Hello Detroit Moms! My name is Kristin, and I am thrilled to be joining your team as a contributor.
About Me!
I’m originally from East Lansing, Go Green! I started living in the metro Detroit area after I graduated from Central Michigan University in 2010. I majored in Apparel Merchandising and Design and minored in Event Management. After I graduated, I worked various apparel jobs, including retail, product development, and licensing. After leaving licensing, I switched to the events world, working for a local historical home that hosts small events.
I left the workforce in 2019 when we adopted our first child and have been a stay-at-home mom ever since. Staying home is by far the hardest, yet most rewarding job I’ve ever had.
I’m a former competitive figure skater and still love to follow the sport. Figure skating introduced me to pilates many years ago, and I continue to practice at Club Pilates a few times a week. I’m passionate about my family, friends, sports (specifically the Spartans and Green Bay Packers), traveling, fashion, and health and wellness. I love hosting our friends and family for events whether it be a holiday, sports event, or birthday party. Putting together fun events where people feel invited, relaxed, and enjoy good food makes me feel in my element.
I attend a wonderful, small church that I love being active in. I teach in the preschool room once a month and attend most events they host. I’m a Virgo to a “T,” introverted, and much prefer to stay in on any given night. You can find me listening to the Spa station on XM radio or an audiobook in my car, or jamming out to 90’s country music. My mom often used the phrase “still waters run deep” to describe my personality, having disliked large crowds since I was young and being more of an observer than a socializer. I’m an expert in Harry Potter and love to nerd out with others.
Self-Care
To put myself first, I am not afraid to ask for help–specifically from my husband, who is the most amazing partner. I will frequently tell him when I’m tapped out and need space. He regularly encourages me to take time for myself, or plan time out or away; however, I am not good at “me” time because I really don’t know what to do with the time. There’s always the fan favorite wandering through Target with a Starbucks routine, grocery shopping alone, or getting a manicure, but even those things don’t feel enough most of the time.
When I want “me” time I want to just curl up with a book or mindlessly scroll my phone at home, but then I’m still hearing the chaos in my home or looking around at all the tasks I have yet to complete. 90% of my close friends live out of state, therefore getting girl time is hard to come by.
My Family
My husband, Cameron, and I were married in May 2014 and knew we wanted to start a family shortly after. We started trying a year after being married and had no luck. We struggled with years of fertility treatments and an endometriosis diagnosis, and still fall into the “unexplained” infertility category. Adoption was always on our hearts and we were actively pursuing adoption simultaneously with fertility treatments.
I finally became a mom in 2019 to our now four-year-old daughter, Rosalie. She came to us by way of adoption, having had only three weeks’ notice that we had been matched before she was born. She was everything we prayed for and more. Rosalie is adventurous, free spirited, the life of the party, and the sweetest little soul all wrapped into one tiny human.
Our son Julian came to us via adoption in December 2021, having had less than 24 hours notice about his arrival. His whirlwind entrance into our lives rocked us completely, having gone from a family of three to a family of four literally overnight. He is the opposite of his big sister. Julian is much more clingy, an observer, and a big ole mama’s boy with the biggest heart. He’s everything we never knew we needed and I absolutely cannot imagine our family without him.
I relate most to adoptive, stay-at-home, homeschooling moms, and those who have struggled with infertility. I’m huge Pinterest fan, but also can get overwhelmed by it.
I <3 Detroit!
I grew up in East Lansing and currently live in Farmington. We love the small town life that Farmington offers, living close enough to downtown to walk to the shops, restaurants, farmers market, and library. It’s our very own Stars Hallow . . . if you’re into Gilmore Girls. I love that there is always something to do in metro Detroit and great resources and networking.
My husband and I love going into downtown Detroit whenever we get date nights. San Morello (hello sheep’s milk ricotta dip), Motor City Brewing Works, and Grey Ghost are some of our favorite restaurants. We love going to Eastern Market on spring and summer Saturdays, exploring the Christmas markets and Campus Martius in the winter, and attending various sporting events and plays at the downtown venues.
Adoptive Mama
I’m most excited about shedding more light on adoption. I myself have a very hard time finding local people who have been through the process. It can be a very lonely and isolating feeling, not having many who truly understand what I have been through. I’ve said before that I finally feel like I am part of the “mom’s club” that I wanted to be in for so many years, but I often don’t feel like I’m “fully” in the club, having never experienced childbirth and all that goes with carrying a child and the recovery that follows, mentally and physically.
