We at Nashville Moms Blog love being able to provide you mamas with lots of great content—from our helpful posts on where you can find fun or free indoor activities for your kids or where your kids can eat for free or our series on family travel hacks to our team’s funny or touching real-life stories from other local families. We work hard to meet you where you are, mamas. Today, we’re super-excited to introduce you to some new moms who are joining the team. Read on to learn more about each of these new (to the team) mamas, their Nashville connections, and their individual quirks!
Kim
What brought you to Nashville, and how long have you been here?
After 9 years of working in—and living just outside of—New York City, we needed a change. Our family life was suffering due to my husband’s commute to the City each day. We set our intentions, said a prayer, and literally two weeks later, we were in the midst of a major shift from NYC to Nashville!! We have now been here 3.5 yrs
What’s your favorite “Nashville” thing to do with the kid(s)?
When Liam was little ( he was only 3 when we moved here), my very favorite thing to do was go to the Nashville Library downtown. The puppet shows and the productions created for the imagination and joy of children blew me away. Now that Liam is just over 6, we spend countless hours exploring at Shelby Bottoms.
How many kids do you have? Names/ages?
One. Liam, age 6.5
What’s one thing you ALWAYS keep in your bag and can’t live without?
No more diaper bags for me, but one thing I always have—and had even when Liam was small—is a small jar of coconut oil. Weird, I know—but I buy small glass make up jars with a screw on lid and fill them with coconut oil. We use it for lip balm, lotion, and even on scrapes.
Favorite Nashville place to eat?
The Family Wash and Pied Piper in East Nashville!!
Something about you that not everyone knows?
Something not everyone knows is that not only do I own an interior design business, I also hold Mamahood and Sisterhood circles in East Nashville, helping women unite through shared wisdom.
Rhonda
What brought you to Nashville, and how long have you been here?
I was born and grew up here. I left in 1980 for marriage—then returned in 1994 with husband and children in tow. Time here: 46 years
What’s your favorite “Nashville” thing to do with the kid(s)?
Years ago, our family enjoyed Opryland when we visited from out of state. Today, we still enjoy the old Opryland area. We gather to eat at our favorite family restaurant, Chuy’s, and enjoy shopping in the mall and at the nearby antique mall.
How many kids do you have? Names/ages?
Zach (33), Natalie (30)—and can’t forget daughter-in-law Marie (32) and grandson Colin (6 months)
What’s one thing you ALWAYS keep in your bag and can’t live without?
I can’t live without…my lipstick. I’m not addicted, but I feel exposed without a little lip color. Also—need my cell phone.
Favorite Nashville place to eat?
Date night and occasional family time…Maggiano’s.
Something about you that not everyone knows?
I only have one working vocal cord. Thyroid surgery severed the nerve of one cord, so I had to have another surgery to help the good cord work more efficiently. I can’t yell or speak very loudly—which my family enjoys!
Steph
What brought you to Nashville, and how long have you been here?
I was living in Cleveland, OH when I met Steve. He was a touring musician. We met at a concert venue in Cleveland in August 2003. He would say it was love at first sight, but it took me a little longer to believe it. Our relationship blossomed over a few months, and I moved here in October 2003.
What’s your favorite “Nashville” thing to do with the kid(s)?
My kids love to go to the park. If you ask them, they will tell you Dragon Park is their favorite. I try to take them to different places to provide them with a variety of experiences.
How many kids do you have? Names/ages?
Two kids. My daughter Presley is 8 years old. My son Parker is 5 years old.
What’s one thing you ALWAYS keep in your bag and can’t live without?
Aside from lipgloss for me, I always have snacks for the kids and me. Nobody likes a grumpy mommy.
Favorite Nashville place to eat?
I’m not much of an adventurous foodie. I also have to admit my hubby doesn’t like to venture out of his food comfort zone much. As a family, we all love Copper Kettle, Pizza Perfect, Mellow Mushroom, and the Whole Foods Salad Bar & Hot Food Bar.
Something about you that not everyone knows?
Most of my close friends know that I love spiders and that I love to hula hoop. I hula hooped the Country Music Half Marathon twice! It was a blast both times. The next year I decided to run, and it rained the entire time. I lost my desire to run long distances after that.
In college I was a radio disc jockey, my radio name was Spider Steph!
Victoria
What brought you to Nashville, and how long have you been here?
My husband is military and was stationed here two years ago. We aren’t sure how much longer we will be here, but we are loving every minute!
What’s your favorite “Nashville” thing to do with the kid(s)?
Explore! My son loves the zoo and Bass Pro Shop for the animals; I love exploring the state parks. We also love frequenting book stores.
How many kids do you have? Names/ages?
I have two—Balian will be six in June, and Lillian will be two in April.
What’s one thing you ALWAYS keep in your bag and can’t live without?
Other than my wallet and keys and phone and diapers and snacks? Probably either a Norwex travel envirocloth or my camera.
Favorite Nashville place to eat?
We actually haven’t eaten at too many restaurants in Nashville, but both of my kids LOVE the Aquarium restaurant.
Something about you that not everyone knows?
I play flute and am currently working on writing a novel in between homeschooling and business ownership and blogging.
Amber
What brought you to Nashville, and how long have you been here?
I was born in Middle Tennessee (Lebanon if you want to be technical) and have spent most of my life here with the exception of a couple of years when I was a baby. At that time, my family lived in Tuscon, Arizona while my dad was in the Air Force.
What’s your favorite “Nashville” thing to do with the kid(s)?
I don’t have anything yet, but I may have a better answer to this once she’s born and we’re brave enough to go places with her!
How many kids do you have? Names/ages?
Almost one (ha!) – Charlotte, due April 24!
What’s one thing you ALWAYS keep in your bag and can’t live without?
Well, right now it’s Tums! Boring answer, but since I’m getting to the point where even water gives me heartburn/reflux, I definitely can’t live without them right now!
Favorite Nashville place to eat?
This is a tough one! We’re pretty predictable and usually go to the same couple of chain places. There’s a restaurant in Mt. Juliet (where we live) called Courtney’s that we really like. Is that considered a Nashville place? Man, the more of these questions I answer, the more boring I feel!
Something about you that not everyone knows?
I won an amateur comedy contest. I won’t admit how many people were in the contest, but it was more than just me!
Sarah
What brought you to Nashville, and how long have you been here?
We moved to Nashville because I had lived in Chattanooga before we moved to California, and I loved it! We figured there would be a lot of jobs, and we planned for Ryan (my husband) to go to MTSU.
What’s your favorite “Nashville” thing to do with the kid(s)?
I LOVE exploring all the parks our city has to offer, with a few being the Shelby Bottom’Nature Center Playground, the Dragon Park, and Cumberland Park.
How many kids do you have?
Names/ages? I have one daughter—Claire, age 3.
What’s one thing you ALWAYS keep in your bag and can’t live without?
Hand Sanitizer. I’m truly not a hovering momma or germaphobe, but I cannot stand when I see my child touches a public railing or runs all over a playground and then attempts to eat without cleaning her hands first! It makes me incredibly anxious.
Favorite Nashville place to eat?
My fave breakfast spot is both kid friendly and “I can work here” friendly. Yeast Nashville! It’s an amazing kolache bakery in East Nashville run by some seriously cool people who make you feel like family.
Something about you that not everyone knows?
Once, on a safari in Africa, we were sitting to eat with our group, and a baboon used my body as a way to propel himself onto the table in front of us to steal the food we were eating. I saw him coming and could not get out of the way fast enough, so I just closed my eyes. The next thing I knew, I had a dirty baboon hand print on my arm, and everyone was staring at me like they weren’t sure I was going to walk away from that without some harm. I survived.
Jocelyn
What brought you to Nashville, and how long have you been here?
This is my third time living in Nashville. I was recruited by Vanderbilt to run track and cross country and graduated in 2004. In 2009, my (Active Duty Army) husband was offered the opportunity to earn his Master’s, and we chose Vanderbilt. During that time I earned my Bachelor’s in Nursing from Belmont. Now we are back again (after living in New York, Kansas, and Germany!) for Jason (my husband) to earn his PhD before we return to New York for his teaching assignment at West Point.
What’s your favorite “Nashville” thing to do with the kid(s)?
This is our first time living here with kids—but we really enjoy walking from our neighborhood in 12 South over to the “Dragon Park” in Hillsboro—stopping at Portland Brew, The Dog, and Jeni’s along the way. Basically, we like to eat our way around town.
How many kids do you have? Names/ages?
We have a son—Logan, age 3, and we recently welcomed a daughter—Caroline, on January 24th.
What’s one thing you ALWAYS keep in your bag and can’t live without?
I don’t know that I can’t live without it—but I always have a bag of snacks (goldfish, granola bar, raisins, applesauce pouch, and a dum-dum for bribery) for my son as well as a water bottle and 2 toy cars. This little collection makes life a lot easier when I (or hubby and I) want to take a spontaneous trip somewhere—or have a lunch date.
Favorite Nashville place to eat?
Oooh . . . so far, we love Burger Up, Jeni’s, and Josephine’s in our new neighborhood. And our timeless favorites are Fido and The Dog. I was so sad to see Sunset Grille closed!!
Something about you that not everyone knows?
I’m really passionate about art and love to oil paint (in my now non-existent free time). I also love to travel (two years in Europe was absolute bliss), cook, eat, and take pictures. I’d really love to take a photography course—and someday hope to learn to play the guitar.
Jordan
What brought you to Nashville and how long have you been here?
I grew up in a small town about 45 minutes outside of Nashville. After graduating college and getting married, I moved to Florida with my husband who was in the military. We moved back home two years later after he got out of the Army, and we currently live just north of Nashville near my husband’s hometown.
What’s your favorite “Nashville” thing to do with the kid(s)?
I love taking Ava to the Nashville Zoo! She’s in a stage where she’s obsessed with animals, so she really enjoys it. Plus, I have such great memories of going to the Grassmere Zoo as a child, and it’s so fun seeing it again through her eyes.
How many kids do you have?
We have one little girl named Ava who just turned 2!
What’s one thing you ALWAYS keep in your bag and can’t live without?
Chapstick! I usually have several all spread around between my bag, the car, and our house because I’m also terrible about losing them. I use chapstick so frequently that Ava has caught on to it and now asks for “wip!” whenever she sees me bust it out.
Favorite Nashville place to eat?
I love love love The Pharmacy Burger Parlor! Its perfect for both family outings or date night. I would eat there every week if my husband was up for it!
Something about me not everyone knows?
I have four tattoos! My husband likes to call me a “goody two shoes,” so a lot of people probably wouldn’t expect me to have tattoos. My parents and I even have matching ones!
Amanda
What brought you to Nashville, and how long have you been here?
I am a born-and-raised Nashvillian. I grew up in a suburb outside the city. My husband and I moved to East Nashville in 2013—just a few week before finding out we were having our first kiddo.
What’s your favorite “Nashville” thing to do with the kid(s)?
We love dragging our kid around the city. A good day for us is hitting a record shop and grabbing some lunch on the East side, then maybe swinging by a local park or the Cumberland Park Sprayground on a hot summer day. We like to top it off with a visit to the Nashville West Target for some grocery shopping and Starbucks/icee sipping.
How many kids do you have? Names/ages?
I have one son and his name is Rory. He is almost two! *insert surprise face emoji here*
What’s one thing you ALWAYS keep in your bag and can’t live without?
I can’t live without two things—a pen and either a notepad or index cards. Everything else I can live without, but if I don’t have something to write on, I’m in a world of hurt. I’m a visual learner, so writing down appointments, kid activity ideas, website, etc. helps me keep track.
Favorite Nashville place to eat?
For breakfast I love a good bagel and coffee from Portland Brew on Eastland Ave. For lunch or dinner, it’s a tie between Hattie B’s Hot Chicken and Five Points Cocina Mexicana.
Something about you that not everyone knows?
I’m a huge Doctor Who fan. It’s a British sci-fi series about a space- and time-travelling alien who travels in a time machine that looks like a phone box. Throughout his travels, he brings along companions to share in his adventures. One of my favorite companions on the show was a character named Rory. I loved the character so much that I named my son after him.
Please help us welcome these beautiful women to the team! Give them a shout out and a big hello!
