Haute Mom: Lisa VanWilliams

Posted on Mar 4 2015 - 11:49am by Aubrey

Australia 2010 156Name: Lisa VanWilliams
Children & Ages: Jessimae 4 yrs, Steven 2 yrs
Hometown/Current Location: Milford,CT
Quick Bio: I worked for almost 20 years for “Corporate America” and I am now a stay at home mom. The hardest job I’ve ever had. I have a Master’s Degree in Business Management and I have a passion for cooking. I am a part time Personal Chef.  I love sharing info and I am a firm believer that knowledge is  power.  Once my husband and I had children, we became more aware of our lifestyle, so we strive daily to make better decisions…not only for them, for us as parents too. I am a world traveler, I love fashion and new products, and I love to take pictures. I enjoy hiking, snow-mobiling, quading, scuba diving, snorkeling, photography, writing, cooking, baking, music, concerts, casinos, and nice beaches. I also love home decorations, antiques and rustic farm style looks. We have a Health & Lifestyle blog we have been working on for a few years now. Please check us out if you have the chance at:  http://thevanwilliamsway.blogspot.com/

Q: How do you balance being a Mommy and keeping your sense of self?
A: Time for yourself is important. I think sometimes being a new parent can be overwhelming and your own needs can be put to the side. Just remember that every part of this parenthood thing is phase and it gets easier. The older your children get, the more independent they will become as they learn to handle tasks themselves. Go for walks, get to the gym, go get a pedicure. Absence makes the heart grow fonder whether it’s a half hour or half a day. Take time to do you. Blogging allows me an escape as well. I am still stimulating my mind. The research gives me things to think and talk about besides Dora and Caillou 😉

THE FAM - Copy
Q: How would you describe your parenting style?
A: We try not to yell, we try not to spank. We don’t want them to yell and hit us, so we thinks it’s important we practice what we preach. I think children should learn two important words at a young age. NO and STOP. Time out seems to work and counting to 3. Depends on the day, star alignment, and full moons.  We try to be calm and not panic. We try not to lose our patience. We try to take turns with the children when things get “too much” for one of us and we need a few moments to ourselves. Go with the flow. Things might not usually work out the way you planned with young ones, and that’s ok. Happy, healthy. As long as everyone is happy and healthy, this to shall pass.

Q: Share your best or favorite place for a family vacation and tell us why.
Traveling changes a lot after having children. We learned that by taking our daughter to Mexico when she was 3 months  old and then we went with her to Costa Rica at 2 years old. Now we have two children and we have pretty much only done local traveling. Upstate New York, Cape Cod, places within 4 hours driving time. It works best for us right now. We will do Hershey Park, Disney World, and show them some Caribbean beaches when they are a little bit older. We love to go to my family’s farm in Upstate New York where the kids can experience farm life and nature. We take walks in the woods, show them crayfish and frogs in the rivers and ponds, feed the Bullhead fish stale bread, looks for fossils in the riverbeds, pick apples to feed horses, go to local farms and show them how dairy farms are run, take them to local zoo’s and amusement parks.

Q: What’s your most memorable Mommy moment to date?
A: I catch myself looking at them every so often and I still can’t believe they are mine. They came from me. They are part of my husband and I. It’s still incomprehensible and amazing to me. I think I have “Mommy moments” daily. The first time they crawl, the first steps they take, the first words they say, the first time they say I love you. They are moments that will never come again, and fabulous to be part of. It’s what it’s all about.