About Megan

Megan Tietz shares tips on parenting newborns to big kids, as well as what real like looks like in the days of spit-up stains and poster paint. She is also the soothing voice and spirited pen behind Sorta Crunchy - blog hub for all things faith, family, and natural living since 2006. You'll most likely find her in a rocking chair on the front porch, enjoying the too-short days of family life with her husband and four kids.

by Megan on May 22, 2013 • 22 Comments Fashion

Dress yourself in story

My fingers found their way to the earrings in my earlobes and began the subconscious ritual of twisting them around and around while we waited.

I’ve been twisting my earrings in moments of stress since I was in the 3rd grade, standing next to mean old Mrs. Boyd’s desk reciting my multiplication tables. I would sway back and forth, sweating in my sneakers, twisting away on those earring studs while I stammered out three times one is three, three times two is six, three times three is three …

And so there I was three months ago, sweating in a hospital bed in the OR prep room, having found out only hours earlier that our twin baby boys were to be born that day, and naturally, I resorted to that familiar comfort of twisting my earrings.

I was just a few twists of the diamond studs in when I felt a small burst of panic. Ugh, I groaned. I was supposed to leave these at home. I can’t go into surgery with them in my ears.

It’s no surprise at all that I forgot to take them out. With very few exceptions, those diamond studs are in my earlobes around the clock. I’m not a fancy jewelry person. In fact, those earrings and my wedding ring are the only pieces of jewelry I own that have any worth to them at all. I don’t wear those earrings to be fancy. I wear them because in a very tangible way, they remind me of who I am.
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by Megan on January 14, 2013 • 101 Comments Fashion You

3 ways to wear a maternity wrap

Written by contributor Megan Tietz of SortaCrunchy

I‘m finally nearing the end of my pregnancy with twins, and I have to be honest, one of the things I’m looking forward to most in the months to come is finally being able to shed these maternity clothes!

Oh, I realize that we’ve come a long way in maternity fashion in the past few decades, but I still find it hard to find maternity clothes that look like something I would wear in my non-pregnant life. When Arianne asked if I might be interested in trying out the scarlet waterfall wrap from Me2Roo, I answered YES with enthusiasm!

First of all, who doesn’t love stripes? And second of all, who doesn’t appreciate a piece that can take you from the first few weeks of pregnancy all the way to the first weeks home with your new baby? [Read more...]

by Megan on November 21, 2012 • 26 Comments Family Bonding Your Family

Simple solutions for the most complicated time of the year

This week, families around the world officially move into the holiday season. While many of the most magical and meaningful holiday moments involve celebrating with family, it’s the family aspect of the holidays that can often bring tension, stress, and bad feelings.

The who, what, and why of the holidays are easily overtaken by the when and the where. Enjoying time with loved ones seems like a peaceful proposition, but it all too often gets very complicated!

I certainly don’t propose that I have all of the answers, but I think sometimes it helps just to hear how other families navigate the question “Where will we spend the holidays this year?”

1. Establish your boundaries

This is the foundation for all of the decisions you will make for the holiday season. It’s also the most powerful and empowering part of this process because your holiday boundaries may be the only part of the season that you are able to control.
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by Megan on October 3, 2012 • 21 Comments Fashion

Maternity in style: Nine months of dressing the bump

Written by contributor Megan Tietz of SortaCrunchy

Usually, it’s swimsuit season that causes me to burst into tears in dressing rooms.

That wasn’t this case this time, standing in a Target dressing room with tears in my eyes. Nope, not swimsuits. Maternity clothes.

I was about three months into this pregnancy with twins, and I had to face the fact that my dream of not wearing the dreaded maternity clothes during this pregnancy was a dream that was fading fast.

I’ve been pregnant twice before, and I never gave much thought to what to wear during those pregnancies. In the past few years, however, with the raising-babies season behind me, I had invested much more time, energy, and money into building and maintaining a sense of personal style. Browsing the racks of Liz Lange in Target revealed lots of items that were cute enough, I suppose, but none of it reflected anything remotely similar to my style. [Read more...]

by Megan on August 29, 2012 • 74 Comments Kids: Learning Anywhere Your Family

The public school parent’s guide to learning at home

Written by contributor Megan Tietz of SortaCrunchy.

Earlier this month, our family reached a new milestone: both of our daughters are now in public school – all day, every day.

This has been a bittersweet transition for us, but it has been made easier by the fact that both of my children genuinely love school and are endlessly enthusiastic about learning. As a former public school teacher, I know that raising children who love to learn doesn’t happen by accident.

It is an unfortunate stereotype of the public school parent that we have chosen this approach to schooling by default or because we are lazy and want to leave the education of our children to the paid professionals. The reasons for a child to be in public schools are as diverse as a public school classroom itself, and most public school parents I know want to support our children’s learning in any way we can.

Many families do all that we can to foster and nurture learning in the earliest years of a child’s life, as well we should. But when our children begin spending their days in the classroom, we aren’t off the hook! Continuing to build a home where learning is nurtured and valued is one of the best ways we can equip our children for life after graduation.
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