five little things that made my week.
1. these stems. 
{because lopped off and rearranged, they lasted a few days longer.}
2. this hoodie.
{a gift from me to james that i accidentally wore three times this week. yes, i might have just bought one for myself. twinsies!}
3. this play bill.
{because we got to see our friend theo in his gory—er—glory.}
4. this bandana. 
{because i’ve worn it around my neck for the past week. #accessorizing.}
5. this other hoodie.
{because someone’s cousin was visiting and she’s discovered the fine art of borrowing oversized hoodies, too.}
other things:
oof: farm to fable.
parenthood in all its unliterary, unromantic glory. (it’s a doozy.)
just caught up on these episodes.
tenderness is a desirable quality.
the (heartbreaking) cost of caring.
me in other places:
29 Comments
“I think you know that you are not a poet.” I said, “I was not aware of that.” — Ha, totally what I needed to read right now! Thanks for the link.
Yes yes YES to that Matthew Weiner article. I read it not too long ago and copied this quote and remind myself of it frequently:
“If you don’t get to see the notes, the rewrites, and the steps, it’s easy to look at a finished product and be under the illusion that it just came pouring out of someone’s head like that. People who are young, or still struggling, can get easily discouraged, because they can’t do it like they thought it was done.” I’m a yet-to-be-published writer in my 30s and have to battle discouragement constantly. Articles like this amid all the “30 under 30 lists” out there are such a breath of fresh air.
And everything else in this post is lovely, too 🙂
That farm to fable article is making my head spin and stomach turn. Really disappointing stuff.
I know it. Surely not the case everywhere, but a pretty damning report from those places!
Me too, Kim! Ugh.
That last link (ten things to purge), is so, so good. Thank you. I needed it 🙂
Oh, thanks! It was so fun to write!
Thank you so much for sharing The Cost of Caring. I’m about to become a mother this year, in California, and I’ve been so worried about how we will afford this baby, because we’ll need to pay for childcare and I want it to be the best we can afford. I’m grateful to gain some perspective from her story, which is the story of thousands if not millions of mothers around the world. What this mother has done, and so many have done, is incredible though normal for her and her friends. I hope I can be as devoted as her though I surely won’t face the same sacrifices. Maybe it’s the pregnancy, but it brought me to tears at my desk.
An alternate perspective to “Is Parenthood the Enemy of Creative Work?”
“I came into my identity as both an artist and a parent at the same time, and it wasn’t a coincidence” – from Portrait of the Artist as a Young Mother by Holly Arsenault
http://cityartsmagazine.com/articles/portrait-artist-young-mother
Love that!
The farm to table article makes me so sad! I live in Tampa and have been to some of those restaurants– how disheartening to learn of their dishonesty. Also very discouraging for anyone who makes an actual effort to eat/buy locally. I will definitely be sharing this information. How do they get away with this?!
The parenthood article rocked me. I bookmarked all of those books she recommends in the middle so I can dig in further: who are we as women when we become mothers? This is so important. Thank you for linking!
I look forward to reading all of your links! I’m trying hard to catch back up and reimmerse myself in the internet after a long absence and these lists of links by people I like are the best way I’m finding to do it.
Also I’m confused by your hoodie, it looks a lot like.. a bed frame and a mattress? Am I insane?
So glad! (It’s a folded hoodie in a pulled out dresser drawer; myopic view! Whooops!)
Ah! I like it.
Well, that’s fortuitous! I’d heard of the Victor line awhile ago and lately have been wanting to purchase a pair of sweatpants from them, but I couldn’t for the life of me remember the name. So glad you shared.
i LOVE your writing, erin, and i always look forward to your week in objects and all the links.
I have two teenage boys and a 22 year-old daughter but, for some reason, i gravitate to bloggers with young children, like you and joanna from a cup of jo.” i’m not sure why that is. curious!
i particularly appreciated reading your recent post about parenthood, and the link in this post about motherhood and creativity. i’m one of those women (with three university degrees) who devoted herself entirely to role of motherhood in lieu of a career, with no regrets. I secretly feel courageous for doing so. but truth be told, i didn’t have the ambition or energy to try to do both. I’m also a woman who says this was right for me but not necessarily right for every mother.
here’s a quote some of your readers might find comforting (or infuriating). it comes from a woman whose children are all grown up:
“You never can do it all at the same time. I had trouble guessing whether it was better to engage serially over time with things that nourished my soul, or trying to cram it together and do it all at once even with children.
Praise from strangers is good, but it will always feel hollow if what you need are sustained, intensifying connections. You can reengage with the world of accomplishments later, but what you miss with your children, you miss; there is no later.
The zero-to-high-school period is pretty short and precious and I do think you reap what you sow during those years. I also think it’s better to be loved for who you are than what you do. I wish it had not taken me so long to start to live that.
With work, you can always start again. But there really is no gift like being with someone who adores you, needs you, wants you, and likes you. All of my children gave me that. It’s good to be a home to children.
It’s also good to strive to accomplish something else, to please yourself and others. There is time for both. There is energy for both. Though maybe not at the same time, all at once.”
the last image and its captions – simply in love with that line !
Wow, I didn’t know American Pyscho was made into a musical. Interesting!
So crazy! Way too scared to ever see the movie, but the musical was excellent!
I just love the way you make simplicity so desirable. I’ve opened the links and looking forward to read the stuff!
Have you seen the documentary Lost in Living? I haven’t actually seen it but read about it, and it seems to look at the same sort of issue as the parenthood article – but a bit from some of the children’s perspectives as well.
I am curious what size sweatshirt you bought in the men’s and how it fits. My husband is in between a small and a medium.
Always hard to give fit advice, but James usually wears a medium and that’s the size I got for him in this!
I bought that hoodie during their Kickstarter campaign. I love it! I has such a modern, comfortable fit and I love that I’m supporting a company that gives back some of it’s profits to the smaller American factories that it employs to make the clothing. I’m going to be purchasing a pair of their joggers to go along with my hoodie as soon as my color is back in stock.
So glad! Such a great, great sweatshirt! My favorite hoodie finally had to be retired after old bleach stains finally ate right through. The best replacement!
Thank you for directing your readership to “The Cost of Caring” – such a powerful article. I volunteer with Damayan Migrant Workers, which empowers Filipina domestic workers to collectively advocate for themselves and others like them on issues of women’s, worker, and immigrant rights. Emma is an active Damayan member and one of the founding members of the office cleaning worker cooperative http://www.damayancleaning.coop/.
I love that scarf where is it from?
The bandana? Not sure where it’s from! Have had it for years and years!
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