Strollerderby : dooce

Cyber Mom Versus Hockey Mom: Dooce Sounds Off

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:03:00 GMT

A day after Gov. Sarah Palin made her case for the vice presidency, Heather Armstrong of Dooce, one of the most popular blogs in the world, just dropped an anvil not only on the Alaska governor's nomination but also on the notion that liberals are all about the free ride instead of helping fellow families.

It's a heartfelt piece that's worth a read.

While Palin made a case against community organizers, Dooce made a case for the community. Call it a square off between the country's most popular Hockey Mom and the country's most popular Cyber Mom.

I am angry. I am infuriated. And I don't think I would be if Sara Palin were a qualified or competent choice as McCain's running mate. But the fact, the reality is that she is not. And instead of demanding better from their party, instead of going, wait a minute, no, we deserve better than this, many Republicans are contorting themselves into a denial of reality.

Dooce for Veep.

Dooce Meet-Up Tonight And Dad Book Signing

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Wed, 07 May 2008 17:28:00 GMT

I've read a few essays from "Things I Learned About My Dad (in Therapy)" -- all from bloggers and compiled by Heather Dooce Armstrong -- and I have to say I'm impressed. And why not? She asked for fatherhood essays from some of the web's best parenting bloggers, and lohd ahmighty, did she get them.

So I'm a little saddened to see this meet-up and book signing is on the wrong side of the country. (When you coming to San Francisco, huh? huh!) But still, if you happen to have a free hour tonight and live nearby, head on over to the Soda Bar in Brooklyn to meet some really cool people and to hear about what has, so far, been a really great book.

More details here.

Dooce Envy

Adrienne Martini — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 19:30:00 GMT

Whether you love Heather B. Armstrong or hate her, you can't avoid her. Dooce.com is everywhere, including the august (and not a little bit condescending) pages of the Wall Street Journal, which actually used the phrase "mommy blogs."

The story itself has been dissected to death -- because everything about Armstrong has to be parsed a billion different ways in the blogosphere -- most attack who she is rather than what she represents.

While Armstrong herself is like any other human being with flaws, her online persona is a lightning rod for many of the issues faced by all moms. Is it OK to be mentally ill? Is it acceptable to not be charmed by every last thing your kid does? Can we talk about our experiences without being written off as mere "mommies who blog?" Do profit margins and personal stories contradict each other?

That's what I'd like to talk about, rather than if Leta and Chuck and the new puppy are going to be ruined by dooce or something equally trivial. How about you?

Strollerderby Playdate: Dooce's Husband Speaks Up About Depression

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 15:48:00 GMT

If you'd like to understand clinical depression, especially post-partum related depression, read Dooce. If you want to laugh and cry and understand the ins and outs of parenting while mentally ill, you'll be glad you did. Furthermore, if you want to understand what it's like to live with mental illness while untereated, read this.

But what of the spouses and partners of people who struggle with mental illness? Turns out, Dooce's husband has an incredible riches of experience to share on this topic...

Late last month, on Blurbomat.com Dooce's usually non-blogging husband, Jon, spoke up about what it's like to live with a partner who is clinically depressed or mentally ill. He discusses the usual topics of self-care and the benefits of talk therapy, but with an obviously hard-won maturity that is truly impressive.

Living with clinical depression or another mental illness isn't easy, but one can imagine that being the partner of this person might in some cases be even more difficult, especially when children are involved.

Strollerderby Playdate: Going Retro Edition

Jessica Ashley (Sassafrass) — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 11:01:00 GMT

Isn't it funny how something, some little bitty thing, holds the utmost importance today and then weeks or months or years later, we look back and realize how little bitty it really was? Or how we can page through the photo albums housed on our computers in amazement that our big kids were once that tiny, that we got through that tough time or that the world eventually returned to the everydayness of loading the dishwasher and changing more diapers and picking the kids up from soccer practice? It's like listening to an old mix tape and remembering how killer OMD really was and wondering what in the hell the slow jam obsession was all about, all in one 60-minute cassette.

Just for a bit of perspective, let's poke around in the archives of some favorite blogs and see what those folks were up to some July way back when:

Last July, Stephanie was desperately seeking a mean-mommy mask to intimidate the hell out of her kids when she really just wants to laugh at their antics. (If you've found one, Stephanie, call me. No really, I may need to borrow it).

In 2005, our own Sarah was very busy watching a lot of television (isn't that is so old school?), replacing Joey with a little Carnivale.

And about that same time, Jason was diggin' on his rad wife. What's cool is that he's still that kooky-bananas for the lady.

In '04, Jen was going ga-ga (and all bust-ass economic analytical) over THE diaper bag.

In the Year of our Lord 2003, another Strollerderby bad ass, MetroDad, saw blogging and banjos in his future.

Way back in aught-three, Dooce was doing a lot of dry heaving. Good times.

What were you doing -- or more importantly, blogging about -- all those years ago?

Times Online's List Of Ten Great Parenting Blogs

Patti — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

UK news outlet The Times Online's Alpha Mummy blog has posted their list of the ten great blogs that every working mum should read--good to know that the US doesn't have the market cornered on the assumption that to be a parent means to be a mother, and the qualifier "working" is somewhat puzzling, as their list is not at all specific to working parents.

The list features a few of the usual suspects: Dooce, Parent Hacks, Kiddley. Also included are a couple of blogs that aren't necessarily parenting blogs per se, but that a parent could definitely benefit from reading: Lifehacker and The Happiness Project. Alpha Mummy rounds out the list with fellow Times Online blogger India Knight's Isn't She Talking Yet, the Wall Street Journal's Juggle, and new-to-me reads MamaPop and Motherhood Uncensored (sometimes I don't know where I am when everyone else is blogging great stuff).

Oh, and the top of the list? Just a little site called Babble.

And now comes the best part of any top-something list: What's Wrong With It. Who's missing from Alpha Mummy's top ten? Is this list really what it claims to be, the top ten blogs for working parents (at least one of the blogs, MamaPop, is written by self-described stay at home parents)? Where all my daddybloggers at?