for your reading pleasure

Here’s a picture of Matthew McConaughey on vacation.

Besides the fact that unlike this man I never go shirtless, I pretty much lived this EXACT LIFESTYLE this last week.

I’m still coming off vacation but my brain read some awesome things right before I left and I thought I’d throw them out there. I’m not feeling interested in a journal post right now but if you wonder what I’ve considered good reads this week, this should keep you busy:

“I’m Not Raising Princesses, I Guess” at NaturalPapa
Succinct captions of our animated Disney heroes and heroines

“What Not To Say To Children” at Do Life Right
Most parents you see here or there aren’t doing anything we’d call abusive (in public, at least). But what about those little comments or “teasing” remarks? Is there a place for those?

“Is Unschooling Working?” by Jeff Sabo
I’ve been reading Mr. Sabo’s blog for a few months now and I always look forward to what he writes. There is a good discussion in the comments, as well.

“Department of WIN: Polarn O. Pyret” at Mothers for Women’s Lib
They’re in the UK and off my price point, but after reading a bit I am seriously considering purchasing a garment or two.

“The Third Side” at Humane Connection Blog
My life has benefitted by performing similar strategies.

“No Offense” from Rachel Simmons
Written for teen girls, as an adult I still recognize the “joking” comments (and “LOLs”) behind some female communication.

“The Myth of ‘Social Awkwardness’ Among Homeschoolers & Unschoolers” from Idzie at I am Unschooled. And Yes, I Can Write
A passionate treatise on what we’re really saying when we charge homeschoolers with being socially awkward (dorks), or whatever. Shout-out for my help in writing the article!

“Dear White Lactivists” at Raising my Boychick
Bringing two subjects dear to me together: anti-racism and lactivism. From a comment: “Co-opting is always ugly, dismissive, presumptuous, and most of the time people don’t mean it that way. That doesn’t make it not so.”

“Reverse Racism” at transgriot
I’m of the opinion if you utter the phrase “reverse racism” or hold such concepts in your mind, you’re already demonstrating considerable ignorance on the subject of race in America.

“News Ageism” at the Canadian Journalism Project
Start seeing how our media speaks of anyone older than about 55.

“Defeating Adultism” by Wendy Priesnitz
“Scratch below the surface, and you’ll find that this sort of adult disrespect is inherited. It’s how we were treated as children by our parents and in our schools…and how our parents were treated by the generation before that. And it’s reinforced by other social institutions like churches and medical systems, as well as by laws. The context of the adult-child relationship in our society is power, hierarchy, mistrust, and coercion.”

Unschooling With Boobs, My Two Big Focuses from The Unschooling Happiness Project
I truly enjoy every post from this site, even the brief ones. This was an interesting premise and one I’ve also experienced. After having taken a break from birth- and breastfeeding activist readings for a couple years, since reading and employing unschooling strategies I’ve experienced a renewed interest.

“Shelter Media Watch: Apartment Therapy’s ‘Mammy’ Makeover” at The Studioist
The always level-headed Alexis writes informative pieces and fields comments beautifully.

“Outta My Yard”, a 2009 post from the Bollard on what to do when someone you know loses a loved one
Right before we left someone next door suffered some kind of medical emergency. Ralph and I baked up a couple loves of bread and brought it over (no questions asked). The neighbors seemed to appreciate this very much.

What bread did we make? This: “Bread in Five Minutes” at globalgourmet.