Meet Jodi P.

I have been married to Shaun, my college sweet heart, for 12 years.  We are two native Iowans who met at college in South Dakota.  We moved back to Iowa to be closer to family; I grew up in southwest Iowa.   As I just celebrated another birthday, which moved me further into my 30s, I have to say I LOVE being in my 30s.

Being a mom.

We have been truly blessed with two amazing and energetic boys.  Isaiah just turned 5 and Gideon is 2.5.  My prayer each night for my boys, as I tuck them in, is that they will know and follow hard after Jesus and that they will be best friends for life.  Being a mother has been the hardest thing I have ever done.  I have grown so much as a person and I have grown to have a deeper dependence on God daily.

Playtime…

We love to play to outside in the amazing sandbox daddy built us this Spring.  Who needs to clean toilets when there are legos to be built and sand castles to be made (and squished).  They are only this young for an instant.

We love to be at the parks in Ankeny.  I think next summer we will make a goal to try every park at least once! When it is too cold outside, we love to head to the Playground for Kids in Ankeny.

I have a passion for connecting and encouraging women.  My boys weren’t easy babies and those first years were hard.  I hope this blog will enable me to give you some encouragement that you aren’t alone and every stage has a season.  Soon those baby days will pass and hopefully you can sleep again.

Christmas is just around the corner and my goal is to give homemade or locally sourced gifts.  So far I have 3 Christmas presents purchased from a local vendor at the Ankeny Farmer’s market!!  I love to have my Christmas shopping done before Thanksgiving. Then, I can enjoy the Christmas season rather than run around shopping.

Meet Jody H.

It’s difficult to sum up a work-at-home mom in so few words.

I am a homeschooling mom to my two daughters, Brenna and Caelan.  I am also their chauffeur, dietitian, slave-driver and best mom or worst mom ever, depending on their moods.

I am wife to a very hard working husband, Doug, whose “love language” is providing for his family.

I am a freelance writer, social media educator, public speaker, and unrepentant travel junkie.

I am an Iowa native and believe there is no better place in the United States to live- and I’ve lived quite a few places. But, if I could live anywhere in the world, I would choose to spend my days in Ireland.

My travel tales can be found online at Ireland With Kids, my site dedicated to family travel in Ireland, and Family Rambling®, where I write about other places we’ve traveled- much of it in the Midwest.  I am a featured writer for online women’s magazine Blissfully Domestic, and am also a regular contributor to the online hub for mom and dad bloggers, Type A Parent.  My writing can be found in both online and print media, as well as in tourism guides across the country.

I am grateful for the chance to share my stories here at Des Moines Moms Blog.  I can’t wait to entice you to explore some of my favorite Des Moines’ metro gems, as well as take you outside our city for fun family getaways, romantic couples escapes and maybe even ideas for “Mommy Time”.

I hope you will enjoy my stories and feel free to contact me via email with any comments or questions you might have about family travel.  You can also connect with me on Pinterest, like my Family Rambling page on Facebook and tweet with me on Twitter.

 Meet Tammy

An Iowa native, Tammy has called Des Moines home for most of her life.  She graduated from Johnston High School, and then received her B.A. from the University of Northern Iowa.  After seeing a chiropractor since she was a child and working as a chiropractic assistant in high school, she knew going into college that chiropractic was a career she wanted to pursue.  In 2005, she completed her doctoral studies at Northwestern Chiropractic College in Bloomington, Minnesota, and moved back to the Des Moines area to practice.

It was at Northwestern that she met her husband, Zac.  Together they founded and run The Livewell Clinic and are passionate about educating men and women and their families in living a healthy and abundant life, starting during pregnancy.

Zac and Tammy have two children; a witty son who is four and a sassy daughter who is one.  You can find them enjoying the farmer’s market, shopping at Whole Foods or dining at a locally-owned restaurant (they love The Cafe in Ames and La Mie in Beaverdale), or spending time on Lake Panorama. A lot of their focus as a family revolves around pursuing God and making mindful choices about pregnancy, birth, diet and lifestyle.

Tammy has really enjoyed watching Des Moines grow, especially in the last 10 years.  It’s been great to have so many more choices for places to shop, eat, meet a friend for tea, or find things to do as a family.