Twin Cities Mom Collective

Formerly a software engineer, turned into a SAHM whilst making a big move to Minnesota (USA) from India 4 years ago for my husband’s work. Tanej works as an IT analyst for a software firm. We met each other during our college days, became besties, and got married 6 years later. We now have two boys Jivin  and Nevin. Since the US was a new place for us, I was struggling with parenting for a couple of months. Later, I started to visit the county library and came across so much fun stuff in our neighborhood. I am a mom who is all about planning, organizing and trying to execute it all. I am trying to figure something out for myself these days. Sewing, Zumba, baby wearing, and hand lettering are my favorite pastimes apart from parenting.

Amanda Wagner lives in Edina with her husband, Austin, three girls and German Shorthaired Pointer, Breeze. She is the owner of Beaujo’s Wine Bar & Bistro at 50th & France and writer of all the things at Greenhouse Content, plus freelancer for Edina Magazine. When she isn’t working on deadline, carting around small children or overseeing the wine bar experience, she loves to spend time with family and friends, read non-fiction, listen to podcasts, workout at Burn Boot Camp and wind down with a glass of red wine (obviously).

Amber has lived in Minnesota her whole life, with a 4-year stint in Iowa for college (Go Norse!). She and her husband met while both trying to kayak for the first time. The kayaking didn’t go well, but their relationship did! They’ve been married for over 10 years and welcomed a daughter into their family through International adoption and a son and daughter through birth. Fortunate to call raising children her full-time job, Amber also works part-time for encompass Church and has a small photography business. Whenever there’s free time to be had, she enjoys getting lost in a book, savoring a cup of coffee on the front porch, or walking to the neighborhood restaurant for dinner with her husband. Amber is a recovering perfectionist, unashamed introvert, and extremely empathetic. 

Amber is a soap-making, book-loving, mac-n-cheese-avoidant single mom to Mason. Amber tells Mason they are a “dynamic duo” and he believes they can do just about anything if they’re in it together. The newest season of life has brought on becoming a football mom and she is loving it with every fiber of her being. Amber works full time in the administrative office for a local library system and loves going to work every day. Amber also manages the rigorous schedule of doctor appointments and procedures that come with having a rare genetic condition. Her mantra is “live in the moment” and she intends to do so with a good cup of coffee (or wine) in hand.

Amy discovered her love of writing while returning to college for conservation biology, after a career as an optician/technician/office manager, and patiently waiting to become a mom. Luckily, Aster (2018) decided the time was right after three years of infertility and saved her mom from a senior year and wading through buggy wetlands the rest of her life (which she just does for fun now). She's been married to a fantastic teammate of a husband for 5 years and they've been married to their Southside Minneapolis apartment and community for 10 years. Both Minnesota transplants (her from Missouri and him from California), they're in love with their adopted state and family of friends, and showing their daughter why they chose this to be her home.

Anahita Champion is an award winning Event Correspondent, On-Air Host, Entrepreneur, and Young Girls Empowerment Leader. Anahita has been recognized for her platform featuring local influential females. Married to her Motown hubby, Danami, and mommy to their sweet & sassy 3 year old daughter, Anahita prides herself on focusing her personal & professional projects around her three-core values: Supporting Families, Diverse Communites, and Small Businesses. When she’s not working or plugging away on projects, Anahita loves exploring the Minnesota outdoors, belly dancing, and going out for Tacos & Ice Cream. www.ItsAnahita.com; @anahitachampion www.TwinCitiesMobileMommy.com; @tcmobilemommy. Photo credit: Giliane E Mansfeldt Photography

Chelsea Johnson is a Colorado native who has lived in Utah, Iowa, Idaho, Texas, and now Minnesota. She and her husband, Dan, have been married since 2010 and they love living in the Twin Cities. They have three hilarious kids, two sons and a daughter. Chelsea loves Harry Potter, pizza, dinosaurs, and running. She has a degree in Family Life, her favorite color is pink, and she pretty much lives in comfy tees and colored skinny jeans. She loves to cook and bake for her family, is an amateur watercolor artist, and spends her summer days in the garden. Chelsea blogs at www.lifewithmylittles.com where she helps moms not only survive motherhood, but enjoy it! She published her first book, "Preggers," in 2018, and is thrilled to be able to be one of Twin Cities Moms Blog's new contributors!

Danielle Venticinque is momma to Vaughn William (4) and Westyn James (2) and wifey to Don William (39). She grew up in a suburb of Detroit and landed in Saint Paul in 2016 following 11 years in Chicago. She is a struggling actress (the talent pool in MN runs deep!), and a spokesperson for Volkswagen, traveling on the national auto show circuit, which autocorrected to circus…and that’s a bit more accurate. This keeps her in hotels for roughly 100 days out of the year. The other 265 she is a SAHM. She is convinced that Minnesota is one of the best kept secrets (only she fails to keep that secret to herself). In her me time, when she isn’t penning (unpublished) children’s picture books, she writes for Summit Hill Living Magazine. Check out her likable Instagram @Daniellexxv.

Born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, Debbie moved to St Paul to attend the College of St Catherine a ‘few’ years ago. After graduation, she remained in the Twin Cities and pursued a CPA license and an MBA. An accountant by day and mom and wife ALL the time. Debbie now lives in Woodbury with her amazing wife and two daughters. Hockey was Debbie’s first passion in life, until having her first daughter, now she focuses on her family, her wife, her job, her blog and she still plays hockey as much as possible. Debbie and her wife are extremely passionate about equality for all and strive to share their two mom family with all, in an effort to educate others that families come in all forms. You can find Debbie on her blog, Africa’s Blog, Facebook, and Instagram.

Erin is a stay at home mom during the day, but to get a break and talk to adults, works part-time retail at night. Her four boys- husband Jakin and three sons Miles (2010), Dylan (2011) and Ronin (2014), keep her very busy, but she still has time to volunteer for the Down Syndrome Association of Minnesota as a support group leader for the south of the river area and also is involved with many resources that pertain to special needs.  Her current goals in life are to write a book, travel to Vietnam; where her dad is from, and find ways to manage health and fitness while being a busy mom. She enjoys displaying her life in pictures on Instagram, and also updates her blog when she can.

Jacquelyn has a deep appreciation that life is most often NOT linear and there will, undoubtedly, be growth + beauty somewhere along the journey. She has had a less-than-normal life and yet full and redemptive in its' entirety. She's a creative at her core; writing, building accent walls in her home by herself, and photographing + documenting her 4 sweet babies bring her the greatest joy. She married her college sweetheart and has a huge heart for adoption, authentic motherhood, pursuing and daily choosing your spouse, miscarriage/infant loss, and valuing others' stories and the journeys they are on - because, aren't we all?! Follow along @jacquelynsenske.

I'm a CPA and work full time in finance at the University of Minnesota Physicians. I have a husband of almost 14 years and two daughters. I'm a native Texan who took the scenic route with a military parent and ended up in Minnesota about half my life ago. My family likes to camp at MN state parks and make the most of our state’s beautiful summers and lakes. I like music, travelling, kickboxing, dark chocolate, sunsets, and watermelon in no particular order. I try to keep up the balance of work, life, occasional adventures, and sanity while mostly surviving and sometimes thriving. In my free time you can find me at my kids’ sports and school activities, watching Netflix, trying a new recipe, or reading historical fiction.

Jamie and her husband, John, live in the north metro with their 3 boys (ages 6, 4 and 3), and dreams of the day when they will trade in their suburban zip code for dirt roads, fields and streams so that everyday is filled with adventure, nature and wonder. She actively supports autism acceptance through Spectrum Inspired, a non profit organization that seeks to celebrate the beautiful children who live on the spectrum. She is passionate about helping people tell their stories, inspiring mamas to take care of themselves, letting kids be kids and encouraging inclusion for kids with invisible disabilities. And it shows in her photography services she provides to families, couples and small businesses.  You can connect with her at www.jamiecramble.com or  Facebook.

I am Janna Murphy mommy to 3 beautiful little humans! Wife to my best friend Hudson. We live in Lakeville. I am a people person and love to talk. The things that make me happy are a great cup of coffee, books, magazines, music, gardening, working out, crafting and my family. I have the pleasure of staying home with my kids. I run a small business on the side that gives back to local schools and shelters. I enjoy sharing parts of my crazy world with others.

Joy was born and raised in Mexico by a Minnesotan mom and south Mexican dad. Ironically, she fell in love with a Minnesota guy and now they live in the Twin Cities with their two sons and two daughters. She spends most of her time homeschooling, trying to keep up with the laundry, convincing her kids to like her dinner attempts, and teaming up with her husband in running their new vacation rental venture: The River Lodge. On a rainy day, she likes to create art for the lodge, their home and occasionally other people too. Joy will always say yes to coffee, books and traveling--and all three combined are her very best life. Follow along with her lodge and art ventures @theriverlodgemn and @lemonjoystudio.

Julianna is a widowed mom to Edward (2013) and Reginald (2016). She is redefining life and finding joy again to honor her late husband, Adam. While raising a newborn, toddler, and fighting colon cancer, they lived and loved with no regrets. Julianna tries to balance grieving, parenting, and dating. She returned to work part time for a financial advisor after being a stay at home mom for nearly four years. Julianna also helps lead a local cancer caregiver support group (Cocktails and Chemo - Minneapolis Chapter). Julianna’s favorite time of the day is drinking hot coffee and eating breakfast with her boys. Her sons are the greatest gift and keep her laughing! She finds peace in traveling with girlfriends, journaling, and reading. Find more of her writing at Adam’s Pack.

By day, Karri is a Pediatric Dietitian for children with special healthcare needs.  By night, she is a Curator of Adventure for her two wild and carefree boys. Ten years ago she married her soul mate Brandon, and there are still fireworks today.  Together they travel, go to concerts, exploe all the Twin Cities has to offer. When she isn't at one of her kids’ sporting events, you can find her at church, a fun new restaurant in town, or at home on a Thursday night watching This is Us. Karri has learned to be thrifty as she is passionate about giving her boys unique experiences without breaking the budget.  A self-proclaimed music junkie, she blogs sporadically at Larson Lyrics.  Karri is on a journey to living with a purpose and mindfulness and is taking her family along for the ride.

In her second year at the baby circus, Kat has perfected the art of the midcentury modern block tower, Livin’ on a Prayer-Old MacDonald mashup and only forgetting clothes or food in the daycare bag (not both). Her daughter humors her cloth diapers, metal sippy cups and bento boxes full of organic veggies – but man, does she go nuts for a container of puffs and a toy with all.the.batteries. When Kate isn’t using her communications skills to describe bodily fluids in exquisite detail to the pediatrician, she’s using them in her full-time job helping Minnesotans live healthier, happier lives. Mom, Dad, Toddler and Dog love exploring their South Minneapolis neighborhood, maximizing lake-picnic season and putting mega-miles on the jogging stroller, hiking backpack, bike trailer and anything they can rent that floats. 

Katie is living in the suburbs with her two favorite little loves; Matthew (2015) and Anna Peanut (2017). By day she works as an internal consultant for Securian Financial. She is a lover of hot coffee, red wine, yoga, reading, watching Paw Patrol, walks to the park and making smoothies. She is a self-proclaimed La Croix addict, consignment shopper, and food is her love language. She is navigating life post-divorce and wouldn’t be where she is today without her faith, book club, friends, work family, and amazing blended family of her own. Her mantra has been “work hard, do the right thing, and things will work out”. Katie’s favorite time of day is that “evening-post-bath-clean-kid snuggle” hour. Connect with her on Instagram or Facebook to share single mom stories, ask for helpful tips to talk to loved ones going through divorce, or what she’s currently reading.

Katie has always felt like a mama. First to the children of her friends, a lifestyle family photographer, and then as a nanny. Motherhood took her by surprise one December afternoon while sitting in a doctor’s office. As a way to curb the anxieties and fears, she took to documenting her growing belly with the basic letter board. Stories and words have always been her first and favorite medium of expression. She describes herself as a little bit radical and a lotta traditional. Katie and her fiancé Seth welcomed their daughter Priscilla Anne in August 2018. Since, life hasn’t been the same in the very best kind of way. You can follow along with her @KatherineLouiseHarris, @TheJadeiteShutter and http://katherinelouiseblog.squarespace.com/.

Kelly Jo lives her life just how she writes, with lots of exclamation marks! Her Saint Paul home is filled with noise from her fantastic husband, Jon, and their four spicy kids, Owen (2007), Evan (2008), Kierstin (2010), and Calvin (2014).  She loves her family, her faith, adventure, people, meaningful conversation, the world at large, laughing, and is always armed with a good hug for someone who needs it. She often drives a different way home, just because and has more embarrassing stories than two lifetimes put together! She loves coffee, honesty and any reason to celebrate! When she is not building forts or reading books aloud as a mostly stay-at-home-mom, she can be found working part-time at her church.

Laura lives in South Minneapolis with her husband, Trent, and their three beautiful kids. She is loving raising her family in the city and thankful to live amidst such beautiful diversity of people. A few things Laura is passionate about include: the privilege of parenting her little ones; seeing people of diverse backgrounds united over a dinner table; Jesus and the church; deep conversation; lakes in the summertime; and family dance parties. You can follow her on Instagram.

Lauren Kleiner is an Iowan turned Minnesotan and a proud boy mom to four little guys. You can find her with a Diet Coke in hand or at the nearest Target… or both. She is a self-proclaimed Target fanatic, our resident Target Mom Expert, and a local bargain hunter. Follow her on Instagram to see her latest finds!

Liz is passionate about connections with other moms through the written word. Writing has always been an outlet for her – not just the heart-melting moments, but the struggles and unexpected laughs too. She’s excited to share stories and swap tips from the trenches of this motherhood journey. Liz works full-time as a content strategist crafting legal websites, blogs and social media ads. She has an insider’s perspective on navigating the challenges and rewards of being a working mother. Liz enjoys spending time outdoors, is an avid book-lover, coffee addict, local music fan and seasonal crocheter. Originally from Duluth, Liz lives in White Bear Lake with her husband Jonathan, toddler Elliott, newborn Ophelia and cat Daphne.

Maureen loves all things global and educational and has happily settled into a career that merges both as a teacher. With her husband, Andrew, their two sons and big dog, Marlow, Maureen loves exploring the world locally and abroad. With her family, she can be found seeking adventures outside, traveling, hunting down thrifty deals, finding the best parks, discovering new global flavors, and looking for ways to be involved in their community together. She enjoys writing about her experience as a former single mom, beating cancer and her passion to raise sons who care for the world around them. Maureen is eager to inspire and encourage women from all backgrounds by seeking ways to connect them through her writing. 

As Megan adjusts to working-mom life in the suburbs, she brings her small-town roots with her by teaching her kiddos Peanut (2013) and Wiggles (2015) to be kind, help others, use their words, wash their hands, and not to color on the walls. Megan’s love of words and faithful service led her to be a pastor at a Lutheran church in West St. Paul.  When not trying to seem witty and professional, she volunteers as a former Miss Minnesota and loves to hike, canoe, and camp, because her life is not filled with enough contradiction.  She valiantly continues her quest to find the World’s Best Cheeseburger. Married to her beloved Husband since 2006, she’s gone through infertility, world travels, and resigning herself to her own inability to cook by his side.  It’s a good life.

Melanie lives in South Minneapolis with her husband and two kids. Besides being a stay-at-home mom, she loves writing, poetry, minimalism, art and learning about personality types. When she and her husband get a date night, they enjoy going to ballet and modern dance performances and trying out new restaurants. She is passionate about counseling and believes that self-awareness is a key to personal growth. She writes about family life and faith on her blog and likes to hang out on Instagram.

Melanie is a mama and wifey first, small business owner and non-profit diehard second. Mama to a beautiful blue eyed girl, wife to a hardworking and endlessly supportive husband, Melanie is totally in awe of the beautiful people she’s been blessed with in life. She owns Pixel Loon, a graphic design company that focuses on logo and brand development. Aside from her immediate family, Melanie also has a very special second family with her local delegation of Special Olympics. Melanie has been coaching basketball and other sports for them since 2011 and does a variety of other events with them throughout the year. Her time with this group always fills her cup and inspires her to continue living her dreams and enabling others to do the same.

Hi friends, it’s Melissa here! Wife to one pretty stinking great guy and mama to three kids that bring me more joy, love and caffeine cravings than I knew was humanly possible! I love a good workout, broken in clothes and Autumn. But being in the kitchen with my kiddos trumps it all; creating, exploring and getting messy. I believe there is an infinite amount of value in sharing a meal around the table with the people we love, and I hope I can keep that a constant in our home forever. Most of the time you can find me blogging over at Nourished Peach, and I’m thrilled to be back here connecting with all of you at TCMB!

Momma to two beautiful boys and wifey to a hunk of a hubby. Aside from taking care of her family, Morgan is one half of construction2style, a husband and wife home r​emodeling​, styling, and blogging team. construction2style specializes in ​full home residential remodeling, ​interior styling, ​carpentry, and custom-built furniture designs. Morgan and her husband Jamie blog about every detail of their current projects, helping readers replicate the project in their own homes. She hopes you can learn a thing or two ​through her posts ​about running your own business, home decor, social media marketing… all while being a wife and mom. 

Nicole works from home as a full-time nanny and does a small bit of freelance writing on the side. Because hey, income right? She has an English degree from the University of St. Thomas and married her high school sweetheart, Joe. She and her family love to travel and have ventured near and far from Wisconsin the the Philippines. She and her husband live in Hopkins with their two daughters. Nicole has been practicing karate off and on since she was 13 and has her first degree black belt. She is currently training for her second degree black belt and competes in tournaments around the Twin Cities. When she’s not doing karate, she and her husband enjoy ordering pizza and watching Netflix--it’s all about balance. Life. Motherhood. Everything.

Single Mom to two amazing children, Harper (7 going on 24) and Kian (2 going on his 283rd box of band-aids). Rachael has worked for the Minneapolis based women's fashion company, Evereve for the past 7 years. She is passionate about fashion and helping women feel confident and happy in their own skin! On Rachael's days off you can find her at a spa enjoying a facial or lunch at a cute non-kid friendly restaurant (duh!). Some of the things Rachael enjoys to do is spending time outdoors with her family, listening to music (live or via Alexa), roaming the end caps at Target and belly laughing with her loved ones. Rachael is a dedicated Mom Boss who believes in personal growth, mediation, self-care, relationships and a pair of awesome jeans!

Rachel is one of those rare people who has never had a cup of coffee. She gets her energy from the loves of her life: her husband, two kids, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, the Thanksgiving holiday and the beauty of Minnesota. Rachel is a writer at heart and has built a career in corporate communications. The job closest to her heart is being a mom to her active, gregarious son and sweet baby girl. Rachel aims to give and receive grace every day.

Rachel, the creative free-spirited one, met her husband, the organized practical one, discovered he was WAY better at cleaning the kitchen and realized he was one she should hang on to. Together they have three children born in three different states but since landing in their south Minneapolis neighborhood two years ago decided with the access to good ski trails, running paths and beach side picnics, this might just be their forever home. Rachel is the curator of family adventures, builder of epic train tracks, lover of all of the library books, and writer in the in-between. She shares about the confluence of her child development background and the realities of parenting on her blog raiseandshineblog.com.

Rachel spent her 20s and early 30s indulging her tendency for wanderlust, traveling frequently and living in Mexico City, Los Angeles and Dublin. During a 2010 stint back in MN, she met a guy from Ireland who was visiting friends and decided he was worthy of a brief summer romance. After eight years, one wedding, two sons, seven moves and six visas, she is starting to think this might not be a brief romance after all. She and her family now live in the Twin Cities. Rachel is currently putting her Master’s degree and fifteen years of career experience to good use as a stay-at-home parent, but she is finding any opportunity she can to be involved in her community. She believes in not taking yourself too seriously, irreverent humor, Spanx and female grit. Follow along at cheekyme-gan.com

Eleven years ago, I came to the US to study in Superior, Wisconsin. I found myself there. I gained new experiences there. I got my Bachelor’s degree in Business Marketing and Communications. I live with my husband and son. The world labels us as a mixed family, but I don’t see it that way. We are two people who fell in love and happened to have a baby along the way. My son is the mixture of both of us. So, when you look at us on first glance, you will see mixed but we are more than that! Follow along @itssarahslyfe and at www.sarahslyfe.com.

Shannon is an interior designer turned stay-at-home mom. She and her husband were thrown into parenthood with boy-girl twins, Caden and Brooklyn (3). Not knowing any better, they added a third two years later, Nolan (1). Shannon grew up in White Bear Lake, but spent the decade after high school bouncing around the Midwest. She attended college at Iowa State and then moved to Madison, then back to the Twin Cities. A complete bibliophile, Shannon also loves all things fashion, design, and food, writes to clear up her crazy mom-brain, and finds it impossible to say no to iced coffee, pedicures, or a good beer. You can find her scribbling her thoughts on motherhood and life at shannonscribbles.net and see her day-in-the-life chaos over on Instagram.

My name is Trista Rakow! I'm a mother to a 3-year-old son named Everett and an angel baby named Audrina. During my 20 week ultrasound, my daughter was diagnosed with Thanophoric Dysplasia, a death bearing condition. She likely passed away during labor from a rare uterine tear that nearly took my life. I've been blogging about my experience to heal and help other mammas suffering from grief. I'm a fighter and convinced that I was born with a purpose. I believe life will be what you make of it regardless of the heartache you might endure. All I ever wanted in life was a daughter, and God gave me one. I live in honor of Audrina by living passionately with gratitude. Aside from my blogging, I enjoy painting large scale murals, scrapbooking and decorating.