The Gay Mother... Goes on Vacation!

I'll admit it. Normally the adults here dread spring break. The kids are home all the time bickering and it can drive a mother batty! Oh I have things planned to try to make it fun for them but my oldest two especially still bicker, bicker, bicker.

But instead of dreading it this year. I looked FORWARD to it. We had been able to set some money aside and so we planned a beach vacation. This was the first time we had been able to take a complete family vacation that included everyone in my home. So three adults, three kids and two dogs piled into our van and drove to Morro Bay California.

Morro Bay is my favorite place to go to. It's where I went when I was a kid and when I drive over the hill into Morro Bay and see Morro Rock in it's splendor, it feels like home (well my second home anyway!).

I rented two rooms at Motel 6. My Mom, one of my kids and a dog in one and Myself, my girlfriend, two kids and a dog in the other. It was a tight squeeze but we did it. Because we stayed at Motel 6, we were able to stay for four nights. Sure, I'd love a more expensive hotel but while you're at the beach, you're not really at the hotel that much anyway so why pay more???

We visited areas in Morro Bay, drove to San Luis Obispo a couple of times (you've got to go to The Madonna Inn, eat at the Copper Cafe and have some pink champagne cake. it's to die for!), Pismo Beach, Grover City and Caycucos.

All in all, it was a great vacation. Did it get crazy at times with so many people? You betcha. Did it sometimes get stressful? Oh yeah. But I'd rather have some stress at the beach then have it at home.

I loved my vacation and my partner and my kids did too.

Here are a few pictures from our trip: 

Again, we had a great time! I'm the one in the middle in the last photo.

Frugality is Free Giveaway

If you like winning stuff (and who doesn't?) then you should head over to the Frugality is Free Blog where you can win one of three items (found at the end of this blog). There are several ways you can enter but hurry as the contest ends today. So get moving!

Frugality is Free Contest


You can win:

Corningware SimplyLite 6 Piece Bakeware Set

 

 

Hamilton Beach 2-Speed Hand Blender w/ Case

 

 or

 

Picnic Time Zuma Picnic Backpack

The Gay Mother...Goes to Disneyland!

On March 10th my partner, my middle son and my partner's daughter (who I consider my step daughter) went to Disneyland. The weather was not to hot and not to cold. The crowds were thin. We never had a really long wait time and used fast past whenever we could. Everyone got along wonderfully. It was one of those days that you always want to keep having...it was that perfect (yeah I know how that sounds but it just really was a perfect day).

We earned out tickets through the Disney Give a Day Get a Day volunteer program. We made blankets for children in hospitals and this is something we hope to do as a family when there isn't a promotion. We were getting ready to exchange our vouchers for tickets when a man, his wife and their child came up to us. They had apparently won or gotten a press pass of four tickets and they didn't need one of them so they gave it to us. I used their ticket so I still have my voucher and we hope to go back in October. I've always wanted to go to Disneyland when it's decorated for Halloween.

Here are a few pictures from our day of fun:

Dragon’s Trove Treasures: A Great Place to Shop for Handcrafted Gifts

There is a neat website that sells handcrafted wine charms, candles and dream catchers. I've enjoyed looking at the different wine charms she sells and they would be an ideal gift for the wine drinker.


You can visit the site here:
http://wanderingdruid.net/dtt)

Do you know of any websites that offer handcrafted items? Share them here. I firmly believe that handcrafted gifts can also be more special to give them a mass produced one.

The Gay Mother....Starts a Blog!

Though I half heatedly started a blog quite some time ago I never went back to it. So now I'm doing a little revamping and trying to get to understand how this all works.

I think in this day and age that it's important for everyone to know that gay mothers are just like other mothers. They want their kids protected, to grow up healthy and happy. As a parent to three boys, that's certainly want I want for my kids.

I am very involved in making sure that my children have a happy life. I volunteer at their school, we do things as a family and I am the coordinator for the Bakersfield LGBTQ Family OUTing's group. That means it's my job to plan activities that other lesbian, gays, bisexuals, transgenders and queers as well as straight supporters can do with their children. To date we've had bowling OUTing's, swimming OUTing's, movie OUTing's, park OUTing's, etc. Our next OUTing is to go to an Ice Cream Parlor!

The point of the Family OUTing's group is to show our children that it's OK to be who we are. It's OK to have gay parents and they deserve to have as much fun with their family as other families do. We don't get into people's faces or yell that we're gay. We simply are ourselves and have fun with the people who matter the most to us, our kids!

In our group, they don't have to be your kids by birth, they can be kids of your heart that you've adopted, they can be your nieces, nephews, siblings or kids of your friend or neighbor that you may be close to.

So this is The Gay Mother's first blog post. From time to time I'll be posting all kinds of stuff from saving money to baking cupcakes.