Ray holding Lincoln, our 3rd kiddo

The answer to that question is pretty simple...

Earlier this year I felt God asking me to share my story. While I consider myself pretty open & authentic, some things are hard to share with the world and one thing in particular felt very personal. But if I've learned anything in the past decade it's that when God speaks, I need to listen & just do it. (Geez Nike, you really did come up with a winner there.)

Soooo hi, I'm Keri. I'm a Michigander who hates being cold, wife to a cute redhead, stay at home mama of six (yes, I do know where babies come from and yes they are all mine... *insert eye roll here*).

I'm also a professional photographer and because my life doesn't sound busy enough, I joined a direct sales company 16 months ago that is changing my life.

It's funny really, I never would consider myself a dreamer when I was young. My parents weren't ones to talk about going after your dreams. I didn't go to college. All I wanted when I was young was to be a mom when I grew up. That was about it folks.

But about 12 years ago, I realized I am indeed a dreamer. A go getter. A hustler. I left my corporate 9-5 job to start my own in home licensed daycare. The year prior to leaving my job I dreamed about making it perfect. We purchased a beautiful home in a nice neighborhood with the intentions of finishing the basement for my daycare, Keri's Kidz. It was a labor of love. 1800 square feet of space we designed just for kids. A colorful fun space I thought little ones would enjoy and feel happy being in. Cute little lockers for each child with their name on it. It really was a special place.

I've always loved kids. I babysat as soon as I was old enough, I worked at a daycare, I was a nanny, my life pretty much revolved around little people. So having my own daycare made sense. We spent a lot of time (ahem, and money) making it perfect and thinking of every little detail. So many people knew me and loved me as a caregiver I just knew it was going to be amazing and my business was going to take off!

But then it didn't.

It was SO hard to get my first client. While I did have great references I failed to realize that I was in a town where no one knew me. It was only 30 minutes from where I grew up babysitting, nannying, etc. but no one knew who I was... and if you're going to leave your child in someone's care all day, it's kinda a big deal and you probably want a place that is established or a place that has great reviews.

I didn't have either. Sigh.

Looking back, I feel this was a defining moment for me. Not just in my business but in life honestly. Little did I know what the next decade would unfold for me & my family. Bumps in the road. Hard seasons. Painful decisions. Humbling moments. But in that moment... after many months of trying to get my business off the ground I asked myself, "Am I a quitter or a fighter?"

I'm a fighter.

I didn't have it in me to quit. Even though in the natural it seemed like maybe I made a big fat mistake. Maybe I missed God's voice. But see, just because things don't go the way we think or hope, doesn't mean we missed God. Let me say that again...

Just because things don't go the way we think or hope, doesn't mean we missed God!

We have to trust the process...

I went out the next day and purchased a huge pack of 8.5 x 11 neon paper and made flyers for my business. I then drove to our local Walmart and started placing them on the windshields of every car in the parking lot.

Because my dreams are worth it.

I was willing to do whatever it took. Keri's Kidz was just the beginning of many dreams and new adventures to come, and I'm sure I'll come back to it at some point, but I went on to have a full daycare of little people, employees and all!






But I could have quit. I could have said I failed. I could have said this isn't for me. I could have said I don't know what I'm doing. I could have said I don't have what it takes to be successful.

Lies. All lies.

Whose voice are you listening to today?

Are there dreams in your heart you want to pursue but instead you're believing all those same lies? Do you surround yourself with people who believe in you and your dreams? People who speak life into you and those dreams? Do you feel God is calling you to step out but you're afraid and holding yourself back? If so, I feel you girl... and stay tuned for a upcoming blog post where I touch on that very thing.

So, to wrap up why I started Motivated Mom Boss... ultimately I started this space to glorify God through sharing my story. My hope is to encourage & inspire other women like me to believe in themselves and go after their dreams. That is my vision for MMB and also the vision I had of my adorable little logo I had designed (shout out to Nichole Krenz!).


I hope you know yours are too!