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When Famous People Defend Teachers, It Makes My Heart Happy

Thank you, Matt Damon. I always knew I liked you. I would like to see some context to this video, though. From the clip we get, it seems like both the reporter and the cameraman are staunchly conservative people who… Read more ›

August 3, 2011
Ashley
Education
Education, job security, matt damon, salary, teacher, teachers, teaching, tenure

The Kid Argument

This piece was originally posted at The MamaFesto. When my husband, Tim, and I got married, I didn’t change my name. Reactions to this ranged from shock and dismay to a pat on the back, though nothing got to me… Read more ›

August 3, 2011
Ashley
Activism, Marriage & Family
child, childfree, childless, feminist wife, kids, last name, maiden name, marriage, name change, names, parent, wife

Quick Hit: Babies Don’t Ruin Your Marriage

Today at A Practical Wedding, there’s a Reclaiming Wife post about how babies don’t ruin your marriage. We still go out to places, just the two of us, but I’ll admit that it’s more rare. Don’t get me wrong—we go… Read more ›

August 2, 2011
Ashley
Marriage & Family
babies, child, childbirth, childfree, childless, children, feminist wife, kids, marriage, relationships, wife

Back to School, Back to Feminism

Today, I’m over at Gender Across Borders talking about going back to school and back to teaching feminism. It is officially August. Which means it is officially time to start thinking about going back to school. As a teacher, it… Read more ›

August 2, 2011
Ashley
Activism, Education
Education, High school, student, students, teacher, teaching, teaching feminism, Teenage Girls, young women

Out With the Old…

In true back-to-school frenzy, and as a sort of consolation prize for not moving to the city, Tim and I have decided to spend the money we would have spent breaking our lease and moving to buy new furniture and… Read more ›

August 1, 2011
Ashley
Marriage & Family
chairs, couch, furniture, house, library, living room, new furniture, office, redecorating, sofa, table

Quick Hit: Adoption as a Feminist Issue

I’ve written about adoption before. (Here, here, here…) It’s something I believe in very strongly, and will as long as there are children who need adoption. As long as women are pressured to give their children up for adoption, there… Read more ›

July 31, 2011
Ashley
Activism, Marriage & Family
adopt, adopting, adoption, babies, baby, childbirth, children, kids, marriage, pregnancy, relationships

On Not Moving to the City

I’ve been off the grid for a few days while Tim and I have worked on deciding what to do with the next year of our lives. As you can imagine, it’s been a daunting few days and lots of… Read more ›

July 30, 2011
Ashley
Marriage & Family
apartment, chicago, city, city living, family, feminist wife, home, house, marriage, moving, relationships, renting, suburbs, wife

Homes and Houses, Cities and Suburbs

Tim and I have spent a good deal of time over the past few days debating about what we want the next step in our lives to be. We’ve been looking at houses and town homes in the suburbs of… Read more ›

July 26, 2011
Ashley
Marriage & Family
chicago, city, family, having kids, home, house, kids, marriage, moving, relationships, suburbs

Quick Hit: Should Chivalry Be Stopped?

A new feminist study shows that chivalric behavior is sexist and should be stopped immediately. I am a feminist. I also like men to be chivalrous, kind to women and open doors before I walk through them. It’s polite; it’s… Read more ›

July 24, 2011
Ashley
Activism, Marriage & Family
chivalry, power relationships, relationships, Sexism

Quick Hit: Can a Feminist Diet?

Terrible title, great article. Frustratingly, given the patriarchal bargain of weight-loss, being radically anti-diet as a political stance doesn’t always fit comfortably as a personal stance. Because we live in a society that punishes women for being “fat,” even the most dedicated feminists… Read more ›

July 23, 2011
Ashley
Activism
anorexia, body image, diet, dieting, Health, weight loss

Quick Hit: It’s Not Other People’s Money – It’s Yours

Here’s some shocking information for all you married/cohabiting women out there: There are several programs, some of which are free, that can manage household finances. Despite the availability of these tools and their relative ease of use, I am amazed… Read more ›

July 22, 2011
Ashley
Activism, Marriage & Family
finance, finances, income, merging finances, personal finance, relationships

Hot, Hot, Hot

Well. Our air conditioning broke yesterday. And the heat index yesterday was 110 degrees. So, we spent some time with my mom, and then checked into a hotel. Then there was a bad storm, which freaked the dog out even… Read more ›

July 22, 2011
Ashley
Marriage & Family
air conditioning, heat, heat wave, Hot, summer

Quick Hit: Girl Talk: Compromising Positions

This is a great article by Jessica Wakeman about compromises in a relationship and what you do when you start to feel like you’ve compromised so much that you’ve completely lost yourself. It is now I am realizing, though, I… Read more ›

July 21, 2011
Ashley
Activism, Marriage & Family
cohabitation, compromise, compromises, compromising, relationships

Quick Hit: The Screwed-Up Ideas Underpinning Modern Marriage

Here’s an article that talks about how we’ve screwed up marriage because of who we look for to marry. Here’s a sample: Yet our attitudes about whom we are supposed to marry has barely changed. We are still burdened with… Read more ›

July 20, 2011
Ashley
Marriage & Family
family and relationships, marriage, marrying down, marrying up, relationships

When it Comes to Food Shows, Women Prepare and Men Eat

Towards the end of the school year and at the start of the summer, before all of the reruns got really boring, I started watching all these food shows on the Travel Channel like it was my job. Man vs.… Read more ›

July 19, 2011
Ashley
Activism
baking, Cooking, eating, food, gendered assumptions about food, gendered stereotypes about food, storytelling

Book Review: The Kid by Sapphire

Today, I’m over at Gender Across Borders reviewing The Kid by Sapphire. This review contains spoilers, so if you think you might read the book and you hate spoilers, do not read past the cut! Also, I’m including a trigger… Read more ›

July 19, 2011
Ashley
Activism, Books
Child abuse, child sexual abuse, hate speech, lgbtq, molestation, precious, Push, Sapphire, Sexual abuse, the kid

But Girls Can’t Be President!

Tim and I spent some time at his grandfather’s birthday party this weekend. It was really fun to see all of his extended family, especially his 8-year-old cousin, Katie. She is awesome, and if I ever have a daughter, I… Read more ›

July 18, 2011
Ashley
Activism
Education, girls, girls can do anything, kids, politics, president

Quick Hit: Couples Save More Than Singles

Apparently, couples have significantly more saved for retirement than singles. Personally, I don’t think it takes a rocket scientist to figure out that dual income = more money = more saved. Also, factor in that a woman makes $0.77 to… Read more ›

July 16, 2011
Ashley
Activism
Couples, finances, money, relationships, retirement, singles

On NOT Doing a DIY Wedding

As feminists, I think we have a tendency to make a lot of things ourselves. This only makes sense because we are socially conscious people. We want to lessen our impact on the environment, so we grow our own gardens… Read more ›

July 15, 2011
Ashley
Activism, Marriage & Family
diy, do it ourself, relationships, vendors, wedding, wedding vendors, weddings

Guest Post: Playing Princess with Purpose

Today’s post is a guest post from Kristin Morton. Kristin does not blog, but this submission makes me think she should. We spend a lot of time talking about how girls don’t have to play princess when they are younger.… Read more ›

July 14, 2011
Guest
Activism, Marriage & Family
children, clothing, daughter, dress up, guest post, kids, princess, princesses
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