Tiffany

Tiffany is our Director of Events and can now call herself a Minnesotan as of last July. Formerly, a contributor for Jacksonville Moms Blog she moved here with her chocolate-selling husband Matt (he works for Hershey!) and three kiddos Liam (4), Sydney (2) & new to the fam, Maggie who was born on June 3. Tiffany strongly suggests never moving just weeks after giving birth!

She is the owner of Nashline Creative, a creative consulting company that she started this year after doing years of freelance graphic design and marketing. She also sits on the board for The Golden Cord Foundation, a foundation created to support cancer patients and their families after her dear friend passed away at age 34 leaving behind his wife and two small children. Tiffany also has a passion for learning about eating clean, organic & non-GMO foods but admits that delivery pizza may show up at their door from time to time!

After only living in the area for just a few weeks she couldn’t be more excited to find so many great activities & places to take her little ones. She says Minneapolis is a wonderful place to be and is already feeling like home!  Read all articles by Tiffany here.

Brianna

Brianna is our Managing Editor. She’s wife to Brian and mom to Tyler and Caroline. After spending nearly 8 years working full-time in the corporate world, an opportunity presented itself and Bri happily made the switch to part-time work as a coordinator at a local church in late 2013… and she’s never felt happier as a working mom!

Bri and Brian have been married since 2005, and spent a good portion of those years living in the Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul. Now they live in the suburbs where they’re raising Ty, 5, and Carey, 2, who are spunky, mischievous, smile-with-their-eyes communicators, passionate and loveable. Most recently, Ty’s been telling Bri what a “cool” mom she is, and she’s planning to remind him about this when he’s a teenager.

Bri thrives off being with people, so you might find her with a friend at Starbucks before work, telling someone’s story through photography, playing soccer in the summer on a team with her sisters, catching up with Brian at the kitchen table on Saturday mornings after a busy workweek, taking family walks and enjoying dinners at home surrounded by friends or family.  Read all articles written by Brianna here.

Emily

Emily is our Content Sales Coordinator, but more importantly, she is a mom to 2 little boys – ages 1 and 4. She lives with them and her partner-in-crime of 11 years, Elliott, in the northern suburbs. They’ve lived all over the metro since 2004, toting their happy-go-lucky rescue dog everywhere they go.

Before joining the TCMB team, Emily was an editor and home stager, and worked in the real estate world for 6 years prior to that.
She finds being in the kitchen one of the most relaxing things in the world – aside from being on a tropical beach with a mimosa! She loves any time she gets to spend with her family and friends (who are basically family!), and has terrible obsessions with cookbooks, art, Pinterest, and bath & beauty products.
Those closest to Emily would call her “unconventional,” and its a word she has learned to embrace whole-heartedly.

She finds women bonding over their triumphs and struggles to be empowering, and knows we can all benefit from each others’ experiences.

Read all articles by Emily here.

Melissa

Melissa is a 32-year-old lover of life as a wife, mama and food blogger. After several years working in the corporate world and pharmaceuticals, she chose to leave that all behind to focus solely on her two greatest passions: her family and food…and she couldn’t be more thrilled with her decision. Nick is her patient, supportive, wonderful, hilariously Type-A husband of four years. They have a two-year-old daughter named Georgia who is about as loveable as they come and a little baby boy in tow…who they expect to grace their lives on earth next month. Her life is pretty darn good!

Aside from play-dates, toddler classes and the gym the majority of her time is spent in the kitchen experimenting, tasting, sharing and writing. She is a food enthusiast and is committed to nourishing her family through their bellies….and they really don’t seem to mind. Aside from her interest in family meals, she also loves to entertain and get her daughter’s teeny hands dirty with her in the kitchen doing projects and fun “kid recipes”. She’s looking so forward to being a part of this wonderful group of moms and sharing her journey of life, love and nummy food!  You can find more of her amazing recipes on her blog, Nourished Peach.  Read Melissa’s articles here.

Nealy

Nealy is a full-time photographer and Twin Cities mom of three busy blue-eyed children under five. She is owner of Photography By Nealy, specializing in newborn, family, and senior photography in Minneapolis St. Paul. She loves white kitchens, leopard shoes, and gold spray-paint.

Nealy is passionate about her faith, connecting people, great design, and documenting life on Instagram. To make Nealy’s day, bring her a bouquet of fresh-cut pink peonies and a peach-pear La Croix sparkling water!

You can check out Nealy’s work as a photographer at www.PhotographyByNealy.com or on Facebook – Photography By Nealy. Nealy also shares her time and talents with Twin Cities Moms Blog as the group’s photographer.  Read Nealy’s articles here.

Karri

By day, Karri is a Pediatric Dietitian for children with special healthcare needs.  by night, she is a Curator of Adventure for her two wild and carefree boys.

Ten years ago on Independence Day she married her soul mate Brandon, and there are still fireworks today.  Together they like to travel {Disneyworld is a yearly destination}, go to concerts, and attend many of the happenings the Twin Cities has to offer.

When she is not at one of her kids’ sporting events, chances are you can find her at church, a fun new restaurant in town, or at home on a Thursday night watching Parenthood.  She loves spending time in the kitchen and is introducing her boys to the joys of fine dining, one burp at a time. Karri has learned to be crafty {with her money, not with art} and has developed a knack for thriftiness as she is passionate about giving her boys unique experiences without breaking the budget.  A self-proclaimed music junkie, she blogs regularly…okay, sporadically at Larson Lyrics.  Karri is on a journey to living with a purpose and mindfulness and is taking her family along for the ride.  Find Karri’s articles here.

Airika

In her youth, Airika imagined life would play out like Secret of my Success meets Romancing the Stone. After traveling to her share of exotic locales and marrying a man with the bluest of eyes, all she had left was the hostile takeover of a multi-million dollar business or finding buried treasure. Never one for predictability, Airika opted for Door 3: have a baby, Fletch (’07) and work from home in St. Paul. It wasn’t long until a plot twist took the whole family east to CT, where their biggest adventure began.

In an attempt for baby #2 (fingers crossed for a girl), they had triplet boys (’11). Cooper, Hudson, and Nathan brought with them joy, laughter, utter exhaustion, and the realization that Minnesota was the best place to raise four strapping boys. Currently residing in Arden Hills, Airika’s day to day is more like Animal House meets National Lampoon’s Vacation.

As a Stay at Home Mom, Airika tries to embrace her mini-van and navigate playground etiquette; all the while helping others understand the joys and pains of life with multiples. She is a connoisseur of 80s film, lyrically interesting music, and the canons of young adult literature. Above all else she aspires to live with kindness surrounded by good humor. Follow her exploits and mishaps on her blog: LottoWinners, or on Twitter: @airikawithana. Find Airika’s articles here.

Annie

Annie and her partner of nine years are raising their two children, an almost three year old daughter and a 7 month old son, with as much love, adventure and fun as they can muster. Some days that means an obstacle course in the living room (hello, winter!), but as often as is possible, they are all outside living, along with their big ol’ spotty dog. They are passionate about exploring new places, new people, new food, new adventures, so they travel as often and as far-flung as they can. Annie also works full-time for a nonprofit focused on engagement and impact of media in different communities. And when there’s time, she practices yoga, bakes, hikes and does laundry.  Read all articles by Annie here.

Kristin

In 3 years of wrangling a little boy whose natural energy rivals that of a hummingbird on Red Bull, Kristin has taken a total of one nap. And each evening, Kristin displays her remarkable ability to forget about her son Jonah’s spirited mornings by staying up late reading, catching up on trashy TV or doing any of the little housekeeping tasks that didn’t get done during the daylight hours. So she drinks coffee. Lots  of coffee. Kristin’s experience spans medical device marketing, technology market research, and most recently (and most dear to her heart) part-time freelance writing for publications like Runner’s World, Martha Stewart’s Whole Living and Minnesota Bride and lots of great clients – but you haven’t seen The Real Kristin until you’ve watched what she can do with a some pipe cleaners, paint, baking soda and a salad spinner. Legend is her crafting abilities nearly earned her the moniker “Mommy the Great” but the title was stripped when Jonah realized he couldn’t eat the creation. Tough luck.

When she’s not navigating a new writing assignment or forging a path to the nearest bathroom (potty training!), she’s camping or hiking the great Minnesota landscape with her husband Craig, Jonah and Wheaten Terrier named Fletcher; biking; working out; cooking a mean vegetarian dish; exploring a golf course; or falling out of a new yoga pose. And making a resolution that tonight will be the night she’ll go to bed early. You can read more about Kristin’s misadventures as a career-changing, infertility-surviving, search-for-a-coupon-code-before-buying-anything mama and wife at One Sonny Mama. For all articles written by Kristin, click here.

Lauren

Lauren is a small town girl at heart, but has called the Twin Cities her home for almost a decade. Single in the city initially, she soon met the coolest guy ever through the aid of a popular dating website. She then did the smartest thing ever and married that cool guy a few years later. He’s programed in her phone as “That Guy I Married.” Her and Jesse have now been married for over three years, and just recently bought their first home together on the edge of St. Paul. You can usually find Lauren digging in her garden (when the ground isn’t frozen), digging through the racks and shelves at thrift stores for treasures, or convincing Jesse that they need a third dog or backyard chickens (or both!). She likes to start crafty home projects and sometimes even finishes them. She adamantly maintains that Pinterest gives her too much anxiety. The chance of finding her perusing and creating those virtual boards is slim to none. Instagram and Facebook, however, are an entirely different story. She loves to keep her friends and family more than in the loop, and is a self proclaimed social media aficionado.

Leah

A lover, not a cooker. Six years ago, Leah’s college bartender asked for her number and she figured it would be appropriate to marry him 5 years later, especially since he’s an excellent cook. After years spent in their college town, Josh’s career brought them to Lakeville in June 2014 with their five year old son, Vance.

Leah survives living with these two die-hard Minnesota sports fans where most weekends, you’ll find her cheering on her son in his latest sport endeavor. It’s safe to say, the last thing she ever saw herself as in her mid-twenties was a soccer mom. But most will agree, it fits her oh so well.

Leah works from home as a Marketing Director for 4 locally owned restaurants in Mankato. With her education in social media and newly found passion of sharing the raw, real life details, a blog based on transracial adoption and parenting today was formed. You can learn more about Leah’s colorful family, biological search, mommy-things and more at You’re Holding Your Pencil Wrong or find her on her Facebook page. For all articles written by Leah, click here.

Cari

Born and raised in Canada, Cari moved here in 2001 and has claimed Minneapolis as her adopted home. She spends copious amounts of time with sweet bundles and cute little ones as she is a lifestyle newborn and family photographer in the Twin Cities. Her perfect day would include breakfast at Starbucks, lunch at Chipotle and dinner at home with her favorite four. If she could get away with wearing comfy sweats all day she would!

She is mom to three beautiful children , Bella (10) , Caleb (8) and Lili (5) . They have her running from dance classes to soccer games with a white chocolate mocha in her hand. All of her free time is spent reading, writing, and working on home DIY’s. She is known to be juggling several projects at once and her family often teases her for her inability to focus just on one thing at a time.  She has been married to her cute, Brazilian, drummer for almost 12 years! Their favorite way to spend their evenings are cuddled together on the couch binge watching Suits, or Master Chef. Throw in some coca cola and guacamole and it becomes the best date night ever.

Even though she tends to be more of an introvert, she strongly believes in real, close and authentic relationships, and loves meeting new people and new friends! She writes candidly about her families everyday experiences on her blog Dugansincahoots.  To read all articles by Cari, click here.

Maureen

Maureen is an educator, a mom to a sweet and wild three year old named Leo, and aunt, sister and daughter to an incredible family that is a regular part of their lives. In the classroom she seeks creative ways to reach her students, involve parents, and love her little ones as if they were her own. She and Leo can be found digging in the dirt, seeking adventures outside, traveling, hunting down thrifty deals, visiting local museums and parks, discovering new global flavors at local restaurants, and looking for resourceful ways to be involved in their community together.

Maureen is a single mom who is eager to connect with those around her regardless of where they come from and is passionate about raising a son who cares for the world around him. Both she and her son have a strong desire to be where the action is, yet yearn for the solace that is found when they’re surrounded by nature. When not in the city where home and work is, they can often be found venturing north and setting up camp where the only thing they need to worry about is where to bike that day and where to find the best view of the sunset.

Despite the fact that she’s the only one doing the cleaning, she’s not afraid to jump into the mud with her brave and adventurous boy and believes that the best days typically end with lots of dirty laundry piles. You can follow Maureen and Leo’s daily adventures on Instagram. Read Maureen’s posts here.

Alissa

Alissa is a full-time working mama proud to call good ‘ole Saint Paul her home with her husband Chris, twin sons Alexander and Benjamin, and Emmie their 6 1/2 year old Goldendoodle puppy. Though she considers herself a newbie to the blog scene, she hopes to provide a M.O.M. {mom of multiples} perspective and is excited to document the daily battles and terrific triumphs of raising twin boys.

On any given day Alissa finds that success with motherhood is a very wide spectrum and truly is in the eye of the beholder. She likes to say that all too often her day can quickly spiral out of control and she feels like she’s trying to take a sip of water from a fire hose. But when Alissa tucks Alex and Ben in at night, she knows that they think she is as cool as a super hero despite all of the “stuff” we face, embrace and conquer as moms.

Alissa loves fabulous makeup, has been told that she can throw out a good zinger from time to time, and will never be found out of the house without a pair of earrings.  Find Alissa’s posts here.

{Photos courtesy of Woodford Sisters and Photography by Nealy}