Heyoooo! I’m Maria and I am excited to be joining the Des Moines Mom team! I have a confession, I just moved here from Orange County, CA. AND I used to own OC Mom Collective. So, as soon as I found out we were moving, I knew I had to jump in and be a part of the Des Moines Mom world.
I’m an Iowa native, originally from Carroll, IA. And you know the saying, Carroll people, we’re everywhere. After graduation, I moved to Ames and attended Iowa State – go STATE! I majored in Journalism because it was the only degree I could think of that would put me in front of the camera. During my four years, I interned at KGGO radio in Des Moines and was often on the morning show. If you ever hear Maria Maria, that was me!
After college, I moved to Los Angeles, or La La land as I affectionately call it. And yes, my goal was to become an actress. I performed in several black box productions and even had a line in a Barbie commercial, but unfortunately, I never did “make it”. However, I did meet my husband, Brian, and I feel like that was a pretty big win! Before having our first child, I worked for a post-production company, an interior design company, an electrician, a corporate event company (where I was a clown), and ABC Studios. I’ve had so many jobs – I’ve never seen a paycheck I didn’t like.
Becoming a mother was one of the hardest and darkest parts of my life. Getting pregnant was easy – my husband and I basically high-fived in the hallway and I was with child. I am one of the 1% of women who suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum. I wrote about my experience here. In short, I wasn’t sure I would survive as I threw up over 100 times per day, had to have IV fluids, and basically ceased to exist as a human. Thankfully, and with a ton of prayer from my mom, I survived and had a healthy baby boy.
Shortly after we had our first son, Luca, we moved to the OC. Cue the music. Moving to a new place with a one-year-old was challenging. Especially as my husband was frequently commuting to LA. After we had our second son, Beckham, in 2015 I knew I needed something for myself. This is when I started OC Mom Collective.
The next few years were filled with playdates, preschool, little league, and learning how to run a business. It was a lot, but it was so good.
Last year, when the pandemic hit, my husband and I thought about what it would be like if we moved closer to my family. And after a few months of job searching, he got offered a job at the Hy-Vee Innovation Center as the Senior Video Editor.
And back to Iowa, I went!
I’m excited to explore Des Moines and the surrounding areas. Iowa has changed so much since I moved away 16 years ago!
My favorite thing in the entire world is to make people laugh. I feel like we could all use more laughter and smiles in our lives. I hope to put a smile on your face! When I’m not writing for Des Moines Mom, I’m co-hosting a podcast and working part-time for Soulcast Media as their Editorial Manager.
