Everybody Loves Baby, Creative Loafing Charlotte

My new way to stay connected

Ailen Arreaza — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:46:00 -0400

If you had asked me five years ago what my plans were for a gorgeous spring afternoon - like the ones we've been having lately - my answer would have undoubtedly involved a nice patio and a cold beer. But these days, with two young boys constantly running around, I enjoy the warm weather in a completely different way.…

Rallying for immigration reform

Ailen Arreaza — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 14:00:00 -0400

One of my earliest childhood memories is of participating in peaceful demonstrations against Fidel Castro's regime with my mother. Once, we were even detained by the cops and taken to the police station.…

Sticking to a schedule

Ailen Arreaza — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 13:45:00 -0400

Before we had kids, Tony and I lived by the seat of our pants. We'd decide to go to a movie in the middle of the week five minutes before it started; throw house parties for no reason; find last minute flight deals and hop on planes to foreign countries just because we could.…

Conversations (not) about race

Ailen Arreaza — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 16:12:00 -0500

Last year, during the height of the Trayvon Martin news cycle, I wrote a post in which I wondered if I should talk to my young son, Luki, about racism. Should I explain to him that, because of the color of his skin or his ethnic last name, he would have to tread extra carefully around certain people?…

Bathing with young kids is no big deal

Ailen Arreaza — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:26:00 -0500

There's a picture posted to Instagram of Chicago bishop Larry Trotter in the bathtub with his 4-year-old granddaughter that's been the subject of a heated debate on social media lately. I first saw it on a blog, and a few days later one of my friends posted it to Facebook - in both instances, the comments were overwhelmingly negative.…