May Mama Feature is here and we are excited for you to meet Kim! She writes a lot of awesome blog posts for PBC and is a sister-in-law to our owners, Sam and Kirsten, and to our Marketing Director, Jessica!

Kim and her family currently reside in Seattle, WA. Kim was a middle school Language Arts teacher before she had her three amazing children back-to-back. She feels so lucky to have the option to be their primary caregiver. Once all three kiddos are in full time elementary, Kim will look into getting back to the classroom. She has her sights are set on high school English for her second time around the school block.

We asked her to tell us a little about her kiddos!  

Jonah (5yrs) takes his job as a big brother seriously and wants to be a chef when he grows up. He makes his own scrambled eggs in the morning and is working on perfecting the omelette. He is not only an artist with food, he also loves to draw and has filled the walls of his room with original artwork. Recently I asked him what sport he would like to play and he asked if riding his bike is a sport. We realized he meant extreme biking when he started hitting ramps like a pro...terrifying.  

Millie (4yrs) has an amazing intensity about her and has already become a bookworm like her Mama. This will suit her well in her chosen profession as a Mermaid Doctor...loads of new anatomy she will have to study. Maybe she can figure out how humans can breathe underwater!? Her fashion sense rivals Lady Gaga; Tulle is currently trending in her world. She is the best climber of our family and will start rock climbing with her uncle this summer...also terrifying.

Harry (22mo) is the baby of the family but you wouldn’t guess it by the way he acts. The playground equipment he tries and oftentimes conquers is well beyond his age group...again, terrifying. Harry’s the funny guy of our family and will do whatever it takes to get a laugh from his older siblings. This includes dancing like a mad man and getting into mischief. He has a very sophisticated palette for his age and has been really digging the seafood scene in Seattle.

Favorite mommy/maternity product: Is dry shampoo a mommy product?
I certainly think mamas should be the targeted group for dry shampoo since a majority of us use it and usually in large quantities. My go-to is Kevin Murphy, fresh hair.

Favorite baby product:
The BOB stroller hands-down. Both cities I have lived in with small children (Cincinnati, OH and now Seattle, WA) are quite hilly. The ease of pushing a BOB on any terrain has been a real lifesaver for me. We are currently in a very walkable location and I basically live out of our single BOB on a daily basis.

Favorite way to have a little “me-time”:
Paddleboarding gets me real zen. I prefer paddling on Lake Washington rather than the ocean since it is usually more tranquil. I am definitely not a power-paddler, rather a peaceful paddler. Once you get far enough out on the water all of the noises stop and on clear Seattle days the Cascades really put on a show.

A couple more questions...

What activities or adventures are you most excited to do with your kiddos this summer?
We have some road trips lined up to Montana and Colorado and some camping trips in the Olympics and Cascades, but what I am mostly looking forward to is Ben having the entirety of August off before beginning his first attending job. We have lots of fun-filled ooey-gooey family time planned for that month.

What is the first thing you do when you put the kids down for sleep?
I start the electric kettle and pour myself a mug of nighty night tea.

You recently moved across the country during a pandemic - what did you learn during that experience?
It was pretty eerie driving through deserted towns in the dead of summer. Nothing was open...even drive-throughs were limited. The rest stops were our go-to stomping grounds and thank goodness for AirBnB. We met a delightful family that houses recovering addicts and children of addicts on a farm and even scored a new puppy out of that encounter.  The most important thing I learned is how strong we are as a family unit. I often look back to the whole experience of selling our home, Ben finishing his surgical residency, and moving across the US all in the early months of the COVID pandemic and think, ‘WOAH, we did that.’ At first these experiences seem daunting and horrible and make you want to SCREAM AT THE TOP OF YOUR LUNGS but they can also be the most eye opening and transformative. We learned a lot about ourselves as I believe most of the world did during these tumultuous times. 

How do you and your busy spouse find time to spend together?
Two words: HOT TUB. We were skeptical when we found out the house we would be renting during Ben’s fellowship had one, but we have definitely been converted to hot tub people. On weekday nights we have our own little getaway in the backyard when the kids go down. Bonus: it gives you a reason to be outside more often during the cold months. 

Advice!
Your parenting journey is your own. Never compare yourself to other parents! We all come from different walks of life and our children are all unique individuals, so of course our paths will all be different.