I am a stay-at-home mom to Jemma (3), Chase (1) and our orange tabby cat, Griffon. I am the wife to an extraordinary, hard-working, and supportive man, Jason.

I taught reading and ESL in an inner city school district.  I was a positive light in many of my students’ lives and worked hard to nurture a love of reading, writing and learning, as well as provide meaningful experiences for each of my students.  This was met with challenges, but seeing the light-bulbs turn on and watching their pride after reading a book all by themselves or publishing a piece of writing after weeks of hard work made my days as a teacher truly worth it.  I cared for my students and wanted to inspire them to love every moment and laugh out loud because they were kids after all.

But as soon as I found out I was pregnant with my daughter, I knew I wanted to become a stay at home mom. 

As a new mom, especially a stay at home mom, I was struggling to find balance in my own life.  Between taking care of a baby, doing house chores, cooking and cleaning, I barely found time for myself to pursue those hobbies and interests I enjoyed before becoming a mom.  Plus, my husband was working long days to support us so I could stay at home with our daughter.

I know there are other moms out there feeling the same way I do so I wanted to use blogging to share the things that have helped me find balance in my life (It wasn’t always easy!) while fulfilling my role as a mom, wife, homemaker, daughter, and friend.

My goal with the Nurturing Family and Self blog is to inspire other moms to live a balanced life filled with passion, love and laughter. One of my favorite quotes is, “We all get the exact same 365 days. The only difference is what we do with them.” I want to inspire other moms to make every moment matter and live their days to the fullest. “Yesterday is a dream, tomorrow is a gift, so live for today” is my motto and I want it to be yours too!

Thank you for taking time out of your day to visit!  I appreciate you being a part of my blogging community! I’m happy you are here!