There are several reasons I’m really thrilled to feature my friend Heather for today’s “Saturday Sit-Down” feature! She’s a friend from college who lives back in my hometown, and she also has two little girls who are both just a few months older than my girls. As moms, we have so much in common, so I find her extremely relatable. It’s a shame we don’t live closer because I know our girls would have so much fun together. She is a talented writer and event planner, so I hope you enjoy digging through her content. Don’t forget to follow her Instagram linked at the bottom of this post; The events she’s planned are just stunning! Meet Heather. 🙂
Q: In three sentences or less, tell us a little bit about who you are. 🙂
A: My name is Heather, I’m married to David and we have 2 baby girls, Raley (3) and Audrey (17 months). I am an RN in a Cardiovascular ICU but I recently went from working full time to PRN (as needed) in order to spend more time with my girls. In my spare time I like to shop, watch sports, golf (when I get the time), spend time with friends and family, plan parties, and of course, blog.
Q: I have so many questions I want to ask you! First of all, why did you start your blog and what do you blog about?
A: I decided to start a blog about 3 years ago when I was planning Raley’s first birthday party. Most of my party inspiration came from Pinterest so I decided to start a blog so that I could share decorations and tutorials. This quickly branched out into so much more than party planning. It became a place for me to document what was going on at that point in our lives, “mommy posts” such as my journey with exclusive pumping, favorite newborn items, and traveling with a baby, as well as a little inspiration thrown in every now and then. I try to keep it positive and my hope is that my writing will always be uplifting to others.
Q: When did you start your event planning business? What are your favorite events to plan?
A: I started Dreamscape Event Planning last year. People had told me that I should start my own business but I finally decided to step out of my comfort zone and give it a try last year while I was on maternity leave. My favorite events to plan are kids’ birthday parties. There are so many different ideas out there and I love taking a theme or color scheme and just running with it!
Q: Do you have any big dreams for your business or your blog, or both? How do you see them working together?
A: This is a way-in-the-future dream of mine, but I would love to open a tea room that could double as an event space for showers, bridal luncheons, rehearsal dinners, birthday parties, etc. I would have an office in this space where I could meet with clients, as well as a workspace to work on party décor. This is the ultimate dream though, so who knows what will happen!
As for my blog, I would like to be able to write more and just grow in general. Now that I’m not working at the hospital as much I hope to have more time to work on it.
Q: I know you recently went through a big transition with your career. Tell us about why you scaled back your nursing career and what inspired you to do that.
A: I wanted to spend more time with my girls while they’re little. A friend’s Instagram post was actually what initially inspired us to make this decision (read more about that Instagram post here). This is something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time and we are just now to the point that we are able to afford me staying home. They are only this little for a very short amount of time and I felt that I was missing out on quality time with them.
Don’t get me wrong, I still love what I do. I work in the cardiovascular ICU with open heart surgery patients. The cardiovascular system is so in depth and so interesting. I’ve worked there for over 3 years and I still learn something new every time I work. But this field is also very fast paced and can just plain wear you out! I still work 1 (sometimes 2) days a week and I can already tell a difference in my energy level on my off days. I have truly enjoyed slowing down and having the time to just sit and play with my kids AND still be able to get housework done. Before, I would have to pick one or the other just because there aren’t enough hours in the day. I’ve actually started implementing your “one load of laundry a day” routine! So far it’s working out really well!
Q: What are your favorite parts about having two little girls?
A: Oh man, where to start?! Before we found out that Raley was going to be a girl we both really, really thought we wanted a boy. However, now we say that God knew exactly we needed when he gave us a girl. Girls are just so sweet! She is 100% a girly-girl and I LOVE it. I love that she wants to dress up all day, every day. She loves to dance and sing and have tea parties and it’s so sweet the way she takes care of her babies.
I can’t quite tell yet if Audrey is going to be as girly as Raley, but what I do know is that she wants to be where her sister is and do what her sister is doing at all times. She’s my laid-back, goofy, happy-go-lucky baby and she is so very smart. She picks up on words and songs so quick and I really think it’s because she wants to mimic what Raley does.
I have friends who have sisters who are close in age and they have such a close relationship. I hope my girls can be good friends as they grow up together.
Q: What aspects of parenthood are sometimes the most challenging for you?
A: Absolutely, the hardest part for me is discipline. There are some days when I lay down at night and think “I nailed it today! It was a great day!” and then there are some times when I go to bed feeling defeated, thinking “was that the right way to handle that situation?”
I think the hardest thing is knowing when to discipline and when to just let them be a kid. Both of mine have a bit of stubborn in them (they get it honestly, unfortunately). It hurts to discipline. I finally understand what my daddy meant when he said “this hurts me more than it hurts you.” I pray every day that I can be a good example and that I can teach them to be kind, respectful, and well-mannered girls, and eventually, young ladies.
Q: Tell us about your ballpark tour!
A: David and I both love baseball! We had the idea a few years ago to start a tour and visit every MLB ballpark. It will take several years since we can only make 1 trip a year, but eventually we hope to make it to all of them! We took Raley on our first trip to St. Louis and Kansas City two years ago and last year we went with our friends Casey and Britni to New York City and Boston (I LOVED Boston!). We’ve also been to Philadelphia and to Atlanta several times to watch the Phillies play (big Phillies fans here!)
We actually leave in 2 weeks to go to Los Angeles and San Diego. There we will see the Dodgers, Angels and Padres play. We are very excited!
Q: Where should new readers start on your site? (Please link to three blog posts. You WILL see traffic on these posts!)
- 10 Things I Tell My Children Every Day
- Momma, You’re Doing Just Fine
- Nurses, You DO Make A Difference (my very first post)
And just for fun…
- Scrambled eggs or over easy? I’m kind of weird about eggs but I would definitely say scrambled.
- ABC or NBC shows? ABC! I’m hooked on the Bachelor/Bachelorette and Dancing with the Stars. A majority of the other shows I watch are on ABC as well.
- Carpet or hardwood? Right now we have carpet in pretty much our entire house but I’m about ready to rip it all out and put in hardwood.
- Football or baseball? Ugh, this is so hard because I looovve some Alabama football (Roll Tide!) but I’m going to have to say baseball. There is just something relaxing to me about sitting at a ballfield all day and listening the crack of a bat or the pop of the ball in a glove.
Don’t forget to find Heather on social media! Facebook | Instagram| BlogLovin
In case you’re new to Whimsical September…
Hi! I’m Erica! I created the Saturday Sit-Down series in January 2017 as a way to give back to the blogging community and link readers with new bloggers whom they may share similar interests with. Click here to discover more bloggers that have been featured in the Saturday Sit-Down.
Want to be featured in this series?
I have openings starting in late 2017 and would love to feature you! Email me at WHIMSICALSEPTEMBER@YAHOO.COM to get in touch.
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Hi! I’m Erica, and I absolutely adore sharing my life on this website with you! I come here almost daily to blab about all of the things related to being a regular wife and mother in today’s ever-evolving society. I share about our new home, what’s on our kitchen table, what we’re hanging in our closets, where we’re traveling to next, my crazy 5 a.m. work outs, how I make time for girlfriends, our faith, and much more. We always have a lot of balls in the air and somewhat thrive on the chaos. I believe in the power of story-telling as a form of inspiration and entertainment, so I’m here to do both! I was born and raised in north Alabama and recently re-planted roots here again after my husband transitioned out of the Army (he is now in the Reserve and it’s going so well!) I’m a super proud mom to three little girls (ages 7, 4, and 1) who seem to be the stars of the show around here (for good reason – they’re pretty great!) I’m so glad you found me and are here reading! I hope we can get to know each other here on the blog as well as Facebook and/or Instagram. xoxo