Kendra
Aside from being a writer, Kendra is a Birth Trauma Doula at KarysMa Birth, where she helps moms find their joy after birth trauma. A former middle school English and theatre teacher, she has an insatiable love for learning and a flair for the dramatic. Among the best moments of her life, she counts marrying her husband Steve during a dream rainbow wedding, planning a princess picnic on the beach with her eight year old daughter Karys, giving birth to her one year old daughter Saryn in the middle of a blizzard, and sitting on stage with Glennon Doyle. A Navy brat for the first 13 years of her life, Kendra settled in Virginia for eighteen years before she was finally ready to move again, relocating to Portland in 2014. You can find her work on Portland Moms Blog, The La Leche League Blog, and The Not Your Average Mom Project, as well as the hard drive of her computer.
This Year I’ll Do Summer Better!
I say it every year. Whether I’m staying at home with my kids for the summer or trying to find childcare so I can work, every year I feel like summer sneaks up on...
PMB Kids Takeover: Every Mother is the Best Mom for Her Child
I am Karys, and I am taking over my mom’s post this month for Mother's Day. Each and every child loves their mom more than any other mother on earth, which proves that, technically,...
What C-Section Moms Need
April is Cesarean Awareness Month, which gives me the opportunity to reflect back on my Cesarean birth and what I needed after. I don’t claim to speak for every mom who has given birth by...
Portland Childcare Choices
When I went back to work after my first daughter was born, my grad student husband and my mom were able cover most of our childcare needs. And then we moved away from family...
There’s a Purple-Haired Troll in My Basement!
We live in an age where the isolated nuclear family is the norm. I’ve heard many friends complain about the difficulty of forming friendships and community connections after a long day of work and...
Making Christmas Portable
For a long time, we kept Christmas simple by hosting at our house. That way, we could call the shots and keep the holiday calm for our little family. But, alas, our move to Portland meant...
Four Winter Wreaths to Make with Your Kids
Last month, we told you how to make some beautiful fall wreaths with your kids. Now that Thanksgiving is over and we’re nearing December, it’s time to get crafty with four winter wreaths to...
Choosing a Portland Neighborhood: A Mom’s Guide to Southwest & Downtown
When we moved to Portland in 2014, I didn’t realize that there was such a thing as choosing a side in Portland, but it turns out I’m a southwest side girl. We started out...
Let’s Get Together at Together Live!
I found the blog called Momastery as I find most things of note these days, on a friend’s Facebook wall. The author, whom I would later come to know as Glennon Doyle, laid bare...
PMB Contributor Picks: Our Favorite Oregon Coast Spots
After almost three years in Oregon, I’ve finally learned to say that we are going to the "coast" instead of the beach. Back on the East Coast where I grew up, the beach is...