The Modern mom - keeping it simple

Most of today's moms are  raising their children much different than I raised mine.  When I was a young mother starting out, there was no home internet, no cell phones, no Netflix and land lines were still a very basic necessity.   WOW, I have just aged myself.  

With Social Media on the rage, mother's have the ability to connect with one another via Facebook Groups, Pinterest Groups, Twitter, Instagram and the list goes on and on.  The kids are being able to use our I-phones better than we do.  Recipe sharing is via Social Media in lieu of the old fashion rolodex cards passed down from generations.  I am so glad to see that some of today's moms still like the ole' fashion recipe exchanges, public libraries, going out for ice-cream socials and doing arts and crafts with their kids.

My first Modern Mom that I love so dearly is Shelbi.  Shelbi is beautiful inside and out.  I love to watch her Facebook feed of the photos that she shares of her family.  They are loving the basics to life.  While she may post on Facebook and Instagram,  (so that others might be able to connect) she still loves to interact with the children, keeping it simple, and enjoying the basics life has to offer.  

I admire Shelbi so much for her inner beauty.  Shelbi suffers from Alopecia Areata.  She has suffered from hair loss since she was 11 years old.  In fact, she mentioned to me that she was completely bald at some point in her teen years.  She doesn't mind posting pictures of how that autoimmune disease attacks her physical appearance. 

Shelbi and her family now practice the Vegan lifestyle.  Her husband Jacob  heard that this lifestyle has helped others with Alopecia and autoimmune diseases in general.  Shelbi decided to do some research and decided to give it a try.  A year has passed and now Shelbi has a full head of hair.   I was introduced to some of her wonderful vegan chicken when she brought to my house for our Christmas Eve potluck tradition.   The chicken was delicious!  In fact, I thought I was eating real chicken so I was a little puzzled.  I asked Shelbi and Jacob about it (since I thought Vegan's didn't eat meat at all).  They told me that it was chicken made from plants.  I seriously had no idea.  It was delicious!

Shelbi is my niece, married to my nephew Jacob.  Shelbi and Jacob met in hair school at The Salon Professional Academy of TSPA in 2011. They became good friends who enjoyed goofing off together in between classes. In January of 2012, they started dating. after about four months of dating and exchanging "I love you"'s she was introduced to Jacob's two boys from a previous relationship.  She met Ollie and Elliott.  Ollie was two and Elliott was almost a year old when she met them. Shelbi fell in love with them as soon as she spent time with them.  She knew then she wasn't going anywhere and wanted them all to be a family.   Shelbi and Jacob dated for about a year, moved into together and then decided to sneak off and eloped about six months later. 

Now five years later, Shelbi and Jacob have two boys of their own.  Gus and Ezra love their older brothers.  Both Ollie and Elliott share the love back.  This wonderful family of six makes me smile every time I see a post of them together!   Shelbi and Jacob both are in the hair and "beauty" business.  Shelbi a hair dresser for Salon Innovations, and Jacob a barber for The Art of Men's Cuts.   They both are excellent in their trades and do amazing work.

Their favorite family outing is the main library in downtown Little Rock. They have Lego day, Wii game day, Dance Dance Revolution,  and offer free snacks when you come for those events. Afterwards, that make their way to Loblolly Creamery,  where they make Vegan ice cream.  She said that Sundays are good days for these outings after church.  The main library is open on Sundays, located in Little Rock in the SoMa District along with another favorite spot,  Bernice Gardens Farmers Market, a perfect place for the Vegan lifestyle to enjoy!

Shelbi is a book enthusiast. She says she loves the beauty of words and literature. "I am most happy, when cuddled up with my dudes and reading to them.  Currently we are reading Harry Potter and I am introducing all the charm I fell in love with in my youth. They are loving it."

Recently, Shelbi had a local photographer to follow them around.   Kylie Farmer Photography  captured some of their favorite outings.  These photos are stunning and tell a story all on their own!

​XOXO
Pat

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