Rita ArensRita Arens

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  1. The Last Swim

    Comments: 0 comments

    I don't know why it is suddenly so important for me to suck what's left from summer. My lawn is so burned out it coughs clouds of dust in my face when I try to mow down the hardy weeds that adore drought and heat. My daughter is bored of the swimming pool. "But Mommy," she says. "We ALWAYS go to the swimming pool."  Read more

  2. Girl Doing Worksheet

    I hear people say all the time they would never have the time or patience to home school. I'm totally down with the "time" thing, but I've always wanted to teach. Guess what? Now I can, you can, we all can -- even if we send our kids to public or private school -- thanks to some nifty downloadable worksheets available via BlogHer's partnership with Education.com.  Read more

  3. Confessions of a Teenaged Bitch

    Comments: 13 comments
    Tiger

    I have this friend -- we'll call her "Lisa" -- who has a teenaged son. She told me the teenaged-ness had come on very suddenly, and she was, in a word, maddened by the shift from a child with whom she'd previously had a mindmeld relationship to one whom she barely recognized.  Read more

  4. Jane Lynch at 2010 Emmy Awards

    Having a hard time getting going? Enjoy these photos and reassure yourself at least it didn't take you this long to get ready today.  Read more

  5. We've Got Issues

    This week I sent my daughter off to first grade. She's a happy, well adjusted kid. Sort of not at all like I was.  Read more

  6. F*** Me, Ray Bradbury

    And I thought *I* was the biggest Ray Bradbury fan of all time. This is the best thing I've seen since the Bronte Sisters action figures.  Read more

  7. Rita Arens' Daughter

    And then we left, fighting the tide back through the families, mothers in surgical scrubs and dads in khakis, sweaty kids with wild eyes, smiling teachers and administrators dressed to kill. My husband took my daughter, and as I walked to the car through air thick as a washcloth, I let the tears roll down my cheeks. People probably thought I was upset about her going to school, but that wasn't it, not really.  Read more

  8. Mike Wolfe

    This fascinating interview was brought to you by blogs, Twitter and my sister, the fangirl.  Read more

  9. Fred and Dorothy

    And if it were me? I'd want to sit down with my husband and daughter and prepare them for the disease, exactly what was going to happen to me, how I not only would not know who they were, but I might hate them. I might be angry or irritable on a daily basis. I might push them away as though they were total strangers. I might break their hearts to the extent they wished I would die and leave them alone to grieve who I was instead of having to face every day who I'd become, the thing I'd become. I'd want to tell them over and over how much I loved them, make videos and tape recordings of me saying that, over and over, I love you, I love you, I love you. Please remember me like this. Don't listen to me if I ask you who you are. Remember me like this, full and whole and sharp and soft and here.  Read more

  10. Lion Brand Yarn Case Study, BlogHer Business '10

    Welcome to the liveblog of the BlogHer Business '10 panel: Best Practices Case Study #3: Lion Brand Yarn - The Craft of Community NOTE: Please note that the case study visuals are attached as a PowerPoint, and can be downloaded by scrolling down to the "Attachment" section. Paull Young: Rare social media case study that can actually be measured. Brought his mom from Australia to BlogHer two years ago, had a great conversation while standing in Macy's, drinking champagne sponsored by KY Jelly. :) Ilana Rabinowitz: Wanted to connect directly with consumers.  Read more

Rita ArensRita Arens

Full Name
Rita Arens
Member Since
February 2006
About Me: 

Rita Arens authors Surrender, Dorothy and Surrender, Dorothy: Reviews. She is BlogHer's assignment and syndication editor. 

Her parenting anthology and BlogHer's first book, Sleep is for the Weak: The Best of the Mommybloggers Including Amalah, Finslippy, Fussy, Woulda Coulda Shoulda, Mom-101, and More! was published by Chicago Review Press in September 2008 and won a 2009 gold NAPPA.

Rita spoke on the Blogs to Books Redux panel at BlogHer 2008 and the Balance panel at BlogHer 2009. She lives with her husband and daughter in Kansas City. She has a BA in communications studies from the University of Iowa and a MA in English/professional writing from the University of Missouri - Kansas City. Follow Rita on Twitter.

Location Tags: 

iowa city,chicago,kansas city

School Tags: 

university of iowa,university of missouri kansas city

About Me Tags: 

health,business,work,parenting,mommyblog,politics,current events

Causes Tags: 

healthcare,environment,childcare

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