Hey Detroit Mom Community! My name is DeAndrea and I am a Social Media Contributor for Detroit Mom! I am a working-from-home mom as of recently as a LOA coordinator. However, I was a stay-at-home mom for 7+ years before my big change. I have a serious shopping and Starbucks addiction, that I have unfortunately passed on to my kids. I absolutely love to travel internationally and throughout the United States, as well as explore everything Michigan has to offer. We live in an awesome state and there’s SO much to do here.
My Family
I have a boyfriend who I have been with for almost 10 years, and we have three beautiful children: Nevaeh (12), Vinnie (7), and Sophia (5). They keep me busy, to say the least, but fill my life with so much love. It’s been so amazing watching them all grow into the individuals they are. I couldn’t be prouder of them.
My oldest daughter has a rare vision impairment called Stargardts disease, and leading up to that diagnosis was one of the most frustrating situations ever. I am now the Vice President of Foundation Fighting Blindness, Michigan’s East Chapter. I will do anything I can do to spread awareness and help fight for a cure not just for her, but for so many other individuals with a vision impairment.
If you come to our home you will be entertained to say the least. My son is continuously playing music and all three of them are always dancing or singing. As a family, we love going on trips. We make it a point to go to one new place a year, as well as little trips or camping throughout the year. We also love going to Traverse City!
How I Find Time for Myself
Being a mom can certainly be hard. As a mom, we have SO much pressure and just responsibility sitting on our shoulders. Waking the kids up before school, making sure they have a lunch, making sure they are bathed and fed, their homework is done, planning their birthdays, getting them to friend’s birthdays… the list goes on. The pressure of making sure that we are raising our kids to be kind and making sure these tiny humans we created grow into amazing, responsible adults – it’s a lot. It’s so hard to find time for ourselves!
I know for my family and I, we are always on the go. All three of my kids are in dance. My two oldest are on the Company dance team (Go Suzettes!!) and my youngest is in rec classes as well as gymnastics. In the springtime, the two youngest are in baseball as well. We are busy EVERY DAY and we live our life at the dance studio. As crazy as it sounds, I love it. I love being busy, I love the friendships my kids and I have formed, and I love that they are all doing something they LOVE.
Finding time for myself throughout all the chaos is so important to me. Us moms need a break, even if it is for a half hour a day… we will take anything! I like to work out and the one or two hours spent at the gym puts me in such a good mood and takes away my stress. I will admit though, since starting my new job, I haven’t found myself in the gym in a few months. However, I need to get back into routine, because I felt so good when I was going.
I mentioned before that I like to shop. Sometimes I will sneak to go grocery shopping, just to find some “me time”. I love to spend time with my friends, whether it’s a girls night out or just letting our kids play in the other room while we catch up and talk. At night I love to drink my lavender tea in the quiet and just really decompress from the day. I also find time for myself through volunteering. Giving back just fills my soul. Planning little trips with friends or a dinner date with my boyfriend is something else that I do to make time for myself.
I can’t wait to share my beautiful, hectic, crazy, busy life with you all! It’s not perfect, but that’s the best thing about parenting!
