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Dirt & Noise

A blog by a left leaning mom of 2 boys

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The Media Lacks Compassion (and Sense!) When It Comes to Steubenville

Ilinap · March 18, 2013 ·

I have two little boys asleep upstairs. They are small enough to still hold my hand in parking lots and say "I love you" unabashedly. They are wild and loud and energetic, yet possess a certain pensive quality that sneaks out when they are reading or daydreaming. They are both … [Read more...] about The Media Lacks Compassion (and Sense!) When It Comes to Steubenville

Tags: Bird, children, community, Deal, equality, kids, motherhood, parenting, responsibility, values, women

Live and Learn

Ilinap · March 12, 2013 ·

There are some things that you cannot learn just from someone telling you it is so. We've all been teenagers and can vouch for this, no? Bird and Deal are still too young to delve into teenage impropriety; they are young enough to dip their toes into puerile mischief and listen … [Read more...] about Live and Learn

Tags: Bird, children, Deal, kids, learning, parenting

A Book Brought Me to Tears

Ilinap · February 28, 2013 ·

I knew I should have taken off my mascara before settling in to read last night. I wrote this promptly after reading to my sons and tucking them in. Bird goes to sleep with a book within reach, and Deal goes to sleep surrounded by a menagerie of stuffed friends. These boys of … [Read more...] about A Book Brought Me to Tears

Tags: Bird, books, children, Deal, education, family, kids, motherhood, parenting, reading

Sam Adler + Eschler Music Foundation = Music for All

Ilinap · February 19, 2013 ·

I am not musically inclined. Most would say I don't even have good taste in music. I am admittedly stuck in the 80s. My musical ability is just a tish better than my athletic prowess. The only time I was in a talent show I played keyboards in an air band. It's not the swimsuit … [Read more...] about Sam Adler + Eschler Music Foundation = Music for All

Tags: arts, kids, music, party, values

Art Room Aid to Unleash Creativity

Ilinap · February 13, 2013 ·

I believe that art belongs in school. I believe it deserves a front and center spot, not cramped into a basement with no ventilation and no sink. This is how my sons experience art in school. Their teacher delivers with nary a hint of ennui as if she were in a light filled, … [Read more...] about Art Room Aid to Unleash Creativity

Tags: art, children, creativity, education, kids, school

Too Much Screen Time

Ilinap · January 28, 2013 ·

  Do you sometimes wonder what you did before the days of wifi internet and social media? We regard wifi as a right and cannot live without it. We have phones smarter than us and in an ironic twist, social media sucks the social skills out of real people interactions. I'm … [Read more...] about Too Much Screen Time

Tags: children, family, kids, motherhood, technology

I Finally Wrote About Sandy Hook Elementary

Ilinap · January 17, 2013 ·

My children do not watch the news. We make a concerted effort to balance sugar coating their world and telling them the truth. The thing is, the "truth" to 9 and 7 year olds is vastly different that the "truth" to adults. We want to shelter the boys as much as we can while doling … [Read more...] about I Finally Wrote About Sandy Hook Elementary

Tags: America, children, community, education, kids, news, politics, responsibility, values

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Progressive, mom, writer, reader, traveler. Believe in good manners, home cooking, spending $ on experiences, not things, Oxford comma. ENFJ.

There are certain shades of limelight that can wreck a girl's complexion. - Holly Golightly
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