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Tuesday Tours: What’s Happening on the Web

April 26, 2011 By 8 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 on the web…all in one convenient location.

Contests

Be a part of the GiveEveryDay movement! Leave a comment for a chance to win a $75 Restaurant.com gift card. One new prize each week!

Win a $1000 Tea Collection shopping spree. Deadline: May 7.

Good Reads

Read about Herman & Candelaria Zapp – a couple that has been traveling the world with their four kids…in their car…for the past 11 years!

Robyn presents facts about the hormones in milk (and why/how to avoid them).

Shannon explains how Healthy Fats Make Healthy Children.

Miscellany

Have you ever wanted to organize meals for a friend after a birth, surgery, or illness? Check out Meal Train.

This is such a creative wedding guest book!

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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.

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How We Travel :: MOO cards

March 11, 2011 By 40 Comments

give every day mini cards How We Travel :: MOO cardsOver a month ago, we waved good-bye to our family, our friends, and our home…heading out into unchartered territory. We sold almost everything we owned, packed the rest into a 5th wheel, and are now traveling the country to give to others.

It’s been scary, exhausting, wonderful, terrifying…good. At this very minute, I’m sitting at a small table inside our RV in Mobile, Alabama. Tim is out exploring the area with the girls, undoubtedly looking for alligators.

When we meet people on the road, we often hand out these little cards by MOO. They’re an online printing company and the quality of their cards is bar-none. The paper is ultra-glossy and smooth to the touch…and the printing is exceptional. The best part is that they’re miniature, which makes them stand out from the crowd (and also – they’re less formal that way).

moo logo How We Travel :: MOO cardsWIN IT! One winner will receive 100 MiniCards and 20 Postcards by MOO! To enter, leave any topic-related comment on this post prior to Tuesday, March 15th at 11:59 p.m. All generic comments like “Enter me!,” “Love it,” and “Cool stuff!” will be disqualified. Winner must provide a US mailing address.

* MOO sent me samples for review purposes and is also providing codes for the giveaway.

*UPDATE* The winner is #4 Joy. Congratulations!

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It’s hard too

March 1, 2011 By 25 Comments

fire truck zilker park Its hard too“I want to play with Ava,” my 4-year-old said this afternoon, with tears streaming down behind her adorable pink glasses.

“We can call her,” I said, gently.

“I don’t want to call her. I want to PLAY with her.”

(I didn’t quite know what to say…”Maybe in a year?“).

This part is a little harder than I expected.

We miss our friends. We miss familiarity. We miss the hum and melody of daily rhythms.

Slowly, we’re finding our way though. Together.

P.S. We leave on Saturday for Houston…then onward through Lafayette, Baton Rouge, Mobile, Tallahassee, and Orlando. Let us know if you have recommendations for how we might be able to serve in those areas…and/or if you want to have dinner.

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5 Best Things About Living On-The-Road

February 19, 2011 By 19 Comments

hanging upside down with a sweet smile 5 Best Things About Living On The RoadHas it only been 14 days since we launched the Give Every Day project? It feels like it’s been MONTHS (in a good way).

Obviously, we’re not experienced RVer’s just yet, but I thought I’d share our 5 favorite things about living on-the-road so far.

Close Quarters. Everyone warned us that we’d drive each other crazy in such a small space. But…shhh…don’t tell…we actually kind of like it. It’s nice to know where everyone is at all times. It’s nice to say “Can someone hand me a towel?” after a shower and have a fresh towel there in a minute or less. It’s nice to only have 4 shirts to choose between in the morning. It’s nice to say “let’s clean up” and clean the whole house in 30 minutes or less. It’s cozy and safe and serene, albeit a little loud sometimes. ;)

Freedom. In only 14 days, we’ve taken in so much. We’ve been through Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. We’ve been in big cities and small towns, walked over rivers and sat beside a lake, heard new accents and shopped at new grocery stores. And we still have SO MUCH more to see.

blurry running1 5 Best Things About Living On The RoadLearning. “I feel like my brain is literally expanding,” I said that to Tim a few days ago. Every day is a new day to learn. Not only are we learning the logistics of the RV world, we are learning from people and from places. We are confronted with new obstacles and new challenges…that require resourcefulness and innovation. After [too many] years away from formal academia, I am happy to be a student once again.

People. The BEST part is all of the people that we come across, young and old. Smart, creative, loving, bold, peaceful, kind, eccentric people. As we meet them, we find that each of them leave a little print on our hearts.

Time slows down (and speeds up at the same time). We have time to stop and chat to neighbors, to linger and watch the sunset, to take a walk with all four of us holding hands, to be present in this grand life. I find myself forgetting what day of the week it is sometimes…not because we are being wasteful with our time, but because we are immersed in it.

Stay tuned tomorrow when I’ll share my 5 WORST things about living on-the-road. ;)

What questions do you have about living on-the-road? Would you ever consider it?

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I couldn’t do it without him

February 17, 2011 By 18 Comments

tim in market square I couldnt do it without him“I could never do this trip without you.” Tim and I have said that to each other about a hundred times since we started.

I happen to think it’s more one-sided. As in, I couldn’t do it without HIM. Without having any experience, he’s already a Master RV Driver and Setter-Upper. He pretty much does everything when it comes to the outside of our 5th wheel – pulling the slides in and out, hitching and unhitching the truck, putting all of the stabilizers in place, hooking up the electric and sewer stuff (see how much I know about that?), getting diesel, dealing with repairs, etc. AND he does it all singlehandedly. If you looked up “hard worker” in the dictionary, his picture would be there. But probably not a smiling-at-the-camera shot. He’d probably be immersed in some project, w/ a tool in his hands.

I actually do wish I could help. But we both decided that one of us would need to exclusively watch the girls while the other one did the truck/RV stuff.

He also shares the load of washing dishes, vacuuming floors, scrubbing toilets, and doing laundry (partly because he would go crazy if he didn’t).

tim and the tape I couldnt do it without himOther things? He sets up our non-profit projects, keeps our laptops in working order, writes posts for Give Every Day, and makes friends easily.

In addition, he has a definite charm with people over 65 (which is good when you’re in the RV community). I think they like him because he TRULY values them…and they sense that. It may also be because he has a short “military” haircut and knows a thing or two about good old-fashioned manners. ;)

What else? He thinks about things deeply, differently than the norm. He isn’t too proud to say “I’m sorry.” He tells people the hard, honest truth. After our recent family photo shoot, we were looking through the photos. He stopped at a terrible one and said, “You look like a chub and I look like a doof.” And I laughed out loud because it was exactly the right description.

I totally love you, Tim. For everything you are now and everything you will be.

What qualities do you admire about your husband?

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(remember me?)

February 9, 2011 By 37 Comments

hilltop rv park ft stockton texas (remember me?)I’m a blogger.

But…I’m also an RVer (which means I’m sort of losing track of time as I spend days with my family) (which is kind of nice).

I just realized that today is Wednesday and I accidentally skipped Tuesday Tours last night. Actually, we were at a campground last night without WiFi. The wind was howling and the wind chill was -1 fahrenheit. (As an Arizona girl, I’m SO not used to that).

You can expect to see me around here more often this week. I have a million post ideas and I even have some giveaways planned. Best of all, I actually have a working internet connection here in Canyon Lake, Texas. Ya-hoo.

Just to be perfectly clear, Metropolitan Mama is here to stay. That said, you can also find both Tim & I blogging at Give Every Day.

Two Questions: Did you miss me (I missed you!)? What are your favorite travel games + activities for young children?

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tomorrow is the reason I haven’t blogged since Tuesday

February 5, 2011 By 52 Comments

excited about our trip tomorrow is the reason I havent blogged since TuesdayHave you packed to go somewhere for an entire year? Me neither. Until now.

Tomorrow is the day we launch Give Every Day. We’re having breakfast with extended family in the morning. Then, we’ll probably take a group shot in front of the RV. Then…the open road.

We decided at the beginning of the week that Saturday would be “go-day,” whether or not we had renters for our house. And wouldn’t you know it? Our new renters signed the contract and took the keys today (just in the nick of time). They’re going to be great renters too – total peace about that.

P.S. If you want to keep up with our unfolding story, please “Like” Give Every Day on Facebook and interact with us there.

You can also follow me on Twitter and follow Tim on Twitter for regular updates.

We’ll be traveling through lots of cities. I’m curious. Where are you reading from?

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