Have a Lovely (Long) Weekend.

Ack, couldn’t Alex have interviewed more women for that piece? Yikes, the disparity.

Thought the progressive freedom article was interesting, although I did not totally agree with every aspect of it. For a more comprehensive look on the difference between “freedom to” versus “freedom from”, look for it The Handmaid’s Tale. Atwood defines “freedom from’s” as the alleviation of poverty, hunger, and fear, while “freedom to’s” are the rights to free expression, bodily autonomy, etc. In the book, women are given their “freedom from’s” to justify the stripping of their “freedom to’s”. Although the situation is obviously not as extreme, Buttigieg’s progressive freedoms are “freedom from’s”, not “freedom to’s”. Not sure if the new tv series really mentions it, but it’s a big theme in the book.

LOVE the marriage hacks article. I love living in my own stories and have got to break that habit. Came at just the right time.

Love the Alex article! I’ve always been a night owl – I can’t tell you how many times (in the words of Jerry Seinfeld) night time Lisa has screwed over daytime Lisa. Just one more episode, just stay up a little bit later …
I now have very clear evidence (thanks uterus!) that there are morning and night people. My first born is a total night owl. He perks up in the evening and would stay up forever if we let him. My daughter on the other hand pretty much falls asleep at 7:30, regardless of where we are, but is wide awake from the moment her eyes open in the morning.

Alex’s essay about making friends in your 30’s is still one of my very favorites. Especially that line that goes something like, “our friendship was like a rom-com without the rom.” Golden. #hesakeeper

Alex’s article is great! I can so relate !

Oh wow, “let go of your victim story” clarified so much. Thanks for posting this article. “Oftentimes, you are the one who has issues and you subconsciously choose external evidence to prove what you are afraid of rather than looking inward and critically examining those fears and insecurities. Truth bomb. There it is.” I needed this truth bomb.

For Anton – watch the HBO series, Kindergarten. It was made in the late 90s, I think? But on constant replay on HBO Family. It’s a nice way for kids to see what to expect…

I always enjoy Alex’s writing so much. That is my marriage hack – to read my husband’s writing. We plod along, him seeming like a do-nothing slob, until, “Here, can you proof this for me?”. He is an imaginative and clear writer with excellent sentence structure. So unlike his winding verbal blather. Capote, Alex, my husband, that is my aphrodisiac!

Thanks for doing what you do, guys. As a midwest libertarian, I don’t always agree with everything on your blog, but you manage to put out thoughtful content week after week that is always thought-provoking and a delight to read. You are all threads in my rich life tapestry:)

I have been reading The Kissing Hand to my kids the night before the first day of school since they were four years old. Last year, the night before we were to take my son to his first year in college, he came into my room, The Kissing Hand in hand and tears in his eyes. It was the toughest read yet, and perhaps the most relevant. I just left him for year two, and as we said goodbye, we both turned around and signed “I love you,” just as we have done every year since preschool.

Absolutely love that picture by Stella — she should sell prints! :)

Joanna – thank you all for being who you are & providing us a fun, safe place to come. (Not even going to mention that there should’ve been MORE pictures of goats, know you had nothing to do with that.) Feeling inspired by the lunch ideas & hopeful that my daughter may like some of them. Especially interested in the tomato sauce that doesn’t have to be reheated! (It’s totally doable.)

I read and forwarded Alex’s sleep article earlier this week without noticing it was written by him!–so cool! My younger brother seems to reach peak alertness around midnight, and it was such a validating thing to hear that sort of circadian rhythm approved, rather someone dishing sleep tips to “fix” him. And I might be a little more of a night owl than I usually let myself be…

I love the way Alex writes!! And yes to everything (from a fellow nightowl) – always have to argue with people and tell them that it is genetic and not much to do about ?

Love that you read that book with Anton, wish my parents would have had the emotional insight to look to comfort me when I was dropped off at 6 am every morning and picked up at 6 pm- I hated kindergarten and was very happy when I got sick and could stay at home!

Also, really cool article on marriage hacks!

Love love love Cup of Jo for years and will do so always I think <3

Hope the COJ team is enjoying a well-deserved break. I’m baking an apple pie to take to a friend’s house for lunch tomorrow. The kitchen smells great!

Anyway, this is what I used to read to our littles before kindergarten (and beyond). Not sure if it did them any good, but it was comforting for me, lol!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0448425009?pf_rd_p=d1f45e03-8b73-4c9a-9beb-4819111bef9a&pf_rd_r=6RJW11BP5V7QQF9V137W

Tell Anton we’re all rooting for him.

BANANAS THREE! So cute.

I am totally making lazy chana masala next week.

That sleep article is utterly fascinating! My husband can be such a night owl, and though he tries to wake up early and get on a better schedule, he tends to do great work late at night. I had no idea people actually had different preferred sleep times. Guess I better go read Why We Sleep.

Oh, Kissing Hand. The other day my 4-year-old comes home from her new preschool and says she missed me when she went potty (??) so she kissed her own hand but then that made her miss me even more so she started to cry.

Also, she spends a solid minute kissing and caressing my hand in the mornings at drop off and it’s a little too much PDA for me.

Oh my days that IS the cutest story ever – bless their little hearts!!

Rebecca

Alex’s article is fascinating! Thank you!
It is a relief to read about night owls. I’m stuck in best awake between midnight and 9 AM +/-. It is very relaxing looking out the window at 2 AM when most people are sleeping. The slow down is wonderful for thinking, letting go of woes, and feeling ownership of Self more closely.