Please help us welcome the newest blogger to join Hellobee, Mama Llama!

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I am so excited to be here! You might remember me as Mrs. Cheese from Weddingbee; the one with all the words and feelings and more words. I’m back! Prepare yourself: I’ve added too many parentheses to my writing repertoire.

I’m a corporate manager mama who loves her son, her life, and her options. My son is almost two, awesome, independent and asthmatic; my life is an ever-changing juggling act between myself, my family and my staff; my options as a woman and mother are far greater than at any point in history, and while I may not agree with your choices, I will always support you in having them.

Why is this important? Because with having choices comes both the freedom and responsibility to use them as you choose, and with asserting yourself, sometimes you accept judgment and lash back (often from yourself).

Here’s what I’ve chosen: I work from home for a large multi-national corporation so we don’t have to move, though I’d rather work in an office with my colleagues. I travel for work because it reminds me what I’m capable of, despite the guilt I feel at not being home with my family. I value my career and professional self as much as I value my family and personal self. Do I have everything?  Of course not. Do I get to choose my priorities? Absolutely.

I’ve managed to find a way to be successful in management while (and often because of) being a good mama, and I want to represent and connect with women who value their careers and aren’t afraid to say so. If that’s not you, let’s be friends anyway! I learn from everyone, even Mama Llama, so let’s get some honest discussions about different perspectives going, shall we?

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A few other details, then, to round out my introduction. I live in Knoxville, TN with my husband, 23 month old son, two dogs, three cats, and a lot of loose pet hair. My son attends a wonderful AMI-certified Montessori toddler program full-time. My husband works from home, too, which can be interesting (ahem). My in-laws are local, my family is all out west, and I have deep philosophical conversations with myself (and anyone who will listen) about how to raise my son in a culturally diverse way while far, far away from my Hispanic family, when and how to finally teach him Spanish, whether having an only child is a selfish decision, and why I love to travel with him. Solo. On planes. Really!

I’m so happy to be here. Do tell me if any of these topics resonated more than others so I can prioritize the thousand posts I can’t wait to write. Thank you for having me.


May 2013, Hatteras, NC