Here is my sometimes weekly roundup of some of the things that I’ve spotted via social media, which I hope some of you might also find interesting.
What I’ve been reading:
Deborah Bryan at The Monster in Your Closet is an amazing writer. Seriously, check out her Dear Mom post and I challenge you not to cry. But that is not the one I chose this week. I was interested in “I missed out, and why?” as it starts out on a subject I feel passionately about – people who word/grammar police. I didn’t have a great education and I sometimes get things wrong, even as a professional writer. I’ve done my best to educate myself over the years but I still occasionally slip up. Does that mean that what I am saying is any less valid? To some people it does. Deborah addresses that in the first part of her post but then she goes on to say:
“But this isn’t a post about logical fallacies, grammar naziism or word policing. It’s about what else might be missed by trying to hold discussion in the wrong forum or at the wrong time. Because as I was trying to have this conversation, my baby boy, teething and in pain, fell asleep without me present to hold him.”
This is something I also worry about constantly. I keep pledging that I will only check email/Twitter when Freya is asleep but because she so rarely sleeps I find myself quickly checking in instead of playing with her. I know she doesn’t need me 24 hours a day but I still feel guilty.
Speaking of social media this post about The Death of the Conversation was also of interest. Photographer Babycakes Romero has captured the way smart phones now dominate our lives. How many times have you walked down a main street to see practically every person with their head down tinkering on their phones? He said:
“It originally caught my eye as there was a certain symmetry to these people locked simultaneously yet separately in the same action and it appealed on a visual level, but as I continued I noticed an inherent sadness to the proceedings.”
The trouble is, I don’t think there is any way back from it now.
Next up, Brummy Mummy of 2 had me in hysterics with this post about her love of Gary Barlow being tested by the price of tickets for the new Take That tour. Seriously £65 for the cheap seats. Having said that I once paid £85 a seat to see Donnie WahlbergNew Kids On The Block/Backsteet Boys but that was when I actually had money. Plus I saw it as an investment in my future as the next Mrs Wahlberg although that didn’t turn out as expected.
Something cool I found:
I love this Moonjar money box for helping children learn about the value of money (in every sense). It has three compartments: save, spend and share. I will be getting one for Freya when she’s old enough – and maybe one for me too!
What I’ve been watching:
When I’m not being a mum I am a journalist specialising in green issues. One of the things that has always interested me is why people switch off to climate change, especially when the evidence it is happening is so overwhelming. It’s something that George Marshall, c0-founder of Climate Outreach UK, has been investigating too. Check out this video which explains his book, Don’t Even Think About It: Why our Brains Are Wired to Ignore Climate Change… it’s interesting, promise.
Have a great weekend.
After The Rain 