Howdy Austin moms! My name is LaToya Morrison a.k.a “CraftyMorrison.” Yes, I am addicted to Pinterest, crafts, and all things DIY. I’m a passionate educator, TPTpreneuer,  Lucille Ball fan, wife, and mother who loves Jesus as much as chips and queso. I’m originally from Arlington/Fort Worth and grew up surrounded by teachers. Educational genes definitely run in my family. I entered the teaching world in 2006 and taught middle school English for 10 years. If you want to truly see what you’re made of…teach pre-teens. Never a dull moment and always a journey of discovery. I never thought I would leave the classroom, but I’ve also learned to never say never. Currently, I coach other teachers and am steadily growing a new skill set of adulting with adults. 

In 2011, I met my husband Brandon, my “butter half,” and we married in 2014. One day for came home and said, “Hey, what if we needed to move to Austin?” I just knew he was joking and replied with a “Sure, let’s go!” Turns out he was dead serious and with a mixture of fear and excitement we packed up our newly married life in Fort Worth and headed to ATX. Once here I had no idea how much we would love Austin! So many sites, things to do, and unique people to meet. We love to find murals and add to our Austin mural Instagram collection, try new restaurants, binge watch shows on Netflix, and cry over “This is Us” (because who doesn’t love that show, and to be honest, I’m mostly the one crying while hubby hands me the tissue). 

Moving and starting life over in a new city is probably one of the scariest things I’ve ever done (besides becoming a mother, but we’ll get to that). See, I’m a Type A gal who likes her comfort box; her safety net. I’m a professional introvert who morphs into an extrovert in the classroom because personality is a must with 12-13-year-olds. New neighborhood, new school, new church, NEW everything. However, we all know that change is constant. Type A Toya had to learn to embrace change. I had to, you know, talk to people. Branch out. Learn new things….and guess what? I didn’t die. In fact, I GREW.

In that growth, one aspect that continued to brew was my desire to be a mother. I hadn’t thought much about it before the big move, but when the mama bug hits you, it HITS YOU. You want nothing else but to know that you can bring life into the world. Our journey wasn’t typical. I was very naive in thinking it would be easy. You expect for things to just happen, especially when nothing is found to be medically wrong. However, things didn’t just happen. In fact, a year passed with no bun in the oven and I thought the worst. So, what did I do? I gave up because I couldn’t carry the weight of the possibilities. Any possible negative possibilities. I applied to grad school at Texas A&M because meanwhile, the educational bug was also biting. I figured I would put my energy into something else like furthering my education. I have no idea where this degree will take me as I embark on my last year, but I jumped in with both feet. Funny thing about life and the sweetest thing about God, when you decide to let go, that very desire has the space to make its way to you. One month after I decided to change my focus on motherhood, we found out we were pregnant.

It may have taken little Griffin over a year to start baking, but he was well worth the wait. His natural joy is contagious and we are so in love with our bundle! Although I’ve only been in the throes of motherhood for 5 months, I have days where I’m killing it and others where I wonder how I even know what I’m doing. I’m even amazed at my attempts to balance it all. Apparently, I cannot just do one thing, I must do all the things. Someday, I’ll rest but for now, this working-grad school-crafting-blogging mama will keep juggling, or as I’ve heard someone say…keep managing my blessings:)

In my spare time (when I actually find a minute), I like to craft, surf Pinterest and Bible journal. Journaling for me is cathartic and doubles as a great way for me to be creative. I find it to be rejuvenating and many times exactly what I need to break the busy of the day or week. 

I’m excited to be a part of the Austin Moms Blog team. Moms who come from a variety of vantage points and hold a multitude of experiences. “Mommin’ ain’t easy” and my journey is fairly new, but I look forward to sharing the beautiful, busy, scary, and crazy sides of motherhood with other fellow mamas. 

There is no way to be a perfect mother….but a million ways to be a good one. -Anonymous