I’m adopted and have no clue about my heritage or race
“By the way, What are you?” I’ve heard this question, referring to my “race” so many times in my almost 30 years on this planet. When I was a kid it didn’t bother me. When I was a teenager, it made me sad. As an adult, it pisses me off to no end… and to be honest, it still makes me sad.
Stacey and Joel: six years, three international moves and a baby
We took a month off for a honeymoon trip across Europe and sailed back on an ocean liner. A week after arriving home we moved from Vancouver, BC to Marin County just north of San Francisco, CA. We had two and a half years in that area just soaking up the organic good life. Joel got into competitive cycling and I went to art school in San Francisco and just immersed myself in art.
The perils and glories of being a stay-at-home-dad
Being a stay-at-home-dad can be an isolating experience sometimes. We don’t quite fit in with the stay-at-home-moms and we don’t quite fit in with the bread-winning dads. For me, isolation is the worst of homemaking’s perils. I know many moms feel isolated, too, but my guess is that the dads among us experience it more often…
Why every home needs a terramundi money pot
We bought our first terramundi — a traditional Etruscan money pot — when I was pregnant. Over five years, we managed to fill eight pots. We filled each one to bursting, until they were a real struggle to carry. They had already moved with us once, when we left Scotland for England two years ago. But we decided they should not make the next move. And in smashing them all open before our move, we fell even further in love with the idea that every house should have a terramundi pot.
Sara and Nick: from a majestic movie wedding to adopting fur babies and parenting real babies
Since the wedding, we have purchased a house and adopted a couple of cats. My son is going into second grade. I’m currently pursuing Redken color certification and a cosmetology instructor’s license. Nick left the university he used to work for and is currently working for a marketing firm. We are going into our third year as Old Marrieds, but we’ve been together for seven years total.
From lead poisoning to adventure: our family’s got a serious case of wanderlust
I’m trying to figure out how to fit all our stuff (and newly acquired stuff) into our little Honda CRV, lil S is running around with the dog and dahma (grandma), and we are about to head out on the open road to see the dad and aunty who are working there. It’s funny, really… seven months ago we were in North Carolina, having just moved out of our apartment and finished locking up all our belongings in storage. We traveled down here with our dad/partner who had to leave after a week to venture out for new work opportunities on the West Coast. Back then, I had no idea how everything would work out.
How does living TV-free affect your family?
Currently, my spouse and I choose to live TV-free. As an adult, I have a sense for how that could affect me personally and socially, but I am also the one consenting to not having a TV. I can choose to download TV shows if I want to. I can look up references to things if I’m not familiar with them. But kids don’t necessarily have the choice. What I’m wondering about is how living TV-free affects your household and your social life. I’m especially curious about this for households with children, and whether (or how) you suspect it affects your kids’ social life (both positively and negatively).
In a few days I will become my best friend’s gestational surrogate
My friend delivered the devastating news that she had been diagnosed with cervical cancer; it was invasive upon discovery, and she had had an emergency hysterectomy. She was dealing with tremendous shock at the diagnosis and the necessity of facing mortality at the mere age of 31. When she began researching surrogacy, I volunteered myself.