seem to find it.

I've always been a firm believer in the more the merrier. We were inviting people

I was going to tell you all about the Diva and soccer but realized that am I too irritated to think kindly of my oldest (and, frankly, the youngest is ticking me off, too) and cast her adventures in that...

Please keep the suggestions of knitters coming. I have Ann and Kay and Stephanie on my list. Someone suggest Cheryl Oberle, which is a great idea. Anyone else? There must be more. Starmore progress: Yup, I'm just zipping along. It...

* Question for the knitters -- who is a knitting personality that you'd like to know more about? I'm working on putting together my dream list of interviews for the book and could use more input. No request is too...

Though it's miserably cold and rainy again, last week was so warm and sunny we could watch spring arrive like a time-lapse film, each new bud, flower, and leaf appearing, and then moving right to the next stage, even as we paused to appreciate it. This morning I saw a dogwood tree just opened into flower, the notched petals still curling in, barely greenish. Of course dogwood makes me think of

I love the P.O. * The P.O. -- the big evil one in NYC not my little local one where I know all of the clerks by name -- let me down. So now instead of my agent having a...

I know there's been much discussion of the ethics of stealing your friend's babysitter (basically bad karma--I had a friend who did it to me, and I was not happy), but what if your babysitter recommends a friend when she can't make it, and then your kids like the friend better than the original babysitter?

There should be some kind of joke that can be produced out of the chiasmus of friend's

Actually, I love all newspapers, which is quite tragic, given that newspapers will disappear within the very near future, and I will be the one remaining mourner. But British newspapers are particularly excellent, first because there are so many of them and they so thoroughly satisfy all desires, from the lowest of low to the starchiest of starch (OK, went here and here, and I guess none of them

I was invited to contribute a post to ReadingGroupGuides.com. Here is my humble offering. I love visiting book clubs (in person and by phone) and hope this little piece will lead to more yummy visits!

I'm totally down with topless sunbathing, skinnydipping, and wandering around the house or field naked, but nude yoga? I have to say, that has approxiately zero appeal--both the doing and the having it done around me.

From the local almost-daily, a story about my second home.

The Winona Ryder version.

- The unnecessary rearrangement of scenes, addition of superfluous scenes, and intrusion of Jo's first-person narrative are unnecessary.

- As is turning Marmee into Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

- Winona is woefully miscast, Trini Alvarado looks all wrong (was she a miniature Andie MacDowell, or what?), Claire Danes is not what one would expect but really quite plausible,

Louisa Mei is seven years old today! I can't believe it. She is tall and beautiful and still goofy as all get out, but her sister was at that age and she's grown into a very reserved and sweet young lady so here's hoping.

Speaking of "here's hoping," we got her a skateboard and pads for her birthday. It's what she wanted. We didn't spend much, and I'll be taking her to Skate Like a Girl to learn how to shred the asphalt without shredding herself. I hope. She may decide she doesn't like it, in fact, I kinda expect she won't, but that's what she really wanted more than anything, so hey, why not.

Technorati Tags: Young Children

"(b) If publication is delayed beyond the time set forth in Paragraph 16 (a) because of acts or conditions beyond the control of the Publisher or its suppliers or contractors, including (by way of illustration and not by way of...

Last week, Andi wrote a beautiful post about living responsibly, and tapped me and three others to post about the causes and issues we're passionate about.

It's hard to know where to begin. Everything is ultimately connected--our planet is such an intricate web, and I care about each thread, the entire ecosystem and all the plant, animal and human life it supports. I am grateful for any organization (or individual) that works to alleviate suffering on the planet--suffering that comes from poverty and war, suffering that comes from lack of clean water and air, suffering that comes from sexism, racism and other forms of intolerance and injustice, suffering that comes from cramped feed lots and other inhumane practices.

I would say that my passions tend to coalesce into a few main areas, however:

--Working for peace. My work with CODEPINK is deeply gratifying. I love writing the action alerts each week that go out to 200,000 people and inspire some to take action, whether it's write a letter to the editor, arrange a meeting with a Congressperson, or just put a sign in a window to spread awareness. I love that CODEPINK uses creative (and often fun!) actions to combat the destructive energy of our current administration, the devastating effects of war (as does my local group, the Women Creating Peace Collective). I love how we remind people that each of our voices matter. Which leads to my second passion:

--Empowering others to use their voices. Whether it's through writing or teaching, I love helping people realize that their voices can make a difference in the world. I especially love empowering girls and young women (since it's often more of a struggle for us to speak up and out) and am grateful for groups like WriteGirl and Girls Write Now that give girls a forum and platform. Which is related to my next cause:

--Breaking through the beauty myth. As those who read this blog or have read my book Fruitflesh know, I am deeply disturbed by the media's portrayal of women and how it damages our relationships with our bodies. I want us to be able to feel fully alive inside our skins, to live our bodies from the inside out rather than be concerned about our appearance. There are certainly more pressing issues in the world, but how can we work to eradicate poverty or create peace if we're putting all our energy into worrying about our thighs? (Something I've been guilty of at times myself...)

--Protecting the environment. This may be a bit of a leap, but I believe that our cultural mistrust of the body has only made our environmental crisis worse; if we can't honor the integrity and wholeness of our physical selves, how can we honor the integrity and wholeness of the body of the earth? We pour crap into both our mouths and our landfills, and we need to learn how to take better care of both ourselves and the planet. As I mentioned in my Earth Day post, I have been concerned about environmental issues since I was a little girl, and these issues are still close to my heart, and continue to affect my actions. Which leads to a related cause:

--Healing our waterways. Of course this is an environmental issue, but I have a particular passion for it. I think it probably comes from the fact that I grew up right across the street from Lake Michigan and am still completely in love with that beautiful body of water--I think of it as my true home. As a teenager, I worked for Illinois PIRG, going door to door to ask people to help stop water pollution. I keep returning to water in my fiction--the beleaguered Salton Sea in The Book of Dead Birds, the fragile Sacramento Delta in my novel in progress. Life started in water; water continues to give us life. We need to protect it and the amazing creatures within it.

Andi asked me to tag four people to write their own posts, but I think I'll just issue a blanket invitation to anyone who wants to explore their own passions. Thank you, Andi, for helping me clarify mine!