site stuff


We have had a renewed surge of energy over hear at LesbianFamily.org, as you have no doubt noticed. And to maintain that energy, we would like to expand our team!

Here’s what you would be signing up for:

* Minimum of 1 post here per month; more if you want!
* Minimum of 20 minutes per month of “admin stuff” like updating the blogroll, responding to emails, clearing out spam comments…. We will sort out specific responsibilities among the group over the next couple of weeks
* One year commitment

You are welcome to be part of the team no matter where you are in your family process. “Friends of the Family” will also be considered.

We do anticipate re-joining the BlogHer Ad Network, however, unless we earn a heckuva lot more money than we have in the past, we won’t be able to pay bloggers. In the past, ad funds have slightly more than paid for hosting.

If you are interested, please leave a comment below. Include your email address in the “email” section so that we can reach you.

One new listing to announce: to the bodacious Trying listing, please welcome

Go give Melissa and Terry a visit, and tell them LesFam sent you! polesapartdesignlogoWe’ve recently finished some upgrades to LesbianFamily.org, thanks to the handy work of Kemi at Poles Apart Design.  About which: want a WordPress blog? Have one and need a tune-up? Kemi’s your gal!  I mean, how can you beat that graphic (at right)?  The recent tune-up to current WordPress template standards has enabled us to edit pages in something other than raw HTML, which means: ALL THE PAGES ARE NOW ALPHABETIZED! Hosanna! 

Now that it’s so easy to find specific blogs, you might take another stroll through the listings, just to see what’s there. We’re talking hundreds of blogs, people, hundreds of them.  Nearly a hundred of them TTC and another near ‘hundred writing about their fresh Babies! alone. Both are topics folks have a ton of questions and answers about, not to mention so many of the others.  Basically if you are or are raising anybody specified by one of these listing pages, you’re bound to find kinship, solace and insight as soon as you start meandering around the blogs listed.

Frankly, doing this clean-up, where I’ve had the chance to cut and paste basically every single blog title in the LesFam listings, I’ve gotten even more warm and runny about all of this.  Each title (many of which I couldn’t resist peeking into and checking up on) represents somebody caring deeply about family and family-making. Some lesbian caring deeply about family, and caring about doing it right.  With love, and thoughtfulness (elsewise: why blog? since blogging basically forces examination, which usually forces thoughtfulness).  The titles alone are so telling, so full of humor, whimsy, hope.  Man, I love you guys!

Now! Please let us know if you want your blog moved from one page to another, to reflect a shift in the status of your family, and also please remember that we’ve added two new pages — Families of Color & Single Parenting – so if you or someone you know of ought to be cross-listed there, let us know with a comment on the appropriate page!

The upgrade has also enabled us to add a few new features, the first of which we’ll demo soon as I can figure out how to use it: a poll feature!  (Next week’s new feature? Well you’ll have to come back and see!) A site like this functions as a big tent for the wide-ranging community that makes up the “all kinds of lesbian families” who list their blogs here.  It’s also fairly content-lite, and user-generated.  So a weekly poll (or semi-weekly, depending on how long we need to keep them open to get an interesting response) seems like just the right way to take the pulse of the wide range of lesbian family (or lesbian family -friendly) visitors to this site.  We’ll try and do one every week, and will archive them for ongoing reference.  Leave us a comment and let us know what you’d like to hear more about from your fellow LesFam readers!

This picture, “Top of the Rock. Date Night!” was submitted by longtime LesbianFamily.org lister gal Shelli, who writes about her beautiful NYC family at Hydrangeas are Pretty. A new baby brother has just joined the family, and big sister Malka is “smitten”! Go on over and give ‘em all congratulations.

If you photograph your family and would like to share those images (to the whole entire world wide web!), consider joining up with the LesbianFamily.org Flickr group! Photos set to “public” and with the “blog this” option enabled are among those we can post here. We’d love to plug your blog, and share a picture of your family!

In New Listings news, Trying again, Story of a Lesbian Family in the Making now titled Serendipitously yours  has been added to the TTC list. Welcome!

And thanks for checking in.

And by “web,” I don’t mean the world wide kind. More like the spider kind. This second batch of phenomenally late updates has only been in the queue since mid -October! Only four and a half months! The other ones, well. Picture the inside of Miss Haversham’s house, from Great Expectations. That’s what the LesbianFamily.org comments mediation queue looked like. Dust over everything, spider webs everywhere, plates of unfinished food, totally crumbly and mouldy, the clock frozen in time, somewhere about early summer last year, when everything began to get just a little bit hairy. But all’s better now, eh what? Or at least, we’ve taken a shop-vac to the inside of the place.

The remaining installment of the updateage brings us all — stagger stagger, pant pant pant — up to the minute with all the lesbian family bloggery! Over fifty new listings in all, with a handful of old ones moving from one page to another.

To celebrate, I’ve added a link in the sidebar (no there — down a little further… yep!) speeding you all to the LesbianFamily.org swag repository at Café Press, which has been there for EONS, since Liza set it up. I’m hoping that perhaps with a handy-dandy sidebar link, these fine products will now have the attention they deserve, and will soon be winging their way into lesbian baby showers world-wide. Since it’s me doing this promo, I’m using the trucker hat to demo the logo in action. But yes, ladies, there are baby-doll tees. And tote bags, and onsies, and the works. Expect more such shameless promos around major holidays in the future.

Also in the future, we’re hoping to spruce the under-the-hood part of the site up a bit more with an updated WordPress template, which will greatly facilitate a few long-awaited upkeep projects, such as the alphabetizing of the listings (altogether too onerous in the pure HTML environment currently available to our admin panel). We’ll also settle back into regular postings from the wonderful LesbianFamily.org Flickr album. Please write with suggestions of things you’d like to see here, in the way of new listings categories, or other resource features. And likewise, let us know if you want your blog to be shuffled from one page to the next.

A heart-felt thanks to all of you who’ve waited so long to see your blogs listed here. Thank you for writing about your family and family-making journeys. You all, together, help to make our community that much bigger and richer. And the better the community, the better things are for our kids (or kid-conjuring).

Most recently listed in TTC, allow me to please introduce:

Most recently listed in Expecting, please mosey on by:

We have us some fresh Babies, check ‘em out here:

A few Little Kids blogs have also joined the LesFam fray:

One of the above blogs is cross-listed under Non-bio:

And several of the newly listed blogs are cross-listed under Single Parenting, a recently established page, along with Families of Color which I hope we’ll see a lot more blogs get listed on.

Okay, now! Of you go, to pay these gals a visit!


Alrighty then! The update that most of you have been waiting for, so long you stopped waiting! So huge, it had to be divided into two parts! Part the 2nd to follow in a few more days, after I plow through the second half of backlogged listings requests.

Since June of last year, comment moderation here at LesbianFamily.org has more or less gone into the deep freeze. For partial explanation, you may refer to the most recent post I did, Boo! At least that goes a ways toward trying to explain my own LesFam lethargy. That plus ye olde Parenting, which is a fairly time-consuming activity. The other LesFam administrators have been juggling new kids in their families, and/or work, and/or any of the other life issues that so often rear their heads.

This batch of folks have been waiting since October last year and before (!). Some are cross-listed, as you’ll notice. The next post will include folks who’ve waited to be listed since around mid-October (!).

Among the TTC folk, we have:

We also have a crop of Expecting blogs:

Several new Babies! blogs:

And Kids, both Little and Big:

Among the various pages listing families by type, we have new listings in:

Familia Lesbiana

Families of Color

Foster

Interracial Families

Multiples

And Single Parenting

You’ll notice that we’ve added a few categories under which you can list or cross-list your blogs. In the “Parenting by type” section, we’ve added “Single parenting” and “Families of color.” The site sprang up in August 2006, thanks to Liza taking the initiative and creating the resource she knew lesbian parents needed to find one anothers’ blogs online. But the parsing and sorting of the blogs has always (a) been voluntary, on the part of folks’ requesting listings, and (b) intended to evolve as you readers suggest more useful ways to look for and find one another.

The “Single parenting” comes from several new blogs by women single parenting, either by choice or by — whatever it is when it’s not choice. I added the “Families of color” category since, after multiple sessions wading deep into the site’s categories and cross-listings, it dawned on me that, duh: we have “Global” and “Interracial” families, but no place for women of color either single parenting or parenting with another woman of color to cross list. (!!) So (a) you may kick my ignorant, slow-on-the-uptake white arse, riiiiiight here. And (b) you may help spread the word among friends who might make good use of the listing.

Now! If enough of you (how many? who knows: ‘spose we’ll know when we hear back) have objections to “of color,” and propose an alternative that works better, great! I’m a white gal whose coming of age as a thinking anti-racist person happened in California in the 1980s, essentially. For us out here, “people of color” was and still is a self-empowering term for people of African, Asian, Latin, and Native American heritage who wish, for purposes of political solidarity in any given instance, to refer to themselves as a group.

I just make this note because once, in a comment on some online article somewhere, someone objected to the term, finding it aligned with the archaic “colored,” from my father’s generation. Though for that matter, that term has different connotations for people in the UK and abroad than it does here in the US.

And finally! In an attempt to stem the relentless tide of spammy comments, I purged our “users” list of hundreds upon hundreds of what I thought to be bogus addresses. For my own blog, I always double check each one that seems to potentially be valid. But we had so very many, I just went with my gut. So! If your email address or user name had anything remotely to do with Viagra, or pharmacies, or businesses of many kinds, or emanated from Russia (sorry, but <.ru> is the locus of like 50% of all spammerosity, it seems), or had funny gobbilty-gookish words for your username, or had a funky email address that didn’t make sense relative to the gobbilty-gookish name, or, finally, just looked funny to my bleary eyes as my toddler sucked on my pinkie and we listened to Toddler Songs, for the gazillionth time: sorry, but you’ve been given the heave-ho! Please just sign up again.

IMG_7978.JPG IMG_7986.JPG

Aaak! Last time I posted here was August 5th, well over three months ago. Back then,

  • The economy hadn’t gone to h-e-double toothpicks in a handbasket.
  • The anti-gay marriage and anti-gay foster adoption initiative battles hadn’t heated up to the roiling boil that totally cooked those of us in the affected states (and beyond).
  • The U.S. of A. hadn’t elected its first Black intellectual president in a victory that made people weep with gratitude and relief world-wide.
  • The anti-anti-gay backlash hadn’t lashed back, following the resounding anti-gay vote in that historic, spirit-lifting election.

Obviously, I myself have been entangled in all of the above, and let an egregious amount of time slide since my most recent periodic check-in here. Being parboiled by the Yes on 8 campaign sucked all the spirit out of me (new vocabulary word: “minority stress”!), and all’s I had left, after trying to defeat the rollback of CA same-sex civil rights, I gave to my family (1) and thereafter to my work (2) and my own blog (3).

What’s been collecting over here at LesbianFamily.org inbox lo these months? Well, glad you asked! Some 86 bits of spam that escaped the spam-ulator, and dozens upon dozens of requests to be listed in the LF rolls, dating back to… could it really be late June? Yegods I think so.

This here shout out (with blueberry-enhanced visual accompaniment, for no particular reason but it seemed to be an effective attention-getter) is to say that over the course of the next coupla weeks I intend to list up those of you who long ago sent in requests to have your blog listed. If anyone has changed status — birthed or brought your kid home? stopped TTC? changed URLs on your blog? WENT STRAIGHT, HEAVEN FORFEND?! — do tell, and I’ll readjust your initial request accordingly.

Meanwhile, thanks for still checking in here.

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Ahoy, and apologies!  An egregious gap has yawned between the last update and this one, explained only by the same old same old: too many kidcare duties, not enough time to spread around.  Which lament many of you either know first-hand, or are working hard so’s to know before too long.

A bunch of new listings have been queueing up since mid-June. In a LesFam first, three TTC blogs dropped off the radar in the month it took me to get around to posting them here.  Two others, alas, asked to be listed and didn’t include their URLs; I hope to be able to list them soon, once I track them down.

Per recent trends here at LesFam, nealy half the new listings this month are TTC (or Trying To Conceive) blogs.  They’re joined by a good smattering of blogs from parents of older kids. 

Among the TTC folk, we have:

  • Patiently Awaiting Hope: Gia is “Taking this journey on faith and where every step brings ‘Hope’”
  • Twin Cycles: the account of Kia’s TTC journey alongside her sweetie Gia — yes, that Gia, of Patiently Awaiting Hope
  • two older hippos wanting a baby hippo: a 38 year old trying to conceive her first child with the love of her life
  • Wishinghopingpraying: “just your average nice, Jewish lesbians TTC baby #1.  ‘Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see’ Hebrews 1:1″

At 2 moms and a pregnancy, MT is chronicling her pregnancy with her partner of six years.  

The author of Luca Has 2 Mommies is both pregnant with twins and raising a toddler.  (Yow!)  

Emerging Butterfly is chronicling “One Woman’s Journey From Insecure Heterosexual Houswife to Confident Lesbian Mother.”

In Sweetest of Things, mtnhighmama, a single quee mama, foster mom, and surrogate mom, writes as about the good life in the Pacific Northwest.

At Come What May, Tyffany writes of her life in Colorado, her 13 year-old interracial relationship, and her 10 year-old twins.

And finally, Kat, at a mom’s struggle with identity, writes of her coming out process, after five kids: “this blog is about me, my identity, my visibility, my concerns and questions and random thoughts that make no sense. I hope it grows into a blog that explores a new love, a new relationship and the ups and downs that brings along with it.”
Welcome, all you gals!  LesFam readers, go visit them and tell ‘em we (finally!) sent you!  The blogs will show up in their various lists over the next couple of days.

Ha! Thought we’d all wandered off for good, huh? Well pert’ near. Pride month is one thing; I can imagine taking that one off, like the French take August. In a belated nod to that celebration, we have the image at right: “Party A” and “Party B” at San Francisco’s Pride celebration practically a month ago. (“Party A” and “Party B” have replaced “bride” and “groom” on marriage licenses as of June 17.)

But July turned out to be busier than expected around our household. On the short end of the stick: an accumulation of folks wanting to be added to the ever-growing LesFam rolls. Because the neglect is weighing heavily upon me, I’ve had to at least post this wee note pledging that before we see get a full week into August, a fresh update will be appear here. We have over nearly a dozen new folks, whom I can’t wait to introduce you to. So long as they’re still lesbians, and still in or trying to get in the family way. A lot can happen in a month or two.

Ahoy, sisters!

Pour yourselves a cup of your favorite hot (or cold) beverage, pull up a laptop (or a monitor), make sure someone’s got your back (or butt) covered for the next couple of minutes, and get ready to meet a bunch of new friends.

It’s been an entire month since I’ve been able to post an update here, for which I apologize. Not like I was just watching old Julie Andrews movie clips on YouTube. It has been a busy month, during which time I’ve managed to change well over a hundred diapers, clean up quarts and quarts of schmutz and detritus from the floor around where my kids eat, all the while still clocking a sufficient number of billable hours at my other day job that we can keep feeding our kids tuna instead of cat food. Ah, but enough about me! What do you think of my kids?

headlinesAlright, plenty of other momentious things have happened in the intervening month. In my home state, all the lesbian people (and their friends) can think to talk about is the state Supreme Court decision upholding the constitutionality of same-sex marriage. Hot on the heels of the elation around that ruling came sober preparations for what’s going to shape up to be a protracted, pitched battle to preserve that ruling from the very well-funded professional homophobes. The word is: support Equality for All in their feverish work to preserve the court’s decision and defeat the anti-gay marriage ballot initiative that voters will be considering in this November’s election (click on the “Donate” link at the upper right).

Now then. Let’s get down to the business of meeting Erin, Julie, Megin, Kelly, Meghan, Erica, Claire, Rachel, Debra, and Sally, and their various significant others, small and large. You’ll also want to know why you should drop by and visit Rachel’s place with a virtual casserole and an offer to do the dishes and a load of laundry.

Yes! You guessed it! Someone popped! RaJen Creation created! And now they have RaJenBabies! Two of ‘em! Many congratulations to you gals, and may you sleep at some point between now and 2009. They can now be found in Babies! and Multiples.

New TTC blogs joining the LF listings this past month are:

  • Ocean Dreamer, a single Seattle dyke exploring parenting, dog training, being gluten free, and more.
  • Ladies in Waiting, Mo and Meg. Meg will be sharing thoughts on pregnancy, kids, and becoming grown-ups.
  • My Pen Ran Out is inked (virtually) by a 33 year old lesbian living in London with her wife and three cats; they’re trying for a baby and she’s sharing the journey.
  • Finally, The Portable Pod, a TTC listing, has portable’d itself to Hatchling, where their TTC journey continues.

Several new Little Kids and Babies! blogs have been listed, too:

  • Labels are for Jars is writing about her journey raising a boy who is, as she writes in today’s post, Both/And. Please read it to find out what she means, and also to help lend your voices of wisdom and support.
  • Erica, in Parenting Beyond the Pale, is writing her reflections on lesbian parenting, Jewish preschool, public breastfeeding, and more.
  • Mama’s so mindful… or tryin’ to be! is an “attachment-oriented green crunchy granola stay at home lesbian mother of two amazing kiddos.”
  • The Mama Too and Team Serrins/Springfield blog about their lives with their kids, and can be found in in both the Little Kids and the Babies! listings, since they have one of each. And since one of ‘em also writes from and of her perspective as the social (as vs. biological) parent, you can also find her (The Mama Too) in the Non-bio section as well.

Finally, Lesbian Mommy is now among the Resources, and The Lesbian Lifestyle is now a Friend of the Family.

A big, ole LesbianFamily welcome to you, all!

Since you all keep growing here, as a community, and/or your evolving family-making and -raising stories migrate your blogs from one “category” to another, I’m thinking this simple update will be a regular feature. So long as the wee chunk of time it takes continues to make itself accessible.

Also, since no one called out “No, no, a thousand times no! Don’t alphabetize the listings!” I’m going to just slowly alphabetize them. And I’ll notate the freshest batch of listings on any given page with a Recently added! jobbie. Since that was the benefit of the non-alphabetized list: E-Z access to recent additions.

Speaking of which! New to LesbianFamily listings this past week are:

  • Specific Destiny just started their conception journey, and has joined the prodigious LesFam TTC ranks.
  • And Ramblings of the Other Mother writes about raising her and her partner’s Big Kid, as they all anticipate the any-day-now celebrate the birth of their new baby. You can also find Ramblings in Expecting (but not for long!), and Non-Bio.

Welcome to you both! And readers, do drop in, and tell ‘em LesFam sent you. Changes in status this past week:

  • The Chronicles of Conception is now chronicling gestation! So they can be found in Expecting, rather than TTC.
  • And moving right along, Possible Maybe is now talkin’ Babies!, and so will no longer be found amongst those Expecting.

Congrats all around!

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