Moving on Up!

Over Christmas break, Murad and I sold the first home we purchased. Our decision to sell was fueled by the proposal of an indoor gun range near Joely's elementary school. However, the truth is we have really outgrown our house. Luckily, the gun range didn't pass, so we decided to rent a slightly larger home for the next two years. We are moving just a little more west, but Joely will still be able to attend the same elementary school---this was really important to us, as we cannot imagine a more supportive environment for our son.

In two years, Lena will also be able to attend the same elementary school as Joely. At that time, both kids will be grandfathered into that elementary school, so obtaining a transfer won't be as hard. Then, we plan to buy a house near Wells Elementary school. Joel has soccer practice there, and we really love the large ranch homes and beautiful two story homes. Even though Wells is just two blocks north of where we live now, the middle school is different than what Joely would attend. This is something we prefer as we are not big fans of the middle school for which we are currently zoned.  Fortunately, both of the middle schools will feed into Vines High School and Plano Senior High School, so he'll be able to reconnect with those friends in high school. Stability and consistency is such a big thing for us. We really do not want to have a bunch of unnecessary moves for our kiddos, nor switching schools a bunch.

We know we could probably get a McMansion if we moved north of 121 or south of I-30 or east of 78, but we are so vested in Plano. We go to church in Plano, our kids (and Murad) play sports at Plano Sports

 Authority, and in less than two years Abi will attend Collin College here in Plano prior to transferring to a university. Murad works in McKinney and I work in Richardson, so Plano is a great middle ground  for us. 

Selling our home is very bittersweet. We bought this home almost nine years ago, and we've weathered many storms here as well. It's also the home where we brought home our babies from the hospital. It's the place where we've become a family. We started out as a married couple with two dogs, and now we're a family of five + two dogs!

If you didn't get our holiday card, the link below shows the pictures we took in December. We took these photos in our front yard. I'll treasure these photos forever.  I also included a picture of our house when it was listed for sale back in January 2010. 

The Campbell Family

Family Updates

In case you didn't get our holiday card, visit our online holiday card. Campbell Holiday 2018.

These are some wonderful pictures taken by my brother-in-law. These were actually taken in front of our wonderful home (our neighbor's home is in the background). I love this pic of Murad and me. We will celebrate 10 years of marriage in March 2019.

I absolutely love these three children. Abigail Lynn (17), Joel Tariq (7.5), & Lena Elise (3.75-- 4 in February).

Road Tripping!!

Part of my doctoral program includes traveling to Colorado each summer (not bad, right?) for doctoral seminars. I originally planned to travel alone and possibly have some friends meet me out there for an extended girls trip, but the costs started to add up: hotel, rental car, flight, class, etc. My husband thought of the idea for our family to make a road trip to Colorado! After my accident, we bought a brand new minivan (and for those of you who don't know, my near death experience was sort of a catalyst for my doctoral studies pursuit) and decided why not put it to good use!

This summer, we'll head to California (by plane) to go to Disneyland again, and then a few days after we come back, we'll head to Kansas to visit my parents for a night and then make our way to Loveland, Colorado. On the way back, we'll stop in Kansas again to see my parents.

I'll be in classes all day the entire time we're in Loveland, but since it's only an hour outside of Denver, my husband and kids plan to visit that area. Luckily, we're members of the Perot Museum here in Dallas. Our membership gives us reciprocal membership and free entry into 360 museums worldwide. So, while I'm in class, they'll museum-hop!

I'm so thankful they're joining me on this first leg of my doctoral journey. When I initially applied to the doctoral program, I already considered the impact this all would have on my family. I know that I can't have it all and that part of completing this program will entail being away from them to study or write. However, I hope my journey will have a positive impact on them as well. I think of how important it is for my children to see their mother going after her dreams because often times mothers are seen as one-dimensional and solely existing for their children--a notion I challenge daily with both of my kids who don't seem to understand that their father is equally able to get them snacks. I also hope it encourages them to be strong people and do what they love. I understand that their hopes and dreams may not be related to academics. I also realize that they may not be able to actualize their hopes and dreams until they are much, much older. I just hope they know I'll support them as they make their way. They've supported me and inspired me in so many ways.

We've never taken a road trip this long as a family of four! We have a DVD player in our minivan as well as other PDAs. Any other suggestions for our first family road trip? Watch out, Colorado! Here come the crazy Campbells!

The Weed Family

Click here to read this interesting article on The Weed Family.

Supporting breastfeeding teen moms

Here's a link

to my article on breastfeeding and teen moms!

Spotlight on Families: The Copelands

This post will be the easiest post to write because I don't have to write it! My dear friend Lara volunteered her brood as one of our Spotlight families! Lara and I met during undergrad at KU (Rock Chalk Jayhawk!) where we received our degrees in English Education. Both of us shed our college coed personas to become mothers and wives. I absolutely love checking her blog to see all the fun things she is doing with her girls! Now that two of her daughters have performed in the Nutcracker, I'm secretly (not-so-secretly) living through her! I'm just a tad bit jealous of her experience. Rather than ramble on about how much I admire her, I will let Lara share her family with you all! Here's the Copeland family!(as told by Lara)

Squyres/Copeland family
Immediate family: Matt, Lara, and our daughters Kenli (6), Keira (5), Kaelyn (4), Makenzie (2.5), and Karys 9 months.
Extended family includes Alexandra Squyres (Lara's sister), Fran (Davidson) Squyres (Lara's mom), Sharyl Coffey (Matt's mom), Jerry Coffey (Matt's stepfather), John Copeland and Nancy Copeland (Matt's brother & sister-in-law),

Todd Coffey (Matt's stepbrother) and Chelsea Coffey (Matt's stepsister).
What makes us unique: Matt came from your average four person family. My parents divorced when I was four and my mom raised my sister and me, while my maternal grandmother stepped in as almost a second parent. Matt nor I ever planned on having many children, let alone 5 within 5.5 years. We've had to learn a lot about raising a larger than average family--which is hard when you come from an average size family (Matt's father passed away in 1999. When his mother remarried in 2006, he became part of a blended family).
How we make it work: Be flexible, willing to learn and willing to forgive. With such a young family, we're still learning how we make it work! We've made plenty of mistakes along the way, but we reevaluate, communicate, and continue to improve how we operate. Over the years we've learned we can't buy things like our parents did. We can't go out to eat or take vacations on a whim like some smaller families can. What we can do is show our children that we have a strong marriage and provide them with a foundation for love. We can teach them that the most important things in life aren't things--it's people. Yes our girls share rooms, clothes, toys and bathrooms--that's just part of being in a big family. But they also always have somebody to color with, tell secrets to, or hug. There's a simplicity that comes with living in a big family, but there's also noise and chaos--but rest assured it's mostly controlled. One tip I can give to anybody who is embarking on raising lots of little people-- if you can keep up on laundry and dishes, the rest of the house work will fall in to place. And if you can keep your kids on a somewhat flexible schedule, everybody will be a bit more flexible as well.

The Duggars

Yesterday, I read an article about Mrs. Duggar's (I have no idea what her first name is) recent miscarriage. I'm the type of person, who skims through online articles and then takes my time reading the comments left by readers (does anyone else do this?). I was appalled at what many people said. It was almost like an "I told you so!" or "she got what she deserved" bashfest on the internet.

I do not pretend to know what possessed one woman to try to have 20 kids, but then again I don't really understand most families that aren't my own. I don't understand most families because they are different from my family. I think that's what consumers of the media really have a problem with, especially in regards to reality television; however, we are completely intrigued by them and tune in each week. I'll catch 19 Kids & Counting every so often, but I will sit and watch marathons of Sister Wives, Teen Mom, Kardashians, and any of the Real Housewives shows. Unlike most people, I can't watch too much Reality television too often because being a busy mom, I can't commit to watching the episodes each week. Instead I watch HGTV, wedding-related reality shows and Law & Order because I can watch when I can without having to know the backstories. I digress...

I truly think each and everyone of us suffers from the "their family is different from my family" syndrome. Instead of trying to understand where someone is coming from, we push our values and beliefs on them. Do I understand what it is like to be attracted to a member of my same-sex and want to start a family with them? Nope. Do I understand people who socially and politically conservative? Nope. Do I understand people who are radically liberal? Nope. Do I understand why someone would want to have 20+ children? Nope. However, I respect them and admire them for their commitment to their beliefs.

The people who commented on this article argue that their inappropriate statements toward the Duggars have to do with their concern for the children's well-being and Mrs. Duggar's health. "The older kids have to take care of the younger kids," "they don't get enough individual attention," and "the mom is risking her life."
If the kids learning responsibility at a young age is the only negative aspect of their child, I would deem Mr. and Mrs. Duggar ideal parents. Since I teach, I witness children who live in homes where no one hugs or says, "I love you." They have parents who work too much or who will not work to support the family. I have yet to see an episode where the Duggar parents didn't say I love you or express their love. I don't know how they provide individual attention to each child, but I assume they have some sort of system.

As someone who truly supports a woman's right to her own body, I support Mrs. Duggar's decision to have a large family. Mrs. Duggar does visit a physician, and I'm sure he has alerted her of the risks of having many children. The fact is that being pregnant is a risk no matter if it is your first or 20th. From what I have seen on the show, the Duggars lead a healthy lifestyle. The types of foods they eat are healthy and they have to eat in moderation with a family that size. I have yet to see her drink a glass of wine or any other alcohol. Their level of risk pales in comparison to most Americans who may drink, smoke cigarettes, eat highly processed foods, text while driving, etc.

I feel sorry for the Duggars as they experience this time of loss. Thankfully, they have each other to lean on for support. I hope people will be less judgmental and just plain mean in their comments. Finally, I hope that everyone will begin to respect, understand, and appreciate families that are different from their own.

Spotlight on Families: The Wahls Family

Ironically, after posting about wanting families to share their stories, someone posted this link of Facebook. I think what makes Zach Wahls' story unique is not how normal he is despite his family situation, but how amazing he is! Who wouldn't be over-the-moon proud to have him as a son? Click here to see Zach's story!

Spotlight on Families

So, each month I would like to do something to celebrate families...all families! Growing up I never saw families like mine. I take that back, I did see families like mine periodically, but I was always surprised to learn that there were families like mine. I grew up in your typical nuclear family (2 parents, a daughter, a son, and a dog), but being an interracial family added an extra layer of uniqueness to us. In addition, Due to death and divorce, my extended family on both sides was/is largely blended. I think I counted that at one time I have had 8 grandparents (not great-grandparents)! Don't get me started on aunts, uncles, and cousins!

So, if you are part of a unique family, please let me know! Your family will be featured on here. I'll include an abbreviated family tree, photo (you provide) and biographical information. I'm looking for: large families, small families, blended families, interracial families, interfaith families, adoptive families, gay/lesbian families, donor families, and everything in between!

Share your family with me!

I guess I will kick it off with my own family! How lovely we are:
Family: Woodard/Campbell Family
Family Members: Our immediate family includes my husband Murad, our son Joel and our two dogs, Sampson & Maya. Our extended family includes: Abbygail Deal-Campbell (Murad's daughter) Ken & Barbara Woodard (Ashlea's parents), Ryan Woodard (Ashlea's brother), Joel & Barbara Campbell (Murad's parents) Fatimah Jefferson (Murad's mother), Qadree Campbell (Murad's brother), Ricky Robinson (Murad's maternal half brother), Colin Smith (Murad's paternal stepbrother)
What Makes Our Family Unique? We are truly a blended family in every sense of the word. I grew up in traditional family with my parents and younger brother. My father is African-American and my mother is white. Both of my parents worked, but my mother was the breadwinner. I grew up in a Christian household. Murad was raised mostly by his father and grandparents, as his parents divorced when he was young. His grandmother, who was born in the Dominican Republic, influenced his love of Caribbean culture. Murad grew up in a Sunni Muslim household.
How do we make it work? We plan to expose our son to a variety of different cultures, but give him a solid foundation as well. We surround ourselves around people who are making a difference in the world and we cherish time spent as a family. Although we do not see her often, we try to expose my stepdaughter to different cultures and provide her with experiences not readily available in her small town. In addition, we create our own traditions that we hope both of our children will continue.