Meet Our New Contributors! Tara, Lisa, Andrea, and Samantha

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PicMonkey CollageWe’ve done it again!  After receiving many submissions to our open call for contributors, we’ve selected some great ladies to add to the team!  Special thanks to all that submitted their entries…everyone had something special to offer but we just couldn’t take everyone!  Please welcome Tara, Lisa, Andrea, and Samantha to the Cincinnati Moms Blog team!


Tara
tara

Hi! I’m Tara. My husband Jason and I have made our home in Cincinnati for over 17 years. We moved here after graduating from Miami University (yep, we’re a Miami Merger) to be near friends and begin our careers, and I am so thankful that we did! Cincinnati offers such great variety of things for couples and families to do, but most importantly we have built a family of friends that make this city truly home to me.

For several years, I taught high school English to troubled teens, including those in need of treatment for various mental and emotional issues and those who had been convicted of felonies. It was a deeply rewarding and interesting career, but when my oldest was born, I knew I had a new passion and left teaching behind.

We now have three fabulous kids—a thoughtful, serious eleven year old son (11 and 11/12th he insists on reminding me), a curious, kind nine year old son, and a sweet, artistic seven year old daughter. Little did I know ten years ago that I had not left education behind at all. This year, our family started home schooling, and what an adventure it has been! It’s only been a few months, but we are definitely enjoying the calmer, slower pace of life and the freedom it allows us.

When it’s not school time, I work and play some. I run a Mary Kay business and occasionally write for my personal blog at Confused Mommyhood. I enjoy everything food—gardening, meal planning, cooking, and eating, especially at restaurants that are new to me. I also love reading, crafting, socializing, hiking, and traveling. I will use any excuse for a road trip, much to my husband’s dismay. And I am so, so excited to be a part of the CMB.


Lisa
lisa

Hello, I’m Lisa. I was born and raised on the West Side of Cincinnati and now live across the river in Northern Kentucky with my five-year-old son. After earning my Bachelor’s degree from the University of Cincinnati, work and further studies took me out of the tri-state area (and country) for several years. It has been less than ten years since I returned stateside, bought a house, and started a family. Northern Kentucky was not my first choice of places to settle in the Cincinnati area, but now that I’ve been there awhile, I wouldn’t really consider moving anywhere else. It’s a bit of an adjustment to feel so connected still to Cincinnati and Ohio, and to not be part of either in terms of state residency and voting on some issues that impact me.

It really has been as an adult, and especially as a mom, that I’ve truly fallen in love with this city and started to fully appreciate all that it has to offer. Although my natural inclination is to be a homebody, my son’s is not. Our compromise is to spend the majority of the work/school week doing things around the house and to take advantage of the many activities, parks, museums, and zoo on the weekends. We also squeeze in a weekly trip to the public library, as I have passed on my passion for books to him.

While I am appreciative of the sports teams in and around Cincinnati, I am more focused on the arts and culture. I greatly enjoy the theater, ballet, and orchestra. Motherhood has definitely modified how I utilize the city though. Now, instead of being a season-ticket-holder for the Cincinnati Opera, I am the woman with the annual membership to the Cincinnati Museum Center.

That’s a little bit about me. I look forward to sharing my discoveries and experiences within this community.


Andrea
andrea

A Cincinnati transplant, native Hoosier, and cradle Catholic, I am a also 42 year old single mother to my two cutie patooties, nearly 11 year old son Andrew, and barely six year old daughter Ella Jo. Being a mom is my numero uno priority in life. It drives me batty and makes me laugh on a daily basis.

Professionally, I spent nearly 20 years in business-to-business sales and marketing, and decided to go back to school last year to become a registered nurse. As a result my crazy is even crazier! In what leisure time I have, I love to read, learn, cook, exercise, and spend time with friends. I have mild obsessions with pens that write really smoothly, computer fonts (please no Comic Sans or Courier), my Iphone, making my bed, the Oxford comma, and online Scrabble. My laundry is never caught up, and my house is dusty. I make a mean pot of chili.

I live in the Colerain/White Oak area, and have for nearly eight years. My neighbor friends are my framily, and they rock. I have a humongous extended family in southern Indiana, who I don’t get to see as often as I would like. I’m super close to my mom, who was also a single mother, and my stepfather. I have a cat named Miss Merry Christmas and a fish named Walter.


Samantha
sam

Hello! I’m Sam. You can typically find me spending my days at home with my 9 month old son, Benjamin. He’s growing up way too fast (which I’m sure we can all relate to!) and he challenges me every day. He’s an amazing kid and has already taught me so much about myself and about life.

In 2013, my first child, Alice, was stillborn just 2 weeks before my due date. I was 38 weeks pregnant when we learned she had passed away. My husband, Jason, and I have grown closer through our loss of Alice. We’ve also grown closer to our families, we’ve witnessed how deeply we are loved by our friends, and we’ve been the support for others in similar situations. Losing her has shaped how I parent my son and how grateful I am for every day with him.

A bit more about me:

I love crafting and creating: sewing, cross stitch, crocheting, decorating, the list goes on. I just love to make stuff. Pinterest has become a never-ending list of projects I can’t wait to try. And my craft room is basically a huge closet for all of my supplies.

I’ve also been known to spend my free time re-watching my favorite shows on Netflix and taking bubble baths, sometimes at the same time.

My husband, son, and I moved to Cincinnati this past summer from Minnesota. We are really enjoying getting to know the city so far, and it certainly helps that the weather is much more mild too. On the weekends you can probably find us, with Ben in tow, checking out one (or more) of the many craft breweries in the area.

If you want to learn a bit more about me, I’ve been known to blog sporadically at www.chicacheeks.com.


Welcome ladies!

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