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Here’s the last of three recipes that Iron Chef and lesbian mom Cat Cora has created for Residence Inn by Marriott (as I explained Tuesday)—a dessert, appropriately: Banana Yogurt Split with Berries and Coconut.
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As I mentioned yesterday, Iron Chef and lesbian mom Cat Cora has been named “Resident Mom Of The Year 2013” by Residence Inn, and has developed three unique recipes that parents can easily create while staying at a Residence Inn (or at home). Here’s the second one: a Spicy Chicken, Tangerine and Shiitake Stir Fry. (I’m guessing it works well with tofu instead of chicken, too.)
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Iron Chef (and Lesbian Mom) Cat Cora Is Residence Inn’s “Resident Mom Of The Year 2013″

Last fall, I wrote about my night at the Residence Inn, courtesy of Residence Inn by Marriott, which was reaching out to blogging parents for feedback and ideas. I mentioned the company’s LGBT friendliness—a friendliness they’ve reinforced by naming chef and lifestyle entrepreneur Cat Cora their “Resident Mom Of The Year 2013,” and by mentioning “She resides in Santa Barbara, CA, with her wife and four sons” in their press release about it. There’s more, plus a recipe by Cora, after the jump.
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I had the pleasure last weekend of spending a night at the Residence Inn Boston Harbor on Tudor Wharf, courtesy of Residence Inn by Marriott, which is reaching out to blogging parents for feedback and ideas.
I’m very picky when it comes to doing commercial promotions on this blog–probably more so because I’ve been in corporate marketing myself. I don’t want to blindly shill products and services. Having said that, I DO think it’s important for LGBT parents to be in the mix when companies are reaching out to attract families, and I’m delighted to help when companies truly seem like they want to be inclusive.
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The New Amtrak Ads Through a Racial Lens

In my post yesterday about the new Amtrak ads, I mentioned that it was good to see same-sex parents of color in the media. In discussing the ads with a friend and educator who is Black and a lesbian, however, I came to realize my White perspective was only giving me part of the story.
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Amtrak On the Right Track with Lesbian and Gay Family Ads

Amtrak has just launched a lovely new advertising campaign featuring lesbian moms and gay dads. The company has marketed to the LGBT community for several years, but chugs into new territory with its latest two ads that focus on same-sex parents.
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Family Week — Creating Memories for our Children

(The following is a guest post from Brent Wright, father of two and Director of Programs at Family Equality Council, a nonprofit organization that connects, supports, and represents the one million parents who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender in this country and the two million children they are raising.)
I truly believe that we are all the sum part of all our childhood experiences. Every backyard BBQ and schoolyard tussle—every campout under the stars and timeout in the principal’s office—every childhood friendship and teenaged broken heart.
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Coming Soon: Guest Posts for Family Week

Tomorrow, July 28, marks the start of Family Week, the annual event in Provincetown, Mass. hosted by the Family Equality Council for LGBT families and our children. I won’t be there in person this year, alas, but in honor of the event, I’ll be bringing you two special guest posts next week.
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Felix Bermea, his partner Roy, and their four children have been harassed in their hometown of Gilbert, Arizona for almost three months. It started with epithets scrawled on their house and car, led to someone setting their bushes on fire, and has escalated to a home break in and vandalization of the children’s furniture. The children are afraid, and the parents are afraid for them. Now, the Family Equality Council wants to do the family a kindness and send them, free of charge, to the organization’s annual Family Week in Provincetown. But they need our help.
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Post of the Week: Family Discoveries

I was amused and touched by the summer travel wisdom over at Are You the Babysitter?, making her “Family Discoveries” my Post of the Week.
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What Are You Looking Forward to This Summer?

It’s my son’s last week of school before vacation, and I’m thinking about our summer plans, so I thought I’d ask the rest of you what you’re looking forward to this summer. Anyone taking any trips? Starting (or finishing) any home improvement projects? Sending the kids to camp?
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U.S. Customs to Allow Same-Sex Couples to File Joint Customs Declarations

Many of us have been in this situation: Returning to the U.S. from a family vacation abroad, we stand in the customs line with partner and kid(s), only to be separated when it is our turn and the customs agent only allows “one family at a time”—meaning “only one federally recognized family.” Suddenly, all of our vacation relaxation is gone.
That will soon change.
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Gay Cruising of a Different Kind
(Something a little lighthearted at an otherwise somber time for me. Originally published several weeks ago as my Mombian newspaper column.) I’d only ever done gay cruising before. No, not that kind of cruising—I mean the floating around on a big ship kind. My in-laws recently took my spouse, our son, and me, plus my [...]
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Take several hundred LGBT families from around the country—moms, dads, children young and old, and assorted other relatives–add sun, sand, movies, and a bonfire, and you’ve only just begun to scratch the surface of what Family Week in Provincetown is all about.
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The 10 Gayest Things from Our Disney Vacation
My family and I took a last-minute vacation to Disney World last week. We had been planning to go later in the year, but got a good end-of-summer deal and decided to go for it. I make it a habit not to blog about vacations while actually on them—to me, it’s like putting up a [...]
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What Are You Doing for Summer Fun?
Time for this week’s discussion thread. Now that Pride is almost over and the hot weather is upon us, what summer plans do you have for you and your family? Our son is in a few local summer programs for July, but we’re hoping to do family stuff in August, so I’ve left that pretty [...]
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“She Got Me Pregnant”: Episode 75
Helen and I discuss the lesbian moms who appeared on Showtime’s Nurse Jackie this week, and tell you why we thought the portrayals by Blythe Danner and Swoosie Kurtz broke new ground. We also share highlights from our recent trip to Washington, D.C., and offer some tips for traveling with kids so the whole family [...]
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“She Got Me Pregnant”: Episode 68
Helen and I bring you the inside scoop on our recent trip to Disney World, including our son’s obsession with teen secret agent Kim Possible (think Buffy meets James Bond) and our disappointment that we couldn’t find any Kim merchandise among the princess and pirate paraphernalia. We also tell you what we love about Disney [...]
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Where Do You Socialize with LGBT Families?
Let’s do another poll and explore how we build community and friendship: {democracy:19}
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LGBT Parenting Roundup
It’s time for another collection of news and fun stuff for LGBT parents: Put on your flak jackets. “It is same-sex parenting that is heating up as the next skirmish in the nation’s culture wars,” asserts the Chicago Tribune. Nancy Polikoff points out just how scary are the proposed Bush rules that would allow healthcare [...]
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“She Got Me Pregnant”: Episode 47
I’m vlogging alone this week while Helen is away on business, so I offer some tips for other traveling parents and the ones staying home. I also discuss the theatrical release of a new movie documenting the fight for marriage equality in Massachusetts, Mary Cheney’s not-so-excellent dinner, and a lesbian mom presidential candidate. Watch Mombian: [...]
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Philanthropy and Family a Sweet Combination
(Originally published with slight variation in Bay Windows.) For Jen Rainin, creating a lesbian travel company based on the idea of giving back to the world was an extension of her role as a philanthropist, but also a way to convey positive values to her children. Rainin is one of the founders of Sweet, which [...]
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Gay Pilgrims’ Progress
I don’t often post about purely local events, but since this one has ties to national history, here goes: Plimoth Plantation in Massachusetts, the site of the first Thanksgiving, will host “Out at Plimoth Plantation” on September 13. The event will “offer a glimpse into the lives of 17th century LGBT pilgrims and Native Americans,” [...]
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“She Got Me Pregnant”: Episode 34
Helen and I talk about Family Outing, the funny, raunchy new memoir by a man whose mother was outed to him by her ex-girlfriend when he was 10 years old. (Not the recommended way of doing things, might I add.) We also share more highlights of our recent vacation to California, including San Francisco Pride’s [...]
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Update from the Road
Despite my earlier qualms, it looks like I will be online this week. I’m sitting here in the middle of King’s Canyon National Park in California, in the common room of the rustic John Muir Lodge, rough-hewn beams overhead, with six other people and their laptops, all taking advantage of the free WiFi. Gotta love [...]
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