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Jen was born and raised in Overland Park. After going to Indiana University for college, then living in Washington, D.C. and Chicago, she grew exhausted of circling for a parking spot and headed back home to be near family. She and her husband Matt are parents to a 10 year-old boy and a 8 year-old girl. Jen teaches kindergarten and her husband teaches high school, so they wonder how they’ll relate to their kids during the middle school years. She spends her free time cheering on the Chiefs, Royals, and Hoosiers, hanging out with family, laughing with her teacher friends, and fostering a love/hate relationship with boxing. She also loves traveling, Target, coffee, wine, sunflowers and all things pop culture.
Amazing KC Kids: Meet Kate VanKeirsbilck, Lemon Club Founder
Meet Kate VanKeirsbilck, this month’s Amazing KC Kid! Kate is a busy junior at Notre Dame de Sion High School in Kansas City, MO. Before graduating, each student must complete 100 hours of community...
The Day My Son Became a Tween
My family and I went on a Disney Cruise in July. This was our second cruise, and we loved the first one SO much, we chose the exact same ship and itinerary this time....
Cheering for the Chiefs: A Season of Hope
This morning, our eight-year-old crawled into our bed and asked, “What are we doing today?”
I said her grandparents were coming over to watch the Chiefs game. And in her best announcer voice, she yelled...
Updating My Resume: Learning to Celebrate My Accomplishments
So, in April, I did a thing. I hadn’t done this in, oh, 17 years. I updated my resume and interviewed for a job. And no, it wasn’t like riding a bike.
I’ve been an...
A Mom’s Guide to the Art Course at the Nelson-Atkins Museum
Back-to-school time is upon us (yikes!), but if you’re looking for a fun outing with the kids in these final weeks of summer vacation, look no further than the Art Course at The Nelson-Atkins...
Packing Up My Parents
About a month ago, a very big thing happened. My parents moved out of their home of 34 years. We loved that house. I’d spent my teenage years living there. My brother and I...
Amazing KC Kids: Meet Charlie Walsh, Cancer Hero and Alex’s Lemonade Stand Ambassador
We’re excited to introduce you this month’s Amazing KC Kid – Charlie Walsh! Charlie and his family are ambassadors for the local Kansas City chapter of Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. In 2007, Charlie was...
Amazing KC Kids: Meet Mikey Hermon, founder of Mikey’s Meals
Imagine you’re a student sitting in class, trying to focus on what the teacher is saying. Your stomach is growling, knowing that lunchtime is right around the corner. After what seems like an eternity,...
Amazing KC Kids: Meet Lily Sowle, Founder of Lily’s League
Meet this month’s Amazing Kid – Lily Sowle! Along with being your typical middle-schooler (enjoying soccer, reading and Snapchat), Lily is the creator of Lily’s League: Cleats for a Cause, which donates gently used...
Learning Golf the FUN Way at Topgolf
SPRING. IS. HERE! Sorry for shouting in all caps…but after the winter we just endured, I’m a tad excited for warmer temperatures and sunny skies. It’s time to get outside, soak in some vitamin...
Staycation Alert: What’s New at LEGOLAND and SEA LIFE
Spring break is right around the corner. If you are staying in town and looking for some fun activities to get everyone out of the house, look no further than SEA LIFE and LEGOLAND...
I Want to be a Mom of the 80s
We’ve all seen those blog posts, the ones about knowing you were a child of the 80s (or the 70s…ahem…). They wax poetic about cartoons only being on TV a few hours on Saturday...
What it Means to be a Chiefs Fan
“Folks, the Chiefs are in the AFC championship game.” This text was near the end of a thread between my dad, my brother (who lives in Canada), and myself. We’d developed this routine of...
The Balancing Act: Homework and Activities
Monday afternoons in our family look like this:
3:30 p.m.– I attend my staff meeting, work up at school
5 p.m.– pick up kids from after-school care, drop off W at Tae Kwon Do
...
It’s Not Whether You Win or Lose… Or Is It?
I was born and raised in Johnson County. Growing up, my weekends were filled with recreation soccer games in the fall, my brother’s basketball games in the winter, and softball and baseball in the...