Stepmom Weekend Getaway!
Izzy Rose, over at the snappily-written Stepmother's Milk, is hosting La Belle Mare, a weekend getaway for stepmoms on August 8th through the 11th, here in beautiful Austin, Texas. She's partnering with Samara Postuma, of Simplicity in the Suburbs to organize the gathering. A few excerpts from Izzy's blog:
"...Some of you may remember my post
last fall, where I suggested an indulgent event where stepladies from
east, west, north and south get together to celebrate our second wife
status. I suggested afternoon drinking in our wedding gowns, gorging on
cheese and exchanging gifts that we can actually use, like new bras and
prescription drugs.
Think cocktails, great food, spa treatments and gal-pal gossip. A 48 hour slumber party, if you will...."
Sounds like a riot!
I know we all tend to jump around on the same stepmom, extended-family websites, but if you haven't read about this event already, hop on over to Stepmother's Milk and reserve your space.
I must admit, I felt a tad wistful, reading about all the cool things these women plan on doing together. There's certainly plenty of stepmom-bonding to be had online, but not so many ex-wives publicly focused on creating an extended/blended family.
Here's a wonderful example of a blended family holiday - Samara (mentioned above) was featured in a Star Tribune (Minneapolis - St. Paul) article here.
When it comes to divorce, may happy extended families one day be the norm!
© 2008 Jennifer Newcomb Marine All Rights Reserved
Carol Marine is a stepmom to two teenage daughters and mother to a young son. She 
Jennifer Newcomb Marine is the mom of two teenage daughters and the honorary "aunt" to one adorable little boy. She's a freelance writer and editor. 
An Austinite and a stepmom enthusiast, consider yourself one of us and join the fun if you like!
IR
Posted by: Izzy Rose | April 07, 2008 at 04:33 PM
Jennifer~
I really enjoyed reading the article you provided, it was beautiful. It gives me hope. I have been feeling a little unmotivated lately, because there are an awful lot of sites that deal with problems regarding the exwife--which is fine, but Rhonda and I feel alone being stepmoms who are trying to get along with the biological mom. I've been meaning to ask you if you knew of any other sites that are similiar to yours and the DHX? I need encouragement!
Posted by: Morocco | April 08, 2008 at 04:59 AM
Thanks, Izzy! Very sweet of you! But I wouldn't want to crash the stepmom-party vibe, so what if I just dropped by for a howdy and a glass of wine?! : )
It's great to see all the excitement building for the weekend on your site. Brilliant idea!
Posted by: Jennifer | April 08, 2008 at 06:26 PM
Hi Morocco, you might want to check out some of the links to the left on this site, plus I know both Stepmother's Milk and the DHX have a ton of links on their sites to explore.
As far as I know, the only two sites devoted to stepmom/ex-wife relationships are ours and the DHX, but I certainly wish there were more....
There ARE some stepmom sites out there where the two women are clearly not getting along and I suppose it's helpful, to some extent, to vent about that and get support. But there are also plenty of sites where the stepmom is **trying** to get along with the ex-wife too. Sometimes with success, sometimes not.
Don't get too discouraged - just keep looking - and I'll keep my eye out for more sites to add here too.
Posted by: Jennifer | April 08, 2008 at 06:31 PM
Thank you
Posted by: Morocco | April 09, 2008 at 05:03 AM
Yes, of course. Come by and say hello. I know your perspective is valuable for all of us to hear.
IR
Posted by: Izzy Rose | April 09, 2008 at 08:20 AM
"When it comes to divorce, may happy extended families one day be the norm!"
Amen!
Posted by: Jill | April 09, 2008 at 11:16 AM