Hi, my name is Robin Leon, and I’m a born-again Texan. Ok, that’s not exactly true. I was born and Dallas, raised in El Paso and graduated from UT. Somehow, though, I took a twenty-year detour on the east coast – in Philly (go Eagles!) and, most recently, DC (ugh, offensive football team name). During this time, I met my husband Jon – tall, dark, handsome . . . and the things he could do with an Excel spreadsheet! After years of dealing with the type-A, fast-paced rat race, Jon and I finally came to our senses about a year ago and got back to Austin as fast as we could. We were excited to be closer to family and farther from stress and snow.
Along for the ride was our sweet seven-year-old boy, Alex, who took being ripped out of school halfway through kindergarten in stride, and has taken to Austin like a duck to water. My formerly thick-skinned city boy now complains that it’s cold when the temperature drops below 60 degrees (he also learned the Texas Pledge of Allegiance and declared tacos his favorite food approximately 24 hours after crossing the state line).
How to describe our Alex? Given the choice, he’d rather be reading. Or shooting hoops. Or memorizing a map of Austin. Or telling fart jokes. He’s a sensitive as the day is long and hasn’t outgrown his need for a good hug from mom. He has a frighteningly good memory – the child forgets nothing. Nothing! He’s a first-grade renaissance manboy – a puzzle wrapped in an enigma, wrapped in a tortilla. And I’m so glad he’s mine.
I’ve always worked in early childhood education – boy, I thought I knew a thing or two about raising kids until I became a mom. Currently, I work in international exchange – I’m a “Den Mom” to a wonderful group of au pairs here in Austin. Through my work, I’ve met people from all over the world, and my passion for seeing this planet of ours continues to grow. Jon and I swore we’d still travel after we had a baby on board, and our destination “wish list” continues to grow.
I have an obsession with popular culture that borders on the unhealthy (a friend and I host a podcast dedicated to our favorites families on television), and I reserve the right to gasp out loud if you tell me “I don’t really have time to watch TV.” Otherwise, I like to read, exercise (okay, I like being done with exercise for the day), and ingest coffee via IV. I’m a card-carrying introvert, but force myself to interact with other humans on the regular (see: Austin Moms Blog, podcast).
Getting reacquainted with Austin has been a joy so far – Alex has gotten to know his cousins, and I’ve rekindled my relationship with fried tortilla products. I’m excited to write, share, learn, and grow with you and the AMB community. Happy reading!
Having known you, Robin, in your eastern seaboard docksiders, your fun-loving, spot-on insight boots are made for blogging 😍