christine

Giving freedom, making happiness

by christine May 7, 2013 Parenting

I recently read this article from The Guardian newspaper. It made me think. In case you don’t have the time to read it (though you really should), I’ll briefly go over its main points: Controlled crying seems cruel. Why do we do it? Parents in other cultures hold their babies close, carry them, feed on [...]

Read the full article →

Quick and Easy Sneaky Pumpkin Bread

by christine April 10, 2013 Food

Pumpkin bread, you ask? But it’s spring! Why would I be interested in pumpkin bread? I know it’s not very seasonal, but there are still plenty of cans of pumpkin in my local supermarket, and pumpkin bread is a staple in this household. My son doesn’t like bananas, so where some people might rely on [...]

Read the full article →

Fishnet: Good Eating in College Park

by christine March 5, 2013 Dining Out

One day last week I took the opportunity to try a local restaurant I’d heard about a while ago but never gone to. I hadn’t been before because it’s a fish restaurant and my husband, while possessing many fine qualities, is not a big fan of fish. Not that my four-year-old is either, but I [...]

Read the full article →

Wear That Baby: The Benefits of Babywearing

by christine February 19, 2013 Parenting

At some point during my first pregnancy, most of which I spent in a low-pressure job surfing the Internet and not even pretending to try to look busy, I first saw the term “baby-wearing.” That’s cute, I thought, and seems practical. Strapping a tiny baby to your chest certainly takes up less space than a [...]

Read the full article →

Starting the school year with a split personality

by christine August 21, 2012 Child

If you are not Irish, you might not be familiar with Brian Friel’s play, Philadelphia, Here I Come. If you are Irish, you might be all too familiar with it, having studied it in depth for your Leaving Cert exam. I didn’t study it, but I saw a production twenty (argh) years ago, when the [...]

Read the full article →

ICE! for the Holidays and the National Harbor in summer

by christine July 30, 2012 Around Town

Along with some of the other DC Moms, I was invited to take my family to a Christmas in July media preview event last weekend at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center at the National Harbor. We were given a brief presentation announcing this year’s ICE! theme Shrek the Halls. We were then treated to some [...]

Read the full article →

Unplugged

by christine July 23, 2012 Child

My husband and I took our two small children to the Outer Banks last week for some relaxation and renewal. (Of course, that entire sentence is a contradiction in terms, but nevermind.) The condo we rented had no Internet connection, but I decided that was a reasonable exchange for proximity to the beach and access [...]

Read the full article →

Be good to yourself at The Still Point

by christine July 10, 2012 Around Town

Ever since my girlfriends and I used to while away hours braiding one another’s hair, I’ve been a sucker for beauty treatments. If anyone would like to spend all day smoothing creamy, fruity, or tingly unguents onto my skin with gentle circular motions, and then wiping them off again with cooling cotton swabs, I’d be [...]

Read the full article →

Principles, compromised

by christine June 26, 2012 Parenting

My daughter is three and a half, and sometimes she qualifies as a hellion. Other times, she’s a delight. She’s precocious, highly verbal, and damn cute. One of her favourite pastimes is to charm unsuspecting adults with her winsome ways. She can be polite, thoughtful, gentle, and loving. When she wants to be. But she’s [...]

Read the full article →

Homework – how was it for you?

by christine June 12, 2012 Child

Homework. People seem to have strong feelings about it. Now that the year is over and we can discuss it calmly, let’s have a little retrospective. I have to admit that homework has been a thing this year. A thing to fight about, to whine about, to resist, to resent. (And that was just me.) [...]

Read the full article →