We started this month with Jamie’s Guide to Less Stressful Holidays, which was followed by Robin’s tips for fighting seasonal affective disorder. In this article, Desiree, Catie, Cathryn, Jamie, and Robin talk about the importance of self-care to your mental and physical well-being during the holiday season.
Mom N’ Popculture: A Parent’s View on Her Kid’s Anxiety
In my close circle of friends and family there are at least four adults who take anti-anxiety medication for various reasons on a daily basis. And those are the ones who are willing to talk about it. Many people still fear judgment for needing medication to deal with anxiety related issues. I believe this is…
Pokemon’s Gym Leader Dad is Rare & Shiny
This article discusses Norman only as he appears in the Pokemon games, not in his anime or manga iterations. November 21st marked the one-year anniversary of the 3DS remakes of Pokemon’s third generation of games. After years of Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald (RSE) fans lamenting the unlikelihood of re-releases, the announcement of Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire (ORAS)…
Mom’N’Pop Culture: Thoughts on Class Dojo & Tracking Classroom Behavior
I don’t know about other parts of the country (or other countries), but here in Florida the public schooling gets real starting in third grade. Standardized tests are a must pass, and the A through F grading system takes over the “satisfactory” or “unsatisfactory” rating system of the previous three years. My daughter and I…
Geek Parenting: Destiny’s Hunter Cosplay and Halloween Costume
When my son first told me he wanted to be a Hunter from the video game Destiny for Halloween (and our local comic con), I was more than a little intimidated. I can’t deny that I did Google costumes at first, because the idea of creating this from scratch seemed beyond me. But then I started really…
Geek Parenting: Finn from Adventure Time Costume, Semi-homemade Style
So you have a kid who wants to cosplay. Or maybe they just want a really cool Halloween costume. Or maybe they just like to play dress-up as their favorite characters. Whatever the reason, they’re looking to you (as the coolest parent on the planet clearly) to make it happen. But…what if you’ve never made a costume before?…
Steven Universe: Mum’s The Word
For a long time I’ve been pondering the roles that mothers play in fiction, especially media aimed towards younger viewers. Sometimes nameless, occasionally silent, women who are either helpless, shrill, or too often dead before any story can begin. These aren’t always terrible roles for characters to play, given the right attention and nurturing they…
Geek Moms Shine with Halloween Costumes
Editor’s Note: As self-identified geeks, we really like Halloween around here, and I like to think that geek culture staples like cons and cosplay have contributed to Halloween being a bigger and bigger deal each year. Considering this, I asked our writers to share their stories about Halloween costuming. — Ginnis Tonik
The Gaming Show (In My Parent’s Garage)
My ten-year-old daughter loves Minecraft. Like. Looooves Minecraft. She talks about it. All. The. Time. Someone might say that now I ought to know how people feel when I talk about BioWare games all the time, but pfft. Don’t be silly. Everyone loves BioWare. Well, even if I don’t enjoy the incessant Minecraft chatter, as a…
Geek Subscription Boxes: A Review of Loot Crate and Nerd Block
If the Facebook ads are any indication, subscription box services are steadily growing in popularity. Everything from collections of health food to make-up can find its way through the mail to your front door. What usually makes a subscription box so much fun is not knowing what’s going to be in the box until you…
By Banning Books Do We Challenge Parental Rights?
For the purposes of this essay, I’m going to keep the conversation of challenging books, also called banning books, at my local level. I agree there are much larger discussions to be had on freedom of speech and parental rights, but I want this conversation to have a lighter tone, if possible. These are my personal thoughts as…
Mom’N’Pop-Culture: Electronics Free Vacation or Meanest Mom Ever
There are usually mixed responses when parents talk about how much screen time they allow their children on a weekly basis. We are a family who like our electronics. I try to keep the mindset that if grades aren’t dropping and bad attitudes aren’t flowing let them play. Everything in moderation, of course. Each family has…