Hello there Des Moines Moms Blog Readers! I am so excited to be a part of this incredible community!
When I saw that DMMB was looking for contributors, I knew I’d love to do it, but I hesitated. See, I don’t always know whether I should consider myself a mom. I’m a step-mom. I had a step-mom myself, boundaries and respect for bio-mom are really important to me, and I often question what my role should look like.
Our family is still navigating co-parenting, and there are times we get it more right than others, but I am so grateful to be a part of my amazing step-kiddos’ lives! I hope to provide a relatable perspective for readers based on my experiences as a step-child, step-parent, and co-parent.
I’m originally from eastern Iowa and settled in the Des Moines area in 2006. I enjoy suburban life with my husband Alan, step-children Olivia and Wyatt, and our two cats Stormy and Penelope.
As a family, we absolutely love science- exploring nature, digging for treasure and jewels and dinosaur bones, creating foam explosions, and searching for insects and critters to investigate!
In addition to a part-time job in public safety and a side-gig as an adjunct instructor at DMACC, I’m in graduate school for social work at the University of Iowa. I love how social work practice applies to how I want to live my personal life. It’s also helped me in adapting to step-parenthood and wrapping my brain around the weird things kids do sometimes!
I can’t say enough how excited I am for this, and thank you all for welcoming me into your community! I look forward to connecting with all of you!
