Jama Oliver
I am a homeschool mama of four boys and wife to a software developer. We are originally from Northeast Tennessee, but now call Chattanooga "home." I'm a personal trainer and group exercise instructor, gluten free, dairy free, sober, and way more fun than I sound on paper.
Homeschooling: The Preschool Years
I fancy myself a “seasoned” homeschool mom. I’m now on my fourth child beginning his homeschooling journey, which gives me one in preschool, one...
Where’s the Village?
There was a time when I would just nod and smile when someone would say, “It takes a village!” “Sure, sure,” I’d think to...
What Your Sober Mama Friend Wants You to Know
I have a weird relationship with alcohol.
My mother is southern Baptist and would not allow alcohol in her house, let alone consume it. My...
The Best Laid Plans Are Ruined By Vomit: A Mother’s Tale
I have two fabulous posts in the works -- one on making Sunday special and one on being a sober mama -- and my...
Social Media, Mass Shootings, and What We Can Really Do to Change the World
I’m going to tell you something that doesn’t make me proud. When news broke of another mass shooting, this time at a high school...
When the Mom Jeans Fit: Appreciating the Next Stage of Motherhood
I’ve had a couple of big moments lately. You know the ones that hit during this parenting journey that stop you in your tracks?...
How to Stick with Your Resolution to Get Healthy
Every January gyms start bursting at the seams with people resolved to get fit and healthy in the new year. As a fitness industry...
Creating Simple Family Traditions: The Day I Considered Murdering Our Elf on the Shelf
It would be so simple, really. He could get hit by a car or fall off the roof. Maybe the fire didn’t go out...
Stuck in the Middle: Life in the Sandwich Generation
It’s 9pm on a Saturday night and I am sitting in a hotel in my hometown, drinking wine from a plastic cup, with my...
Minimalism 101: How Our Family of Six is Living With Less
I've flirted with minimalism for a few years now. That overwhelming “oh my gosh we have so much STUFF” feeling would rear its ugly...