Steph Anderson

February 1, 2012

MetroKids Magazine wants to get to know our readers and is excited to introduce a new feature in our magazine that spotlights a mom living in our area. We ask her to tell what she likes best about where she lives, share some parenting insights and more.

Meet Steph, our February Mom:

Valentine's Day
Surprise Cupcakes
"I got a recipe for Surprise Cupcakes from my mom, who used to make them for my dad every Valentine’s Day. When I started dating Bill, I took up the tradition. They aren’t red or adorned with hearts, so whether made for Valentine’s Day or not, they are super tasty and people will claw at you for more. So watch out."

Cupcakes:
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/4 lb melted butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder mixed with a little bit of cold water (so it is a creamy consistency)
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup warm water

"Surprise" Filling:
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
dash of salt
12 oz package of chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375. In large bowl, combine the cupcake ingredients in the above order. Insert cupcake liners into cupcake pan. Fill each cupcake 1/3 full with the cupcake batter.

In a smaller bowl, combine cream cheese and sugar until creamy. Add egg and salt. Mix well. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop one teaspoon of Filling mixture into each cupcake.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 min.

The Basics

Chester County, PA
MetroKids MomSpeak contributor; blogging at ModernDayDonnaReed.blogspot.com

Family at a glance:

I’ve been happily married to Bill for 5 years. In that time, we’ve managed to create two beautiful daughters: Lucy, who is 3½ years old, and Maggie, who just turned 1. We are currently petless, unless you count the ever-present random assortment of animals who call the under regions of our shed “home.”

What do you like most about raising kids in the area you live?

It’s the best place to raise kids in the whole world! Seriously. So many fun and amazing things to do. I love being 30 minutes from Philly, two hours from the mountains, two hours from the shore.

The best parenting advice you’ve ever received:

To remember our kids grow up fast, and that everything is a season. When Lucy was first born, I felt I would never sleep or not hear crying ever again. I thought my life had ended. But it was only beginning, and it got so much better so fast! Now, when we hit a rough spot I know “this too shall pass,” and to cherish it.

On blogging:

I started blogging when my oldest was 5 months old. I wanted a place to “call my own” — a little corner of the World Wide Web to share my experiences as a parent, to process my thoughts on life, culture and the world, to catalogue recipes, to love on my local community. But mainly – to be honest and real and build community with other parents. Because parenthood is so often painted as this beautiful perfect happy place. And it wasn't for me. It was hard, and I struggled to transition. I knew other people felt the same way – so why not connect and share and celebrate?

Do you want to be the next MetroKids Mom we feature in our print magazine and website? Tell us your story or recommend a friend.