Study shows that single mothers are not intrinsically worse parents than mothers who live with their children's partner

I'm probably being over-sensitive, but I find the premises behind studies like this one slightly insulting. In this case, however, the researchers in this study obviously avoided blind prejudice against single parents and found that, although working single mothers "on average, spend between three and five hours less time per week on child care than married mothers"... "The reduced amount of time single mothers spend on child care are accounted for by differences in available resources – type and hours of employment, education, maternal age, age of children. When these factors are statistically controlled, the differences disappear." I guess this confirms what single parents and our families, friends and colleagues already knew... that what we give up most when we parent alone, is not time spent with our kids... we prioritise that... but time to ourselves, sleep and self-care, and that extra mile at work. The conclusion of the study was that "public policy needs to pay greater attention to the resources and educational opportunities for mothers, regardless of their marital status." And I really can't argue with that!!

Aquatic Super Power

Articles like this one in New Scientist sure do make me hopeful... using the ocean's thermal differential to generate power seems so obvious... and of course (as the article says), people have thought of it before... but maybe now there will be the will and economic incentive to overcome the (pretty substantial) technical difficulties and make it happen... I like the way they're planning to produce hydrogen to power vehicles as well. Bye bye oil companies. We won't miss you!

Sunny Day

High point: Buying and planting plants with J... petunias and lobelias and lavender, verbenas, zinnias, marigolds and brocolli (oh and he let me choose some other veges too). He'd have brought home every flower in the garden shop if I'd let him.

Low point: T pooing in the bath... 'nuff said!

Crystal Drool

Tonight I listened to part of "Charlie and the Great Glass Salivator" with J.

The Crisis is Over (long live the crisis)

More on my mind-altering experiences, my new job and my life-changing plans later.... I've learnt a lot over the last few weeks, but for now I am supremely unmotivated, and this made me laugh so hard I cried...


Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are

Some pretty flowers

G gave me these beautiful flowers from her garden when I visited to meet wee baby E for the 1st time (okay, okay, I know it should've been me giving the flowers). They are making me smile!

Achieving project goals, but not within required timeframe

Design Specifications for Duplo "tall building with flats like Daddy lives in": Must be 3 stories tall ("no, Mummy, I meant one more"), sorry, 4 stories tall, with stairs all the way up and a garden on the roof where people can sit and look at the view.

Unfortunately, the stairs required some pretty tricky feats of engineering, so the project manager passed out before the building was completed.