First of all, I want to say thank you for visiting my page, and I wanted to give you a bit of my background so that you can get to know the woman behind all of the advice, tips, and tricks, and experience surrounding my posts and content on this site.
...and maybe a little glimpse into "ourmickelsonlife".
Creating this was so important to me because I know that during and after some of my biggest hurdles and struggles in life, I didn't do it alone and I didn't get through it without help from somewhere or someone. There was always a book, a movie or a documentary, advice from a friend or family member, or even just a quote or a song that made a difference. These are my stories and experiences that I've had and have gotten me to where I am today.
Let's start at the beginning, the hard stuff first... When I was a little girl our family suffered an extreme tragedy... my mom and dad lost their baby girl, my 3-month-old sister, Brandi, to SIDS, while she was at daycare. I was 6 years old at the time and yes, there are still times, almost 40 years later that it feels like it wasn't that long ago... it's affected my relationships with my children, and now my grandchildren, but you'll understand that a little more as I write other posts.
As I entered the first few years of elementary school, that's when the bullying started. From there I struggled with weight issues, depression and anxiety, and developed many insecurities surrounding that. I experienced a brief period of my life on the streets, have been involved in gang relations, raised my children as a single parent for many years, was on welfare, and at times needed food stamps to feed our family.
I've worked through some of the struggles of ADHD, gambling, alcohol and drug addiction, and I've had the stress of juggling multiple jobs with young children as I'm sure so many of you are able to relate. I wanted to share some of the hurdles that I was able to overcome in hopes of helping, and show my readers what we really are all capable of.
I'm a Mother, Mom, & Momma to three grown children, and yes, they all have their own way of calling me M-O-M. We are a mixed bag of complicated, are completely dysfunctional in all sorts of ways, but it's what makes us "us". We drive each other crazy, love each-other every day and like each-other on most days. We're totally opposite and completely alike in more ways than we'd like to admit and I think that's ok.
I was first married in 1996 and as you can imagine my ex-husband and I were children ourselves when we had our kids. We had to grow up faster than we expected as our twins were born around Christmas in 1994 and three months after they were born, we got the news that we had another on the way. It was not the news we wanted because like I said, "we were children ourselves", but looking back, I wouldn't change having our three children when we did for anything!
By the time I was 24, I had been married and divorced from their father and through many years of drugs, fighting and a lot of struggle, we made it to where we are today.
I met Brett in 2012 and because of the 9 year age gap, I think we both thought that it was going to be nothing more than a fling. My kids liked to tease us a little bit but they fell in love with him too. We married in the fall of 2017, he is the love of my life and I think he's the sexiest man alive. He loves my kids and they have the most genuine relationship that I couldn't be more grateful for. When we're not playing extra-curricular sports, working, hitting the gym, or taking on another project, we travel and spend time being Nana and Papa... Brett never had kids of his own and now has 3 step-children and 6 grandchildren at the age of 37. He tries to keep up, doesn't always know how to handle the meltdowns, but I think that he got the best of both worlds by skipping the diaper stage and terrible two's 💁🏻
Why I choose to share what I share and a bit of my resume...
After my children were born I started a regular workout routine and became more involved in my health and wellness, but it wasn't until 2009 that I quit smoking. I was a chain smoker and I Ioved it, it went hand in hand with my gambling addiction. By 2010 I had quit gambling, bought a house, turned our life around and competed in a figure competition, one of the hardest things that I've ever done. Although I placed 2nd last and truly feel that I DID NOT give it my best, I took away so much from that experience. I've worked out and learned under some of the best trainers, dietitians, and nutritionists for over 20 years, so I'd like to pass on some of what I've learned with you on this site too.
Years ago I starting organizing on the side for friends and family and then dove into design and renovation with my first home. After renovating it from top to bottom, inside and out, I was hooked! I realized after my second home that I had a special eye and talent for much more than organizing, and started my company, Motivated Spaces, in 2012, while working full-time as a technician. I have worked with many clients over the years, both young and elderly, designed and renovated many spaces and I absolutely LOVE what I do! I'm fortunate enough to have 17 years of experience in communications and operations, have taken "stress management for women" and through the Pacific Institute, taken training in Personal Leadership, Team, and Organizational Effectiveness.
I look forward to sharing my experiences with you, my ups and downs and the lessons that have helped me gain my strengths and accomplishments.
With Love,
~Joelle Sloboda Mickelson