Dawn Downes
Hey, y’all! I’m Dawn – a native Tennessean who could not wait to escape the small town for the big city. After attending a women’s college in Atlanta, I took root there and stayed. One marriage, two homes, two kids, and 25 years later, here I am, back in Tennessee. My husband moved here in January of 2016 to start a new job while our two boys, Brendan (born 2003) and Beckett (born 2006), and I stayed behind to finish the school year and sell our house. We arrived in July 2016 and have been working to make a happy new home here since then. We love living on the North Shore and I am enjoying finding unexpected beauty and little joys throughout our new city. I am also mama to fur babies, Josie the Rhodesian Ridgeback/Lab mix, and Miller, a sweet orange and white tabby cat. I'm into art, movies, music, TV, pop culture, nerdy stuff like Doctor Who and Game of Thrones and I know more than my share about the DC Universe, Pokemon, Minecraft, Battlefield, and all things LEGO thanks to having two boys.
Blue Mind: Chattanooga’s Gift to the Muddled Mama
Most mothers carry a tremendous burden around with them constantly – the weight of mental labor. Mental labor, or invisible labor, is the burden...
Letting Your Kids Find Their Faith
A few months ago I began working in a church. I love it. I love it, in large part, because it gives me an...
Why Didn’t Anyone Tell Me? I’ll Tell You Why…
This is not a post I wanted to write, but one I feel obligated to write. Trust me when I tell you that much...
Seven Simple Self-Care Soothers You Totally Have Time For
When you think of self-care does it call to mind images of luxurious, candlelit bubble baths, a day spent at the spa being pampered,...
Parenting with Personality: Enneagram Parenting Styles
Standing at the kitchen sink cleaning up breakfast dishes, I listen to my sons bickering. They’re arguing over, of all things, the fact that...
New Year’s Resolutions for Parents of Teens and Tweens
With 2019 peeking around the corner ready to knock big sibling 2018 out of the way and assume the spotlight, it’s time to start...
Making Spirits Bright: Keeping Holiday Traditions Fun for Teens, Tweens, and the Whole Family
I grew up in a small family without a lot of traditions. I watched every holiday commercial and Thanksgiving or Christmas special longing to...
Conversations about Consent: Creating a Dialogue about Sexual Consent with Your Child
Recent political events stirred up a lot of deep conversations, as well as knee-jerk reactions, among parents about the topic of consent – what...
Makeover Your Mommy Brain: Rediscover Yourself with Podcasts
For all the many ways motherhood changed and shaped me for the better, the one thing it did not do was make me smarter....
And If You Don’t Know, Now You Know: Learning as You Parent
Lying in Savasana in a yoga class last week my blood pressure started to rise when I heard a new student talking to his...