Nice to Meet You!

Hello! I’m Katie (not a Colleen!), 36- wife, daughter, sister, friend, and mother and this is my first time writing for a blog! I have 2 girls (Emma-5, Hannah-3) and 2-six year old English bulldogs (brothers named Dozer and Skidder, of which at least once a day, one of them throws up in the house due to their insatiable love of eating kid toys and paper towels). I own and run a business with my husband (Jay-37, haha) which I am grateful for, so I can be at home with our girls. But I am also happy hugging them and saying “bye-bye” as they walk into school for a few hours, granting me some peace & quiet (actually just time for work without listening to them scream at each other or having to run into another room on a business call!). They make me crazy, but I am crazy in love with them. Watching them grow into themselves is the best part of my day. Few things about me: I love to read, even if it’s just a chapter before I fall asleep at 9pm! My passion is writing. I am just over 42,000 words into my first novel, which I hope to possibly, publish this year. (Eek!) And which I only have time to write in the wee hours of the morning after the hubby leaves and before the children rise for the day. But I do cherish these few quiet moments to see the sun come up. I love, love, love acoustic music, flip flops, live theater and chocolate anything. My family loves to be outside. My goal this year is to have a garden. Wish me luck. There aren’t enough hours in the day as it is to get everything done I want to get done, so let’s add a garden to tend to the list. My kids have been begging to camp out in our backyard. Hopefully, this summer will be the summer we make that happen. Maybe we can put our tent next to the garden, that will more than likely be overgrown with weeds instead of tomatoes or peppers. I’ll keep you posted. Let’s see, what else can I tell you about me? I love sunflowers, hate spiders (of all shapes and sizes), I am not afraid to tell my kids no, I make my husband’s lunch everyday and as much as I try to make time for me, there never seems to be enough hours in the day. But I have come to realize that life doesn’t slow down, no matter what I do, so I smile and keep going (at least I try to) and laugh as often as I can. My favorite quote lately was said by Oprah Winfrey, “Do what you have to do, until you can do what you want to do.” Good words that I am trying to live by every day. My husband is a workaholic and bless him, he puts up with me and my scatterbrained, forgetfulness. I thought my dream job, while in college, was to be a teacher. I am certified to teach middle through high school, but working from home was really my dream, I just didn’t know it until I couldn’t get a teaching job after college graduation. I finished late and finally got a degree when I was 27. But at this time in 2008, the economy tanked and language arts and social studies teachers were a dime a dozen. The hubs and I tried our hand at a business and 11 years later, here we are and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s not always easy being home and I sympathize with mommies who have to leave their babies in someone else’s care each day. After my first daughter was born, I lost my sense of purpose in the world and felt like I was stuck at home all the time. It was lonely and depressing, but as she got older and we had another, things didn’t get easier, I just learned that others had it harder and I was lucky in my own way. Do I still bitch and complain sometimes? You’re damn right I do. The struggle is real, staying home or working outside of home – motherhood is hard either way. We moms just have to stick together, stay strong, and get shit done.
Showing kindness is one of the most important things I want to teach my kids. Our world defines us by so many trivial things that we must rise above and be kind and caring in every way possible. I hope my family and I can help be part of the -kindness change- our world so desperately needs. I also have a potty mouth as you have seen — but I curse because after a day of talking with two small children and cleaning up dog puke, smiling and taking care of customers on the phone while hiding from my kids in a closet, I can let out some frustration and say shit how I want to say shit. No holding back – fuck it! Life is too damn short. And wine, wine definitely helps too.

I am truly excited to be a part of this blog with my amazing friend and kindness guru, Colleen. You are making big things happen in the world and I am honored to be here because it gives me the opportunity to write for an actual audience (yikes!). So welcome to Kindness and Cursing and I hope to get to know all of you!

Xo, Katie

PS. This family picture is two years old…maybe we’ll have time to get an updated one by the time my kids are in high school 😉