Hi! My name is Crissy Blinstrub, and my crew and I reside in Bloomfield Hills. My family and I love the quiet feel of the suburbs but have a strong love for the city of Detroit and its revival. When we are around home, we love to visit Bowers School Farm, Johnson Nature Center, and our local library. When we venture into the city, we love to try the newest restaurant with rave reviews or hit up the DNR Outdoor Adventure Center.

A Little About Me

I grew up in Troy as the youngest daughter in a family of four girls! Everyone always said, “Oh, your poor dad!,” but truth be told, he loves his girl crew, and it was really my mom who took the most abuse when all of our hormones were raging!

I graduated from MSU with a degree in child development along with a teaching certificate. Then, I hopped around part-time teaching jobs during the great recession and finally landed a full-time teaching position at a small private school. I loved working in a small community and spent five amazing years teaching kindergarten through second grade.

Marriage

My husband, Michael, and I have been taking on life together for 15 years. We’ve been married for 10 and just celebrated our big milestone anniversary, as well as his 40th birthday with a trip to London and Paris.

Michael and I met many moons ago at JD’s Key Club in Pontiac. It was a chance encounter, one of those hazy nights from our younger years; however, on our first date, we quickly realized how much we had in common and how weird it was that we didn’t know each other already! Commonalities included our cousins being best friends, many mutual acquaintances, and our parents growing up across the street from each other! With all of that in common, as well as both being foodies and Spartans, it seemed to be (and still is) a perfect match!

Babies and Beyond

Michael and I are the proud parents of two boys. Henry is 5 (almost 6) and loves animals, nature, and drawing. He is a typical first-born perfectionist who keeps his room tidy and is apprehensive to try anything new. Ben is 3 and loves singing, puzzles, and all things Henry. He is silly, sweet, and gives the best snuggles.

Henry and Ben are the best of friends and love to explore and go on adventures in our backyard. You can usually find them cruising around in their John Deere Gator, looking for treasures, or immersed in some sort of made-up expedition. We count our lucky stars every day that they are strong and healthy, and that we get to be their parents!

And Now Back to Me!

I have been a SAHM since Henry was born. It wasn’t my original plan, but sometimes life throws you curve balls, and since Henry needed a bit of extra care as a newborn, I didn’t think twice about where I needed to be.

After Henry was given the green light for daycare, we reevaluated our situation and decided we liked the feel of one parent being at home, and so I was officially on hiatus. Although it was a hard adjustment at first, I mostly love being at home. When I am not busy wrangling them here or there, I love to spend time reading, crafting, or doing yoga. I also spend a lot of time making and sharing learning resources. I know my teaching background gives me an advantage when it comes to teaching my children at home, and I’ve always been passionate about parents being their child’s “first teacher,” so I’ve been sharing some easy tips for facilitating learning and play at home with a little community I’ve created on Instagram. You can find me at @thatstorybookmom.