mom crush ~ johanna grange

Name:  Johanna Grange

Stats:  Wife to husband Jack,  mom to two beautiful girls (Liv & Lola), Sr. Account Executive at ChowNow and blogger/founder of 101 Things I Love.

Why she's crush worthy:  In reading Johanna's blog you automatically gravitate towards her keen sense of style, witty sense of humor, love for interior design and willingness to share the many highs/lows of life.  In every word she writes you embrace her passion and immediately think, "How does she have time to do it all and look so put together doing it?".  While she seldom mentions her full-time job in posts - she has one and she's damn good at it.  She's a woman who has great sense of style, amazing taste for food and appreciates a good glass of wine any time of day.  She's a girl after my own heart!

Meet Johanna and read how she manages to juggle many things in life without breaking a sweat.  

Here's Johanna's thoughts on:

Being a mother…

• My girls have taught me….to stop and smell the roses. I am so consumed by work, my writing and social media. Sometimes they just want to crawl up on my lap which is a great reminder to put down that phone.
• I want to teach my girls that…there is no rush in life to check off all these “boxes”. Take your time and grow into yourself. Don’t race to the altar or to have kids - be present in the moment.

• I’m always worried that…I’m not spending enough time with my kids. The guilty conscience of a working mom.
• I try not to be a mom that…hovers over her children. Go out and play and while you’re at it...get dirty!
• The most important thing I’ve learned since becoming a mom is...someone really needs me and thinks I am perfect the way I am, faults and all.

Working full-time…

• For me, working is a….choice. I want my kids to have as many resources as I did.
• The biggest challenge of being a full-time working mom is…balance and patience after a long day.
• I appreciate that my job allows me to…have flexibility. I take my kids to school and sometimes I even get to have lunch with them. Working from home has its perks.
• The best way to find balance between life and work is to…disconnect and find 30 minutes to do something you enjoy. Paint your nails, cook, read, whatever makes you happy.
• Working has made me a better mother because….when I am with my children I give them 100% and we have a lot of fun. They are a breath of fresh air.

Marriage….

• I love that my husband and I are on the same page when it comes to…parenting! We have the same values about disciplining and socializing our children.

• My husband always encourages me to…do what I love. Go after my dream.
• We always make time to…watch Top Chef together and basically every other reality cooking show.
• Having kids has made my marriage….stronger because we’ve gone through some stressful periods. We figure if we can get through 2 kiddos in 2 years, we’re a pretty great match. It ain’t easy.

• I love the way my husband...plays with my girls. He’s all about forts and caves. He’s recently engaged my oldest in cooking which is really sweet to watch. He brings things to the table that I cannot.

Friendship…

• I appreciate friends who…stay in touch. Make an effort.
• I stay up to date with my friends by…email, text and phone. It takes a village.
• My friends understand that…I can’t be as flexible as I used to but I will make every effort and I will never blow you off.
• My friendships have changed throughout the years, but my closest friends are...the ones that reach out. We know and understand that sometimes it’s hard to coordinate time to see each other but when we do, it’s like nothing has ever changed.
• My favorite way to spend time with friends is to...break bread and indulge in a cocktail!

Herself…

• I never give myself enough credit for...all that I have achieved and am trying to achieve. I need to work on appreciating my self worth.
• Even though my family is priority, I will never let go of my dream to….write a book!
• I always push myself to…do more, add more to my plate. Not always so smart!
• At this moment, my life feels…full and I am grateful.
• Life is too short for me to...drink cheap wine and eat cheap chocolate. I believe in indulging every day!

Johanna is breath of fresh air when it comes to this whole parenting gig and I appreciate that she documents it openly on her blog.  Every day I learn that it takes work, it takes sacrifice and it takes patience, but embrace everything by making the best of each moment.  Even better, save those moments by capturing pictures of the good, the bad and even the very rare moments of ugly.