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spooky old tree

January 30, 2011 By 17 Comments

Fear sometimes starts to seep in…to creep in…to my heart.

spooky old tree cover spooky old tree

What if…we don’t find a renter? What if…we can’t pay for all of this? What if…our RV breaks down?

spooky old tree spooky old tree

Mostly, though, I rest in the fact that THIS is the right time to do this. 2011 is our year to be brave.

reading the spooky old tree spooky old tree turning the pages spooky old tree

We gave up our house, our cars, our fast internet connection (I’m totally mourning the loss of that, by the way), our furniture, our way of life. We gave it up because we began to feel uncomfortable. Unsettled.

We would wake up and go about our days and feel like something wasn’t quite right. People all over the world are hungry, poor, discouraged, and destitute. And we really want to play a [small] part in figuring out solutions.

Do we dare? Yes, we dare. (Even if we do have the shiiivvveerss).

[book pictured: The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree]

Filed Under: Philanthropy Tagged With: , ,

1st meal in the RV

January 29, 2011 By 41 Comments

Our 5th wheel is parked on Tim’s parents property for now. It’s packed and organized and ready to go (we are SO ready to go).

A few nights ago, we used the stovetop in the RV for the first time. We made homemade pancakes (secret ingredient: cottage cheese) and homemade blueberry sauce. For dinner. With real whipped cream.

tim in the rv kitchen 1st meal in the RV

Tim and our 4-year-old were the cooks. (There isn’t room for 2 adults in the kitchen). Here is our 4-year-old – holding a knife. Yep. Right at that moment, she was saying, “Mom! I can hold knives! Look!“

4 year old with knife 1st meal in the RV

We ate. We talked. We tried not to spill. I can feel us starting to carve out a little home for ourselves again. Just the four of us.

homemade pancakes with blueberry sauce 1st meal in the RVThis year is going to be totally awesome.

What did YOU have for dinner last night?

Filed Under: Food, RV Living Tagged With: , , ,

wine tasting in sonoita

January 27, 2011 By 28 Comments

kief joshua wine bottles wine tasting in sonoitaThis past Saturday, Tim and I met up with Jeff and Darcie for an impromptu day trip to Sonoita. We had been talking about going wine tasting for months…and the stars aligned at the last minute.

Tim & I both enjoy drinking wine with dinner, but we know very little about the whole thing. Our selection process typically goes something like this. We’ll walk through the wine aisle and decide on red or white. Then, we’ll look for bottles under $10. “Have we tried this one?” “No? Okay. Let’s buy it.” [Sometimes the artwork on the label sways us, I won't lie].

We went to five different wineries and sampled a variety of wines. We sniffed. We swirled. We tasted hints of apricot, grapefruit, oak, and raisin.

I learned a few things:

  • I like reds more than I thought I did (but I still like whites a little better…I think).
  • I don’t particularly like dessert wines – too strong and sickeningly sweet.
  • Wine tasting is fun – a lovely combination of education and entertainment.
  • Jeff and Darcie are charming, funny, and intelligent people (and we are going to miss them).

me and darcie wine tasting in sonoita peeking out in sonoita wine tasting in sonoita me and darcie sunglasses wine tasting in sonoita

See more pictures and read Darcie’s account – The Finer Things.

How often do you drink wine? Do you prefer reds or whites? How much do you typically spend on a bottle? What is your all-time favorite wine?

Filed Under: Miscellany Tagged With: , , ,

Tuesday Tours: What’s Happening on the Web

January 26, 2011 By 12 Comments

j02933381 Tuesday Tours: Whats Happening on the WebWelcome to “Tuesday Tours: What’s Happening on the Web” where I serve as your tour guide and showcase the best contests, deals, and reads for moms on the web…all in one convenient location.

Good Reads

Blessing tells it like it is – perspective from my life in Africa + why you are fortunate.

Rich writes about The appalling silence of good people.

Lovelyn calls her readers to action: hands [and feet].

David persuades – Travel with Kids: why You Should Do It – and Do It Now.

Amy gives tips for Preventing a Preventable Cesarean.

The blogger behind The Diaper Diapers explains what Love is.

In case you missed it – the State of the Union Address by President Barack Obama.

Miscellany

I’m honored to be on two lists this week – Nicole’s Five Fabulous Bloggers You Should Meet and Caryn’s  Five Bloggers That Inspire Me. (Thank you, ladies!)

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*** If you have a contest or an announcement that you think might be a good fit for Tuesday Tours, e-mail me at stephanie@metropolitanmama.net.

Filed Under: Tuesday Tours Tagged With: , , , ,

10 Years Ago

January 23, 2011 By 27 Comments

feeding the horses 10 Years Ago

Alicia asked, “10 years ago, what were your plans and goals for the future?“

In 2001, I was engaged and in my final year of undergraduate school. I graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in English one semester later. If you would have asked me to envision my future then, I would have said that I planned to get both my Masters and my PhD – probably in Counseling or Family Studies. I wanted to speak at conferences, to travel the world, to write books, to do research (nerd that I am), and to teach at the university level. Oh, and I wanted to have kids.

It was kind of an afterthought, exactly like that. I knew I wanted to have kids…but I didn’t realize that becoming a mother would overshadow everything else. (But not in a bad way). Motherhood didn’t steal away my dreams. Nor did it really change them. And yet…it changed everything. I’m the same, but I’m different. I’m better (for sure).

Parenthood is a paradox. Indescribable…but wonderful.

My life is richer now, my dreams are more vivid. It’s like I was living in black & white…and then…poof…I landed in a world of color. Just like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.

What were YOUR plans + goals for the future ten years ago?

***Thanks so much for your birthday wishes. (If you still have a question, go back and add yours – I will answer).

Filed Under: About Me Tagged With: , ,

ta-da – (my new haircut)

January 22, 2011 By 38 Comments

fancy new haircut ta da (my new haircut)

happy about my new haircut ta da (my new haircut)

My little sister has her cosmetology license (and a brand new 5-week-old handsome baby boy with red hair).

I held him while she gave me a cut with layers. I think it’s safe to say that I’m ready to have another baby (so sweet!).

Thank you, Kathryn! I totally love my new ‘do…and I love you too.

Filed Under: About Me Tagged With: , ,

social media and my kids’ privacy

January 20, 2011 By 49 Comments

a princess and her crown social media and my kids privacyI just uploaded photos to my Facebook profile for the first time ever (besides my profile pic).

Before I did, I resized them so they wouldn’t be huge (and steal-able).

You’ve probably also noticed that I re-size photos here on my blog. I also watermark them. And I don’t use my girls’ real names.

I can’t decide if I’m paranoid or playing it safe.

Often, I look at Erin’s STUNNING Flickr stream and I have a sudden urge to create one and to make it public, sharing the magic of our lives in full color and resolution.

Or I read Steph’s posts and feel connected to her kids because I know each of their faces and names (not in a weird way, just because I’ve been reading her blog for…hmmm…over four years now?).

I get frustrated when I write sometimes because I want to say my girls’ names instead of “my-4-year-old” or “my 1.5-year-old.” [Maybe I will reveal their names someday. I go back-and-forth.].

butterfly crown social media and my kids privacyI worry a little bit about “bad guys” (as my 4-year-old would say). I also worry a little bit that someone will steal my photos and put them on their blog or in an ad or in a magazine (because CLEARLY they’re the best-looking kids in the world).

Mostly, however, I worry about their privacy. I think about when they grow up. Will they be pleased to see these stories here and their photos splashed across the Internet for all the world to see? (I actually think the answer is “YES” because I would have loved it if my mom had chronicled my childhood – what a gift to be able to read her most intimate thoughts about motherhood, about life, about ME!).

Still, I don’t want to presume. I also am not sure if I would feel comfortable with someone being able to google my kid’s first and last name…and come up with a thousand images.

On the other hand, this is a BRAVE NEW WORLD. It seems like most everyone 20 and younger puts photos and videos and stories all over the web, freely (even un-flattering pictures). So perhaps my girls won’t mind at all. Maybe they’ll cherish my Flickr account. Maybe they’ll be glad I wrote about them (even with their real names), with discretion and tenderness.

Over four years of blogging and I still haven’t figured this out.

Do you upload photos to Facebook (If so, do you resize them)? Do you have a Flickr account (If so, is it public)? Do you use your kids real names on your blog (and what led you to that decision)?

Filed Under: Blogging & Social Media Tagged With: , , , ,