THE GIFT OF BEING A MOM

Without a doubt, becoming a mom is one of the greatest gifts that life has bestowed upon me. In my experience, parenthood has been a journey of fulfillment and reward and like all events of major significance, it hasn’t come without it’s fair share of challenges and at times, even downright uncertainty. Ironically, it has been during those times of uncertainty that my children have been my greatest teachers…with gentle reminders of patience, spontaneity, creativity and most importantly, that we are all unique individuals and perfect just the way we are.

MY INCREDIBLE CAREER LIFE

In the early 90’s and before I had children, I had the honor of being a first responder/paramedic for approximately six years. It was here that I learned the value of keeping a level head in the face of tragedy, a skill that has helped me stay the course whenever confronted by incertitude. I saw things one could never imagine, even so, I was appreciative to be there for those that needed help. Being a paramedic, I was thrust into situations that immediately connected me with people’s personal life and I am forever appreciative of the experience.

When our county contract was up for bid, many of us were going to lose our jobs. It was then, that I made the conscious decision to go back to school and prepare for a second career. So, I took a forensic course at a local community college, which proved to be the beginning of a twenty-year career in forensic science. Not only did I conduct casework at the agency I worked for, but I also immersed myself into research and even had the privilege to have been asked to give presentations and teach within my specific discipline, all around the country. It was during this period that I also got married and had my two precious babies. It was an amazing career, which may never have occurred, had I not been forced to seek out new avenues during that contract bid.

SOME UNFORESEEN EVENTS

In 2008, I once again found myself in a very difficult situation. I was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor, just shortly after I had my second child. It was a very scary time, having to go to endless doctors appointments, a mind full of unpredictability, a newborn and an 18-month old! It was during this time in which I faced my darkest moments. About a year after I was diagnosed, I received radiation treatments and to date, my tumor is stable! Slowly, my life began to normalize again and I was sure the worst was behind me. So, I thought.

In 2012, I became a single parent after a painful divorce with the father of my children. Needless to say, my life went through many more changes and challenging periods adjusting to “single mom” life. I felt like I needed to go into “survival mode” and it left me with very few choices. At the time, I felt that the only way out was to work even harder to provide my children with the kind of life they deserved. I found it very challenging to find the right balance of work and family time.

THE “AWAKENING” AND TRANSITION INTO THE ENTREPENURIAL WORLD

For the past few years, I really had begun some deep integration with my own personal self-growth. Digging into the limiting beliefs and baggage that I had been carrying around for years. As I began to expand and grow, it was during this time that I realized something had been tugging at my heart, yet I was not able to pinpoint what it was. As those feelings persisted, I needed to find out exactly what was causing them.

Then one day when my son Austin turned ten, it suddenly hit me. I realized just how fast time was passing with my children and that I was spending more time working instead of being fully present in my children’s lives. It was at that very moment that I began to take a closer look at my role as a parent.

Was I wholeheartedly supporting who they were? Was I being fully present with them daily? After an exhausting day of work and then going into ‘parent-mode’, each day seemed to feel like ground-hog day and I was left with very little energy. I was scared that my behavior would have a negative influence on them subconsciously. I quickly realized that the time to truly have an impact on them was a narrow window, which was closing fast. I needed to do something about it.

So, a month after my beautiful son turned 10, I decided to give my two weeks notice at work and enter the entrepreneurial world. Yep, just like that.

HOW CALIBABIES EVOLVED

When I became cognizant of what the problem was, I decided that my outlook on parenting had to change. I have realized that my job as a parent is to truly support the amazingly perfect and unique souls that they are. I could no longer think of it as just more work, hard work, and exhausting work. If I can have fun at my job and other things, why can’t I make parenting fun in all its aspects? So, I choose to take baby steps to shift my attitude and be more aware of my everyday language. In doing this, I saw a favorably noticeable change within my whole family unit.

All kinds of fun ideas and strategies to make interactions with my children more substantial, began to manifest themselves and I began to take an inventory of them. In a very short time, I started to notice the difference in the behavior of my babies and most importantly, in my own! The key was to notice my negative attitude towards work, parenting, and the balance of it all. For years, I felt that the whole thing was hard and difficult, but ultimately, everything in our life is really how we choose to see it.

So with this awakened awareness, CaliBabies materialized. The name stems from the combination of the two most precious gems in my life. First and foremost, my two precious babies Austin and Camryn, to whom I owe the inspiration and driving force behind this venture. Secondly, to the sunny and beautiful beaches of Southern California, where I have lived since I was a baby, because they always has been a grounding force for me, providing me with clarity and mindful energy.

CaliBabies was created to provide programs and products for ALL parents. Whether they be a biological parent, step-parent, single parent, stay-at-home-parent, foster parent, second mom/dad…doesn’t matter. We are ALL in this together! CaliBabies products were designed to help you better connect with your child, yourself and with the whole world! CaliBabies helps empower others by giving them the tools for a more rooted and connected family unit, while still maintaining the balance of work and a healthy home environment.

One step at a time, beautiful and life-changing shifts can be made. Parenting doesn't need to be hard. We can CHOOSE to step forward and make it fun, easy and fulfilling - beyond our greatest expectations!

Thank you for visiting us.

We are CaliBabies. Evolve with love.