“She Got Me Pregnant”: Episode 82

Helen and I offer some parenting-focused advice to Ilene Chaiken as she begins to develop her new series, The Real L Word. We also share some end-of-summer tips on camping with kids and preparing for back-to-school time. Finally, we draw some never-before-drawn parallels between Disney’s The Jungle Book and Nurse Jackie. What do the same-sex parents in each show have in common?

(If the embedded video above doesn’t work for you, try it at Dailymotion.)

Brought to you in partnership with After Ellen.

Let’s Hear It For Camp Winnebucca!

Kids go to day camp this summer? You might be able to claim the cost as a dependent care expense. My spouse Helen explains how in her latest post for Queercents, and even mentions a possible extra savings because the federal government does not yet recognize marriages of same-sex couples. (Yes, marriage inequality screws us financially in other ways. All the more reason to take advantage of the perks when we can, I say.)

(Reminder: I am not a financial professional. Check with your own before taking or not taking any specific course of action.)

Of Two Minds on an Album for Kids with Two Moms

Canadian musician Kate Reid, a self-described “homofolkie,” is working on an album for kids with two moms, according to an article in the Edmonton Sun:

Reid hopes to interview children of lesbian couples during her current Canadian tour. She says she will listen to their stories and turn their experiences into songs for the CD, titled Songs for Kids With Two Moms.

“I’m really excited about it and I think it’s going to be a really fun project in terms of doing the research and writing the songs and trying to create a body of work that expresses the experiences in their lives.”

While part of me thinks this is a commendable venture, another part thinks that this isn’t exactly what our kids need. Would my own son really find more interest in listening to an entire album about the varieties of two-mom families than listening to one about, say, trains, which happened to include a song or two featuring a boy with lesbian moms? Read the rest of this post »

Cinderella with a Lesbian Twist

(Originally published in Bay Windows, September 3, 2009.)

“As a kid, Cinderella was basically my favorite fairy tale. I always loved it, even though it was cheesy,” says author Malinda Lo. “I decided to do a retelling of Cinderella since I never read one that I liked.”

Lo’s debut young adult novel, Ash (Little, Brown, 2009), comes complete with enchantments, a wicked stepmother, a handsome prince—and a young woman, Ash, who doesn’t fall for the latter. Instead, Ash catches the eye of Kaisa, the King’s Huntress, giving the classic tale a new twist. Ash must learn to move beyond the grief of her parents’ deaths, the rigid hand of her stepmother, and the enigmatic lure of the fairy Sidhean to find her own path and her own love.

Lo, an award-winning LGBT journalist and a former managing editor of lesbian entertainment Web site After Ellen, notes that surprisingly, she didn’t intend to create lesbian characters. After a friend told her the prince in her original draft was “not that interesting,” however, Lo says, “I realized that Ash was essentially falling in love with this woman, not the prince.” Still, she admits, “The idea of writing a lesbian Cinderella was a little bit world-shifting for me. I thought it was basically going to doom the book from ever being published. . . . but once I decided to do it, there was no turning back.” Read the rest of this post »

Back to School Songs from Erin Lee and Marci

Children’s musicians Erin Lee and Marci bring us the next of their regular posts with thematic recommendations for kid-friendly music, plus activities to make the songs an interactive experience for the whole family.

Look for Erin Lee and Marci here on the first Monday of each month, or visit their homepage, www.gottaplay.org.

I’ve created links to Amazon for the full albums (click the album image or name), plus links to Amazon MP3 downloads, when available, for those who want only the singles. (Click the song name.) I also have a widget after the jump that will let you preview most of the songs without leaving Mombian.

Summer’s over and we’re all back to school. We’ve met some kids who are thrilled, some who have first-day-of-school jitters, and lots of kids who don’t know WHAT to expect. So whether you are psyched or psyched out, here are some tunes to help you through the first week! Read the rest of this post »

They Might Be Driving an Electric Car

No Political Roundup this week as I’m spending some extra family time prior to my son starting school in a few days. Instead, here’s a video treat for all of you environment-loving parents out there: “Electric Car,” a song from Here Comes Science, the brand-new kids’ album by They Might Be Giants.

Helen and I are unashamed geeks. With songs like “Meet the Elements,” “I Am a Paleontologist,” “My Brother the Ape,” and “How Many Planets?” you can be sure this album will join our collection.

Thanks to Brett Berk, aka The Gay Uncle, for alerting me to the new album. Brett is friends with TMBG manager Jamie Kitman, which gives him extra cool bonus points.

[Addendum: Stefan Shepherd of Zooglobble has a lengthy review of the TMBG album as well as the video of "I'm a Paleontologist."]

“She Got Me Pregnant”: Episode 81

Helen and I respond to a reader’s query about sperm banks, and discuss the ones we tried, features we overlooked, and whether romance and turkey basters are mutually exclusive.

(If the embedded video above doesn’t work for you, try it at Dailymotion.)

Brought to you in partnership with After Ellen.

Be Right Back

A quick note to say I’m going to be offline more than usual over the next few days in preparation for my son starting first grade (!!!) next week. I have a bunch of posts scheduled, though, including the vlog tomorrow, in which Helen and I discuss the classic theme of sperm banks and turkey basters.

Please do stop by, then, but just note that comment moderation may be delayed and I may be slow in responding to e-mail. (Hey, I couldn’t write a parenting blog if I didn’t go parent once in a while.)

Have a great rest-of-the-week!