Hybrid Mom Archive Archives | Page 4 of 9

Posted on June 3, 2010January 25, 2015 by Mary Beth Posted in Hybrid Mom Archive

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Letters from Vietnam, part 2

More of my daughter’s experience in Vietnam….

Hello Everyone! I am going to think of these emails as sort of a diary entry so sorry if they’re a little long! Yesterday we set up another mobile clinic in southern Vietnam, closer to Cambodia. We had many more kids yesterday..closer to 600 with their families. I worked in the pharmacy clinic handing out the prescriptions… there were maybe 20 kids with their parents behind them at a time all looking at me with longing faces waiting for me to call out their name with their prescription. One father of one of the kids had someone who spoke vietnamese and english translate for him while he asked me if I am single and if I’d be willing to date his son who is about my age…I told him my parents would miss me too much if I stayed to marry his son! haha..

Posted on May 27, 2010January 25, 2015 by Mary Beth Posted in Hybrid Mom Archive

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Letters from Vietnam, part 1

My daughter Katie is on a medical brigade trip to Vietnam with a group of students from her University. Her letters are great and I wanted to share.

Hello mother and father!!

I am in Ho Chi Minh city right now..aka Saigon! We arrived yesterday morning. Today we woke up at 5:30 a.m. to drive 3 hours to the south to a mobile clinic that we set up at an elementary school for the teachers, kids and people living nearby. It was really amazing how poor the town was around the school and how many kids hadn’t seen a doctor or dentist in however long … we work with an organization called ACWP which is Aid to Children Without Parents. They have a bunch of different types of clinics and will sponser kids to stay in school and continue to support them to see that they make it to college.

Posted on May 20, 2010January 27, 2015 by Mary Beth Posted in Family, Hybrid Mom Archive

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Fly bird

Last weekend marked a true milestone in our family. Our oldest son Danny graduated from college – in four years too, which now a days is a big feat. One of the greatest sounds is your child’s name announced at graduation!

I have blogged about Danny before, the wild one of our children. The one who has always given us a run for our money. In high school he was all over the place academically. He went from a 3.9 his freshman year to 1.9 the next two years and back up to a 3.6 his senior year. He looked at no colleges. When a friend of his sisters stopped by the house and said he got into Denison University in Ohio early decision and that they had a second wave, Danny sitting at his computer said ”how do you spell that?” He applied, got in and had never even seen it. Denison turned out to be a great fit for him. A small liberal arts University with 2000 kids who all live on campus. He eventually majored in English because he discovered he did really well in those classes and had a knack (as we always knew) for story telling….

We went in mass to celebrate his victory and accomplishment…To “give witness.”

We shuffled around with our 20 + people and truly had the very best time. We had fabulous meals, great company and lots of laughs. Most of all we all had such a since of pride. I kept thinking isn’t this what life is about? Gathering, being supportive of our love ones, cheering each other on!

Now we are back home and he is moving in with a friend and has a job lined up…YAY!

Fly bird….

Posted on May 13, 2010January 25, 2015 by Mary Beth Posted in DIY, Hybrid Mom Archive

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Do It Yourself Backyard Retreat

I once moved to a house where in the backyard were a pool and a sort of retro fire pit, very 70s. The yard was beautiful but I thought the pit would have to go. There was no rush since it would entail a jackhammer and some strong guys to get rid of it. I got busy with the other aspects of the house and never got around to doing anything about it. I’m so glad I gave it an unexpected reprieve. It became the coolest hangout spot, especially as my children grew. Everyone loves to sit around a campfire right? Teenagers love a place to ‘hang’ and this turned into that place and it was in my own yard … I could pop over, see if anyone wanted a coke and make sure all was ‘safe.’

In my next house I wanted to add one but never got around to it. After recently adding my new garden I decided to give it a go and try to recreate what we had in the old house but in my usual bargain hunting fashion, I didn’t want to spend the $1500 my friend did to have one built. I saw an ad for a copper bowl fire pit on sale from Frontgate.com. I ordered it and when it arrived I took it to a wrought iron shop, had a hole drilled in the bottom and had a gas line run to the spot I wanted it to be. I used bender board to make the footprint, added four 2’x2’ pavers, river rock and gravel to make ‚a pad‛ for the pit and added chairs around it. I purchased and installed a gas ring for inside the pit and covered it with small and large lava rocks – they really conduct the heat. I then made a half circle with privets to make a hedge around the seating area. I have now added another ‘room’ to my back yard and a great social hangout.

Posted on May 6, 2010January 27, 2015 by Mary Beth Posted in Acting, Hybrid Mom Archive

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A fun return to the past and a great make-up tip

As I mentioned in my last blog I was returning to As The World Turns (ATWT) in New York for a few days. The travel was tough. Out of my house on the west coast to catch a 7 a.m. flight and both workdays I was to be picked up at Grand Central Station at 6:25 a.m. I maneuvered all that, mostly on adrenaline. Man was I tired, but it was worth it. The ride out to Brooklyn was a pleasure. Catching up with people I haven’t seen in a while was great. It was great seeing the gang at the studio. The man who now portrays my ex-husband on the show, Jon Lindstrom, played my boyfriend on the first soap I ever did in I think 1984…that was a hoot…we haven’t aged a bit…ha-ha.

Posted on April 15, 2010January 25, 2015 by Mary Beth Posted in Hybrid Mom Archive

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Make a commitment to yourselves, Moms

The other day when I set out to make the video for Hybrid Mom’s Mother’s Day contest, I really got to thinking about how things go…especially with motherhood. We all most likely started out fairly pulled together, getting dressed in the morning, complete with hair blown dry and make-up and headed out to work or to at least ready to start our day.

Then come the things that make us scramble through our day. Juggling our husband, children, jobs, house, groceries, dinner, baths…oh my, the list could go on forever. Recently a young mom friend of mine was venting to me that when her husband ‚babysits‛ while she runs out he is constantly calling her about how much longer she would be out. How is it ‚babysitting‛ with them??? It is truly amazing how much us moms can handle. The doriginal multi-taskers! Somewhere in between all those tasks, though, it’s very easy for us to forget about ourselves, our own well being and even our appearances – and believe me when I say I’m no exception.

Posted on April 8, 2010January 25, 2015 by Mary Beth Posted in Garden, Hybrid Mom Archive

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Garden whimsies

If you have been following my blogs, you all have read I love gardening! In fact one of my favorite birthday presents this year was a gift card to OSH hardware and garden store. Like most things in my life I don’t necessarily have a preconceived plan, but go at it and it unfolds in front of me. I was just in Chicago and although winter was just ending I could tell that the neighborhoods weren’t busting with ‚gardens‛ like where I live. I really appreciate our long growing season!