Gallerina

On blending families and dramatics.

Ramshackle Glam is a website about parenting, divorce, aging, mental health, and other funny stuff. Free posts are published every week, but FYI if you want to upgrade you’ll automatically receive an eBook that I wrote just for paid subscribers.

A couple of posts you may have missed:

• I Am Spun

• DIY Jojoba Oil Solid Perfume (because why not)

• However Bad You Imagine Getting Children's Passports Might Be...It Is Worse Than That

Before we begin, a few things I wanted to mention:

Books! I’m currently (re)reading Toast, by Nigel Slater. It’s sort of David Sedaris-meets-Ruth Reichl — stories of a 1960s adolescence told through the lens of food — and it’s wonderful. More recent reads: Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves (which…yes, it did, and I basically read this book with steam coming out of my ears), Care and Feeding (an excellent memoir by Anthony Bourdain’s former assistant — and author of Bourdain — Laurie Woolover) and All That Remains: A Renowned Forensic Scientist on Death, Mortality, and Solving Crimes (perhaps a bit niche for most of you, but you never know).

Politics! I’m sorry! A quick diversion into the political sphere because I have an ask for you: If you’re liberal, and have people in your life who voted for Trump but are starting to question the administration’s choices (ICE, Iran, etc)…don’t shame them (“Oh, you just figured this out?!” etc). Talk to them. Openly, and without judgment or derision. Welcome them in.

Some favorite bits and bobs! In-season peaches, this ring that the kids and K gave me for my bday (!), orangey red on my fingers and toes, Athletic Golden N/A beer, these random but cheap and lovely candles from Amazon, this LEGO set (omg so fun), and Ripple aromatherapy diffuser pens (because I’ve been vaping to combat stress, which is utterly absurd, and Riddle is actually respectably helpful if you’re trying to quit).

And now…your post, about blending families via art and a drama queen moment that haunts me to this day.