Hello! My name is Julie and I am a Detroit Mom new writing contributor. I am currently a stay-at-home mom, but I spent about ten years in the corporate finance environment before deciding to stay-at-home with our kids in 2019. I enjoy travelling to new places, trying new restaurants and shopping at local small businesses as much as possible.
Putting Myself First
Finding time for yourself is hard for any mom, but I’ve found the stay-at-home mom life to be particularly challenging in this area. When I worked full-time, I was often able to find pockets of “me time” during lunch breaks. I was able to run errands and maybe sneak in the occasional manicure if my schedule permitted. It allowed me just enough time to myself and helped me keep my sanity during this hectic season of life. Now as a stay-at-home mom, I find it to be much more challenging to sneak in occasional pockets of “me time”. I now tend to find it in a solo workout, or running to the grocery store (it totally counts if you have small kids!).
Family
I have been married to my husband Ken, a Detroit-area native, for ten years. We lived in the same intern housing at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) one summer in college. Ken and I got married in 2011 and have since lived in four houses in three states. We have two kids – Clara (7) and Jonathan (4). They are both unique in their own ways and definitely keep us on our toes.
Where I’m From
I grew up in the small town of Humboldt, Iowa and went to Iowa State University for my undergraduate degree. After college I moved to Chicago, got my MBA from Indiana University, and started a decade-long career in corporate finance. We moved to Northville in December 2019 and love living in the Detroit area. There is so much to do – in the suburbs and downtown. We love taking our kids to sporting events downtown, The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, and other special events around the city. Ken and I like to get out when we can for date nights alone or with friends. We love trying new restaurants all over the Detroit area.
Detroit Mom
I’m super excited to be joining the Detroit Mom team as a new writing contributor and getting to know everyone in this dynamic group of women. I’m most excited about bringing topics relating to food allergies to light. My son Jonathan was diagnosed with life-threatening food allergies to dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, and fish when he was six months old after reacting to milk-based formula.
It has been a long roller coaster of emotions and events ever since. To say that a diagnosis like that impacts all areas of his life and the family’s life is an understatement. It can be overwhelming, daunting, and lonely if you have no prior experience with food allergies. In June 2020 he started the Tolerance Induction Program at the Southern California Food Allergy Institute in Long Beach, CA. It’s a hard program, but the end goal (remission from his food allergies and total food freedom) is worth it. I know there are others in the program from the Detroit area and I look forward to sharing more in the future.
