My next Q&A is with one of the newest friend I have made, Krissie. Our boys were in the same class last year and over the school year we clicked. We are also basically neighbors living just a short walk from one another. While our relationship is newish I very much enjoy Krissie as a person and fellow mother. She is very easy to talk to and has a very warm and kind energy about her. I feel like she has a lot of great stories that I can't wait to hear. As the next school year is approaching I am crossing my fingers our boys end up in the same class again.

In reading her answers I discovered we both consider cleaning and organizing me time. Read on to learn about this great new friend of mine.

Bits + Pieces 

Where do you live and with whom? 

I live in Belmont, CA with my husband Doug, daughter Emma and son James.

If you didn’t have to work for money what would you do? 

I would move my family to Italy to live for one year. 

What did you have for dinner last night? 

Chicken tacos with guacamole.

Choose five words to describe you. 

Friendly, indecisive, loyal, worrywart, and positive.

What keeps you up at night? 

Nothing. I fall asleep when my head hits the pillow.

What inspires you? 

Seeing others showing kindness to someone in need, especially when it involves a sacrifice to their personal comfort or finances.

What do you do for “me time”? 

It’s a tie between cleaning and organizing my house when no one else is home, and catching up on tv shows on my iPad in my sweats.

Some of Your Favorites

What book are you reading right now? 

“What Alice Forgot” by Liane Moriarty. I think the last interviewee was reading it too…it’s so good!  I am also reading "The Insanity of God" by Nik Ripkin.

What song or album are you playing on repeat right now?

“Waving Through a Window” from the Dear Evan Hansen soundtrack. I wish so badly I could go see it on Broadway!

What is the one beauty product you are obsessed with and would recommend to all your friends? 

For hair it’s Drybar’s Detox dry shampoo, which saves me from having to wash and dry my hair every day. For makeup I can’t live without the NYX Micro Brow pencil to fill in my eyebrows.

What is your favorite item in your closet? 

A black off-the-shoulder dress.

Go to adult beverage? 

Spicy margarita

Mom Questions 

Give me three words to describe your life as a mother. 

Tired, happy, and busy.

What do you currently do really well as a parent? 

We started a “family night” every Monday a few years back and I love it. We have dinner, play games, and then pray together for our family and friends. Our daughter usually comes up with the games, which include things like charades, hide and seek in our house, and neighborhood scavenger hunts. Although I’m usually really tired after working and making dinner, I try to push through because it’s a special time for us.

What is something you wish you were currently better at as a parent? 

Consciously getting off my phone when I am with my kids. I don’t feel like I am on it much, but I got a wake up call recently. My daughter was acting like me during a game of charades. She danced around and then pretended to be scrolling on her phone. Ouch. I don’t want them to remember me with my eyes always on my phone screen and am trying to work on this.

Name a few things you miss the most about life before kids? 

The quiet. I just went on a trip with my husband with no kids for a week and was amazed how quiet it was. I also miss how easy it was to shop at a store, leave my house to go somewhere, etc. And I miss the house staying clean after I clean it for longer than 2 minutes.

Can you tell me about something that you have experienced as a parent that you didn’t see coming before you had kids? 

I’m a girly girl and never thought I would relate to a son. We adopted our children, and I remember feeling disappointed when I found out our son’s birth mom was expecting a boy. But my relationship with my son is so different than with my daughter. I am completely in love with him in a way I can’t put into words.

If you can name three traits you want your kids to have when they leave the nest what would they be?

Compassion for others, a grateful heart, and a strong work ethic.

Give me one piece of advice that you would give a new mom. 

I heard a saying recently about kids…”The days are long, but the years are short”. This is so true. Try to focus on that when you are exhausted because the stages are over in the blink of an eye.