ML Interest Tag: health-insurance

The Most Perfect New Mom Gift I’ve Ever Received

By Jennifer Landis

Every new mom knows the classic routine of having a baby shower and hoping for the best. Yes, I absolutely adore the booties my grandmother took the time to crochet—as well as enough toys to stock the shelves of FAO Schwartz. As a freelancer, though, my income fluctuates anywhere between being able to hand a few Gs to homeless people in need and dining on Ramen while watching public domain movies on YouTube in the dark.

That’s why the best baby gifts I ever received as a new mom didn’t necessarily score high in cuteness points. They did, however, rock the socks off the convenience factor. If a special woman in your life is expecting her first or even her fifth little bundle of joy, draw some inspiration from the gifts I appreciated the most before heading to that reveal party.

1. Future Financial Peace of Mind

My brother-in-law shows roughly as much emotion as your average IRS agent—it’s all about the money. While we jokingly refer to him as Scrooge every December 25, behind his gruff exterior lies the heart of a saint, albeit the Patron Saint of Fiscal Responsibility.

When I received my reveal card from him, I discovered he had opened a 529 college savings plan for my baby’s future educational expenses. Did my friends squeal and ooh and ahh? Not so much. In terms of practicality, though, my brother-in-law harnessed the power of time to compound interest and create what will become a sizable gift for my little one when the time comes to pursue a degree.

2. Tools for Diaper Duty

My friends refer to me as the plastic Nazi and I take no offense to this. When it came to deciding between disposable diapers and cloth, I chose the more environmentally friendly option.

Several friends pooled their resources to get me a diaper laundry container that neutralized odors naturally until the contents could be washed. They also hooked me up with a ton of cloth diapers in various sizes so my baby’s behind would remain comfortably swaddled.

3. Easy-to-Heat & Drink Noms

Many people treat new moms to easy-to-heat casseroles and quiches. I won’t lie: As a busy mother, the slow cooker and oven have become my best friends. Even if I had the time to cook, parenting a newborn saps me of the energy to do so.

However, the one thing I missed the most during both of my pregnancies was a nice meal paired with the right wine. I literally cried with delight when my bestie arrived after I returned home with my youngest with a gift basket loaded with delicious bubbly and the cheese, nuts and fruit to match. Pro-tip: Sipping one drink only has a negligible effect on breast milk and that first glass of wine after nine months on the wagon tastes like heaven, especially with well-aged cheddar.

4. A Therapist Visit (or 10)

Even women who don’t develop postpartum depression need to adjust to the psychological reality of having another human being 100 percent dependent upon them for care. Talk therapy doesn’t come cheap—even with health insurance coverage.

My mum did the legwork for me when I had my first. Because I returned to work less than a week after giving birth due to the fact I telecommute, she hooked me up with an online therapy program so I could reach out for help without needing to find a sitter.

5. Books, Books & More Books

I refuse to apologize for being a serious bookworm. It’s in my blood. I distinctly remember the day my mum took my pre-K self to summer library, but then left me waiting to read a Curious George book while she cooked dinner. She let a potful of noodles boil to mush when I grew impatient and started loudly reading, “The man with the big, yellow hat …”

I read to both my babies in the womb and while I can’t guarantee they’ll inherit my appreciation of quiet rainy days spent on a cozy window seat with a gripping novel, I can make sure they’re ready for school. Gifts of age-appropriate books always make my A-list.

6. A Rocking Chair

Something about rocking a baby to sleep while covered in an afghan makes me feel pleasantly nostalgic. It’s long been a tradition in my family to pass down this favorite piece of furniture. It didn’t cost them a dime, but now I can rock-a-bye baby the way my mother and her mother before her did in earlier generations.

7. A Cleaning Coupon

My own mum could put TV’s “Queen of Clean” to shame with her near-OCD addiction to banishing every single particle of dirt daring to show its ugly face indoors. I, fortunately, have a more pacifistic relationship with a bit of disorder in my home, but when things get too messy, it does make me snappy.

Trust me on this—new moms won’t feel insulted by cleaning help coupons. Whether you hire a professional service or simply use your own elbow grease, she will appreciate having chores taken off her plate.

8. A Ma-Spa Day

Schlepping around a baby and swollen breasts wreaks havoc on the backs of new moms. A spa day replete with massage, facial and pedicure does wonders to help her heal after childbirth. No room in the budget for paying the pros? Offer to pamper her yourself at home.

Gifts Mamas Truly Love

Giving birth comes with physical pain, financial stress and a host of practical things to plan ahead of time. New babies don’t remember the gifts given in infancy—but every new mom will appreciate these treats and be happy to return the favor when the time comes.

Jennifer Landis is a mom, wife, freelance writer, and blogger. She enjoys long naps on the couch, sneaking spoonfuls of peanut butter when her kid's not looking, and binge watching Doctor Who while her kid's asleep.  She really does like her kid, though, she promises. Find her on Twitter @JenniferELandis.

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The Joy in Irresponsibility

By Leah Day

I am feeling self-conscious about my upcoming bike trip across America with my 15-year-old son. It is such a luxury and privilege to be able to just take off and step out of the rat race like this that I am a bit embarrassed.

It is not lost on me that I am a middle-income, white woman who has grown up with a lot of support and opportunity. I feel guilty doing something as self-serving as this bike adventure. Where do I get off thinking that I can get away with something so fun?

Perhaps, these thoughts come from the Midwesterner in me. My family hails from Minnesota and I fight a chemical in my blood that demands that we should all be a little bit miserable in order to earn our keep in this world. We are also supposed to praise frugality, hard work and keep a low profile so as not to draw attention to ourselves. This trip does not match these sentiments.

To add to these feelings of guilt, my husband Twain and I have fallen into all the financial traps that our society has set for us and I am choosing to ignore them. We have taken on tremendous school loans which we may never pay off fully, maxed out a home equity line and done the credit card dance throughout our adult lives. We live paycheck to paycheck and rarely buy new clothing or gear. We have three kids in college and often need to bail them out by helping them with rent and other expenses. We don’t have health insurance.

We decided to take a gamble this year because it felt like throwing money away and our coverage was terrible anyway. We drive a 2008 mini-van that has sliding doors on either side that get stuck open routinely. It is a big joke to watch our children and their friends struggle to slam the door closed only to have it spring back open again and again. We grocery shop at Trader Joe’s because it is the cheapest thing going. I don’t have a retirement account. Money is a constant stress. It causes a lot of conflict.

Yet, when we do get money do we save it? Do we pay down our debt? No. We impulsively spend it on travel. It seems that every time we get a little windfall we impulsively spend it on an adventure. They are low budget adventures to be sure, but they are still frivolous and seemingly irresponsible given the state of our finances. But this impulsivity has allowed us to do amazing things.

We have followed the Oregon Trail and ridden in covered wagons. We have walked on Glaciers in Iceland. We have explored Mammoth Cave and hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. We have snorkeled in tropical waters and hung out with Capuchin monkeys. We have camped on beaches and forests and canoed down remote rivers. These trips define our family and the way in which we engage with the world around us. I wouldn’t take away a second of them no matter the cost.

So this bike trip? Totally financially irresponsible. Our money would be better spent paying off loans, saving for retirement or buying health insurance. But how insufferably boring! When Oakley and I leave, it will be necessary for me to close my private practice counseling business. My income will come to a crashing halt. We will defer our student loans and Twain (bless his heart) will keep working, but the trip will cost a lot in terms of gear, camping fees and other necessities. It is completely reckless and will add to our financial stress considerably.

But to not go would be worse. We hear about tragedies on a global scale every day and I also hear them on a personal scale through my counseling work. I am often overwhelmed by the state of the world and by the sadness that many people I know carry, such as depression and suicidal ideation, the crushing cycle of poverty, drug addiction and failing families. When I become overwhelmed everything seems gray. I get tired and worn and lose my spark. At these times I feel I have nothing left to offer. Then I feel bad about myself and become unmotivated. It is a sad state of affairs. I know it happens to everybody.

If I don’t have a spark and if Oakley loses his spark, what good are we? I want to be a positive force in the world and I want him to be one, too. The only way I know how to keep our sparks bright is to get out of the gray of the city. To get out off our screens and into the outdoors. To engage with others and nature. To stop worrying about ferry schedules and shopping lists. To stop rushing and getting lost in the lists of my life.

Adventuring in the outdoors is how I remember where I fit and what I am a part of. This is why, no matter how selfish it seems, this trip is a good thing. Yes, it is totally self-serving but, I am hoping, it will allow us to have more to give, by filling us up.

My role model is Frederick the mouse in Leo Lionni’s children’s book, Frederick. Frederick spends his days collecting beautiful images and feelings throughout the summer days to have something to share with the other mice during the dark winter months:

“And how about the Colors Frederick?” they asked anxiously.

“Close your eyes again,” Frederick said.

And when he told them of the blue periwinkles and the red poppies the yellow wheat and the green leaves of the berry bush, they saw the colors as clearly as if they had been painted on their minds.

I may never pay off my loans. I may never make the big changes that I would like to see in the world, but I think I can rationalize this expedition by believing that if we stay completely alive and awake we are adding something good to the world. At least believing us helps quell the scolding Midwesterner in me.

Beginning in August 2019, my son Oakley and I will cycle across America over the course of three months. Oakley is a spirited 15-year-old boy who has always struggled to fit into the confines of mainstream culture. I am Leah, his mother—and we are ready for adventure.

 

 

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Having Children Was the Best Thing I Did for My Career

By Phoebe Farag Mikhail

I was set to fly to Sierra Leone, Senegal and Kenya for work when I discovered I was pregnant. When I told my boss, he said, “Well, then you can’t go to Sierra Leone. My brother had to be HVAC-ed out of there twice.” We considered switching my trip to the Philippines, but learned that the required vaccinations were too risky in my first trimester. I was grounded.

Before having children, I loved my work, especially the travel. Traveling to impoverished areas to start programs was my chance to work with and listen to people from where they were. The trips were invigorating and exhausting at the same time, because in-country I tried to squeeze out every minute I could with the locals, living, learning, and listening—but sometimes burning out.

My work demanded everything out of me—my time, my talents, and my passions. I was certainly driven—driven by my faith that I felt called me to work with those who need help, driven by my love for the countries and the people I visited, and driven by the satisfaction of seeing ideas for programs come to life in ways that I thought truly helped people.

Motherhood put a screeching halt to that drive. As a first time mother, my identity shifted dramatically, and it was jarring. Instead of being out there saving the world, I was at home keeping one tiny human alive, a tiny human that astounded me by how fiercely I loved him. In those first few months, I felt grateful to have that time just to bond with him, establish nursing and read him stories. Still, restlessness plagued me, and soon enough I felt the itch to work again, to use the parts of my self that had laid dormant for those few months adjusting to my new and seemingly all-encompassing role.

First, I tried jumping back into my jet-setting line of work. I flew to Jordan with my mother and my still nursing nine-month old in tow. I delivered training in the conference room, then ran to nurse my son on breaks in the hotel room. It was a memorable experience, but impossible to repeat when I had my second and third child. Traveling for vacation with children is hard enough; traveling overseas with an infant for work can be even more stressful—and costly.

I stepped away from work that required travel. In fact, for a short time I stepped away from work altogether.

And that was the best thing to happen to my career.

Privileged enough to be able to rely (with some budgeting) on my husband’s full time work and health insurance coverage, being home with my children and away from the overtime demands of my career gave me time to reflect. Instead of more demanding jobs, I began to work on short-term consultancies, mostly from home, until the opportunity arose to teach academic writing at a nearby community college.

This new challenge excited me, and I jumped into it with the same fervor I did my international development work. I then continued to adjunct work at four-year college, also teaching writing. As I balanced this with my consultancies, I also started to see a new identity emerge, an aspect of my personal interests that my whirlwind career had hidden—I started to see myself as a writer.

For years my writing had been limited to grant proposals, handbooks, training manuals, and case studies. Only occasionally did I delve out into essays and journal articles. With the time to step back from the relentless needs and priorities of my previous career, I could now come back to writing, something I always enjoyed doing.

Not only did I rediscover my love for writing, the young motherhood stage of my life allowed me to find my writing niche. I started blogging, trying out different themes and topics until a purpose to my writing emerged: helping people restore and build personal connections and relationships with one another. That purpose put together all the pieces of my life together thus far—the work with people in communities all over the world, the isolation I felt staying home with my children, the advocacy training I did with human rights advocates around the world, the conversations I was having on social media, the service I was doing at my local church—I could write about this with passion, authenticity, and credibility. And I would not have found this voice if not for my children.

My time with my young children is busy, and like it is for most mothers, physically and emotionally draining. Yet somehow this time also gave me the mental space my prior full-time career did not. As I reflected on what my kids were doing, saying, or teaching me, I thought about how my inner world connected to the outside world, and realized how much I had to share.

I have also increased my writing for my international work, consulting regularly for different organizations, glad to use my writing to make a difference in people’s lives. The passion I threw into my career before children paid dividends in my being able to construct my own consulting, teaching and writing career now. I’ve even been able to do some travel again, but on my own terms.

The stress of trying to balance attention to my family, work, and writing remains. Yet this transition has already bred new and exciting ideas about where I might go from here, as my children get older and I get more time to pursue my writing, my work and my interests. I have ideas bubbling in my head, a book slated for publication, and other projects simmering. These, along with my children’s chubby faces, are what drive me now.

Despite the prevailing narrative that motherhood can stall or even ruin careers, I know I am not the only mom who has seen motherhood enhance her career. I know many mothers whose transition to parenthood also led them away from soul-crushing jobs to exciting entrepreneurial endeavors or new and more meaningful career paths. Children are not a challenge to overcome as we advance in our careers. My story proves they can be the best thing to happen to our careers—and our lives.

 

Phoebe Farag Mikhail
Tinybeans Voices Contributor

Phoebe Farag Mikhail is an author, educator, and international development consultant. She has lived in New York, Washington, D.C., the United Kingdom and Egypt and she and her husband love traveling with their three kids. She blogs at Being in Community and is the author of Putting Joy into Practice: Seven Essential Ways, forthcoming from Paraclete Press.

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25 Signs You’re a BoCoCa Parent

by Mimi O'Connor

An area with a real estate industry conjured-name, BoCoCa, or, in English, the sprawling network of North Brooklyn neighborhoods Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens, has emerged as one of the hottest, and most family-friendly neighborhoods in New York. It’s understandable: it’s cute as hell, loaded with parks, good food, and back in the day, you could get more space for a deal. While those bargains are long gone, the scores of families living and moving here are not. Read on to learn the hallmarks of parenting in this ‘hood.

1. Every time you go to Brooklyn Bridge Park you see something new, are amazed you have a world-class, beautifully-landscaped waterside park within walking distance, and thank your lucky  stars  (or the real estate gods.) Also: your kid has a blast, no matter what age.

2. You have basically two colors of bags in your house: brown paper (Trader Joe’s) and orange plastic (Brooklyn Wine Exchange).

3. Your children have been raised on fish — of the red, Swedish variety, and the kind that swim — from the nice folks at Fish Tales.

photo: Carmelo the Science Fellow

4. You went to a Carmelo the Science Fellow birthday party and thought, “Wow, for a scientist he’s kind of crazy buff.”

5. The BoCoCa listserve has saved you so much money thanks to all the gently-used baby gear you found on it, in addition to helping you find childcare, a plumber and a new apartment.

6. You know you pay more than you need to at Pizzazz’s baby and toy stores, but both have saved your ass so many times you owe them, big time. (And that free gift-wrapping? The. Best.)

photo: Gloria K. via Yelp

7. Your ice cream cup runneth over with artisanal options, thanks to Van Leeuwen, Ample Hills, Blossom and more. Still, it’s the Mister Softie truck that makes your kid go wild.

8. Come Halloween, you kind of can’t believe what an idyllic fantasyland the neighborhood becomes, complete with decorations rivaling Broadway set design; a parade that feels like a rave, and kids and adults alike streaming through Brownstone-lined streets in elaborate costumes.

9. The Moxie Spot had its issues, but you miss its homey, casual vibe, play space, music classes, crazy quasi-steampunk gadgetry and rainy-day escapes. RIP Moxie!

photo: Curiosity on Court 

10. Also on the playspace front: You freaked out when Curiosity in Court opened, and are psyched to try Area Kids Club.

11. You have several dozen photos of your kid in that hollowed out tree in Carroll Park.

12. You love the formerly-LICH playground of abandoned toys for many reasons: it provides an endless supply of toys, many meant for suburban yards, in downtown Brooklyn; it has shade, a rarity in any NYC playground, and you can hit the Key Food or Trader Joe’s on the way home.

13. You actually object to the term BoCoCa, not only because it’s a little precious, but it also covers a lot of varied ground. Plus: you don’t think you’ve ever actually heard anyone say it.

photo: via The Painted Pot Facebook page 

14. Everyone in the extended family has received a mug, plate or bowl from The Painted Pot as a gift.

15. On your more portly days, you wonder how some people in the hood stay so thin, when there’s a new hamburger, ice cream or pizza place opening roughly every other week. (Then again, there’ also always a new barre/ballet/yoga/Soul Cycle joint debuting, and, come to think of it, all the places that sell FOOD are being replaced by luxury condos.)

16. More and more, you have that surreal experience of seeing the people from your favorite TV shows on the street.

photo: New York Transit Museum via Facebook/Christian Rodriguez

17. Your child is a New York City Transit system scholar, thanks to the proximity of the agency’s museum on Schermerhorn.

18. You love the Dodge Y: for its on-site childcare, inexpensive kids classes, awesome summer camp, pool and steam room/sauna.

19. Your Mommy & Me Classes, playground outings and neighborhood strolls feature appearances by movie and television stars and assorted celebrated literati doing exactly what you’re doing — parenting — and to your relief, they often look as harried and haggard as you. (Except for Jemima Kirke; every time you see her she’s pretty stunning in an effortless beautiful-even-when-I’m-just-hanging-out kind of way.)

20. You’ve mixed it up at NY Kids Club’s Junior Chef; tumbled at The Little Gym, gamed at The Brooklyn Strategist; climbed the walls at Everyday Athlete; entered Muriel’s magical French world, hailed a taxi with Music for Aardvarks at Gumbo; boogied at the Sugar Shop with Moxie Music, and Let it Go at Treasure Trunk Theater.

21. You have wondered how much the balloon man at Carroll Park pulls in and if you could quit your job and do that. But health insurance is an issue.

22. When you visited your friends with kids in Windsor Terrace, their place felt like a gymnasium compared to your apartment.

photo: via Book Court Facebook page 

23.When you heard that beloved book store Book Court was closing (last day 12/31!), you didn’t throw up in your mouth a little — you projectile vomited all over the living room.

24. You feel like there are two kinds of BoCoCa moms: those who gazed upon the merch in the relatively new storefront of Brooklyn Fox lingerie shop and said, “Oh, cute!”, and those who said, “Ha!”

25. You really feel like you were the last people to have a baby in the ‘hood…but every day you see more. babies. More and more babies…(Is there something in the water?)

We know. We missed some. What’s your #1 sign? Tell us in the comments! 

— Mimi O’Connor

 

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Meet Seattle’s Coolest Power Moms

by Sara Billups

Whether we’re running a corporation or running errands, as moms we all play the most important role in our kid’s lives. But as parents, we look to our peers for ideas and motivation. We happen to live in an amazing city where moms are leading the way in business, media, non-profits and more. Read on for our list of Seattle Power Moms and be ready to get inspired.

Shauna James Ahern

Gluten-Free Girl


Back when Seattle resident Shauna James Ahern was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2005, hardly anyone had heard of the term. Since then, Ahern’s turned her experience with gluten intolerance into the blog Gluten-Free Girl. Ahern writes witty, wry accounts about finding love, surviving motherhood, and, of course, learning how to eat well sans gluten. Ahern’s blog has garnered accolades as one of the best food sites on the planet by the London Times and Gourmet.com. Her first book, now in paperback, is Gluten-Free Girl: How I Found the Food That Loves Me Back and How You Can, Too. She followed it up with in 2010 with Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef: A Love Story in 100 Tempting Recipes. Look for Ahern’s next title, Gluten-Free Girl Every Day, to hit the shelves this April.

Beth Baker

Chief Running Officer, Running Evolution


You’ve probably pushed your stoller past Beth Baker as she loops around Green Lake with a group of runners whether you’ve known it or not. A certified personal trainer, Baker launched Running Evolution after picking up running as a hobby in her adult life. The “Chief Running Officer” has personally completed almost ten marathons and twice as many half-marathons. She also leads by example: Baker weighed in at more than 200 pounds during her pregnancy and got fit through exercise and eating right. Baker has coached more than 1,000 jogging novices (including a slew of new moms) as they’ve become avid runners who’ve gone on to complete races ranging from 5ks to marathons.

Kate Bergman

CEO + Co-founder, Next Door Media


Next Door Media CEO and co-founder Kate Bergman knows a thing or two about the power of community-fueled news. Selected as one of TechFlash.com’s “top 100 women in Seattle tech,” the longtime reporter cut her teeth at Evening Magazine and filled the post of Assignment Manager of Northwest Cable News. Bergman served as producer of KING 5 Morning News before launching MyBallard.com in 2007. Following that site’s success, she worked alongside her husband Cory to launch hyper-local community blog hub Next Door Media. She’s since started neighborhood blogs covering Fremont, Queen Anne, Phinneywood and Magnolia.

Alexandra Brookshire

Community-based Non-profits leader

A dedicated supporter of community-based non-profits, Alexandra Brookshire sits as Chair of the Board of Directors of Treehouse, an organization celebrating its 25th year providing critical education support and other childhood experiences for foster children. She also launched a new charity StolenYouth to help combat child trafficking in the Seattle area and directs VillageReach, an organization working to better vaccination education and distribution in Africa. Earlier in her professional life, she served as a partner at Perkins Coie in the corporate securities area and as General Counsel for public software company Wall Data, Inc. She launched her career at in Manhattan at a large Wall Street firm after finishing law school. Even though she grew up at sea level on the Gulf Coast, Brookshire learned to appreciate the higher elevations and is an avid skier.

Margo Jarvies Engberg

Owner, PinkaBella

Margo Jarvies Engberg has had a busy last few years. As owner of area cupcake chainlet PinkaBella, the Kirkland mom has grown her love of baking into a thriving business operating stores in Alderwood, Southcenter, Redmond Town Center and Bellevue Square. Named 2013 Alumna of the Year by Seattle Pacific University,  Engberg formerly served as a residence life director on campus. Prioritizing giving back, Engberg donated more than 40,000 sweet treats to various area non-profits. And rumor has it she’s being vetted for a reality TV show.

Jody Hall

Founder, Cupcake Royale


Kids might recognize Cupcake Royale founder Jody Hall as the woman behind their favorite lemon drop or salted caramel cupcakes. But the former Starbucks marketing exec and mom is also known around town as an advocate for employee benefits. In 2011, she committed almost $70,000 to cover 75 percent of health insurance for qualifying Cupcake Royale employees. Hall also met with President Obama in 2010 to discuss ways his administration can do more to back the efforts female business owners. She regularly supports Pride events around town and recently donated hundreds of celebratory cupcakes to Seattle City Hall on the day Washington State first legalized gay marriage. Hall launched the first Cupcake Royale shop in Madrona before the trend exploded back in 2004 and operates six thriving area locations.

Alexandra Hedin

Entertaining + Lifestyle Expert

Seattle-based entertaining and lifestyle specialist Alexandra Hedin is on a mission to build lovelier days. Her first book Entertaining at Home was released in 2010. It features custom menus, recipes, crafts and party ideas that make any event a little bit cooler. Balancing parenting two kids with her busy career, Hedin writes about food and entertaining in each issue of 425 Magazine. In addition, Hedin has been featured on Seattle’s ABC, FOX and CBS affiliates, in the pages of Better Homes and Gardens and on Design*Sponge.

Jenni Hogan

Reporter, KING 5


The most followed local female TV journalist on Facebook and Twitter? Check. Emmy winner? Check. Mom? Check. Seattle KING 5 personailty Jenni Hogan inspires us to be better time managers and offers up ways to embrace technology to make life easier. Forbes named Hogan the “Socially Savvy” TV Journalist. In addition to hosting Connect, a bi-weekly show she launched this year, Hogan established next generation media firm Jenni Hogan Media. In addition, she co-founded the GoGirl Academy, a non-profit helping young people secure career advancement opportunities.

Mimi Jung

Reporter, KING5


Mimi Jung joined the KING 5 news team more than a decade ago as a general assignment reporter. She’s since become a familiar on-screen face in thousands of Seattle living rooms. A National Asian American Journalists Association member, the Syracuse University grad grew up in Puyallup. Jung talked to Red Tri about her role as a mom in this article from 2010. In addition to delivering daytime news as the KING 5 News at Noon anchor, Jung is a mother of two and enjoys taking pictures and playing piano and violin.

Sheena Kalso

Party Planner, Invisible Hostess


Chances are, party planner Sheena Kalso has a job you fantasize about. She spends her days planning eco-chic events, including weddings, corporate parties and mitzvahs through her business the Invisible Hostess. She also coordinates specialized Trophy Cupcake event delivery. Kalso has worked in event planning for the past decade,  learning the tools of the trade from expert planners and completing a stint coordinating events at the Washington Athletic Club. The mother of two, Kalso launched the Invisible Hostess in 2006.

Laura Kussick

Executive Director, PEPS

In Seattle, we’re lucky to have access to PEPS, a resource and support organization that connects parents of young children. Laura Kussick serves as PEPS Executive Director and works with the group’s board members to bring leadership and vision to PEPS programming, which includes Baby Pepper and PEPS for dads. Kussick graduated from Brown University and has participated in Seattle’s “Leadership Tomorrow” program. She also balances work life with quality time at home with her husband, son and their Portuguese Water Dog.

Rachel Hart Rios

Editorial Director, Seattle Magazine

Seattle Magazine Editorial Director Rachel Hart Rios might just turn on prime time TV and see Grey’s Anatomy doctors flipping through the pages of her magazine. Hart Rios took the helm at Seattle Magazine in 1997 and has served as Editorial Director of parent company Tiger Oak Publications’ Seattle office for almost a decade. She also works as a Writing and Editing Consultant. A Wisconsin native, Hart Rios launched her career as Associate Publisher and Features Editor of Madison Magazine. She lives in Ballard with her husband and two sons.

Angela Russell

Co-Anchor, KIRO 7 Eyewitness News


KIRO 7 Eyewitness News co-anchor Angela Russell has interviewed and covered some of the most important stories of our generation. She’s had an especially busy last few years: In 2009, Russell co-moderated Seattle mayoral and King County executive race debates. She traveled to Haiti in 2010 to cover the aftermath of the devastating earthquake and recovery efforts. And here’s a memory to share with her future grandkids–in 2011 Russell conducted a one-on-one White House interview with President Obama. A member of the National Association of Black Journalists, Russell is the mother of two girls and a self-proclaimed foodie.

Alayne Sulkin

Founder, Parent Map


Alayne Sulkin launched local family magazine Parent Map almost a decade ago. Since then, she has grown her staff to more than 20 while generating annual revenues topping well over $1 million. Under her leadership, Parent Map has earned numerous Parenting Publications of America Editorial & Design Awards. Sulkin has also expanded onto the web and established a book publishing arm of her company. The Mercer Island-based mom has sat on the board of the Foundation for Early Learning.

Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson

Doctor + Blogger


In addition to treating kids as a practicing pediatrician at the Everett Clinic in Mill Creek, Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson blogs on the wildly popular Seattle Mama Doc blog. A firm believer in finding and trusting our instincts as parents, Dr. Swanson is the mother of two boys. She also serves as a Clinical Instructor at the UW Department of Pediatrics and is on the Seattle Children’s medical staff roster. An American Academy of Pediatrics fellow, Dr. Swanson earned a Doctor of Medicine and a Masters in Bioethics from the University of Pennsylvania.

Nicole Taylor

Field Manager, Young Survival Coalition


When Nicole Taylor was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer at age 34, she decided to turn her journey into an experience to inspire other young women fighting the condition. The Young Survival Coalition West Regional Field Manager organizes volunteers and cultivates opportunities for survivor support. Before joining the Young Survival Coalition, the Seattle-based mother of two also worked in volunteer management for Susan G. Komen for the Cure Puget Sound. A trained educator, she also served for a decade as a teacher in public schools.

Nicole Vogel

President + Founder, SagaCity Media, Inc. and Seattle Metropolitan Magazine


Seattle Metropolitan Magazine and SagaCity Media, Inc., President and Founder Nicole Vogel is a thriving entrepreneur. Alongside her brother Scott, Vogel launched Portland Monthly in 2003. Three years later, Seattle Metropolitan hit the newsstands. Earlier in her career, the Seattle-based mother served as Vice President of Move.com and Vice President of Strategic Planning at Turner Broadcasting. In 2007, she garnered a nod as Oregon Entrepreneur of the Year.

Nancy Woodland

Executive Director, WestSide Baby


Nancy Woodland serves as Executive Director of WestSide Baby, a local non-profit that provides kids and baby items to families in South King County. She oversees a variety of programming, including the WestSide Baby annual diaper-donate-a-thon donation drive. The non-profit management professional once worked as a lawyer for the state attorney general and graduated from a child advocacy law program at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. And we bet her kids loved it when she was named Grand Marshall of the West Seattle Grand Parade in 2012.

There are tons of women out there who are power moms. Who else do you think we should add to our list? 

–Sara Billups

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