About
Hi. I’m Tara.
I am a 30-something wife and mom. These are the two best, most fulfilling, most fun gigs I can imagine, and I try to share that joy with my dear readers.
I love reading, writing, learning, and making life fun for my daughters. In the summer, I love to hike with my family, swim, picnic, and explore nature. In the winter, I like to watch the snow from my couch.
That last bit, about watching the snow from the couch? Not a joke.
I suffer from migraine headaches, and I have battled my weight for my entire life.
I live the life I love, and I love the life I live.
I work hard to stay positive here; I believe that happiness is a choice we can all make. I love the life I share with my husband, Joe, and our daughters, Grace and Allie, and I celebrate it as often as I can.
That’s not to say that my life is all sunshine and daisies. I have bad days. I get crabby. My family hits bumps in the road, once a yearlong string of bumps. Big ones. I wrote about those, too.
My husband and I try (and often fail) to achieve a frugal, back-to-basics lifestyle. As you look around, you’ll find lots of articles about things your Grandmother probably did, like canning, making jam, and sewing.
You can hire me.
I stay busy balancing my passion for blogging with a career teaching science in a public high school my life as a full-time work-from-home mom, inbound marketing manager, and consultant. I work with bloggers, teaching them to improve their SEO and make more money, and I work with businesses, teaching them how to work with bloggers, improve their search traffic, and use social media.
I have a B.S. in secondary education and an M.Ed. in teaching and curriculum, both from The Pennsylvania State University. I also earned a Writing Specialist Certificate from Penn State. If you’re interested in my full professional profile, please contact me. I’m really kinda brilliant.
But not modest. That doesn’t come naturally.
Why Feels Like Home?
When I was growing up, my family moved all the time. It felt like we got settled in to a new home and new town, and then we had to move. No place I lived ever really felt like home to me. When I graduated from college, I was determined to build a home for myself and never move again.
At that point, I was a young woman who intended to be a single professional forever and aspired to earn a PhD and become known as the neighborhood cat lady.
God intervened. In 2005, I met my soul mate. Two years (to the day) after our first date, we got married. Ten months after that, we became the parents of a baby girl. When she was four months old, this blog was born.
These days, I have two precocious daughters. I am a busy mother, and my life feels like home. I know that I’m right where I belong.
Want to know more?
Have a look around. A sample of my favorite posts show up in the sidebar on the right every time you open a page.
You might also like to check out a few of these posts:
{ 37 comments… read them below or add one }
What a great list! Thanks for including my Peeps!
~Kim
What a great list! Thanks for including my Peeps!
~Kim
What a coincidence! I have my B.H. in Secondary English Education and my M.Ed. in Teaching & Curriculum (BOTH from PSU, too!)
What a coincidence! I have my B.H. in Secondary English Education and my M.Ed. in Teaching & Curriculum (BOTH from PSU, too!)
Thank you for linking up at my Bloggy Boot Camp Round Up… What a great introduction. I, too, have struggled with weight, and I can identify with some of your posts.
I am a working mom of a baby girl too… crazy, hectic, and amazing.
See you in March, lady!
Your daughter is adorable!
This is a great “about me” post. I will be at Bloggy Bootcamp in Baltimore too. I am excited. It is coming so quickly!
I LOVE how positive you are. My kind of people
Looking forward to meeting you in Baltimore!
I can't wait!
Thank you very much
Feel free to use it as a template for your own!
Thank you
Tara,
I love your about me page! Even though I've “known” you for a while, I feel like I know you so much better now! I can't wait to see you in Baltimore!
What positivity! You have one of the toughest jobs out there, guiding and teaching our children is a role not made for everyone. Thank you for taking on the task.
Hi Tara!
Love your About Me and beautiful picture of your family!
I am excited for Baltimore and look forward to meeting you!
Your About Me put tears in my eyes. I am really looking forward to reading your blog and learning more about you.
Thank you so much for your amazing talk yesterday at Bloggy Boot Camp! I had absolutely no idea what SEO was all about and you really opened my eyes to it all!
It was my pleasure.
It was my pleasure.
Stopping in from the Blog Hop! I have been thinking about making peach jam lately! How funny that I should come across a blog about canning and other homey things! I think it's wonderful that you do those things and I bet it really makes your home warm and happy!
Hey there! You were one of my favorite people to meet and spend time with at SBS, you know.
Thanks for stopping (or should I say, hopping?) by today! 
Same here, Mary! I was hoping we'd end up in the same blog network so that we could chat.
Seems we have a lot in common:) I moved around a lot when I was little and went to every school in our county! I still struggle with my weight:( I read your Bucket List and it looks wonderful! Maybe I will make one:)
Hopping by from BlogHop 10. What an adorable cutie you have!
Just made our first jelly this year (jalapeno jelly) and starting to do some canning this fall. Can't wait to hear about how things are going in your home.
I can so relate to the “feels like home”! I love that knowledge that I am where I'm supposed to be – doing what I'm supposed to be doing! Life is good!
Hi! I stopped by on the Blog Hop.
I'm headed over to check out your bucket list now… and will not apologize if I brazenly steal an item or two.
Happy Friday.
Nice to meet you! I love jams,but do not know how to make them! I will definitately check your site out again!
http://jascherff.blogspot.com/ – Here from the blog hop- looks like you have a lovely and busy blog going here! Nice to “meet” you
Hi, Tara. Hopping your way. You and your family are beautiful!
Newest follower from Blog Hop '10. Can't wait to read more on your blog. Please visit my blog & follow me back.
Proudwifeymommiiof3.blogspot.com
Thanks bunches =)
I'm Your newest follower from blog hop 10
http://www.bowwowpet.blogspot.com
Just Hoppin By, Sorry I’m a little late, I’m #255,
I am happy to meet you… but you have to work on shorting your bucket list.
Lots of libraries have audiobooks that you download free.
Download Greek language book and learn while you clean the house.
You can’t achieve your dreams if you never make the first step. lol
So about the ‘stuffing’ the turkey idea. My hubby is the cook , he always ‘stuff’s the Turkey ,
Do you think it is because we live in CA. ?
Do you think its ‘territorial’ , like east, west, north , south thing?
What do you think ?
So about the ‘stuffing’ the turkey idea. My hubby is the cook , he always ‘stuff’s the Turkey ,
Do you think it is because we live in CA. ?
Do you think its ‘territorial’ , like east, west, north , south thing?
What do you think ?
Watched from afar on #blogchat. You are a brave soul and though I didn’t chime in, mostly because I couldn’t keep up, I think your blog looks great! I love this post, very real and transparent and it already feels like I know you a bit..
I blog at http://www.uniquefamilyvision.com if you get a chance to stop by, say hello!
You did chime in! I remember your avatar. Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment.
Hi Tara. This is the first time I’m “blogging” lol and I really appreciate how open you are about your life and how it can help many people out. I’m also a stay at home mom of two girls.
I wasn’t sure though if you’re catholic or not I didn’t see it mentioned on your section about you. Other blogs I’ve noticed it”s the first thing they tend to mention about themselves so I didn’t know if that’s just a priority to some to mention or how that works since I’ve never “blogged”. I also was struggling with my weight after I had my second daughter. God Bless
I just wanted to let you know that I respect you SO much. I randomly happened upon your blog and perused through, and your perspective on life and your determination to fight and KEEP fighting through the hard stuff astounds and inspires me. Thanks for keeping hope alive and sharing your fresh and beautiful perspective. You are beautiful. <3
I want u to know how much I enjoy ur blog and think ur neat! So much so that when I recieved a “The Versatile Blogger Award” that I thought of u! Read about my nomination of ur blog at the link below. Thanks so much for all u do!
http://buggalcrafts.wordpress.com/2012/03/05/my-versatile-blogger-nomination/
Melba, buggalcrafts
buggalcrafts´s most recent post…My Versatile Blogger Nomination
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