About MamaBloo
My name is Kari and I grew up in a provincial and conservative little town in central Washington (yes, the state) that still has super slow traffic and everyone either knows you or knows someone who does. It was a good way to grow up. My mother could actually drive by where I said I was going to be and check to see that I was actually there. But, she did this mostly for my brother. I was the good kid – at least outside the home. Inside the home, I was a bit of a handful. My family still tells the story of when in a fit of adolescence-girl-rage, I threw a bottle of ketchup against the wall. I have grown up since then, but my husband will tell you that I still like to throw things when I am angry. Now it is usually electronic equipment or sub sandwiches.
I am married to a marathon-running, swim-coaching, science-teaching guy. We have five kids. Now before you faint, we got the five kids with only two pregnancies. My oldest three children are our three nieces (remember that brother from above, yeah, well HE grew up to be the “handful”) who permanently live with us. My other two kids – my son and my daughter – are from those two pregnancies I mentioned. So, yeah, I have a teenager and an infant, so I consider myself a bit of an expert in tantrums, hormones, homework, organization, and how to have a sex life when the odds are against you. We live in a not-at-all quaint suburb outside of Seattle. In case you’re wondering, we have been featured on a national talk show. But, we signed a release that prevents us from using that fact to promote ourselves, so this is the last you’ll hear about it.
I went to Washington State University, which in this part of the northwest (since WSU is the lesser of the state schools), makes you an illiterate hick. But, I am a proud, illiterate hick who managed to move on, attend graduate school, and teach high school English for nearly a decade before all those kids came along. As a former English teacher people I meet seem worried that I am either going to correct their grammar or quote Shakespeare to them. While it is true that I can do both, I rarely ever do either. Now I am a stay-at-home mom who averages 12 loads of laundry and 10 DVR-ed shows a week. I am mostly happy.
I love photography, coffee, Diet Pepsi, stickie notes, yoga, online shopping, science fiction, lemongrass scented candles, Jesus, and Red Robin french fries. I do not like emptying the dishwasher, germs, bad table manners, dieting, writing poetry, or shoes in the house.
