My son Graeme, who’s almost 4, is very into Candy Land lately. He’ll play it all by himself, or with his brother, or with me, and he cheats a lot, but whatever; he’s so cute. Anyway, they were given this new set (dated 2010, Made in China) and I remembered I still had my old Candy Land put away somewhere (dated 1984, Made in USA) and so I pulled them out for a comparison, and was really surprised by what... Read more
Recently I was delighted to learn of the excellent work that twin sisters Lindsay Kite and Lexie Kite are doing through their nonprofit, Beauty Redefined. From their website: “Beauty Redefined is all about rethinking our ideas of “beautiful” and “healthy” that we’ve likely learned from for-profit media that thrives off female insecurity. Girls and women who feel OK about their bodies – meaning they aren’t “disgusted” with them like more than half of women today* – take better care of themselves.... Read more
It’s the time of year for starting seeds, some indoors and some out. Tim has built these sweet raised beds all over the yard, which not only lengthen the growing season, but also make various gardening tasks easier and more comfortable. He’s even put little bench-like surfaces on some of the edges so I can sit and weed (or pick out the seemingly-endless supply of stones and pebbles in the soil.) I’m really not much for pointless exercising, but I... Read more
{As a follow up to yesterday’s dieting Tiger Mom, sensible advice from Ellyn Satter, registered dietician and counselor specializing in eating competency.} Children come in all sizes – some are big, some are small, some are sturdy or even chubby, others are slender. If your child’s weight is relatively high, even if it plots above the 95th or even the 97th percentile, it is likely to be normal if it follows along a particular percentile curve on the growth chart.... Read more
A few of you have referred me to the story of Dara-Lynn Weiss and her 7 year old daughter, a frightening story that’s sort of the Tiger Mother of the thin-obsessed. For those who haven’t read the piece, or some of the outraged responses it has provoked, Weiss’s piece in the April edition of Vogue magazine (not available online) tells how the writer, who admits to having her own lifelong “issues with food,” having tried many diets, used fear, shame, and ridicule... Read more
I started reading The Hunger Games on Thursday night, finished it on Saturday afternoon, and then saw the movie on Sunday night: such fun! Can’t remember the last time I read a book with such eagerness. I loved its blend of high-tech futuristic sci-fi with semi-old fashioned wilderness survival, its exploration of violence and resistance and redemption, creativity, culture, exploitation, and consumption. And? It was just a very entertaining, engaging read. The movie was not disappointing, either. (Although I confess... Read more
…wherever you are right now. Last week I got some pushback for a response I wrote on Christianity Today’s This is Our City project. {I guess I should expect pushback when I poke at dearly beloved evangelical celebrities. But really, Evangelical Celebrities, do you not expect the occasional gentle poke?} I was responding to a piece by Kathy Keller (wife of Timothy J. Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in NYC) on why the city is a wonderful place to... Read more
This week I really enjoyed this profile of Boston University biochemist Barbara Corkey, whose research on food additives’ effect on insulin production challenges what’s pretty much orthodox in the science world: that weight gain comes down to calories, plain and simple. “I don’t believe that overeating causes obesity,” says Corkey flatly. “During my lifetime I have seen tremendous differences in food preparation and food packaging….When that novelty is associated with an increase in obesity and diabetes, is it rocket science... Read more
{Once again, I’m posting as part of the Patheos book club, Take & Read} I didn’t expect to like Sacrilege. I am always happy to acknowledge, even celebrate Jesus’ iconoclastic ways, but I’m not exactly comfortable in the non-churchy feeling ‘gatherings of Christ-followers’ that Hugh Halter advocates. It’s not that I don’t think that they are a perfectly commendable, appropriate way to be the church, it’s just that I am quite happy to meet and worship God in a traditional,... Read more
I had my first post on the Sojourner’s ‘God’s Politics’ blog–a review of Tracie McMillan’s American Way of Eating. Here’s an excerpt, but you can click through to read it all here. I love great food. Last night, I made fresh linguini with organic whole wheat flour and local, free-range eggs, and topped them with from-scratch meatballs made with organic beef, fresh parsley from my garden, fresh Parmesan–you get the idea. And in a few days, I’ll be celebrating a... Read more
Rachel Marie Stone
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