I'm a Single Momma, Certified Trauma-Informed Master Life Coach Specializing in Narcissistic Abuse + Toxic Relationship Recovery… Best Selling Author… Side-Hustle Addict… Religion Teacher…. Foodie Wannabe… Survivor...
and YOUR biggest fan!
This blog is my attempt at somewhat connecting with the rest of humanity - outside of what I do as an narcissistic abuse recovery coach & religious education teacher at my church.
You see, I'm an introvert. This means I may often appear to be quietly sitting alone and staring at a blank wall... but in reality, the inside of my head is non-stop activity and my heart rate is comparable to someone running from a hungry jungle beast. It can be deceivingly exhausting.
My mind is like a television with a broken volume and power-switch... constantly rotating channels, so I'm rarely bored. Add that to my severe time-blindness and an entire YEAR can pass without noticing I haven't engaged with anyone.
Working from home since '96...
... before WordPress & leash laws... when we created sites using HTML and our pet dinosaurs roamed free...
I initially hopped online in 1996 as an internet marketer @ marketingchick.com - it was my side-hustle while I tried to figure out what the heck I was put on this earth for.
That idea was placed into my head by my boss at the time - Scot - one of the smartest humans I know and pretty much the best person anyone could ever work for... who said, "Marketing on the internet is going to be HUUUUUGE!" - as he explained the importance of getting a website ranked higher on "Yahoo!".
So I took his advice seriously and quit my job.
My childhood goal was to have my own business anyway... I wanted to open a music school... name it after my amazing, late music teacher "Gloria"... and volunteer time at domestic abuse shelters.
Plus I have a history of commitment issues with my employers so...
The "luxury" of working for yourself...
I was constantly scrambling to fit 12 hours of work into 4 hours of an already full day. It definitely got crazy at times, but TOTALLY worth it because my son was born 5 years later, and NOT ONCE have I had to miss out on his milestones or academic/ extracurricular activities.
I consider myself incredibly, extremely, ridiculously blessed.
Move across the country + a divorce later...
I started posting food pix on social media because - mmmm fooood. Then in February of 2010, my adorable 8 year old suggested I create a food blog. 20 minutes later, GirlPlusFood.com was born.
Feb. 2010 GirlPlusFood.com!
Several moons passed and I started a mommy blog to share some parenting/ adulting/ whatevering stories and named it "Ninja Mom Diaries" (hahahaha).
It sat in the #1 spot of Top Mommy Blogs for several months. Then someone snatched my domain name while I was out trying to recover from the aftermath of a narcissistic relationship. Laaaaame.
95% of my time is allocated to my son
... playing outside, putting up tents in the living room, battling Transformers, building Legos & Bionicles, reading, doing homework, restaurant & movie nites, SpongeBob TV marathons, sharing, etc. I do *not* reschedule with my baby, unless I’m deathly ill.
The remainder of my time is invested in finishing my Psych degree and volunteering at my son’s school. I’m the PTA President, PTA website admin, and newsletter publisher. I teach Religious Education once a week, and help out as a “team/den mom” for any and all extracurricular activity my son is involved in.
2023 Update: My "baby" is now a 22 year old premed. He'll be graduating with a degree in Psychology and minoring in Neuroscience and Biology in a few months. Battling Transformers and SpongeBob marathons aren't quite his thing anymore... and I wouldn't be able to help him with homework if I wanted to. (Ochem & Molecular biology? No hablo inglés.)BUT... we still have our weekly J & mom movie nights, we do "family day" every weekend, and still spend a lot of time talking with each other. Being his mom is my most favorite thing in my life.
I just deleted a whole ton of words originally posted on my "Ninja Mom" blog and saved them in a draft. Maybe I'll post them again someday... lol.
My Highlight Reel...
Honestly, I'm too lazy to pick and choose what to "reveal" about my life, so I share just about everything worth anything... the good, bad, and the depressingly insane.😂
Because I WANT single moms, the newly divorced, the broken hearted, the overwhelmed, mentally exhausted, and anyone who feels un-seen or have yet to become their own biggest fan... to know they're not alone... because I've been there.
Heck, I still find myself THERE, every once in a while. And look! I'm totally OK... and my child is thriving - it's like dysfunction is not even a thing around here!!
So, come hang out. Let's keep each other sane...
XOXO
