The Conception, Birth and Life of LiveMom.com
In a thriving metropolis such as Austin, Texas, many moms have yet to find their way. Some know the place like the back of their hand, yet most still stumble around, constantly searching for a side street that will bring them closer to their destination in a more timely manner than many of the local highways and biways. We are new to this. Even after living here for twelve years, I find that the city changes on a daily basis. There are new routes, businesses, people; a changing complexity not unlike motherhood.
I feel like I should know the routes by now. I have been a mom for nine years and now with a second child, I have much more knowledge than I did with my first. I can navigate nicely most days. But, some days I get lost. I used to go around in circles, constantly going around the same block, hoping that my memory would come back or by some divine intervention, whatever I was looking for would just appear out of nowhere.
It’s taken me a while to realize that my voice was a powerful tool. I finally made a pit stop in this growing city and asked for help. It’s amazing how far you can get if you aren’t afraid to stop and ask for directions along the way. So, now I ask questions. I try not to be so afraid of the unknown… and let’s face it, that is being a mom. As soon as you get comfortable in one position, it changes. You have to make new decisions and you have to do it quickly.
I believe that we, as moms and women, can use our voice to help others. We can be the person on the side of the road giving directions when another mom has lost her way. And, in the process, we might just learn something ourselves. We can speak out about what we want and need from the community that we live in to make our lives easier.
Although we are all different with different perspectives, as moms we share a common thread; the desire to provide the best for ourselves and our families. Together, we can share information to encourage each other in a kind and supportive online community. With that in mind, let us hear your voice and be a part of building a better village, Austin.
Founder: Catherine Prystup
Catherine Prystup has lived in Austin for fourteen years. In her downtime (which is rare), she enjoys reading, hanging out at coffee shops, people watching, eating dessert, cooking and going on long vacations. She has a background in advertising sales and management. She wears many hats and has many duties, which include handling bumps, bruises, laughs, baths, coughs, colds, tickles, bills, homework, driving… let’s just say the list is a long one. She also has two dogs, three cats, and a husband. Catherine was a full-time working mom for eight years before quitting to stay home with her daughter. The idea to create a website for Austin area moms came to her one day when it seemed like she would never accomplish anything on her long to do list; it was just another stressful day in the life of a working mama. She thought it would be nice to have a website that offered help and an outlet for all of her crazy emotions as a mother. Maybe obtain some guidance and a big old cyber hug every once in a while. After all, being a parent is one of the toughest jobs out there. Over the course of the past couple of years, the concept for LiveMom has changed many times over and has now emerged in its present state with more exciting changes to come! Email Catherine with any ideas or suggestions that you would like to see on LiveMom.
Contributing Writer: Katie Mastovich
Katie lived in Austin for a couple years in college and then returned 2 years ago when her husband changed jobs. She is originally from Fort Worth, which, incidentally, is not the same thing as Dallas- so never say that. She enjoys hockey (hates the Red Wings, GO STARS!), reading, knitting, studying the feminist movement and a enjoying a good dark beer. She is a stay at home mom to a rambunctious 18 month old girl and excited to have more kiddos sometime soon. She has a weird passion for researching random things, which works out pretty well for writing random posts about topics that she hopes are interesting to someone other than herself. Her motivation here is really just to connect with Austin moms and to have a little bit of something all to herself outside of being a wife and a mom… to feel some more relevance in life! You moms know how hard that can be!
Food Editor: Shannon Oelrich
Shannon Oelrich is a freelance writer/editor and a stay-at-home mom. Originally from San Antonio, she moved to Austin in 1998 to pursue her master’s degree in English. She was the food editor for Texas Co-op Power magazine for five years, and while there, compiled and edited two archival cookbooks.
Contributing Writer: Nicole Basham
Nicole is a native Austinite (yes, you read that right!) who lived in Virginia for 8 years but was drawn back home by the allure of Kerbey queso, real barbeque and endless summers. A recovering workaholic, Nicole worked at an international conservation organization and returned to Austin to manage a peer mentoring program for teen girls. Now she is a stay-at-home mama to a hilarious, high-energy preschooler with an active imagination. Although some days are admittedly tough, Nicole feels lucky to have the chance to revisit her favorite childhood hangouts with her son in tow.
In addition to that full-time position, she also enjoys playing soccer, listening to live music, volunteering, eating, cooking, dancing, singing in the car and learning new things. You can also find her reviews of kid-friendly venues at The Savvy Source for Parents.
Contributing Writer/ Tech Helper: Lori Anderson
I am a SAHM who dabbles in freelance writing. I have two children – a four-year-old girl and a fifteen-month-old boy. I have lived in the Austin area for 10 years and in Pflugerville for the last 3 years. Before kids, my hobbies were reading, writing, and spending a lot of time at the gym and running local 5k and 10k races. Two kids and one torn ACL later, my hobbies are still reading and writing, but my workouts are now limited to chasing, climbing, and generally keeping up with my two active children and a house full of fur babies – one of whom is still classified as a puppy. In addition to reading, writing, and chasing my children, I enjoy cooking (and eating), collecting recipes, and making up my own. I also thoroughly enjoy bargain hunting and am pretty continually having a competition with myself to see how inexpensively I can buy items we use all the time.