Wordless Wednesdays are supposed to be, um, wordless.
Once again, I’m not so good with the rules.
Anyway, the sign above pretty much says it all, but I’m going to add my two cents anyway. Since we are fortunate enough to be living in a place where today’s high hit 60 degrees, I have no right to be bitching about the snowpocalypse that has much of the nation in its grasp.
So I’m bitching on behalf of my friends elsewhere. You should meet some of them. They’re very funny and intelligent, these women. Even while struggling with stir-crazy children, blocked driveways, icy sidewalks, and (in some cases) lack of storm-meat. (See The Martha Project for explanation.)
We were there, in the wake of a snowstorm, a few weeks ago, and “not fun” would be the understatement of the century. Two small children cooped up inside for a week turns this Mommy into a stark-raving-nutjob. I was ready to throw myself upon anyone capable of linear conversation with multisyllabic words.
So what did I do? I read while they played. My reading was mostly blog posts, since I have been horrendously behind and my beloved Kindle DX has been on the fritz (more about that later). I found some fabulous (and useful!) stuff.
For instance, I almost took my friend Lori’s advice on how to sell your children to the gypsies. And once things were sufficiently cluttered and dirty, I contemplated talking a page from Tina at Life Without Pink, and actually cleaning with my kids.
Y’all, calm down. I said contemplated. That’s as far as it went.
Then I read some more blog posts. Like this one, from my friend Law Momma, about the inherent incompatibility of mothering and the billable hour. And another, from Babble, titled “Does my Cesarean really count as ‘giving birth?'”
So if you find yourself snowbound in the wake of the monster storm, here at least is some fun reading material.
Let me know what you think.
Oh, and by the way? In my book? A C-section definitely counts as having given birth.
I have read a few of those blog posts but thanks for listing some more to check out. Yeah I hope snowpacolypse ends for everyone soon. Loved the next martha's storm meat vlog.
C-sections totally count. Of course!
And I love that sign.
And…and…I'm not going to talk about the weather here right now.
People will hate me.
And thank you for including me!!!
Happy storm reading, Soge! Enjoy the ones you haven't already seen.
Yes, I blame The Next Martha for my outburst of ridiculously inappropriate laughter in the meat section of the grocery store this week.
@Lori, apparently there is some debate on the topic. Which, in my opinion, is nuts. If the baby gets out, it's birth, right?
Glad you like the sign. Not sure where it is, but my aunt sent it to me in an email today and it made me laugh.
Ummm…I had a c section, a baby came out of my body. That's birth. It's not like she sprung like Venus from Zeus' head. I may be mixing my mythology. Regardless, the springing from a man's head would have been FAR more pleasant for me. Leaking spinal fluid, infections, blood loss. Oh yes, much easier than a vaginal birth.
@amyblam, amen! My twins were delivered via c-section, and I definitely feel that I gave birth to them, and it was hard as hell, because you have to recover from both birth and major surgery at the same time.
The article on Babble is focused on whether the author can claim to have given birth and really gone through the birth experience, as opposed to having had a surgical procedure where her baby was removed from her body without her having to do anything whatsoever. (Guessing that her section was simple and by the book, from her description, with no complications.)
Anyway, I'm planning to write separately about it at some point, unless we get too deep into it in the comments here, but basically, my opinion is that placing the focus on the mother's birth experience is causing us to lose focus on what should be the most important thing: a healthy mother and a healthy baby (or babies, in my case) at the end of delivery, no matter how the delivery happens.
If a person came out of you, you gave birth.
And winter? OMG will make you want to kill yourself.
Thank you so much for fighting on our behalf. I mean that is real friendship. Cause this snow sucks. I'd do the same for you. With sun or something. I'd fight the “I have too much sun” fight. With sunscreen. Sigh.
Bearing, giving life, delivering, birthing, creating – these are achieved over a lifetime. True existence isn't given in a delivery room or an operating room.
@MJH, well said. Beautifully said, in fact.
@TheNextMartha, hoping the plow finally made it down your street. Surely having plenty of storm meat is consolation, no?
@KLZ, you need to move south. Winter should not make you want to off yourself. Especially you. If you were gone, who would tame insanity?
Oh yes, having had a c-section and a VBAC, the section DEFINITELY counts. It was WAY WORSE and therefore all the more real. With the scar to prove it, of course.
OK, that photo is AWESOME!!
Time for reading can be either a good thing or a bad thing.
Kinda like reading on Dr. Google.
Love that photo, I completely agree. I live in MN and we have way too much snow.
I find art projects to be a savior with kids in winter time when stuck indoors for days on end. And games, lots of them, over and over…ugh I hate winter.
Found you through the mommyologist.