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Food: I love food. Always have. When I was young, I mean like 5, I spent hours on PBS watching “Great Chefs of _______”. I loved Julia Child, Graham Kerr, and Yan. I played in the dirt making full course meals with mud, rocks, flowers, leaves, and sticks. I loved sitting on the counter just watching my mom cook. I wanted to go to culinary school but my parents thought that wasn’t the best choice for their smart daughter so they refused to pay for it. I met my hubby and he’s a fellow foodie. We appreciate food. Our kids appreciate food. I watched Duff when he first aired. I thought, hmm… I can do that! I tried my first cake, made my own fondant, and voila! I was a natural at cake art. No lessons  no classes, just able to do it which I thought nothing of, but it fascinates most people when they see my skill level and knowing I got that just from seeing a few snippets on TV. Food in in my veins. I am a foodie if there ever was one.

Geek: I always gravitated towards things others think of as geeky. Dice games, comics, stories of elves or zombies. I think being a smart person opens more doors to accept things others might find weird. I hated being a geek or a nerd for so long. I hid it well. Then I  met my hubby & he’s the same way and we can be who we are together and get together with others like us (yay for cons)! I am a geek. I like geeky things like Zombies, Doctor Who, Math & Logic problems, Coding, VR games, and yeah… that’s me. I also “geek out” for God. I whole-heartedly believe that Jesus is my Messiah, that he came here and poured out his blood so that my sins were washed away, and that one day, he will return. 

Mom: I graduated Hofstra University in May 2000 not only with my BBA in BCIS (geek!!) but I did it alongside my best friend and now-husband, Tom. We married a year later in October 2001 and lived out east in the Hamptons. We tried to have a family right away but due to fertility issues, it took a bit longer. We welcomed son #1, CT, into our lives in May of 2004. In May of 2006, we not only had son #2, HT, but we left NY and moved to Raleigh-area of North Carolina. Then in February 2008, we welcomed our last son, OC, into the world. In short, all my kids are really smart. CT taught himself to read when he was 2 (he read books before he was potty trained), so I’m not kidding when I say my kids are bright. CT also has ADHD and is pretty much always bouncing off the walls (sometimes literally). I have 3 very rambunctious boys. I choose to stay-at-home and nurture and care for them. Our budget is pretty small  due to this fact. I work from home. Doing what? Anything you’ll pay me to do! I bake fancy-schmancy gourmet cakes & cupcakes (all from scratch with high-end ingredients). I do graphic design work: think logos, print materials, annual reports, t-shirt designs. I’m an administrative assistant; seriously, I am a part-time admin. asst. for a non-profit. I fix computers (hardware or software). Again, you’ll pay me, I might do it but the previous things are things I am very good at and come natural to me. In addition to paid jobs, I have lots of UN-paid jobs (well, besides being a mom, housekeeper, cleaner, chef….). I have luckily decreased many of them so I can focus on family & church. I am an active PTA member in the elementary school. I’m very active in my church. I love my church! If they need help, we’re there! We may not have money to donate but we’ll gladly give as much time as we have! I volunteer in both kids’ classes (in elementary school). Don’t forget during sports season, I’m either coaching or team mom! Plus we have Boy Scouts… My kids are on year-round school calendar; well, the ones in elementary school are at least. That means they go to school for 9 weeks and then are off for 3 weeks and this cycles continues over and over. I love it and it’s great for learning but kinda crappy for needing to come up with things to do every 9 weeks to keep them occupied.

So when people ask if I am busy, the answer is yes, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have time. I like to overbook myself. I seriously think I NEED stress to survive. That’s kinda me, in a nutshell. Food Geek Mom.