A guide for families watching the Tour de France together for the first time
It’s been a difficult year for the sport of cycling: the news about Lance Armstrong’s doping scandal was nearly unavoidable for months. A lengthy investigation, a weepy appearance on Oprah, an admission that his multiple Tour de France victories were all tainted by doping. But the 100th Tour de France cycling race began Saturday June 29th, 2013 and all the bad press about Lance doesn’t dampen my enthusiasm for the Tour one bit.
Two moms, a midwife, and a birth center delivery
The morning my wife went into labor, she came to me and shared that she was experiencing period-like cramping. It was still two weeks before our official due date, and this was her first pregnancy, so we reminded ourselves this could go on for weeks and I left for work. I was only at work for around an hour before I got a text from my wife telling me she thought her water had broken. She told me she wasn’t sure and would keep me posted, but there was no way I was going to try and stay at work.
Music festival season: where are you going, and how are you preparing your family?
Oh, you guys. It’s fully upon us: summer music festival season, which for some of us means packing up the entire family to dare the crowds, the heat, and the occasional disoriented daytime psychonaut at our favorite festies. After the amazing experiences I had with my family last year at Oregon’s Beloved Festival, I’m in full-fledged preparation mode to head back to the festival again next month. So, where are y’all headed this summer?
DIY a portable dollhouse out of stuff you’d probably throw away
My five-year-old and I made this awesome dollhouse out of scraps: an old box for the building itself, and carpet, fabric, and tile samples. My son Noah’s own drawings framed in old slide holders. Paper attached and coated with Modge Podge served as the wallpaper, and glue sticks and a wood veneer sample for the kitchen table (affixed with wood glue). A sunscreen bottle cap became the toilet (it opens and closes!), and a sponge covered in fabric for the bed. It turns out poker chips are perfectly sized doll plates, and you can make tiny stools out of wooden thread spools.
Why I ditched the “American dream” and became a Park Ranger
I took my responsibility as a father and husband seriously, and I was so focused on making sure that the life I gave my family was better than the one I had growing up that I lost sight of something extremely important… Myself. So I abandoned the “American dream” once I got inspired to live MY dream. And it was all for one simple reason…
How I learned to let go of fear, anxiety, shame when my son gets in trouble
While tucking my son into bed tonight I was flooded by grief and joy simultaneously. He is eight, so I am used to this. Every time he goes and grows up he leaves me with this memory of the younger boy he left behind that day, vanishing in my arms as I reach down to kiss him goodbye. Tonight is different though. Tonight, perhaps I am the one who grew up a little bit too. It’s amazing what a call from school can do.
How can I make sure my step-kids have friends when they visit us in the summer?
I have never wanted bio-kids of my own, but I fell in love with a father and now I have two step-kids who I love to pieces! They live full time with their bio-mom and her family and currently are overseas because of the military, so we keep in touch via phone calls, Skype, packages, and very infrequent visits. We just got the news that they will be moving back to the States (yay!) and our visitation will become more frequent and regular. We have a great relationship, but I want them to really feel like our house is their other home, and I especially want them to have social support and friends in our community who they will be able to return to on summers and school holidays.
A surprise pregnancy, understanding boyfriend, and a new family
Aiden will know that my boyfriend is not his biological father. He will also know how much more this means to his mommy: he’s not here because he has to be, he is here because he wants to be. That kind of love and dedication, the willingness to put aside DNA and open your heart, is what makes a family.