"Screen time" in our house has officially become a problem. We restrict it to what feels, to me, like a normal-ish amount - half an hour of TV at night, maybe an hour of educational-type computer games over the course of the day, and a half an hour of garbage (Angry Birds, etc) - but it's getting to the point where we're talking about (and fighting about) iPads and phones and TV shows upwards of twenty times a day.

This is not tenable. Not only because it's making me crazy, but also because while I'm generally of the opinion that all this "screens are the devil"-speak doesn't take into account the enormous educational benefits associated with them (seriously, YouTube just taught my five-year-old the concept of photosynthesis, and he can now explain it better than either of his parents), I hate the fact that they've become the default, the thing we reach for when our kids are fighting or tired or just bored. It's such a quick and easy solution, but it's also not exactly teaching our kids to look to the world around them to find fun.

The other day a friend of mine brought up the concept of a Bored Jar, and it's completely brilliant. (Apparently it's also a thing that parents everywhere - or at least parents on Pinterest - know about, but it's new to me, so I figured it may be new to you, too.) You literally just fill a jar with a zillion pieces of paper with activities written on them (popsicle sticks work especially well), and every time your kid comes to you and says "UGH I'M BORED," you're all "Here you go." I filled ours with a mix of chores, activities that I thought would be a little out-of-the-box for our kids, and a bunch of things I knew they'd just love ("watch your favorite movie," etc).

Sometimes I wonder whether those of you who read here every day can tell when something's up with me; whether I seem distant or grumpy or just "off" somehow. (...Or maybe I'm better at faking it than I suspect I am? Probably not.) Anyway, if you've noticed anything of that sort these past few days, here's what's going on:

Juuuuuuust a reminder that The Big Fat Activity Book For Pregnant People is available for preorder. We also recently went live on IG, so make sure to follow @bigactivitybook for updates on our book tour (coming to the NYC area in late April!) and pictures of surprised cats.

During my last office job my primary goal was to avoid human interaction as much as possible, so I steered wayyyyy clear of the candy dish. This is fascinating, though. (The Hidden Life of the Office Candy Dish, via Washington Post.)

Kendrick bought me my dream earrings for Christmas, and one of them fell out and I can't find it anywhere. I'm just telling you this in case you want to give me a virtual hug.

Many years ago - shortly after September 11, I think - I had a conversation with my dad that had something to do with politics and world affairs (super specific, I know). He was lamenting how my generation wasn't politically active; how we "didn't care" like his generation did.

I don't know about you, but here's what's always happened to me when someone starts talking like this: I feel like I'm being lectured and like any contributions I might make to the conversation will fall on deaf ears, and so I stop listening. What my father was saying felt like judgment; like a statement of superiority ("our generation cared...yours, not so much"). And while I don't think what he was saying was unfounded or even necessarily wrong - people who are now in their thirties largely went through their formative years during a time of (relative) prosperity and political calm, which is not the kind of environment that typically breeds vast numbers of revolutionaries - it certainly didn't make me go, "Wait! You're right! SIGN ME UP!"

The conversation made feel guilty, and judged, and irritated. And a person who feels guilty and judged and irritated tends not to be especially inspired to join the community that's making them feel this way.

Well, okay, the title of this post is sort of misleading. Because I have never met a sweatshirt I did not want to wear (except, perhaps, this one, because as cute as it is I have a feeling that it's made for a different kind of human being than the one I am). And this list doesn't include the sweatshirt that I was wearing in yesterday's post (and that I am, in fact, wearing right this very second).

Not all of the below styles are sweatshirt-priced (although I did leave out this Julie Verhoeven one because I don't think "sweatshirt" and "1,800" belong in the same sentence), but as I've gotten older and grown into a (much) more relaxed, even sporty (?!) look, the kinds of things I'm willing to spend money on have changed. I bought a pair of Louboutins a couple of years ago, and have worn them...I dunno, maybe four times? I recently splurged on a pair of Golden Goose sneakers (on consignment, granted, but still), and have worn them every single day since they arrived.

In short: How much money I'm willing to spend on something has started to be less about what it's "worth," and more about what it's worth to me. And a sweatshirt that's not schlumpy in the slightest and that I can wear dressed down with jeans and flats or dressed up with leather leggings and heels is exactly the type of thing I want in my closet.