Hello, Birmingham Moms! I am so excited to be a part of the Birmingham Mom Collective (BMC) and cannot wait to share encouragement and insight regarding making a difference in the special city we call home. Every opportunity is disguised by its difficulty and although we are raising children in a challenging time for our country, I believe that we will be stronger by watching the resiliency of those in Birmingham and our nation in the months ahead.
Birmingham
I was born in the suburbs of Birmingham and loved everything about growing up in our beautiful city. After graduating from the University of Alabama and working in Washington, D.C. I returned to Alabama to marry a Southern gentleman. I have had the honor to watch the city transform before my eyes. Witnessing friends grow their careers and truly make the magic happen in the “Magic City” from running non-profits, to opening restaurants, jewelry boutiques, building companies, and running for political office has brought me tremendous joy. I love walking the streets of our community and noticing things that have not changed and, better yet, things that have transformed into something even more beautiful.
I love telling my children stories about my grandmother riding the street car from Ensley to downtown Birmingham to gaze for hours at the Christmas display at the old Pizitz Department store, my mother running the furniture department at Bromberg’s, my father working at Long Lewis Ford, my grandfather a civil engineer planning Birmingham’s suburbs while employed at U.S. Steel. Our family story book pages truly turn with the point of my finger out the car window.
One of the things I love most about our city are its historic structures. I am deeply concerned about the future of the arts in our city in the wake of the Covid pandemic, including the Lyric Theater and the Alabama Theater. Volunteering is extremely important to me, and I look forward to providing readers with simple ways to get involved in our community and easily involve your children in the giving back process.
Mom
Being a mom has been the most rewarding experience of my life. Like many other women, I lost my first baby to miscarriage. After the birth of my second child, I suffered two pulmonary embolisms that placed me in the ICU for a week with a newborn. This health scare led me to discover that I have a genetic blood disorder, Factor V Leiden, that made carrying my third baby a challenge. However, through all the health scares associated with expecting precious children — it was all worth it.
I am a mother to two girls, Caroline (10) and Lily (8). My husband Chris and I are also blessed with an energetic boy, Harrison (5), who is the quintessential imaginative storyteller.
Motherhood is an everyday teaching challenge, and encouraging other mothers going through the journey is extremely important. Having a solid group of girlfriends while raising your own children is an absolute must. I am thankful for the perspective and kindness other mothers provide our family and my wonderful female tribe who call Birmingham home.
Collective
I started a small business the same year I had my first child. Over the past decade, my company has evolved as my children have grown. This has resulted in several key learnings, and the list keeps growing. I have found ways to put my children’s care and well-being first by turning down work opportunities after facing both my health and their health challenges and most recently navigating a career during the Covid crisis.
As moms, we can intertwine the knowledge we gain working in our communities, at a desk job, or volunteering at our school or church by teaching children a hard work ethic and business principles at a young age.
I am looking forward to sharing wisdom about the real “struggles of mom guilt” and finding the best moments as a working mom while raising kids.
