Jan
Jan is a SAHM of two beautiful girls. Maddison (6) and Josie (1). She and her husband Kerry live in Carmel. Jan volunteers for Junior League of Indianapolis as chair elect of the grants committee. She is also adoption coordinator for Live 1:17 at TPCC Northwest Campus. A retired dancer and most recently development director, Jan is truly enjoying her new role as a SAHM.
Being Honest About My Anxiety and Coming up with a Plan to Handle It
Anxiety and me
I have anxiety. There I said it. Anxiety has been a part of me since I was young. What causes it? Everything!
At this moment my anxiety is coming from all directions. It...
Nonprofit Grant Writing Tips and Tricks
Did you know that in Marion County alone there are 7,294 nonprofit 501(c)3 organizations? In fact, there is a fantastic database Stats Indiana that has compiled a complete list. If you happen to be...
Girls and Bullying: Learning How to Manage and Rise Above It
Girls and Bullying
My daughter had her first introduction to bullying at age 4. Over a month-long period, Maddison would come home from school reporting that a girl's activities at school that seemed to have...
For Maddie: Saying Goodbye to a Family Pet
Saying Hello and Goodbye to a Family Pet
My Maddie, I am never going to be ready to say goodbye to her. She was my family before I was married and before I had children. The...
Letting Go of Breastfeeding
It has been seven years since I started breastfeeding my daughter and yet I still remember so many details. It is one of those life experiences you can't forget. Although, I do get reminded...
Toddlerdom
Life with a toddler-- aka Toddlerdom-- is no joke. Tonight I got all the recycling and trash out to the street, looked around, and realized I was a day early. My next thought: I've...
Life in the Trenches of Renovations
My life is currently overrun with renovations renovations renovations. Instead of talking about the big picture and truly important concepts, I want to get into the nitty-gritty of what it is to renovate a...
Junior League of Indianapolis: An Inside View
About the Junior League of Indianapolis (JLI)
The JLI website states:
"The Junior League of Indianapolis (JLI) is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving the community through the...
The Basics of Foster Care Training
29,000
That is the number of children in the foster care system in the state of Indiana. Or at least it was when my husband and I started our 20 hours of training three weeks...
Mom Dating
Mom Dating
I have entered this new stage of life I like to call "Mom Dating". A dear friend recently moved away and that change has caused me to reassess my "mom friend" situation. It...
I’m Mommy, Not the Nanny
Not the Nanny
"Are you the nanny?"
When we chose to adopt and expand our family, we made the conscious choice not to limit our adoption through race. Don’t mistake that choice as an oversimplification. Great...
A Dropped Adoption: What Are the Right Words to Say?
Dropped Adoption
Dropped adoption: a friend, family member, neighbor, or co-worker is struggling. How can you help them? What can you say to help them feel better? Whether you have close ties to that someone...
Not a New Me, But a New Perspective
I've Lost My Ability to Trust
I realized today that I don’t have faith in the goodness of others. It's not something I decided to just stop believing, or was even conscious of. Today, when my...
The Gift of Time
Inspiration
I’m sitting on the floor at 9pm on a Friday night cutting out a poncho pattern for my oldest daughter. At the same time, I’m asking myself why in the world I’m doing this....