Omaha Mom

Amanda is the mother of four- Abby(14), Porter(10), Paxton(6) and Anaston(1) and wife to Aron. To add to the crazy mix she has 2 dogs.  She keeps herself busy with church volunteering, scouts, chasing kids and being the PTO President.  She is a Speech-Language Pathologist that took a recent job change after 16 years in the public schools to work at home continuing her Speechy career.  Although her kids are spread out, she loves finding family time and watching them interact with each other.  She loves traveling, Netflix binges and enjoying a cocktail or two.  She is excited to write for the OMB and get to know her town better.

Angie is a career driven mama who has lived in Omaha for approximately 13 years+. She is married to her husband Adam, and is a mother to a 3.5-year-old sweet girl, Reagan, who is her ultimate pride and joy.  She currently works full-time as a nurse manager, and is currently one year away from achieving her doctorate in nursing and specialize in family practice.  She enjoys spending quality time with family and friends, retail therapy, cheering on the Denver Broncos, taking vacations, and traveling! She has grown up in the Midwest and truly enjoys establishing her family’s home in Omaha!

Catherine is a stay at home mom to Henry (2015) and wife to Alex. In her spare time (yeah, right!) Catherine enjoys gardening, decorating, and reading. In her LBC (Life Before Child) Catherine was a TV Reporter. Originally from Chicago, the Harrington’s are happy to call Omaha home. They live in West-O with their Maltese, Austin. 

Born and raised in Northern Iowa, Cindi and her husband Chad bravely relocated to Huskerland nearly two decades ago and have made Omaha their home.  Prior to becoming a mom to her two boys, who are 19 months apart, Cindi was a social worker, specializing in child abuse/neglect cases. Cindi enjoys writing, empowering others to take charge of their wellness via her blog, Wellness Warrior and volunteering in her children’s activities and school.  She can often be found at a local coffee shop or anywhere outdoors when she isn’t working directly with her clients.  She and her family also care for their three rambunctious dogs and enjoy an active lifestyle.

Halie is a southern girl at heart. She was raised in Georgia and moved to Omaha in 2014 to be closer to her long-distance boyfriend. They both have a love of the art; she draws and paints while he is a singer in a local vocal group. They welcomed a baby girl in 2016! Her long-term goal is to become a foster parent. Until then, her ambition is to gain the knowledge and experience needed to be able to have a positive impact on those that may need it.

A Southern California native, Jacqueline moved to Omaha in 2005 to attend Creighton University for pharmacy school. After meeting her husband, Jonathan, through the Church of Christ (Iglesia Ni Cristo), they now reside in Bellevue with their two children, Theodore James (3 years old), Alexis Jayne (1 year old), and Jacqueline’s mother. She now works full time as the Associate Pharmacy Director at a non-profit community health center pharmacy. In her spare time, she also enjoys being a SeneGence distributor known for its long-lasting lipstick, LipSense. Never did she think she would make roots in Nebraska, but she is beginning to call it home. Jacqueline enjoys all things related to organization, food, crafting, and finding all the gems Omaha has to offer for her and her family to experience.

Hi I’m Jamie Wagner. I’m originally from Aurora, CO. I moved to Nebraska to attend Hastings College to where I ran into my husband while running on the Track Team. After graduation I moved to Lincoln to work on my Ph.D. in economics. Colin and I got married July 2012 while I was in grad school. We moved to Omaha in 2014 during my last year of school. I graduated with my Ph.D. in 2015 and started working at the University of Nebraska at Omaha shortly thereafter. I’m so fortunate to have my dream job right here in Omaha. I’m currently an Assistant Professor of Economics and Director of the UNO Center for Economic Education. As a professor I teach economics to college students and research economic education and financial literacy education. As the Director of the Center for Economic Education I get to work with the Omaha and surrounding area K-12 teachers and teach them how to teach economics and personal finance in a fun and engaging way. Economics has a bad rep and I’m here to change that! I’m here to make Econ and Personal Finance sexy! I have a fur baby puggle named Rodgers (the Wagners are cheeseheads). In October 2016 I had our first daughter, Vella (my Grandma’s middle name). I’m a newbie mom navigating my new world. Colin and I love the outdoors—we go on walks, hikes, bike rides—and are enjoying figuring out how to share our lives with Vella.

Janna juggles life as a mother and homeschool teacher to four beautiful children (born in ’02, ’04, ’05, and ’07) while running a thriving photography business and being an independent ambassador for Plexus. She was born and raised in the city of Council Bluffs and can often be found training for her next Half marathon on the trails near her home. Among her many blessings is the love-of-her-life, Chad.  They married in August of 1999 and enjoy working together at j. selander photography, worshipping side by side at church, working out at their favorite gym, and growing their Plexus business together. 

Jenny is a Northeast Ohio native who relocated to Council Bluffs in 2012. She is a single mom homeschooling her three teenaged children, Austin, Elliana and Jonathan. Her background is in Secondary English Education and Theatre. While homeschooling takes up a majority of her time, you may find her buried in a book, crocheting, working her home based business (www.shopmyplexus.com/jenrosen) or eagerly writing YA and children’s books. You can also learn more about her wonderfully ​quirky little family and her thoughts on her ever deepening faith through her blog, notes of jubilee (www.notesofjubilee.com) where she shares the joys of everyday life as a mother and various product reviews.

Karly lives with her husband Zach and her two boys- Elijah & Liam. She was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska but left to attend college at Arizona State University where she graduated with her BA in Communications and PR. She spent the years following graduation living in Nashville and Chicago before finally settling back down in Omaha. If you are looking for Karly, you will be able to find her at a soccer field or a sports diamond most days of the week watching her oldest play. Aside from being a sports mom, Karly loves to watch her team LSU play or Netflix binge on How I Met Your Mother while indulging in homemade sweet tea.

Born and raised in Omaha, Kassandra has a heart for her city and loves that she can call it home. After ten years battling infertility, she and her husband of 14 years, Nicholas, have a beautiful feisty little firecracker named Eloise (2015). Kassandra formerly taught preschool for 15 years and decided to leave teaching in a school setting to help her friend start up “The Wonder Nook” (a space of creativity and wonderment for all ages) When time allows it, you will more than likely find Kassandra somewhere writing, dreaming, doing.

Lauren is a 30 (and some change) years old mother, wife, daughter, sister, granddaughter, outdoor enthused, coffee infused, crunchy, Pinterest junkie, Amazonaholic–the most appropriate title depends on the time of day! She and her husband Neil have three daughters, Savannah (4.5), Harper (3.5) and Paisley (4 months). They enjoy small town living with big city entertainment by living on the outskirts of Omaha in Louisville, Nebraska. She works as a full time mommy and daycare provider by day and a part time social services/medical records assistant at a nursing home by night. Neil is a food services director for public schools, and it seems that the girls are preparing for careers in persuasive negotiating.
Growing up she never thought much about having kids other than “someday” wanting to dabble. Now that “someday” is here, being a parent is her number one passion. However, it can be a lonely and overwhelming place at times, so she enjoys being able to share the trials, tribulations and joys of mommyhood as a Omaha Moms Blog Contributor!

Malinda lives in Council Bluffs with her husband of 13 years, Caleb. They have been blessed with seven beautiful children. Braydon (2005), Zachary (2006), Nolan (2007-2010), Riley (2009), Madalin (2011), Kenton (2014), and Sophie (2015). She is a stay at home. If shes not at home, shes driving her kids to baseball, basketball, football, dance or gymnastics. With four kiddos involved in activities, each day means she is headed somewhere to cheer them on. Her only hobby would be sleep, which she rarely finds time for. But someday when the children have all grown, there will be time for hobbies, but for today she enjoys every minute of being a full time mom.

Megan was born and raised in Omaha; she tried to go “away” for college but it only took her about 2 hours west to Hastings College. After graduating and not wanting to get a “real job” she pursued graduate school at UNL and finshed with a Masters in Child Development. She began working as an Early Childhood Program Evaluator and eventually met her CPA husband, Dan. In July their lives changed when they welcomed two beautiful baby girls, Mackenzie & Savannah. After more than 9 years in her professional position Megan left to stay home and currently considers her position as the “Keeper of Chaos” in the household to be the most important job she’ll ever get the privelege to have. When she’s not chasing after newly crawling twin babies or figuring out how this whole mom thing works she enjoys the small things: a drink on the porch, walks with her family, roaming Target alone, candy bar lattes, and listening to audiobooks.

Neidy (pronounced “nay-dee”) is a native Georgia girl, but moved to Omaha in 2012 and hasn’t looked back. She lives in East Council Bluffs with her husband Zach, 5 year old son Charlie, 3 year old daughter Tegan, and newborn Edison born on May 1, 2017. Neidy met her husband while in college and married him while he was still serving active duty in the Marine Corps. After a brief stint living in San Diego, they decided to move back to her husband’s native home in Omaha. Neidy finished her degree at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, pursuing film studies, which has cemented her love of Omaha. She’s now a stay-at-home mom that homeschools her son and actively volunteers at her church as a children’s teacher and nursery worker. She also loves a great cup of coffee, exploring various locally-based restaurants, indie movies, experimenting with new recipes, finding new ways to teach her children, and cheering on the Huskers during football season.

Becka is an Iowa native who moved to Omaha in June 2015. She is one half of a higher education couple, a mom to identical twin two year old boys (Avery and Elliot) and two sassy wiener dogs (Nora and Knox). Becka enjoys the craziness of twins and the unpredictability of each day. Even with three degrees, most recently a doctorate in higher education, she continues to find herself googling things like “pachycephalosaurus + herbivore” or “excavator vs digger.” With two very energetic and curious toddlers at home Becka enjoys the peacefulness of her daily commute to Lincoln where she is a coordinator in the Nebraska Business Honors Academy. Becka loves being outdoors in her garden, on the lake with her family, or sitting on the patio with a friend. Her kryptonite is diet coke, peanut m&m’s and a kid free Target trip.

Sarah has lived in the Omaha area her entire life. She currently lives in Papillion with her husband, Adam and their sons Turner, Camden, and Easton. Their son, Bennett, passed away shortly after his birth and is a cherished member of the family’s daily life. Currently a Stay-at-Home Mom, Sarah loves the hustle and bustle of life with all of her boys! There’s never a quiet moment! Sarah is the oldest of 8 siblings and loves spending time with her entire family! She loves baseball, football, reading, traveling, Pitch Perfect, pretending to be organized with the help of her planner and long, quiet Starbucks enhanced walks around Target!

Shauna is a stay at home mom to a creative and energetic five year old girl. She has 5 adult children and 6 grandchildren who keep her holidays and vacations booked throughout the year. She has been a successful hairstylist and makeup artist for over 30 years. Currently she is working from her in home salon and also runs a small crafting business. She is a committed contributor to her church and mom communities. Her free time, in small amounts, is spent with the love of her life going on exotic vacations or movies at the Majestic Cinemas of Omaha.

My name is Sunni. I am a wife, a mother, a step-mother, and a teacher. My husband has 3 older kids (Michael 17, Allison and Molly 15) from a previous marriage and together we have 2 kids (Jonah 10 and Brooklyn 4). We live right in the heart of Omaha, but I teach at a private school in West Omaha. I teach English and Reading at the middle school level. My husband David is a physical therapist and has his own clinic in affiliation with Children’s Hospital in west Omaha. We both love helping others, writing, traveling, being outside, and forever learning and growing in what we do!

Tessa is a graduate from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a Masters in reading. She is a language arts and creative writing teacher and is the co-author of the blog www.familyfootnote.com. She has three children and when she is not mothering or teaching, she is writing. Her work can be found in Fine Lines Literary Journal, Huff Post Parents, Empty Sink Publishing, Route 7 Review, Sammiches and Psychmeds, THAT Literary Review, The Sunlight Press, xoJane, and Parent.co.