I am the Mommy. I call myself Mama Bird, but my boys call me Mommy. Well, the one that can talk does.

I have been a SAHM for the last 3 1/2 years, after the birth of our oldest son, Big D. We also have another son, Little C, who is six months old. They are both a tremendous joy. I almost said ‘constant joy’, but then you would know I was full of crap.

We are a dual-nation family. We are half American and half Australian. I am the American half. Although after living there, I still use lots of Aussie slang and people often simply stare at me with confused looks. I don’t mind…keeps ‘em guessing.

My prior SAHM life consisted of working in a variety of professions, including health promotion, sales/marketing, university student advisor, benefits coordinator (health, dental, life, 401k, etc) for a corporation, and manager of a youth hostel, among other more humbling jobs like waiting tables.

I am a Capricorn. I am stubborn. I am impatient (though getting better). I am very opinionated. I have been told I am funny. I am a lot of fun at a party (yes, I drink). I love to laugh. I’m also pretty social, but I’ve gotten kinda lazy about it lately.

I am a horrible housewife, though I’m working hard to improve. I am crap at menu planning, cleaning, staying on top of laundry and the paperwork that engulfs our dining room table. I was actually an organized person in my former life, but that alas is not so with two kids. However, I am now very tolerant of messes and dirt (a must with boys) and great at building forts and castles and playing make-believe. So, I guess it’s a trade off.

I think my husband is hilarious. He is also one of the funniest and smartest people I’ve ever met, but don’t tell him I said that. He also has a sexy Australian accent. I often use his accent to get us free stuff or special treatment when we are out or on the phone.

My hope in launching this website is that I will be able to relish in something of my own once again. I’ve always been fiercely independent and have done what I want, when I want. I am hoping that this blog will help me to gain back that strong sense of self that seems to have fallen by the wayside, even before my children were born. It’s hard being a partner sometimes too.

I tend to read a lot of personal finance blogs.  I work hard at being our Family CFO and being a good steward of the money my husband works hard to make.  Plus, considering we go to Australia every year, I have to make our money work hard for us too.

So, I will blog about family, saving money, setting priorities, reaching goals and basically whatever else I feel like writing about. It’s about what I do to survive the realm of motherhood and being the Family CFO, while still also being a loving partner and true to myself.

As all mothers, stay-at-home or otherwise, know…it’s a big job.

So please, come along for the ride, see what I have to say, comment often so I can learn from you also and please feel free to email me with any questions at mb (at) flyawayfamily (dot) com.