Hi new friends. My name is Julie May. For so many years, I have turned to this Mom network for support. Sleep schedules, recipes, new parks to explore, surviving toddler tantrums, meetups, validation… you know…for community. Local women, walking my ages and stages of parenthood and guiding me through their words and wisdom. Now, ankle deep out of the trenches, the weary, newborn days in the rearview, still EVER EVOLVING, I am gifted the honor to join these incredible voices and meet you.

Such a JOY for my heart.

About me. Hmm. Well, I was born and raised in Dallas, but it was Austin that called me home. Drawn to this city for her beautiful trails, abundant hills and incredible outdoor life, I just couldn’t shake her call. Married to my high school sweetheart, our family would grow in predictable form… through lots of laughter, key miscommunications and perhaps a few, too many cocktails. Before we knew it, we were young and in love times SIX.

Chaotic and messy for sure, but I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world.

For the past 17 years, I have served my community as a Child Life Specialist. Regardless of whether or not I am preparing a child for a procedure, helping them process the complexities of illness or walking alongside their grief and loss, it always comes back to play. That’s right. I get to play for a living and there is not a day that goes by that I forget to thank my lucky stars. I chose this profession because I wanted to make a difference in the lives of children. My goodness, how little I knew of all the ways they would grow me! Their resiliency, playful spirit and bravery through the hardest of times, have only grown my empathy, passion and advocacy for play as a Mom.

My house may be messy, but holey pajamas, do we know how to play.

As someone that struggles with anxiety and depression, finding a space to balance all the demands of Mom life with an emotionally taxing profession became challenging. When my mind was weary and the world seemed a bit too loud, often you could find me with headphones on, covered in paint, taking all my messy and turning it in to something beautiful.

Through the artistic components of furniture restoration, I found peacefulness and balance.

People will sometimes tell me how incredible it is to grow a business as a busy mom but little do they know, this artistic endeavor grows and shapes me into a better Mom every single day. I am still learning on the fly as a small business owner, but this Austin community has a heart for supporting local companies and I couldn’t be more grateful for it.

So that’s me. Part-time, Child Life Specialist in the nonprofit sector and small business owner by trade. Mom to all my “Crazy Mays”.

Next year I will have one foot firmly planted in high school life and the other in a victory lap of kindergarten.

Fourth and seventh grade will be thrown right there in the middle of it all to keep me humble. Four kids in three schools for the REST OF MY LIFE… or at least for a heck of a long time. ‘Lest I ever feel I have it all figured out, I am confident the world will shake it up, dish out an entire new helping of unknown and keep me learning. Thank goodness, I’ll continue to have this great Mom community in my life to share wisdom, validation and a good dose of acceptance through it all.

It is so very nice to meet you.

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