Matt Open Mic

ANNA, STEP UP TO THE MIC

Birthdays. We all have them, and most of us love them. The older we get, it seems the excitement gets less and less, but once you have children, it comes back. But not for your own, for your child. And is there any birthday more important, more momentous than the first birthday. But who is that first birthday party really for? Anna, is here to share her story of her son, Sam’s,  first birthday.

UNWANTED ADVICE: THE FIRST BIRTHDAY PARTY

Nothing induces as much eye-rolling as a cardstock invitation to a child’s First Birthday Party, especially when it arrives two months prior to the actual party, as if it’s a formal occasion. It’s not like the bride, err, mom, needs to know how many guests ordered chicken and how many guests ordered beef. No one has commented on the food-stained maternity sweatpants and hooded sweatshirt that you’re still wearing one year after your child was born, but mailing a formal birthday invitation two months in advance will certainly get the tongues wagging.

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Matt Open Mic

COLLEEN, STEP UP TO THE MIC

Colleen and I used to be co-workers. We became friends as we bonded over donuts when she earned her way into the Donut Club I started by writing a very passionate essay. We made a good team while working together on a series of Vegas projects. She was the artistic person, and I was the people person. Imagine that, ME, the people person. Anyway, now that she is a parent, she has a new client. If you like a good dramatic before and after story, enjoy Colleen’s quest about designing the perfect nursery. 

THE NEST

I am a designer.  I’m such a designer that it’s pretty much all I do all day.  It’s my career, my hobby and my passion.  My ability to deconstruct every minute detail of my environment is an absolute blessing and a curse.  It’s my direct calling in life and it brings me the most complete feeling.  Like the, I-can’t-even-see-straight-right-now, kind of feeling.  I live design through every fiber of my being.  So when I discovered that I was pregnant, of course the first thing I thought was, ”UH OH”…then it was, “YAY a nursery!”  No really, this first thing I thought was how amazing it was to bring a life into this world.  …ok, and then very shortly after that I started dreaming up a nursery!

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WHITNEY, STEP UP TO THE MIC

I thought it’d be great to start the New Year off with something different. We have great family friends who live in Kentucky, and Whitney is my friend Andy’s daughter. She was 9 when I met her the first time. Now she’s 17 years old and a high school senior. Yikes! Anyhow, on her last visit to Michigan to visit my family, she shared her idea of a list she was working on. This wasn’t a bucket list; it was a list of 30 things to do before she turned 30. A lot of people set goals for school, careers, family, etc. but this list is all about how big the small things in life can be, and how important it can be to live in the moment. At least that’s what I took from it. But here’s Whitney to explain her project.   

YOUTH IS WASTED ON THE YOUNG

Happy New Year! I’m so excited to share my quest for adventure with you, and being the first blogger of the New Year is a definite plus! My name is Whitney, I am a senior in High School, and I cannot decide between team Edward or team Jacob! This past summer I created a list of thirty things that I want to do before I turn thirty, and when I shared my idea with Matt it peaked his interest. It’s not a bucket list, but something centered around living while I’m young. The thought of growing old without doing the things I once thought were fun scares me, and although this may seem silly to some, it has been the inspiration for the list.

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Matt Open Mic

SAQIB, STEP UP TO THE MIC

You’ve heard me mention my friend Haniyyah on here a few times.  Well, Saqib is her brother-in-law.  And as a former stay-at-home dad, he tells a pretty interesting story about overcoming unexpected unemployment, an infant son that needed open heart surgery, and the cultural pressures felt of staying home while his wife continued to work. And despite the challenges they faced, he found himself with the best job he ever had.

THE BEST JOB I EVER HAD

Four weeks before our first son, Abdullah Yusuf Shafi, was born, we found ourselves in an interesting situation. I had lost my job as an accountant at a corporate retail company. Within a few weeks, Ayesha was due to go on maternity leave from her position as a high school math teacher at a small private school, unpaid. Not exactly the situation we had planned for when we would have our first child.

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HEATHER & STEVE, STEP UP TO THE MIC

My friend Heather and I are old classmates from our MSU days.  I remember jamming music in the design studio working on our projects into the wee hours of the night.  Now if either of us are up late, I’m sure it’s for a much different reason.  Heather and her husband Steve have an adorable little girl, Isla, who just turned nine months old.  Heather writes about being a mom and all kinds of things at Us Doing Things, and Steve writes about being a part-time stay-at-home dad at Hey Little Isla.  This is a his and hers post about trying to achieve the life they dream of.

I DREAM OF ISLA: Hers

Before I got out into the real world, and had all of the responsibilities that grown-ups have, I had always imagined that I would be a stay at home mother while my phantom children were small.

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