Good Stuff in March 2023 ✨

A monthly roundup of things that caught my eye, ear and/or heart

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I made that graphic for the amusement of my OG

¹

mommyblogger friends in 2015. Ha! Grandmothers! Who could imagine that far-off future?

Me, apparently. Over dinner the other night, Rael and I were casually discussing the 3-to-10-years-from-now big picture and I uttered these words: if we’re grandparents by then…

Life comes at you fast.

Also, no pressure, kids.

When I created that graphic I’d already been blogging for a decade. I was part of the pre-social media generation of bloggers who unwittingly transformed parenting literature by creating spaces for stories, conversations, and connection. The line between writer and reader was flexible; readers’ comments often fueled the writing, and comfort and care went both ways.

I’m not the first person to notice a similar vibe on Substack. A small-but-growing group of OG bloggers have gathered here along with a particularly thoughtful group of readers. No one expects to recreate the olden-golden days of blogging, but who knows? Perhaps a new iteration lies just around the corner. There’s a refreshingly hopeful human energy about this place. Do you feel it, too?

Here are a few OG bloggers I follow on Substack:

Jill Krause

,

Gabrielle Blair

,

Alice Bradley

,

Giyen Kim

,

Christine Koh

,

Rebecca Woolf

,

Amy Turn Sharp

,

Liz Gumbinner

, Jess Sanfilippo,

Matthew Paul Turner

,

Joanna Schroeder

,

Mike Sowden

and

amy dawn

. The list is growing.

Have any of your favorite bloggers turned up on Substack? Please tell me about them — I’d love to check them out.

And now, some good reading/listening I want to pass along. I hope you enjoy it, too.

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“The first generation of mom bloggers’ kids are all grown up.”

Followup to above. Amazing that these kids have (in essence) grown up together. Some have become friends, just like their parents. Featured in the article: the kids of Laura Mayes, Jenny Lawson, Karen Walrond, and Rebecca Woolf who writes a gorgeous Substack publication,

the braid

.

…the women writing about parenthood in the early-mid aughts — think of it as the post-LiveJournal, pre-Instagram era — not only disrupted the isolation and performance of perfect motherhood, they disrupted publishing, media, marketing, and advertising.

• Read: The Kids Of Mom Bloggers Are Old Enough To Read It All Now. What Do They Think? on Romper.com

Christine Koh on the second semester ache

It’s Christine! My pal in co-writing, co-hosting, and co-living! Her new Substack newsletter brims with her trademark candor and generosity.

Christine’s oldest daughter, Laurel, is in her second semester of college. When Laurel returned to school after Spring Break, a tug of longing took Christine by surprise.

Perhaps it’s because now that we’re past the initial transition of college and middle school for my kids, I’m seeing them both through a different lens and feeling the pull of the years and their natural progression away from me.

• Read: Is the second semester ache a thing? in

  There's Always A Story

• My answer: For me it was second year ache, but yes, it’s a thing.

Kelly Corrigan + Lisa Damour on communicating with teenagers

This is my third Kelly Corrigan share in three months. I accept this.

Kelly interviewed Dr. Lisa Damour, originator of the garbage bag metaphor that’s so genius I was inspired to render it in Sharpie. This podcast is studded with immediately-useful gems.

• Listen: Feelings, Friction and Family with Lisa Damour on the Kelly Corrigan Wonders podcast

• Read: Lisa’s new book, The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents — instant NYT bestseller

Jean Hsu on choosing how to spend your time

Like many examining our post-pandemic lives,

Jean Hsu

, a friend, parent and Bay Area entrepreneur, has questions.

The big question on everyone’s mind seems to be, how do I want to spend my time, and going even deeper than that: What do we want our lives to look like?

Jean asks several more thoughtful questions in her post — they’d make excellent journal prompts.

• Read: How do you want to spend your time? in

  Jean’s Newsletter

Claire Robertson’s essential lasagna

My final nod to OG bloggers goes to artist

Claire Robertson

. Claire and I have never met but were blog-comment buddies for years.

Loobylu

is a catalog of things that fascinate and inspire her plus an artistic process journal for paid subscribers. At the moment she’s “crone cooking” 52 essential recipes to celebrate turning 52.

Here’s my standard, everyone-demands-it-for-birthdays lasagna.

• Read: Springish in

  Loobylu

Finally, here’s a silly way to delight yourself. (Because we deserve more fun.)

Via @ashadornfest on Instagram

1. From Dictionary.com: “OG is a slang term for someone who’s incredibly exceptional, authentic, or “old-school.” It can be earnestly used for a legend like Michael Jordan or more ironically, like for that friend who can unwrap a Starburst with their mouth.” I can not and will never unwrap a Starburst with my mouth.