Hello Lansing Mom! I’m Maddie and I live in Dewitt with my husband, our two boys, and our middle-aged orange tabby cat. I grew up in Saline and have lived in Michigan most of my life. I studied agriculture/environmental communications at Michigan State University. Go Green! At one point I was keen on working in that industry, and did for a time, but my path led me elsewhere.
A Few Random Things About Me:
- I think Christmas is great but Halloween is really my jam. Spooky Season is my favorite time of the year.
- When I just need to unwind, you can probably find me streaming a show or playing Nintendo Switch.
- When I had more time for reading books, I usually gravitated toward fantasy or historical fiction.
- Organizing and decluttering my home is fun for me. If I had an unlimited budget my house would look like it came straight out of The Home Edit.
- Growing up, I spent most of my summers camping all over Michigan. I haven’t been able to do it much since having kids, but I hope to be able to get back to it as a family one day.
- I haven’t had many opportunities to travel to different places but Scotland, Italy, and New Zealand are on my bucket list.
Starting Our Little Family
My husband, Tony, and I met while living in Wonders Hall at MSU. After college, we spent a few years living in Chicago. It was an amazing experience but we ultimately decided big city life wasn’t for us and moved back to Michigan. We lived in Grand Rapids (which we also loved) for several years before eventually settling in Dewitt to be closer to MSU, where I was working at the time.
I have always wanted to be a mom for as long as I can remember so when we started talking about having a baby, I was elated. We decided we would just let things happen when they happened and welcomed our first baby boy, Teddy, in August 2020, on the day before my husband turned 30. Of course since it was during the pandemic, visitors weren’t allowed at the hospital, so my mom had to drop the cake and gifts at the front door and a nurse kindly brought them up. A pretty memorable 30th birthday if you ask me! Our second son, Sam, was born August 2022 (just nine days after Teddy’s second birthday), adding a third August birthday to our family. It does make party planning easier!
Transitioning to having two kids over the last year has been really tough, I’m not going to sugarcoat it. While we are still adjusting to being a family of four, I absolutely love being a mom. My boys are truly the light of my life.
Balancing Work Life and Mom Life
I work full-time in internal communications for a financial services company. I am lucky that I get to work a hybrid schedule, but it’s a struggle to find that balance between work and being a mom, especially during sick season. Our kids have missed so many days of daycare that it sometimes feels like they are just home all the time. It’s exhausting being in parent mode constantly. I have so much respect and admiration for stay-at-home moms. Y’all are the real MVPs! I know this season will pass and we will get through it but some days are tough. I’m so thankful to have friends who are in the trenches too, going through all the same struggles. It helps knowing we’re all in the same boat together.
