We are a team of moms who live in the Milwaukee area. We raise our children here, we work here, and our kids go to school here. Local moms writing for local moms: that’s who we are!
On MKE Moms Blog, you’ll find relevant, timely and fun information about parenthood and discover a positive parenting community. We regularly plan events in the greater Milwaukee area to connect moms and families, so we hope to meet you in person very, very soon!
Sarah is a full-time working mommy who is addicted to trying to always add “one more thing.” She grew up in Waupun, WI (don’t worry, not INSIDE the prison) before attending college at UW-Madison, getting married and becoming an English teacher. After the arrival of her third son, she left the classroom to become a stay-at-home mom and that’s when the real hard work began! Since relocating to the Milwaukee area in 2012, Sarah has gone back to work over and over, in a variety of fields. At home her three sons keep her perpetually doing laundry and wondering how there can be so many shoes and so much dirt. In the free time she steals, she loves reading a good book, enjoying a craft beer, and cheering on her beloved Green Bay Packers and Wisconsin Badgers.
Raised in the Milwaukee area, Melania has always had a heart for humans. As a growing up teen mom – Yara [2012] – she wings her way through motherhood with chocolate, her mom tribe, and all the love. MKEMB has quickly become her home, founded in the richness that women are the strongest when together; a lesson her mom is to thank for. Melania believes that labels should be twisted into good, Pinterest is a form of self-care, and Instagram is the best of social media platforms. Her days are spent balancing her career at a local non-profit, drinking chai tea, reading good books, and adventuring with Yara, which almost always ends at her neighbor’s house with s’mores for the kids and red wine for the moms.
Shauna lives in Wauwatosa with her husband of 6 years, a Collie/Shepherd rescue pup, a two-year-old daughter, and are anticipating the arrival of a second little girl.
Becoming a mom for the first time made Shauna realize this is the “job” she always wanted. It also gave her an opportunity to do several other things she loves, like TALK and WRITE. As it turns out other people really like to talk about it too. Through opening herself up, and occasionally pouring out her soul, Shauna has found this wonderful tribe and is thrilled for the opportunity to bring her take on motherhood and marriage to a larger medium here at MKE Moms Blog.
Once a resident of the 15th arrondissement in Paris, Meg now rarely uses the bathroom without an audience. She lives in Shorewood with her home-brewing husband, three daughters, and two cats. Their home décor can best be described as “Early American Toy Explosion.” Before making the difficult decision to leave her job last year, Meg was a teacher for twelve years, teaching everything from third to seventh grade, from French to Home Ec. She is fluent in French, Spanish, and Katerina Kittycat. Meg earned a Grand Diplome in Cuisine and Pastry from the Cordon Bleu in 2006 and is passionate about food, cooking, and eating well. When she’s not cooking, eating, or thinking about what to cook or eat, she loves to go for walks by Lake Michigan, hang out in beer gardens, dream of traveling, read, and catch up with family and friends.
Heather married her best friend seven years ago, and has lived something of a nomadic lifestyle ever since. Schooling, family, disaster relief work, and a sense of adventure have moved them thirteen times (via 5 states) in 7 years. Regardless of her immediate location, Heather has always considered Milwaukee home. With four kids under the age of 4 (including twin girls born on Christmas Day!), they decided it was time to plant roots. Coming back to Milwaukee and purchasing their first home has been the adventure of a lifetime, and they are thrilled to be home. When she’s not chasing around her growing brood or sweeping up cheerios, Heather can be found experimenting with recipes, failing at the Pinterest life, or finding new outlets for her singing and theatrical passions.
Jackie lives in Jackson, Wisconsin, with her husband, Jack, and their four kids: Ethan (2005), Lauren (2010), Maeve (2010), and Clare (2012). In the last decade, Jackie has worn several “mom hats”: single mom, only parent (after being widowed in 2012), working mom, SAHM, work-at-home mom, sick mom (after a breast cancer diagnosis in 2014), and step mom. Jackie is addicted to social media, caffeine, pop culture, and vacuum cleaners. She loves trying new recipes (bonus points if the recipe uses her Instant Pot affectionately named “Hurry Potter”), organizing with cute containers and her trusty label maker, and getting lost in the weirdness of the Internet. She has written an anonymous personal blog on-and-off since her son was born and considers writing a (much needed) form of therapy. When she’s not doing laundry or chauffeuring kiddos, she teaches advertising and public relations at UW-Milwaukee.
Andréa is a career loving wife and mom, Christ-Follower, marathoner, Life Coach, and fitness instructor who is continually challenging herself and choosing her battles wisely. She has been married to her husband since 2007 and they have two beautiful children. Born in Chicago, Andréa’s mom moved her and her family to Milwaukee after separating and ultimately divorcing her husband. After living in Milwaukee for a decade, they moved to Waukesha where Andréa currently resides. She has her MBA and currently works as a corporate controller for an advertising agency in the Third Ward. When she is not engaging in the activities listed above she can be found shopping and hanging out with her girlfriends discussing politics, race, and religion.
Lauren is a new mama and Milwaukeean since 2015. Having lived in Chicago and Minneapolis before Milwaukee, Lauren considers herself a “Midwest Urbanite.” She always dreamed of raising her kids in the concrete jungle and believes in loving thy neighbor and thy neighborhood as thyself. She loves all things local and discovering a city on foot. You will find Lauren around the city exploring the mom scene, connecting with businesses and planning events for MKE MB, and window-shopping at Whole Foods…all to the sounds of Bon Iver.
Jaclynn knows a good thing when she sees it, that’s why she and her husband, Dave, decided to raise their son in Brookfield, the same Milwaukee suburb where they grew up. After earning her English degree from UW-Madison, Jaclynn attended Marquette University Law School and worked for several years at a small Milwaukee firm practicing estate planning and elder law. When her son was born in March of 2016, she followed her heart and became a SAHM. Recently, she put her toe back into work life by becoming a barre instructor. She gets major satisfaction creating and crossing things off checklists, finding treasures at Goodwill and attending story time with her son. Jaclynn would be lost without her family, dessert, local breweries, books, and the moms who have helped her navigate the labyrinth that is ‘momming’.
Mandy is a School of Education dropout turned Billing Specialist extraordinaire. After a year-long whirlwind including a first date at a funeral and a long-distance romance, she married her Jersey boy, Blake, 11 years ago. Milwaukee born, raised and raising, she is blessed enough to send Cristian (8) to bed each night in the very room she spent most of her childhood in. Mandy is passionate about advocating for special needs as Cristian is out to show the world that actions speak louder than labels. After much thought, debate, and an assist from PCOS, he is their only. They live in a three-generational Mexican/Sicilian version of Parenthood with her parents, brother, and two dogs.
Mandy is rarely seen without a to-do list or polished nails. Diet Coke should run though her veins and her spirit animal would most likely be a margarita-drinking polka-dotted dolphin. She’s the mom that’s a little too loud at soccer games calling her son by his nickname (Pooh Bear) and actually listened to the Grand Master when he recommended parents join Taekwondo as well. She’s currently trying to find the balance between her new-found love for working out with her long-time love of carbs after losing 50 pounds. Physically unable to relax (except for her beloved naps), Mandy fills her (ha!) spare time with volunteer work through her church or crafting while watching Food Network or her show du jour on Netflix.
Melissa is a Waukesha native and is raising her boys in the same neighborhood she grew up in. Her friends call her Mel. Five years ago you could have described her as a happily married mom to four boys (including triplets … yes I said triplets). Today, she’s a single, full-time working mama to three boys (9 and 5) and an angel. Mel lives on coffee and Diet Dew. After the boys are in bed, she spends her nights making lunches, doing dishes and crocheting to crime tv. She loves trying new things and laughing until her sides hurt. Mel is daughter, sister, mother, godmother, coworker and friend … but most of all she says, “I’m just messy me.” You can read more about how Mel’s journey continues to unravel and unfold over at bissingfamily.com
Although Alexa loves the ocean, she is a Midwestern girl at heart. After dragging her now husband, across the country to live on the beach in South Carolina, she quickly realized there is no place like “home”. Shortly after becoming engaged, the couple moved back to WI to “settle down” surrounded by family. Born and raised in Wisconsin, she currently resides in Wauwatosa with her husband Nate, their son Henlee, and kitty Boo. Alexa is somewhat of an adrenaline junkie. Before becoming a mom, she could be found skydiving, cruising around on a motorcycle, or practicing her aim at the shooting range. As a stay-at-home Mom, her days now revolve around cuddles, play time, diaper changes, feedings, walks, and sneaking in some Netflix during nap time. She enjoys lifting weights with her husband, Pinterest crafts, making lists, and finding a great deal! Alexa has always had a passion for helping others and since becoming a mom has realized how important it is to be surrounded by a strong community of moms to encourage and support one another.
Karri lives in East Tosa with her husband, Chris, and 3 teenagers. A former HR Executive, Karri now spends her days working out, volunteering, doing laundry, picking up after the kids (do they ever learn?) and driving her kids around all afternoon/evening (no one ever said it was glamorous…but it is a good life). She also has a side hustle at Beautycounter, where she promotes safer and effective beauty products. During her free time, you can find her reading a book, binging on Netflix, or sharing a bottle of wine with a friend on the porch. She occasionally thinks about dusting off her blog, House of Tubers.
Mariana is a native Puerto Rican with an eclectic upbringing in both the South and the Midwest. After a whirlwind long-distance romance between Madison and Chicago, she married her tall, dark, and handsome Mexican dreamboat, Eric, in 2010. Eric is a Southside Milwaukee native and Mariana is happy he wanted to return to what is now her favorite place she has lived yet! Mariana and Eric have two incredible MexiRican kids together, Gabriela and Oscar. Mariana is always running out the door after at least ten iterations of “put on your shoes!!” to head to work, daisy scout meetings, family birthdays and sporting events. You can track her facebook check-ins all over the city when she’s doing what she loves as a multicultural student recruiter for a local university. Getting young people from underrepresented communities hooked on higher education is what drives her. Coffee, sarcasm, historical fiction, and margaritas are what keep her sane and feliz.
Kate is a former high school teacher and the stay-at-home mom of Nate (August 2013) and Grace (August 2015). She first came to Milwaukee in 2005 to attend Marquette University, where she met her college sweetheart Luke. (Luke and Kate were married in 2009.) One of her favorite parts about Milwaukee is how easy it is for her to expose her children to learning experiences. (She also doesn’t mind that it’s a nice “call first” distance from her family and in-laws.) She lives in the North Shore with her husband, kids, and a goofy collie mix named Rose. Outside of parenting, she spends her time watching HGTV, cooking, and volunteering with the Junior League of Milwaukee. Kate muses about parenting and life with a mental illness at www.mommyhasocd.com.
Erin is Wisconsin native who recently returned from a 10 year stint in Chicago. She currently lives in Shorewood with her husband Bradley, dog Sheldon, and two boys, George and Francis aka Frank the tank. She has an undergrad degree in Child Psychology and a Masters in Elementary Education. Erin happened to pick up a nanny gig in college that led her to realize that her passion lies in helping kids flourish in their home environment. Through this, she developed an obsession for all things kid from clothing and equipment to safety gear and toys. She loves a good list (or ten), all things organization and believes in the healing power of the gym. She has attempted to improve her skills in the kitchen to no avail but refuses to give up thanks to Pinterest. Parenthood has challenged this type A mom in the best of ways, often reminding her to leave the expectations at the door. With a husband who travels often for work and two kids nineteen months apart, Erin relies on her mom tribe, Hulu and a heavy dose of caffeine to make every day a success.
Charonne grew up moving every several years spending most of her time on the West Coast. She first came to Wisconsin in the middle of her High School years and now after spending more time here than anywhere else proudly calls it home. Charonne and her Husband have 5 kids (ages 13-2years) and have been foster parents for the past 7 years, which resulted in the adoption of their 3 youngest kids and many other children who they have been parents to for a time. Charonne directs a small non-profit OneHope27, which seeks to bring hope to kids and families involved in foster care. She is passionate about helping others engage in foster care, racial justice, learning from others and the beautiful city of Milwaukee. When not managing the organized chaos that is a big family Charonne can be found drinking good coffee, enjoying rich chocolate, a delicious meal, reading or spending time with her community in the heart of the city.
Alyson was born & raised in a tiny mountain town in Southern California. In 2003 she married her husband Matt and together they have 2 amazing children, Brookelyn and Cohen. After years of living in the desert together, they uprooted their family in 2012 to fulfill their family dream of living in Wisconsin. They’ve been in the Milwaukee area now for 2.5 years and have never looked back. Alyson is a former hairstylist, turned stay at home mom. She loves to read, decorate, plan parties, craft, listen to music and spend time exploring Wisconsin with her family. You’ll find posts about everything from family, hair, and fashion to home decor, cooking and crafting at her personal blog www.alysonm.com.
Jill is a mom of 5 elementary aged kids adopted out of foster care, married to her favorite guy in the world and is constantly in pursuit of becoming who God has created her to be. She has no interest in beating around the bush or ignoring truth; She loves to face the world head on and figure out how to serve the world and become a better human in the process. Moving to the heart of the city a few years ago, she is falling in love with our beautiful city and loves learning from all the people she encounters here. She enjoys laughter, dance parties with the kids, naps and playing cards- especially with her husband even though he pretty much always wins. She loves to indulge in mexican food, anything involving peanut butter and getting a massage or mani/pedi. You can find her blogging at Seven Ngs!
Shel is an introvert masquerading as an extrovert. After graduating from Marquette, she immediately left for the Peace Corps and the quiet desert of Niger, West Africa where she used her degree in Interpersonal Communications & Political Science to plant trees, gardens, & latrines. Returning to the states, she decided she hadn’t had enough travel & began working for an airline primarily in the Caribbean & Europe. It was during this time that Shel came to her senses and her husband, Jim, managed to extract himself from a three year friend zone to become Shel’s “before anyone else.” The real adventure began there and has not ended. Shel returned to school for a M.S. in Organizational Development & Leadership while raising bees, chickens, dogs, a family and a career. She is now a retired fire lieutenant/paramedic after 20 years in the fire service teaching pre-hospital medicine at MATC, Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse and other classes at UW Waukesha, and the occasional Chief Officer’s communication class at UW Oshkosh. She consults with an international disaster response group providing training on hospital evacuation, triage, and weapons of mass destruction and often responds as part of a forward strike team when there is a disaster. She leads humanitarian aid response teams to Haiti, Africa, & South America as well as spending time with programs for disadvantaged in Milwaukee & other areas of the US. She & Jim have three strong willed and intelligent daughters who are each accomplished in their own right, having traveled & worked alongside their parents through the years. Shel regularly reminds herself that strong willed children grow up to be productive adults (usually over a glass of wine). Shel is a Marquette volleyball alumna and still coaches club & high school volleyball. You will often find her with a coffee cup and book in hand recharging for her next foray into society.
Lori is affectionately known by her “people” as eternally optimistic, always looking for the good in people and the bright lights at the end of any tunnel. Moving her family to Wisconsin from Alabama in 2014 for a career advancement opportunity, she has learned that moving with babies is much different than moving with elementary school kids, however she feels confident that her family landed in the right place in Brookfield. While the past couple of years in the Milwaukee area have flown by, Lori is anxious to use her free time this year exploring the wonders of Milwaukee, being more active in the community and getting to know more of this cities awesome people. She is excited about giving her kids experiences that expose them to different cultures, faiths, people, geographies etc. There is so much to offer here, that she often doesn’t know where to begin, but looks forward to the journey! Lori is passionate about inclusion and diversity in our world, and tries to live this out in her everyday life whether leading her team members at work or teaching her littles about loving and being respectful to all people. It’s no easy task in today’s world, but she truly believes that we can build a brighter future by leading by example with the smallest of humans. She will be first to tell you that Mommying is exhausting but it is hands down the most rewarding, challenging, exciting role she’s ever held!
Fun fact about this Milwaukee mama — she never backs down from a dare. She moved to Guam when a man she met on vacation dared her to, only to wind up marrying him. Following her years as a Navy Wife, Dolores and her family moved to Milwaukee, completed her Masters degree and settled in to life as a family of five. Dolores is a first-generation Croatian, raising her three littles (ages 6, 4, and 2) in the kind of all-American life she never expected. She works as an English professor, raises chickens and is working on writing and publishing her second novel.
A native of Southern California, Abby moved to Wisconsin in 2002 to attend college. Although she has lived in Milwaukee for almost half of her life, she isn’t quite ready to call it home quite yet. Abby married her wife Beth twice; first in 2006 and then again when marriage equality passed in 2013. Truth be told, she tries to celebrate both anniversaries to have twice the presents and cake. Together, Beth and Abby have three boys (ages 12, 7 and 6) who have an incredible amount of energy and an uncanny ability to destroy anything nice within moments. Abby is a step, foster and adoptive mom as each of the boys came into her life in a different way. Abby works fulltime in public health where she mixes working from home and traveling nationally. Abby earned her bachelor’s degree in English and Sociology and a master’s degree in Counseling. You can usually find Abby repairing whatever damage her children have done, sitting an airport waiting for a delayed plane or knitting on the couch.
Callie’s birth certificate says “Milwaukee,” but she spent most of her life in Georgia. While her transplanted southern roots run deep, she felt a calling to come home to Wisconsin for a job opportunity in 2008. The very day she started her new career, she also met her husband, Jason, and the rest is history. Careful planning and prayer gave them their son, Braden, and less than a year later, his surprise of a sister, Brynn, was born. Life with two toddlers keeps her continuously caffeinated, as does a full-time job in admissions and her role as a coach’s wife.
While Callie lives in the outskirts of Milwaukee in Racine, as much of her free time as possible is spent in the Brew City. Her love of food goes beyond fried chicken and sweet tea, making newly-opened restaurants her favorite places to visit. A day well spent would include time with her wonderful family, lots of laughter, a good book, running outside (if the temperature is above 40 degrees), and a cold beer with her girlfriends.
Sarah is a lifelong Wisco girl who has lived on the Eastside since grade school and cannot imagine not being within walking distance of the lake. She has been married to her high school sweetheart for 17 years, and together they have three kids aged 21, 16 and 3. Her first child was born with autism, so she has a passion for helping other parents navigate the tricky road to diagnosis and beyond. In addition to parental advocacy, she has worked many years in the healthcare industry as a clinic manager. Recently she decided to make the switch and work full-time with her husband in their IT Consulting business.
When not trying to have an actual conversation with a big kid, or cleaning Nutella off every surface in the house, she likes to take pretty pictures, redesign her living room or work out. The perfect end to a perfect (or terrible) day is one on one time with her husband Alex and a healthy pour of wine. She is very excited to be part of the MKE Moms Community!
