Browsing Category: Featured

A family holiday

I am currently on holiday. That’s right, as I type this on my iPad, we are driving down the N1, heading to Knysna. By the time you read this, we will there and I will hopefully be on my way towards an oyster overload.

Early on after moving to South Africa, I was told that I’d have to visit Knysna. I was promised whales and oysters ( one to see and one to eat), and I was pretty much sold. But Dean and I often get so caught up in life that we don’t book these things. Thankfully, his friend Kris arrived from Iceland and gave us the best excuse. Continue Reading

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2 Comments South Africa

Becoming a mom changed my view of my mom

mom

When people ask, I say that my mom and I have always been close. It’s funny, though, when she and my father were going through their awful, drawn out divorce, we had tearful conversations about how hadn’t felt close when I was growing up. But then we went back and read our diaries and found at the time, we actually had always felt close – both writing about going for coffee together, visiting museums, and all our funny jokes that just we shared. Obviously, we had the usual dramas and tears that adolescence brought; at one point I even shouted “you don’t know me and I don’t know you” during a fight, only to laugh about it a couple hours later.

As I’ve grown into adulthood, we’ve stayed close. At some points growing closer together and at others further apart. But we always spoke, we always shared pretty much everything, and we have always based everything on the foundation of loving each other no matter what. Even when we disagree, we can usually at least see where the other person is coming from. We get each other in a profound way, and our relationship has been such a solid part of my life. And having Harley made things even more meaningful for me. Continue Reading

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2 Comments Parenting, Rambling

This is your Volvo Britax Max-Way car seat winner!

A couple weeks ago, I reviewed the Volvo Britax Max-Way car seat, and I  had one to give away to a lucky winner. I actually felt bad about the competition – when your comments started pouring in telling me about your little ones, I wanted each and every one of you to win. I really wish we had many more for you to win, but there are giveaways currently running, so if you didn’t win, please head over to the #CarseatFullstop campaign page and check out the other giveaways and info. You might save a life by sharing, and you might win a car seat by getting involved.

Meanwhile, a quick funny story before I tell you who won. Thanks so the drama that is our life, Dean and I thought that we were going to be changing vehicles recently, so we took the Volvo car seat out of our car. The next morning, due to the complexity of installing the thing, we decided to throw Harley’s infant seat back in the car instead. She is still within the weight limit for it, and she always loved it so we figured it wouldn’t be an issue. She now is one of those crying in the car babies, which she’s never been. I guess once she traveled in First Class, she didn’t want to go back to Economy. Continue Reading

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The ends of the earth

ends of the earth

As I’ve gotten older, I’m even more amused and intrigued by the difference between what people say and what they do. I truly value the people who have those two things align, but I know it’s so very rare. Sometimes it’s a good thing, like when any of us get upset and talk about what we feel like doing. But sometimes, it shows a real disconnect in terms of what we imagine we would do for someone and where our boundaries actually lie. Nothing says it for me more than the phrase “but I would go to the ends of the earth for you/him/her”.  Continue Reading

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1 Comment Rambling

Equality is impossible so suck it up

A big thrust of my goals with Harley has been to raise her in a fairly gender neutral way. I want her to know that girls and women can do anything, be anything. If she wants to be a doctor, an astronaut, or president, she can do exactly that. And I totally stand by that goal. I also wanted to raise her to not feel imposed upon by society’s gender norms, but I realize that’s not really up to me.

I believe in fighting against inequality in all its manifestations. It’s only by fighting the gender wage gap, the pink tax, awful rape culture and systemic gender stereotypes that we can change the world. But even as we fight, we have to be realistic about what is expected of women and girls, and how we have to play the game to be successful. Continue Reading

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26 Comments Rambling