This week's parent of the week is Helen- a delightful, funny, down-to-earth mom of a precious adorable 4-year-old boy. You will love reading about her adventures and perusing her cute photos. Enjoy!
REMEMBER: If you’d like to be a Parent of the Week, or if you’d like to nominate someone, simply email me at deluna.jamie@gmail.com. It’s that easy!
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Tell me a little about you- Who are you? What do you do? Hobbies? Do you dance in the car?
I'm Helen and I'm pretty sure it'd be easier to tell you what I don't do than to tell you what I do do. I have a culinary degree, but I gave up the dream of being a pastry chef when I realized the hours I'd have to put in - on my feet. ha! Now my degree is put to use packing lunches & making family dinners.
I do work outside the home still, at a desk job though. I also run a jewelry business with my sister (Pink Fish Designs) and a local park blog (DFW Parks & Playgrounds). In my free time (haha!) I enjoy running & off-road cycling. I also try to spend as much time as possible with my crazy son & my amazing husband of 9 years.
Oh, and I totally dance (and sing, terribly off-key) in the car.
Tell me a little about your child.
I have one full-throttle, non-stop, spirited, loving, hilarious son, who will be 4 in July. He is a morning person for sure - he literally bounces out of the bed early in the morning, talking non-stop. He usually doesn't stop talking or moving until he falls asleep - sometimes not even then! He loves to be the center of attention & if we're in a crowded room he'll ask me "how can I make all these people laugh?". He is super smart (of course!) and comes up with random questions likes "do they play a lot of tennis in Tennessee?". He is currently obsessed with jellyfish, electric eels, Legos, Scooby Doo, & Transformers. He also loves to tell stories, read books, go "adventuring" & climb on any & everything he can find.
What surprised you most about parenting?
I had no idea it was so. stinking. hard! I want to go back to all the people I made ugly faces at in the store [pre-kid] and apologize! I guess I naively believed I'd say jump & my child would say "how high mommy?". It's also more exhausting than I ever imagined.
The best part though, is that I really never thought it would be so much fun! I can't even remember what life was like before he was around. I have no idea what I used to do with all that free time I had, and I can't imagine it was as much fun as now. Seeing the world through the eyes of a young child is such an amazing & fun experience.
Parenting is such a roller coaster, and when we have a really rough day I always try to remind myself that it's just the uphill pull, and we'll be flying downhill & laughing it off together soon enough.
How have you had to be Avant Garde as a parent?
Having a "spirited" & very strong willed child has made me come up with all kinds of crazy, innovative things, just to survive each day. The biggest battle has always been getting my son to sleep through the night & then to sleep in his own room. We did recently win that battle though (well over 3.5 years into his life!). How? I called Legoland & asked them to send him a brochure. Once he got it, I told him he could earn a trip there if he would sleep in his room all night, until his special clock turned green. It worked, and, it's still working a few months later. Legoland is apparently a great motivator.
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Helen and past Parents of the Week, feel free to grab the award badge:
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