Rage Against The Minivan

This post was sponsored by Nextdoor. In our current age of technology, it’s easy to conclude that we have become more isolated. We spend more time indoors, and it is more and more difficult to get to know our neighbors. When I was a kid, we knew everyone on our street. But in the age of the internet, this is less common. However, the internet can also bring us together. It can be a great way to connect with people with shared interests, like finding a group of theater enthusiasts in your home . . .

Last month, The Moms reach out to me to see if I wanted to join them on a mom’s get-away trip to Tulum, Mexico. The trip was a visit to the all-inclusive Dreams Resort in Tulum. I had previously visited a Dreams resort in Costa Rica with Jafta, and I was really impressed with the hotel and all of the amenities. It was easy to say yes.And it didn't hurt that my friend Sarah James was also going, and it was her birthday weekend. Moms get away, indeed! I had never been to Tulum, but always heard . . .

Yahoo asked me to do an interview and profile for their “What It’s Like” parenting series, talking about transracial adoption. I had a little trepidation, because it’s a difficult topic to do by interview. When I’m writing on race, I can edit and craft my own words. But this was an hour-long interview cut down to four minutes. I was worried about what would be conveyed. It’s such a touchy subject. I was really please when I got to watch the video and read the story. I feel like they did a great . . .

Our family has never done an advent calendar. It’s not a tradition I grew up with, and it just seemed like a lot of work. I have friends who give small gifts every day of advent. I have other friends who give a piece of candy. But with 4 kids and 24 days, I just didn’t want that much candy doled out, nor did I want plastic trinkets or items that they wouldn’t use. Also, on the practical side, I struggled to find an advent calendar with pockets or doors big enough to fit four items inside, and . . .

We have been doing a neighborhood potluck during the week of Thanksgiving for 14 years now. However, for the first time in 15 years, we live in a new neighborhood. And we don’t have as many friends in our new neighborhood. We had a really tight crew in our previous hood, but we are still getting to know people since moving in May. The kids love this tradition, so we decided we would still invite our old neighbors. And then some parents of their friends. And some friends from Beer and Hymns. And, . . .