Detroit Mom Welcomes Rhonda, a Royal Oak Mom

Hello everyone, my name is Rhonda, one of the newest contributing writers of Detroit Mom! I’m very happy to take on this new opportunity, since it has been something that I’ve wanted to do for a while. It is pushing me a little bit out of my comfort zone, but to quote Tony Robbins, “All growth starts at the end of your comfort zone.”

A Bit About Me

I have lived in Royal Oak for almost four years, but was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. We are affectionately called Winterpeg, Manisnowba for our reputation of disrespectfully long and cold winters! Growing up my tears would freeze on my face walking to school, my lashes would get frost on them, and if you’ve done winter right, every Winnipeg person has experienced “snot-cicles” in their nose. However, some of my fondest memories involve snow – going tobogganing, building forts in our backyard, going to my brother’s hockey games, making snow angels, and climbing snowbanks.

Ironically, my parents come from the sunny Island of Jamaica where growing up, snow was a weird concept. Quite the juxtaposition in my weather DNA!

Me Time

I have always had a sense for adventure and love trying new things, meeting new people, and living life! I spent a summer in Europe taking buses by myself with just a German/English translation book (pre-Google translate). I’ve stayed in hostels in Peru and visited Machu Picchu.

I lived in Spain for a few months, landing there alone, only knowing how to say “¡Hola! ¿Cómo estás?” There I lived in a large apartment with other people from around the world, where the only common language we shared was our beginner Spanish. I left there full of experiences, stories, and most importantly, paella!

In the time I carve out for myself, I like to read, journal, dance, try new recipes, go indoor rock climbing (which I just started about four months ago), and listen to a good podcast while going on a long walk. I also think that there is nothing better than watching something good on Netflix while eating my homemade popcorn drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt and cayenne pepper.

Family Time

I have been married to my husband Tony for five years and we have been blessed with two beautiful daughters- Sophia, 3.5 years old and Athena, 1.5 years old.

For our first two and a half years of marriage, we lived apart, with me still being in Canada. Since we were going through the immigration and green card process, I couldn’t officially move to the U.S. Long distance marriage was tough at times. We always had weekend bags packed and had duplicates of our favorite things at one another’s place. I am so glad that all this was pre-COVID. I couldn’t imagine only getting by on video chats, texts, and calls.

Although tough at times, there was a fun element to it. Our weekends always felt like one long date, and we made the most of our time together. As frustrating as the process was, sometimes I look back at those times and smile. I was pregnant with our first daughter, long distance as well, and when I was finally able to move, we came to Michigan when she was just over 48 hours old! The border agent was very taken aback when he asked for her date of birth, and I responded. He looked at me and said, “She’s two days old?!”

Athena was born in the U.S, however it was during the pandemic and Tony wasn’t able to accompany me to any appointments. Good thing I’ve already been there and done that! 

Family Explorations

We enjoy taking family vacations as well as exploring new areas within our state. This year we went to Toronto, San Diego, Gatlinburg, TN, the Grand Canyon, Sedona, AZ, Chicago, Holland (MI), Frankenmuth, and Saugatuck (a beach town in Western MI).

Locally we enjoy going to:

• The Children’s Museum in Ann Arbor
• The Michigan Science Center in Detroit
• Ray’s Ice Cream in Royal Oak (I’ll have the salted caramel mocha chip please!)
• The Dequindre Cut in Detroit
•  The Riverwalk in Detroit
• Spicer Orchard Farm in Fenton for apple picking
• Royal Oak Public Library
• The Normandy Oaks Park Splash Pad in Royal Oak

We recently got a Metroparks pass and are looking forward to exploring all 13 parks in the area. Our goal is at least one new park a month!

I’m looking forward to connecting with moms and sharing our experiences in motherhood: the good, the bad, and everything in between.