Twin Cities Mom Collective

Korean-born. Minnesota-raised. Alison is a wife and mom of two, who considers herself fueled by faith, fitness, and family. Her journey has meant juggling two different spectrums of motherhood with both a high schooler and a Kindergartner. Much of her time is spent shouting on the sports sidelines, but there’s nothing she enjoys more than watching her kids do what they love. A word nerd who’s been involved with copywriting and content writing for the past five years. When she’s not busy making her house a home, you can catch her brunching with friends, squeezing in a good workout, or daydreaming during a nice long walk. You can follow her on Instagram @ali.trauger or Facebook at Weakness for Words.

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.

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

Nice to meet everyone! I am thrilled to be a part of the TCMC writing team! My name is Ashley Saaranen, and I live in Rosemount with my husband and our 3 kids. We have loved spending the past few months together and really enjoy spending as much time outside as we can. We have our own little backyard zoo complete with 2 German Shepherds, a cat and 6 backyard chickens. I am a 2nd grade teacher and am also a breast cancer survivor. I help lead the Minnesota chapter of the non-profit, The Breasties, which is an amazing organization that helps support and connect women affected by breast and reproductive cancers. I love being able to connect with other women and moms and have been so lucky to have a great circle of women around me helping me through life!

Claire is a new mama who aspires to dream, encourage, create and celebrate. She believes she was put on the earth to find and create beauty, is passionate about faith and connection, and has always longed for motherhood. Her life’s anthem is ‘open hands, open heart,’ and she is constantly in awe of the grace of Jesus. Claire is happily married to her best friend, Nate, mama to her newborn son, Liam, and a dog mama to her cockapoo pup, Winston. She is a lover of red wine, a home filled with gold accents and a neutral palette, the perfect charcuterie and gathering around the table. You can follow along with her on Instagram, and through her Lifestyle Photography and Lifestyle Blog.

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.

Emmy is a full time work-from-home mom to three kids, Lucas (4), Jonas (2), and Freyja (9 months). She has three businesses in the wedding and event industries: Posies & Poise - A wedding planning company, Alta Events Co. - A conference, meeting, & non-profit event planning company, and Revel & Flourish - A decor, design, and floral company. She loves writing and being involved in the Mom Community, and hopes to bring some insights into balancing business ownership and family life, even though she hates the word "balance". When Emmy is not working she is spending time with her husband and three non-stop kids, playing volleyball, or cheering on the Badgers.

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.

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.

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.

Kami moved to the US when she was 17 from Guyana, South America. She currently lives south of the river with her husband of 17 years and three kids; ages 15, 12, & 5. Kami is a work at home mom that loves all creative things; she enjoys photography, cooking, crafts, and shopping at Kirkland's and Target by herself. When Kami's not working on her Family & Lifestyle blog Life With Kami and homeschooling her 3 kids, her guilty pleasure includes binge-watching Netflix and doing at-home mani. You can see her creative side on her Instagram page @lifewithkami.

Karla is a self-described travel junkie who thrives on spontaneity and is always ready for an adventure. If she could live anywhere it would be on the beach in California. In her pre-kid days, she had a career as a pharmaceutical sales rep but once her first child was born she’s hung up her sample bag to be a SAHM. Karla lives in Blaine with her high school sweetheart turned hubby, Chad, and their 4 kids along with their fluffy Bichon Frise, Hero. Chad and Karla grew up in ND. They met when Chad was a high school wrestler and she was cheering him on the side of the mat as a wrestling cheerleader. She loves sharing her life in pictures on Instagram and Facebook.

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 husband, 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 lives in North Minneapolis with her husband of 14 years, John, and is a stay at home mama to daughters, Luca and Jona who joined their family through transracial adoption. She could never forget their fur babies Australian Shepherd mix, Roo and brother orange tabby cats, Lucky and Coco. An enneagram 7w8 through and through, she's always up for an adventure. She is a lover of coffee and Mexican food. A Northern girl through and through she loves spending time outside no matter the season whether it's snowboarding, cross country skiing or snowshoeing. During her free time she loves traveling internationally, trying new restaurants and exploring all the beauty the North has to offer. Current life goal includes renovating a camper van and traveling the country as a family!

I’m Mandy! Working mom, photographer, content creator and writer. Lover of all things cozy. I spent over a decade working as a professional photographer, now I just do it for myself on my Instagram @mama.mandyb. I have two spirited daughters and an incredibly patient, wonderful husband (Jeremy) who is an executive chef in St. Paul.

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. 

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.

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. 

I’m a wife, mom and lover of burgers and fries - seriously, take me anywhere, i’ll always order the burger. I spend my days homeschooling, playing, cooking, cleaning, and doing mountains of laundry! Life with three girls (6yrs, 3yrs, 1yr) is anything but dull. There’s glitter, bows and princess dresses everywhere. Oh, but we are expecting our first boy in December so things are sure to take a turn around here! I love to write and share my faith, inspiration, the things I love and my everyday life in the hopes that women like you will be empowered to live your best life, the one you were born for. I aim to see the good in the details of my everyday and want to share with you my experiences, struggles and wins! When I’m not chasing kids and changing diapers, you can find me on a date with my amazing husband, Ryan or volunteering at my church which is like a second home to me!

Educator by day...blogger, podcast host, and author by purpose, Nikkia is a loving wife and #GirlMom to a beautiful 2 year old. A transplant to the Twin Cities (2016), Nikkia has found her passion and life's calling in disrupting inequities and negative generational cycles in order to encourage others to move from surviving to thriving in ALL areas of life. Prepared to ignite courageous conversations with an open heart and mind, Nikkia looks forward to joining the TCMC team as we collectively press towards truly creating the world in which we wish to live. Stay connected with Nikkia on Instagram at @themondaymommy or her website and blog www.themondaybloom.com.

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

Sarah came to the US to pursue her BS in Business Marketing in the small town of Superior, WI. She found herself and gained new experiences there. She now resides in Minnesota. Sarah has a son who is the perfect mixture of love and peace. Writing has always been her passion, and she hopes to inspire all immigrant mothers that they, too, can do it! You can find Sarah on Instagram @itssarahslyfe or over at Sarah’s Lyfe (www.sarahslyfe.com) where she shares everything from motherhood to fashion to lifestyle.

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.

Tabitha is a DONA certified birth doula and owner of Bright Earth Doula: Birth Doula Services. Tabitha has a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Resource Management and holds a variety of Associates degrees which include psychology and education. She spent 10 years in the USAF Reserves, and now enjoys serving families and spending more time at home with her son. She has been married to her husband for 9 years, they have a 3 year old son and are expecting a little girl around the end of December. Tabitha enjoys a hot cup of coffee in the morning, yoga, all things birth, DIY home projects, and baking.

Born and raised in South Florida, Teralyn and her family recently moved to Saint Paul after spending six years in Boston. She is a mom to a one year old and two year old which she describes as beautiful chaos. When she's not changing diapers or potty training, Teralyn spends her days as a global HR manager and her weekends running her blog newmomvibes.com. Teralyn is passionate about uplifting women, especially new moms by helping them be their greatest self during the magical journey of motherhood.

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.

Hi! My name is Val or I'm also known as "MinnesotaMrsMom" (Instagram). I grew up in Wisconsin (GoPackGo) but I have enjoyed living most of my life in Minnesota. I have a handsome Husband of over 12 years, a beautiful Teenage StepDaughter and two handsome young Sons. I enjoy going on new adventures and making happy memories with my family! I also love a good belly laugh, decorating my house with each new season, hot coffee and cooking/baking. I am also a Certified StepMom Coach (yes, that's a real thing). I became a Certified StepMom Coach because I wanted to become more educated on the Step Family Life. - www.stepfamilylifecoaching.com.