Where I'm Writing When I'm Not Writing Here

The busyness of the past two weeks has been a big wow. Lots of work hiccups keeping me & the rest of the team on our toes, a cool business trip for Seymour, a birthday party for Mali, lots of visits from relatives and friends, BlogHer parties, soccer tournaments for Iz, excellent behavior & new developments from Leo, and very little sleep for me. The result: I declared this past Sunday's tired "unprecedented." I didn't win anything, though, except the satisfaction of getting some decent writing out on other internet spaces besides this one:

On BlogHer, I interviewed Jen Silverman, Sarah Talbot, and Yantra Bertelli, editors of the wonderful new book about parenting our children with special needs, My Baby Rides the Short Bus. Here's Yantra's take on why the book matters:

I hope our book helps its readers to stretch their definitions of inclusion and helps complicate mainstream ideas around individualism that silence or obscure the ways children are connected to their families and societies. Inclusion is a process and the work is never ending.

On Body Impolitic, I described my unapologetic efforts to equip my daughters for a life-long fight against a culture that wants them to hate their bodies:

I do my best to teach my two daughters to celebrate their beautiful and very different bodies just as they are. I talk about any problems of my own in terms of health, not moral failure. I do not hide my body, nor make excuses for it. And I stock my girls’ everyday lives with strong, confident women who talk about their bodies with practicality and humor, because I believe a positive body image is learned, like table manners or martial arts.

On (Never) Too Many Cooks, I laid out a recipe for one of my family's favorite meals, Vietnamese Grilled Pork with Rice Vermicelli:

My kids call this scrumptious all-in-one meal "Vietnamese pork bowl." It's a crowd pleaser: gluten and dairy free, vegetable gateway for picky eaters, straightforward preparation, and its three-hour process is done in spurts with lots of interstitial free time to pull apart brawling children—and oh my goodness is it delicious. Even my picky son with autism can be coaxed into nibbling on one of the carrot sticks.

And on Can I Sit With You?, I got to enjoy the fruits of a solid month of badgering Michael Procopio for another story, as he sent us The Horror of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (So I didn't write this one. But I did solicit, copyedit, and post it!)

As the two cute-as-can-be children of Dick Van Dyke’s character, Caractacus Potts, Jeremy and Jemima were the manifestation of my two greatest childhood fears — abandonment and replacement. Where did these children come from? I squirmed in discomfort every time they screeched, “Daddy! Daddy!” I simply could not accept that these were Mr. Van Dyke’s children, because as far as I was concerned, Dick Van Dyke was named Bert [from Mary Poppins] and already had two children.

Time for some sleep, though I once again failed to get to bed before midnight. I'll try to get up some details from the past two weeks, perhaps tomorrow.

Early '80s Designer Jeans Memories

I wrote today's Can I Sit With You? story, Gloria Vanderbutt. It's about my junior high school designer jeans obsession. An excerpt:

My parents didn’t understand how my heart ached for designer jeans. I wanted them. I needed them. When friends had me over to show off their new jeans, I would palm the discarded informational tags so I could take them home and pore over them: “The Sassoon fit is extremely tight! You may need to lie on your back, on the floor, in order to zip them up.” I resented my plain beige Health-Tex trousers, which came with no such warning labels.

Do you remember designer jeans fever? Did you succumb to it? Did you ever peg your jeans? Or wear jeans with zippers on the ankles? If so, please take a look at the story, and leave a comment on that site, should you be so inspired.

New & Upcoming: Alison Singer Q&A; Oh, Internet!; Teen Bullying

Got me a new post up on BlogHer, about how there is no reason for those of us with special needs in our lives to be sad and lonely if we have internet access. We can be sad and lonely TOGETHER! I jest, but seriously, people -- if you're feeling isolated, Twitter and Yahoo! Groups are just waiting for you to plunge into their warm, squooshy, welcoming depths. I have specific recommendations in the post, but don't forget to leave a comment about your own favorite online special needs community resources, too.

Can I Sit With You? has a new post, as well, with guest input from tween and teen social skills and advice expert Annie Fox. She covers four frequently asked teen bullying questions, with ideas for what kids can do in each scenario. Meaty stuff. Check it out and let us know what you think about her take on teen troubles.

On October 6th I'll be doing a BlogHer Q&A with Alison Singer, founder and president of the Autism Science Foundation. Whether Ms. Singer makes you cheer or spew nastiness, I am certain that you, like me, are curious about the direction and goals of the Autism Science Foundation, why it was founded, and how it will differ from Autism Speaks. Read Ms. Singer's own perspective on the "driving off a bridge" statement in the Autism Every Day video, neurodiversity, and autistic heterogeneity, then send me your questions or leave them in the comments before September 27th.

Louse-y New Can I Sit With You? Story: The Cooties

OMG The COOOOTIES! Read it now: http://www.canisitwithyou.org/?p=425

By far the funniest story we've featured on Can I Sit With You? lately. Our thanks to ShinyGrape of American Goulash for letting us republish the tale (and to Liz Henry for discovering it).

Please remind your kids that anyone can get lice. The only real difference is whether you have to deal with them yourself, or can pay someone else to get rid of them.

This is a particularly timely story, given that Mali's school is embroiled in Lice Wars: The Second Coming. I now bring her in five minutes early so that her teachers have enough time to give that curly mop a thorough cootie-check before she enters the classroom.

So far, nothing. Whew. I'd hate to have to shave her head on the day she turns four-and-a-half:

New Can I Sit With You? Story: The Injustice of a Test

New Can I Sit With You?: Stepanie Chin's The Injustice of a Test.

In which an advanced placement-tracked ten-year-old dissociates on seeing two classmates thrown out of enrichment classes and realizing that, in school, your test scores are your identity.

http://www.canisitwithyou.org/?p=417

We're always looking for new Can I Sit With You? stories, so don't forget to send yours in.

Seeking Stories: The Can I Sit With You? Project

Three weeks of kids on spring break or out sick ended when I plopped Leo's little bottom on the bus this morning. I am exhausted. So, of course, back to work!

Here's our latest Can I Sit With You? announcement. Please take heed, because -- come on -- you know you have a good story and want to see it online and in print (um, and help the kids):

We've been so distracted by publishing two books and flitting among the associated events that it took us a few beats to realize: it's been over a year since we asked people to send us Can I Sit With You? stories.

Please, send us your Can I Sit With You? stories!

We know you have a wonderful tale or two from your school years, because so many of you have popped up at our readings -- or emailed us -- and told us so.

And who can resist the feel-good hat trick of getting a story published while helping to raise money for kids with special needs plus helping school kids in general feel less socially flummoxed?

So, damn it, tell us about your memorable social experiences in elementary and middle school. We want to share all kinds of stories: good or bad, triumphant or wrenching.

We always love to feature tales from former outcasts and underdogs, but would also like to hear more from those of you whose social seas were complicated by undercurrents like special needs and learning disorders, eating disorders, and gender or sexual identity. And then there's the funny. We also appreciate the funny, and the wry.

Got it? Good. Here is your assignment:

1. Read our Mission Statement
2. Read our Submission Guidelines
3. Write your story (we're only asking for 1000 words)
4. Send it to us!

If your story is a good one but you're worried about making it shiny and slick, no worries. We are skilled editors, and will spit-polish as needed.

Don't make us rap your knuckles with a ruler, pass you a nasty note, throw spit balls at you, or make fun of you on Facebook. Send us your story, and send it now.

In gratitude,

Shannon & Jennifer