Meet the Bloggers
 |
Z. Carlson Age: 47 Family: Husband, Dale; two children, ages 17 and 13 Job: part-time Offutt Air Force Base movie theater supervisor Interests: writing, reading, music, softball, movies and trivia Z. is a stay-at-home mom (sort of) whose husband retired to Bellevue after 24 years in the Air Force. Z. was an Army brat, so that meant a vagabond childhood featuring 10 schools in 12 years and in two different countries. Two kids and two dogs makes for a neverending call of "MOM!" Add in bowling, softball, baseball and any other school function, and you know why she only "sort of" stays at home. Z. blogs Saturdays for momaha.com. |
 |
Melissa Cruickshank Age: 31 Family: Husband, Ryan, and daughter, Cambria, 3. Job: Working with technology solutions at a health insurance company. Interests: Reading, eating, sleeping (not necessarily in that order). Melissa is an introvert with a dry sense of humor. She values family and friends before anything else. The world stops when Cambria says, "Love you, Mama." Melissa blogs Thursdays for momaha.com. |
 |
Judy Daniell Age: 31 Family: Husband, Brian, and children Isaiah, 8, Caleb, 6, and Nathan, 2. Job: Claims representative for the Social Security Administration. Interests: Reading, writing and exercising. Judy loves people. She can laugh at life, hers especially, and she enjoys helping others find the humor in the mundane. Judy blogs every Wednesday for momaha.com. Read more at her personal blog |
 |
Erin Grace Age: 36 Family: Married with three children. Job: World-Herald news reporter. Interests: Sleep. She used to get this regularly. Back in those days, she had interests like reading, cooking, running and music. She has downsized those interests to board books, five-minute meals, being a sherpa and the Wiggles. Following her Marquette University graduation, the Omaha native spent three years in south Louisiana with Teach for America. She has been at the paper since, covering education, government and issues affecting women and children. She covered the Hurricane Katrina response in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, the aftermath of the Von Maur shooting and was on the reporting team that wrote about Omaha’s racial wealth gap and black poverty. Awards include the 2007 Thomas C. Sorensen for her work on the poverty series, and she was recognized by the Greater Federation of Women’s Clubs for a 2009 story on Omaha’s lack of women in leadership. |
 |
Amy Grace Age: 38 Family: Husband, Kelly, and sons Jackson, 4, and Grant, 2. Job: Stay-at-home mom and freelance copywriter. Interests: Party planning, reading, writing, exercising and shopping. Amy is an Omaha native but grew up mainly in Orange County, Calif. She also lived in the Bay Area for five years as an adult. She moved back to Omaha while pregnant with her first son. Amy blogs every Friday for momaha.com. Read more at her personal blog. |
 |
Kathy Koch Joyce Age: 55 Family: Kathy is married with three 20-something children who wish to remain nameless. Job: Freelance writer and very part-time student Interests: Reading, addictive computer games like Sudoku and Mah Jong, golf, travel, losing weight (isn't everyone interested in that?) A native Omahan, Kathy worked as an advertising copywriter/producer for eight years. Soon after the birth of her first child she realized she was incapable of getting to work on time if she had to take a child to daycare. Since 1986, she has been a freelance writer, community volunteer and stay-at-home mom. She is currently trying to figure out what she is going to be when she grows up. |
 |
Cat Koehler Age: 32 Family: Husband, Daniel, and children Adley, 8, and Donovan, 22 months. Job: Social media maven for local company. Interests: Cooking, baking and photography. Cat says she struggles to achieve the “perfect” life. She is good at planning for perfection, but her execution is poor. She gets through it all with a snarky sense of humor and the occasional Swiss Cake Roll. Cat blogs every Monday for momaha.com. |
 |
Josie Loza Age: 30 Family: Boyfriend, Bobby Sr., and children Bobby Jr., 8, Alejandra, 3, and Gabriella, 11 months. Job: Momaha editor Interests: Baking, crocheting and taking her kids on "Adventure Days." Josie says she aims to raise tax-paying citizens -- the kind that move out at age 18. Wish her luck. She journals about the silly, quirky stuff her kids do to annoy her. Read Josie's Mom Daily blog on momaha.com |
 |
Mara Rasure Age: 53 Family: Husband, Roger Wallace, and children, Riley, 19, and Avery, 16. Job: Retired attorney. Interests: Playing piano, composing music, reading, writing, cycling, cross-country skiing, gardening. Mara is a native Kansan who retired from practicing law about five years ago to spend more time with her daughters, much to their delight. Riley is a college freshman and Avery is a junior in high school. Mara spends time volunteering for various school activities to maintain the illusion that she knows what is going on with teenagers these days. She is savoring the few years she has left before becoming an empty-nester. She has found that humor, patience, empathy and a support system are important when raising teens. Mara blogs Saturdays for momaha.com. |
 |
Pat Safford Age: 37 Family: Wife, Amy; children Bennett and Sophia Job: Radio morning show co-host on Q98.5 FM Interests: Pretty much everything except ice fishing Pat truly feels blessed beyond words. He loves his job and has an amazing family. He moved away for a couple years and like most people who leave Omaha, came back home. Oh yeah, Go Big Red! |
 |
Kalani Simpson Name: Kalani Simpson Age: 40 Family: Beautiful wife, two cute kids and a demanding cat Interests/hobbies: I used to always say my wife has all these hobbies -- stamping, scrapbooking -- and I have no hobbies. Then she said, "You have hobbies. You mow the lawn!" So there is that. Oh, and getting jumped on by kids. Does that count? Job: Doing as much freelance writing work as I can get (should have been a farmer). Also, Michael Keaton-style Mr. Mom About me: Typical harried sitcom dad, part Cliff Huxtable, part Cliff Claven, part Heathcliff the Cat. |
 |
Al Watts Age: 38 Family: Wife, Shirley and four children, ages 9, 7, 5 and 3. Job: Stay-at-home dad for the past eight years. Interests: Sports, U.S. history, reading, attending plays, drinking well-crafted beer, listening to jazz and watching the "Colbert Report" on Comedy Central. Al is the president of Daddyshome, Inc., The National At-Home Dad Network. He also is a member of the local at-home dad group, LinOma Dads, involved with the Parent Teacher Organization at his children's school and a veteran member of the Missouri Irish Brigade of Civil War Re-enactors. Before he started staying home with the kids, he was a classified advertising sales representative for the World-Herald. |
 |
Heidi Woodard Age: 35 Family: Husband, Ryan, and children Owen, 9, Austin, 9, and Jaycee, 3. Job: Communications specialist for a health insurance company. Interests: Team competition, watching bad reality TV, cuddling with her kids and making people laugh. Heidi is a kid at heart, who refuses to grow old despite her body's clear objection to staying young. She looks into the eyes of her greatest achievements every night when she reads to them before bed. Heidi blogs Thursdays for momaha.com. |
RSS Feeds