About Me

Hi, I’m Leah, a mom, librarian, and blogger living and writing in the Tampa Bay, FL, area. Welcome to The Open Book Mama!  Here’s a little more about me:

Mom

I met my husband in 2008 and we got married in 2011. We welcomed our first daughter in March of 2013 and our second daughter in January of 2019! My priorities as a mom are raising our kids with a strong spiritual foundation in Christianity and with an emphasis on education. I’m not a “minimalist” mom per se, but as I do tend to get easily overwhelmed, I make a conscious effort to guard against having too many toys on the floor or too many activities on the schedule. I would describe myself as as a loving and fun mom – at least after 10 am, anyway  (#notamorningperson)!

I grew up with two brothers who were really into football, martial arts, and heavy metal, so I never anticipated having two girls, but I am embracing this pink adventure with everything I’ve got! Let me just say…I never learned how to French braid in college, but I’m getting there. Progress not perfection – am I right?!

Librarian

I’ve always loved reading and writing, which lead me to a career teaching high school English and then as a Youth Services Librarian working with kids ages 0-18 in a public library setting. One of my goals as a mom is to pass my passion for books on to my daughters, and one of my goals for this blog is to pass this passion on to you and your kids! Also, if you’d like to drop me a line and let me know what you’re reading, I’d love to hear from you!

Blogger

After our first daughter was born, I was a stay at home mom for almost four years. During this time, I began to work as a freelance writer – often writing about the ups and downs of motherhood.  My work can be found on Babble, Her View From Home, The Penny Hoarder, and Scary Mommy. Once I found out I was pregnant with baby girl #2, I hatched a plan to launch The Open Book Mama as an avenue for exploring motherhood the second time around.

Along with writing, I love traveling, chocolate, and Kevin Costner (anyone else?). These interests will show up on the blog occasionally when an opportunity for pop culture analysis seems too good to pass up. After all, who doesn’t want to dish about This is US from time to time?

The Open Book Mama

In short – what can you expect to find on The Open Book Mama blog?  An honest take on motherhood and lots of reading recommendations and literacy tips that will help make your life as a mom easier and more fun! Tap or click here to head on over to the blog and check out my latest posts!

xoxo,

Leah

Photos credit: Umphie Photos by Chelsea U.