Hi Miami Moms! My name is Carolina and I am super psyched to be part of the Miami Moms Blog team of contributing writers.
On Miami (and Me)
I am a Miami native of over 40 years. Born and raised in Kendall, don’t speak a word of Spanish (and somehow survived), and went to Westminster Christian School (and now one of my own kiddos is there). I only left Miami to go to college and start my career in Maryland. However, the summer after 9-11, I came back home. Like so many, I wanted to be with my family after that horrific event. A few years after returning to Miami, I married the love of my life, Carl, and we just celebrated our 14th anniversary.
I am very active at my church. For fun, I enjoy cycling, reading, playing guitar/drums, going to bookstores, the beach, the spa or shopping. But my fave, fave, fave thing to do here is to hang out by the pool at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables. It’s my hiding place and where I recharge best.
Why I Love Miami
I love Miami and how diverse it is. My kids are growing up in a melting pot. And l really appreciate that they get to see firsthand – and learn about – many of the wonderful different cultures that are here. We have a family from Jamaica across the street, the family next door is from Peru, at the end of the block is a country bumpkin, etc.
I also love our beautiful beaches, all of the art galleries and great places to eat. And the winter weather… AH! Heaven on Earth. The fall and summer? Not so much.
On Motherhood
I will be totally honest, I never had the “Mommy” gene. I babysat to make extra money and wasn’t sure I would be a great Mom for a variety of reasons. Then I met the Hubstud, and I thought “well, maybe.” He was pretty darn amazing – and really awesome with kids.
We ended up having trouble getting pregnant and it took almost five years before we conceived our oldest son. We knew what we could do with the help of science but felt that we needed to trust God and give it to Him. Now we have TWO miracles, Justice and Noah, that according to science, shouldn’t even exist. But they do. And I thank God every day for them. But not the endless messes they leave all over my house… or the pee puddles around the toilet. HA! Although, that is a blessing as I would take that over them not being around in a heartbeat.
But I digress.
My life trajectory did a complete change 8 days after Noah was born. At the time, I was in full-time music ministry with plans to go on tour with my band a few months after Noah was born. But all of that came to a complete and total stop when I found myself back in the hospital, sicker than I’d ever been in my life. I had gone septic with a group B strep infection and then got C. difficile right after I finished my IV antibiotics for the GBS.
When I got sick, I was given a gift – it just came wrapped in really ugly wrapping paper.
It took about 2.5 years to fully recover from the disaster that took place inside of my body from both infections. On the outside, I looked fine. But on the inside I was falling apart, anxious, depressed and very scared. I thought I was going crazy because of some of the things my body was experiencing. So, I went on a mission to heal myself.
I found a functional medicine MD, learned everything I could about nutrition, plant-based medicine, acupuncture, Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine and more. I fell in love with it all so much that I decided that I wanted to help other moms/women with their health, too! Especially those who felt lost and confused about what to do or where to even start when it came to getting healthier. After all, I knew first-hand what it felt like to be in that camp!!!
I went back to school – two different ones at the same time — to become a certified integrative holistic health coach AND plant-based medicine (essential oil) instructor. I left full-time music ministry to go into a different form of ministry – that of holistic healthcare – and I haven’t looked back.
The Blog
I am so happy to be able to add value to this community. I have a heart for other moms as motherhood is NOT easy. We need one another for support, encouragement, and advice. This is such a great place for that.
My intention is to teach you about things that are related to helping YOU feeling your best so that you can be at your best for the family you have and the life you live. Keeping your kids healthy and HOW to do that is going to be a major theme as well. I want to be your “go-to” for all things holistic family health!
Do YOU have a health topic that you would like me to write about? Please let me know by commenting below!
