Rituals and Sabbaths for Large Family Life
We all have family rituals, whether we realise that is what they are or not. In a larger family these rituals start to take on a life of their own, becoming a sort of adhesive that binds the family together. They might take a little bit of effort to set up, but if the fit is right, I reckon they become the things kids grow up and remember as part of themselves, helping them feel they belong. They communicate a sense of collective belonging that is one of the key ingredients to intrinsic wellbeing.
My new normal: reducing decision fatigue with four kids and fulltime work
I used to think routines are unnecessary. Now I can’t live without them!
Care-Work on Fieldwork
Reblogging from 2015: Every time I publish an article based on my personal PhD experiences with fieldwork, I tell myself it will be the last. So far, I have four. … Continue reading
Making my own life-work manifesto
Lately I have been feeling very disillusioned with the academic life. I mean, I’ve always intellectually known that our reach is often short, our work ignored and overlooked, and our … Continue reading
The work of “Life Admin”
I recently read Elizabeth Emen’s 2019 book The Art of Life Admin. Well, perhaps inhaled is a better verb to describe what I did with it. I got it out … Continue reading
Academic Maternity Leave : The shame game
It is a milestone week. My baby is now past the six week mark. We saw our wonderful wise midwife for the last time professionally and were transferred into the … Continue reading
Blogging by phone
So Boochani wrote his award winning book on WhatsApp. And I have been blogging so irregularly: firstly because I have way too many writing deadlines and even when I have … Continue reading
Three Words 2018: Less, Dwell, Write
In the last few years I have been choosing some focus words for each year, rather than a New Year’s Resolution. In 2018, after reflecting on the words and things … Continue reading
The Invisible Gender of Deep Work
A book review of Cal Newport’s Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, 2016, London: Little Brown. It’s no secret that many of us find it difficult … Continue reading
On (the impossibility of?) settling down
It seems to be thing. Couples who fall in love with each other, commit to a shared life together, then at some point discover their idea of home is — … Continue reading
Completion: On getting stuff done
Every year, I choose three words and write them on a post-it note above my desk. They help me guide my decision-making for the year in a more intentional way. … Continue reading
Connect: On Making Grown-Up Friends.
Every year I choose three words, put them on a post note above my desk, and use them to help me prioritise my day-to-day decision-making. In 2016, one of those … Continue reading
A Just City: Book Review
I had a quiet weekend not feeling well a few weeks ago, so I decided to binge read Jo Walton’s A Just City, chosen for me by my husband and … Continue reading
What I learned about emailing students… from my two-year-old.
I recently posted about writing emails to lecturers in New Zealand universities. I made some suggestions for appropriate email etiquette in NZ based on deconstructing a few representative emails and … Continue reading
Domestic Activists?
Women still do the majority of household caring labour. But not only this, women’s caring labour has expanded to include care not just for families and their needs but also … Continue reading
Update: Getting Kids to Do Stuff
So most of you have probably worked this out well before me, but once your kids can read LISTS ARE AWESOME. My blogposts this time last year were about the … Continue reading
‘Potty Pauses’
I normally avoid talking about toilet-training and elimination communication on my blog — not because it is not interesting and worthwhile, but because it has become so much part of … Continue reading
Enacting a postcapitalist politics
So it has been quite a long time since I blogged — mostly because the second half of 2015 was taken up with intense teaching and a return to fulltime … Continue reading
Insecurities as a mum-employee
Today I had a major work-fail moment. I was organising honours students presentations, and had already underorganised that normally-well-attended event. It was first thing in the morning following a public … Continue reading
Academic mothering: reflections from guest blogger Dr Ann Hill
My friend and colleague Ann Hill has contributed a blog post for me today, inspired by the conversations we have had about managing our academic and mothering practices. Dr Ann … Continue reading
Update on Sleep Deprivation, or, Magnesium, where have you been all my mothering life?
Last week I was chronically sleep deprived, and even when my son was managing to sleep at night, I was often lying awake thinking about work and relationships. This has … Continue reading
Mums and sleep deprivation
So, I am really tired. I am also coming down with something, or just struggling against a low-grade cold. My son is sleeping better this week, but even when he … Continue reading
Frocks on Bikes
I am a frock cyclist. If I have to get changed to use my bike, I am unlikely to bother. I am actually more likely to cycle when I am … Continue reading
Small victory for breastfeeding on campus
Last year I bought a semester parking ticket because, even though I bike or walk in each day, my husband parks near my building and brings the baby up for … Continue reading
Gender, Personality, and Social change
I have recently been reading David Keirsey‘s book Please Understand Me II, having read Please Understand Me in the first edition many years ago. He uses the Myer-Briggs personality categories … Continue reading
Breastfeeding and academic travel
So, I have been the primary income earner in all my 14 years of marriage. And in that time, I have had three children. I breastfed my first two for … Continue reading
Holiday Homeschooling
In a previous post about the parallels between education and maternity care I argued that although public health and public education are extremely important for equity reasons, informed homebirthing and … Continue reading
Emotional Labour: An update
In the previous posts ‘Wife of a Stay-at-Home Husband’ and ‘How to get children to help around the house’ I began to think about shifting out of the role of … Continue reading
How to get children to help around the house.
The wonderful Avalon Darnesh shares her grounded and compassionate strategies for getting children to help around the house. I need to do this. Want more help around the home? In … Continue reading
Education and Maternity Care: Public, Home or Private?
I have long been aware of the statistics that place planned homebirth on a par with public hospital births in terms of best outcomes for mothers and babies. For just … Continue reading
Wife of a stay-at-home husband
There seems to be a misconception out there that having a stay at home husband is some kind of pinnacle of feminist achievement. You go out, focus on your rewarding … Continue reading
