About me
“I hope you have one just like you,” is a phrase my mother said often when I was young. Little did she know that her strong-willed child would have two just like her.
My father likes to reiterate the point that not long after their second child was born in June of 1998, he sought out and purchased the book The Strong-Willed Child (Dr. James Dobson).
•Strong-willed: determined to do as one wants even if others advise against it (Oxford Dictionary).
This was his nice little way of calling me stubborn, rebellious, and reckless. However, strong-willed people often go on to lead successful lives. Sure, I’m a three-time college dropout who eventually became a stay-at-home mother of two kids under two, but if I can raise them to be kind, loving, and happy individuals, I’ll say that I’ve found success.
My goal is to help other parents or caregivers, whether it be tips on handling “strong-willed children” as my father would say, share products or regimens that have been a tremendous help in navigating this relatively new life, or to simply provide suggestions for family fun both inside and outside of the home.
Expertise
At 15-and-a-half, I was lifeguard and CPR/First Aid certified with American Red Cross through our local YMCA. On my 16th birthday, my father and I were riding around and he asked me what I wanted to do. I asked him to stop at the local YMCA to fill out an application since I was legally able to work.
Ten days later, I was officially hired as a lifeguard and swimming instructor. The following year, I was certified as a Lifeguard and CPR/First Aid/AED instructor. Eventually I moved on from the YMCA to a lifeguard at the Coast Guard Base. After that, I temporarily worked in a gym daycare. I worked closely with children of all ages, both neurotypical and neurodivergent, from the time I was 16 until I was nearly 21.
A few short months after I turned 22, I was expecting my first child; a little girl. She arrived and six months later, I was expecting again—a boy this time. I gave birth to them 14 months apart, 3 days before I turned 24.
The nearly five years of experience working with children absolutely prepared me for the journey that is parenthood, but no one can be 100 percent prepared.
What I Do
I am a stay-at-home mom, who spends most of her days chasing a two-year-old, making food, entertaining two children, and now having to keep a close eye on her now one-year-old who is closely following in his sister’s footsteps.
Parenting is more than meets the eye. Both working parents and stay-at-home parents have it hard. Believe you me, I’ve done both.
The best thing I could have done for both them and myself is create routines as they reach new milestones, and stick firmly to them.
The Essentials 