Today we’re packing up and heading to Carmel and the Bay Area to visit family! Beach, sun (maybe...you never know up there), and community! But first... Packing. I hate packing. Hate it...probably because I’m terrible at it. Since we’re driving, I cheat a little. We bring black garbage bags full of the boys dirty laundry and then do it at my parents’ house. (Apparently, I never grew out of that college habit.) My make-up now lives in a plastic ziplock that originally made … [Read more...]
Advocacy: How to Handle Unexpected Media Attention (Page 2)
May 10, 2013 | 4 Comments
<--back to page one In our case, Time wasn’t necessarily advocating for anything, so the next most identifiable person or thing to that cover would have been the subjects on the cover. That, mixed with a subjective interpretation of the image created a modern-day witch hunt. Most took the tagline that accompanied the image as advocacy for a certain style of parenting, and they assumed that I would say my style of parenting is superior to mainstream society, which isn't true of my … [Read more...]
Love Connection
May 1, 2013 | 2 Comments
After our two recent posts about my best friend, Bryan, we received an overwhelming amount of emails inquiring about his romantic status (among other things). So, in order to answer the questions more efficiently, and add to the embarrassing factor for him, here is a post that will do just that. Commonly asked questions: “Is Bryan single?” He is single and ready to mingle. “Is Bryan heterosexual?” Yes. Unfortunately, that limits some of the inquiries, but the heart wants what the … [Read more...]
PMS in the airport.
April 29, 2013 | 2 Comments
Part 1 of this story *disclaimer* If menstrual cycle talk freaks you out - click away immediately. Bryan and I landed in Addis Ababa well rested thanks to the upgrade, and I thought the trip might go off without a hitch from here on out. I knew that time of the month was starting in a day or so and I put on a pad to be safe. Unfortunately, what I forgot to think about was the fact that the medication the travel doctor had given me actually changed my entire cycle. We walked … [Read more...]
Gender and Anxiety Issues: Travel
April 28, 2013 | 1 Comment
After Brian and the boys left to go back to the US, I stayed in South Africa and met up with my best friend, Bryan. Bryan has been my best friend since I was 13, and is familiar with being my roommate on random road trips, but this was the biggest trip we ever did together, and he, in my mind, is almost a saint after what we put up with. When rooming with someone who is essentially a brother, there are still (at least for us) some gender specific boundaries that would be weird to cross, … [Read more...]
Real Men Buy Tampons
April 9, 2013 | 5 Comments
Brian, the boys, and I spent part of the weekend in Ojai, CA with some friends for a little getaway. I realized on the way there that this time of the month was not one I was prepared for and I asked Brian to stop once we got into the small town and run in and buy some tampons. Brian found my bounty and was in line to make the purchase when a rugged mountain man behind him (buying Coors Light, no less), leans in and asks Bri, “Did you find the right … [Read more...]
Taking Off On a Family African Safari
April 7, 2013 | Leave a Comment
We have been overwhelmed with responses and inquiries about family African safaris since we returned from our trip to Lion Sands. Here are some of my recommendations and suggestions for taking an African safari as a family. Stay long enough for it to count. For this kind of trip and the distance we had to travel, I wouldn’t stay any less than two weeks. It will take you (and the kids!) at least a day or two to recover from the travel, and at least another day or two to get geared up for … [Read more...]
The Lap of Luxury in the Middle of the African Bush
March 25, 2013 | 1 Comment
We said goodbye to Cape Town and jumped a couple of flights over to Sabi Sands, South Africa. We entered Lion Sands 1933 Lodge and we were really taken aback by our accommodations. The 1933 Lodge is a proper house built along the Sabi River. The Lodge is rented out in it’s entirety to allow the group renting it full privacy and an experience that is completely different than at a game lodge with other paying guests. We took a tour of the area to find we had a beautiful … [Read more...]
Breastfeeding in South Africa
March 19, 2013 | 4 Comments
When visiting any country, I am always curious about the cultural differences regarding child-rearing practices and the attitude towards breastfeeding compared to the US. South Africa is an interesting country because it can be viewed in many areas as Western, with a lot of European influence, but there are so many different cultures and subcultures in the country that the viewpoints of the people living within the borders of South Africa are vastly different. I think that the idea of … [Read more...]
My Birthday in Cape Town
March 17, 2013 | 8 Comments
I spent my 27th birthday in what has now become one of my very favorite cities in the world. I woke up to a completed 27th year to discover Aram was on the road to recovery from his epic illness, which was the best present I could have asked for. We made our way to breakfast at More Quarters to find a tower of handcrafted cupcakes (complete with edible sparkles) waiting for us at our table, with a note from the staff saying they had donated to the Matchbox project in my … [Read more...]
