Birmingham Moms Blog :: Introducing Holly

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Birmingham

I was born in Birmingham and, with the exception of attending Auburn University, have lived here my whole life. I love Birmingham! I can remember returning home after trips when I was growing up and thinking that no other place felt quite like Birmingham. As a child, the Botanical Gardens, Mountain Brook Village and Forest Park were some of my favorite areas. I loved shopping at Smith’s Variety Store, spending my allowance on ribbon, stationery, and Hello Kitty items. My mom took many pictures of my sister and me dragging our dogs through the Gardens. Soon after, dogs were no longer allowed! The historic homes in Forest Park and Southside always charmed me. I love the historic neighborhoods tucked into hills and valleys filled with beautiful trees and greenery. I moved back to Birmingham after college and enjoy my city even more now as an adult. I moved to the Southside area and love seeing our downtown area reviving with new shops and attractions, such as Railroad Park and Regions Field. My husband and I have enjoyed seeing more young people move back to the city. I have only been a mom for nine months, but I could not imagine raising Biscuit anywhere else. There are so many things for kids to do in the city. I cannot wait to take her places I enjoyed as a child and enjoy exploring new places with her, too. 

Me and my sister, Kathleen, at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens

Moms

I am “mummy” to Biscuit. She is nine months of spunk and energy. I am having so much fun planning her upcoming first birthday! We plan to celebrate with an afternoon “English” tea. I have my own business (Holly Hollon Design and Calligraphy) and am also Creative Director at Dixie Design Collective. As a “work-at-home mom,” I have really been learning the balance of being a mother and business owner. Some days are great and some days are hard, but I am so thankful to be able to work from home while raising Biscuit with my husband Charlton. So far, breastfeeding has been one of the hardest but most rewarding things I have done as a mom. I remember how challenging it was to get used to feeding her, a challenge exacerbated by her being a premie. The lactation nurses at St. Vincent’s helped so much, and by the time she was two months old, we were in the swing of things. As I get close to a year into motherhood, I am thankful I was able to persevere and continue to nurse Biscuit and hope that I can continue longer.
Work at Home Mom

Blog

I grew up in a home with food allergies. Both my mom and sister had allergies, so I was very used to reading labels and substituting foods and not eating things everyone else did. As an adult, I became allergic to wheat and soy. Moreover, for health reasons I have limited other foods from my diet, such as processed sugar and dairy. I have seen incredible health rewards from doing so. Since I grew up in a home that was used to food allergies and intolerances, changing my diet was not intimidating. I know for many moms, though, dealing with a  food allergy in a child can be extremely hard. If you have eaten as a normal American most of your life, going gluten free, dairy free, paleo, etc. can be intimidating. You may think that means you will eat salads and chicken the rest of your life — but that is not at all what it means! I am so excited to be sharing with you my Birmingham dining experiences and options for people with different allergies or diets. My posts will also feature some of my favorite easy and yummy recipes that are great for busy moms and picky kids! 

Baking with Biscuit
Dining at one of our favorite “clean eating” and allergy-friendly places, Alabama Biscuit