Welcome to Step by Step Mom, my website. I am a wife, mother, stepmother, sister, friend, and life long learner. I’ve worked with families for over 20 years. Family, and in particular healthy, happy families are what makes our lives full and enriched. Family provides a place to laugh, live, love and grow. It provides safety and security and a soft place to land when things go wrong in the noisy world outside. But family life can be hard. Parenting is even harder and when you add the dynamics of step parenting it can feel like there are no solutions and that you are in over your head. And as a stepmom it can feel like the burden is too much to bare and at times it feels like you want to step OUT. But there are solutions and together we can find them: Step by step, one at a time. I believe facing challenges can bring growth, renewal, resolution and peace. I can facilitate that process by providing you with healthy doses of humour and insightful awareness. I love helping people and I love supporting families trying to find their way into health and strength. Healthy families are built on healthy family members. It has been my career for 22 years.
I have a busy life with two daughters aged 8 and 6 and three adult step children …then comes grandchildren ages 4 yrs and 3. I married a man 11 years my senior, which is ironic since I told my self “never will I date a divorced dad…” but have moved into living “…now what”. I also lived for awhile amongst the politics of a blended family before my marriage. Before my father passed away, he lived with his partner for 9 years after my mother passed away
I completed my undergraduate degree in psychology and sociology. I moved on and completed my Masters Degree in Family Studies with a focus on family violence. I work part of my time with foster, adoptive and kinship families teaching classes on parenting children not born to them who present with special needs- many of whom have Fetal Alcohol Spectrum disorder, behavioural and emotional issues and mental health concerns. I also work with these families on how to work with bio parents. No simple feat sometimes. I also provide these caregivers resources, supports, guidance and confidence to raise other people’s kids. It’s a lot like what stepmothers’ need: supports, guidance, and confidence to raise other people’s kids.
I’m also a passionate advocate of mental health. I’ve been presenting mental health workshops (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training and Mental Health First Aide for Youth) in my community for several years.
I am also excited to announce I have completed my Stepfamily Coaching certification with Jenna Korf of StepmomHelp.com. So it is no small wonder that I am passionate about family health and well being on all levels, especially for stepmoms.
My desire is to support other step moms to find their strength so they can continue their journey with renewed hope and make the changes that will best support them.