Claire Zulkey

2 days ago | evilwitches.com | Claire Zulkey

Welcome! If you’re new here, Evil Witches is for “people who happen to be mothers,” in that parents care about many things, including creative/professional projects. Today’s issue includes professional advice on publishing books. I hope you cover becoming a paid subscriber to support this work, which gets you:additional, more personal-type issuesaccess to personal, helpful, funny and fun subscriber chats and threads and access to experts like today’spreferred placement in our classifieds issues.

4 days ago | evanstonroundtable.com | Claire Zulkey

I didn’t use a doula when I gave birth. Back then (2012 and 2015), I had the impression that a doula was a nice-to-have, and not compatible with the labor and delivery I planned, which included a hospital and an epidural. In retrospect, after talking to doulas like Heather McCullough, of Evanston’s 312Doulas, I think a doula would have helped me tremendously, not just during the birth but especially after, with support and help at home.

4 days ago | evanstonroundtable.com | Claire Zulkey

The summer slide is a well-documented phenomenon in which kids on summer break lose up to several months’ worth of what they learned over the school year. “Kids who don’t read over the summer often show regression in the fall,” confirms Kristina Patel, a literacy coach in District 65. However, few parents have the ability or desire to coach their kids through workbooks all summer long.

1 week ago | evilwitches.com | Claire Zulkey

I was having one of those days a while ago where I just could not get it up to move around with any sort of sustained energy, despite coffee or going outside or doing a workout. It just happens, I know, but I still looked for some sort of tip or commiseration on the Reddit perimenopause boards (which I am often a fan of).

2 weeks ago | evilwitches.com | Claire Zulkey

I’m mad at my parents. They raised me to be a good, rule-following oldest daughter, so it’s incredibly frustrating when you’re that type of person and the people you care about are not. Case in point: My mom told me she took a spill down the basement stairs not long ago. She’s fine (as far as I know), but when I say, “Have you thought about the next place you might live that isn’t full of dangerous stairs?