Two small kids, a career and one very smart dog keep this mom on her toes.
Profession: Construction project manager
Community: Keizer
Partner: Braulio Lopez, construction project manager
Children: Eva, age 3, and Julietta, age 1.5
Photos by: Laurel Bice
Family comes first.
All families are unique. Tell us about yours.
I met my spouse on a soccer field during my first year in college. We were friends first, then dated during my second year of college to now. We’ve been together for 11.5 years now (oy, that’s a long time). He has lots of family in the Salem area. We’re so lucky to be close to them.
My oldest daughter is Eva. She is 3 years old and a force to be reckoned with. She is smart, kind, outgoing and a natural born leader. She loves to “read” books, play pretend, draw, jump and climb on everything, sing and dance, and anything else she can get her hands on.
My youngest daughter is Julietta. She is 1.5 years old and figuring out how the world works. She is playful, sweet, curious and strong. She also loves to “read” books, build and destroy structures, play sports, help with chores, play dolls and figure out how things around her work for her. She has figured out how to walk, is now trying to run, and she is learning how to communicate.
I have a Belgian Malinois mix named Delta. She’s 7 years old but acts like she’s 3. She is on 100% of the time, always game to work and play. She is the reason my house was baby-proofed before we had kids. She opens all the hinge doors (we had to switch to door knobs), cabinet doors, the push bin trash cans, and she climbs trees, fences and jumps over eight feet. She loves us unconditionally and will protect us from squirrels, vacuum cleaners and delivery personnel at all costs. She is my first born and we love her so much.
Every family has its own traditions, rituals or inside jokes. What are some of yours?
Traditions: We have a birthday party every year for all the kids. Rituals: Movie nights on Friday. Inside jokes: We call pooping “ship my pants” because of an old commercial, and the joke “guess what, chicken butt!” and “guess what, I love you!” are interchangeable.
When did you know you wanted to be a mom?
I’ve wanted to be a mom for as long as I can remember. It didn’t matter how; natural conception, implantation, surgery, adoption, etc. I also wanted to have a big family. When I met my now-husband, I knew he was the one I wanted to go through this wonderful and chaotic journey with. I wanted to wait until I was ready though: to be done with school, save money and get far enough in my career so I felt confident enough to take the maternity leave I needed.
After working for three years, we were ready to start our family. After my first two kids, I realized I love being a mom and I still want a big family. But I went from wanting a million kids to instead wanting as many as I can afford mentally, physically, financially, emotionally, etc.
Tell us about one of your proudest mom moments.
We were at a 3-year-old’s birthday party. The mom was trying to get the child to stop playing and do the birthday dessert ritual (photos, candle, cake, etc.) so their grandparents could leave because they had an appointment. Child was having a rough day (as expected) because they didn’t have a nap and there was a lot going on. Child did not want to listen to their mom. No worries on our end, we’ve all been there. My oldest daughter asked if she could have a cupcake. I told her no because the birthday girl did not get one yet and we need to wait because it’s her birthday. My daughter went over to the little girl and asked if she was ready to have a cupcake. The little girl enthusiastically said yes! Everyone was gathered, photos were taken, candles were blown out, grandparents got to see it all and then leave. My daughter got a cupcake. Everyone was happy.
My oldest daughter was playing with her younger cousin (2 years old). He kept taking her toys. She would cry and come tell us. We told her to tell him not to do that and go away from him. After a while, they would collide again. He would take her stuff, she would cry, and then play somewhere else. Rinse and repeat, essentially doing what kids do — they have to figure it out. Well, when my youngest daughter saw what was happening, she went up to their cousin, grabbed my oldest daughter’s toy back, gave it to my oldest, then pushed the cousin away from her and her sister. He no longer takes their toys. My youngest daughter will defend her sister with all her little might. I’m not sure that’s a good thing, and violence isn’t awesome. But I am so proud of how much they love each other.
What is the most surprising thing you have found wedged between the sofa cushions or behind a car seat?
Lint roller, remote, Hydro Flask.
We’re all moms so we know that no one is perfect all of the time, or even some of the time. Tell us about your most recent “Mother of the Year” moment. You know, like forgetting to pick the kids up from school.
Whenever I put my kids into their car seat, I always seem to bump her head on the top of the car.
What are you enjoying the most about parenting right now?
Seeing the joy in my kids’ face when I pick them up from daycare. Watching them find something, analyze it and figure out how it works.
No one works harder than mom.
We know that being a mom is a full-time job. How do you balance (or not) motherhood, activities, work, volunteering, household responsibilities, and life in general? What sometimes falls through the cracks?
I balance my life by mentally or physically making a list of the items in my life and trying to keep a general daily routine with the kids. With a routine, I can anticipate when I’ll have free time better than if everything is chaotic. If I have everything written down somewhere, I feel relieved that I at least won’t forget something is on my list. Doesn’t mean I do it, just means I can relax about “forgetting” to do something.
Household responsibilities we share. There are communal chores we do every night like pick up toys, do the dishes and feed the dog. On the weekends, we communicate and prioritize the major chores like grocery shopping, cleaning up the yard and laundry. Anything that falls through the cracks either gets added to the weekday list or we do when the kids are asleep. Some weeks none of the chores get done and we turn on survival mode where we are hanging on by the edge and moving day by day. Those are rough weeks. Those usually happen when we have a few busy weeks/weekends in a row and can’t get to weekly maintenance. We recoup from that by doing a family cleaning day.
My personal health falls through the cracks, specifically my workout routine and my eating habits. I often put my kids and my family first. I don’t work on my physical health as much as I want to, which is sad because exercise makes me happy and is a huge stress relief for me. One thing I try to do every day is read at night instead of interacting with my phone. I think it helps reset my brain and my eyes.
Tell us about your work or volunteerism outside of the home.
I am very passionate about volunteering and mentoring. It makes my heart happy to give back to my community. I like to volunteer for STEM Like a Girl and SHPE.
STEM Like a Girl is an organization dedicated to introducing STEM activities and ways of thinking to young girls. The premise is that girls are typically introduced to STEM activities when they’re in high school or college while boys are typically introduced to them from the get-go, which puts girls at a disadvantage. STEM Like a Girl uses volunteers to lead the girls through activities, help them think through roadblocks and make a plan to overcome them and discuss different types of professions a STEM background can yield. SHPE is the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. They are an organization dedicated to fostering Hispanic leadership in STEM fields. I volunteer for events like Noche de Ciencias, MentorSHPE, as well as attend their annual National Conference. I have met some wonderful people through this organization and some lifelong friends.
What have you learned professionally that has helped you as a mom?
I am a construction project manager. In general, I communicate with my team, manage people’s expectations, and work with other companies to achieve a common goal (e.g. build a building). I use all these skills in my mom life.
Tell us about a recent achievement you’re proud of, or a personal passion or talent.
I learned to juggle. Super fun!
If mom’s not happy, nobody’s happy.
Tell us about your upbringing. How did it shape the mother you are today?
I was born and raised in Los Angeles. I have three older sisters and one older brother. I’m also the youngest out of all my cousins. I’ve been lucky enough to be surrounded by kickass ladies all my life. My grandmother, my mother and all my sisters were and are extraordinary women. They make a wonderful support system for me and each contributes to the woman I am today.
I went to school with the same people from elementary to middle school. In high school, I went to a school where I knew 0/500 students. I had to figure out how to make friends, figure out how to do well in school and what extracurricular activities I actually liked. Being completely on my own at school was not scary for me (for some reason haha). It was difficult, but it gave me a chance to figure out who I was. I wanted that same feeling in college. I applied to and got into a few different colleges known for their engineering programs. I went on a few campus tours but I ultimately decided on Oregon State University because it was away from everybody but still on the West Coast and close enough to home.
I moved to the OSU campus with my parents, unloaded all my stuff into my dorm room, said goodbye and was ready to start my college career completely on my own! It was amazing, and I ended up falling in love with Oregon. The Oregon scenery was breathtaking, and I knew Oregon was where I wanted to live.
What do you think is the most important life skill or value your parents taught you?
My parents taught me to have the confidence to take care of myself. They taught me to leave the nest and explore the world.
When was the last time you did something for the first time?
My friend and I are in a book club together. About a month ago, we read a spicy book. This was the first spicy book I have ever read and it was amazing! I want to do it again.
Which good habit do you wish you started earlier?
I wish I started reading for pleasure earlier. Growing up, I didn’t read other than for school. It wasn’t until after I had kids did I start reading books I actually liked.
What’s your superpower?
Document formatting. I pride myself on my efficiency and proficiency in computer programs I use.
If you could turn any activity into an Olympic sport, in which event would you win a gold medal?
Extreme puzzling. Multitasking. Typing.
Name one thing that is part of your daily routine that you just can’t live without.
Giving my daughters and my husband a kiss good morning. Calling my dad every Tuesday after work.
Tell us something about you that would surprise people who don’t know you.
I don’t like bacon. I’m an introvert by nature but an extrovert by nurture. I have learned to be outgoing and I get worn out when I have to talk to people a lot, even though that’s what I do for work.
What is your least/most favorite household chore?
Least favorite: picking up dog poop in the backyard. Most favorite: organizing and picking up.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Going to Costco and dropping $500 like I have an extra $500 to drop on items I don’t need.
Who are some of your favorite fictional heros?
Wonder Woman. Katara from Avatar. Hermione from Harry Potter. Katnis Everdeen.
Who is your favorite real-life hero?
My mom.
Outside of your family members, who/what inspires you to be better?
My work mentors. I want to be better to show them that they didn’t waste their time.
Listen to mom.
Is motherhood what you expected? What surprised you the most?
I expected needing to care for another human life. I expected to be tired.
I didn’t anticipate how tired I would actually be but how much I could function on such little energy when I have to. I didn’t fully understand how I could care so much for another human.
Who and what has influenced the mother you are today?
The women I grew up watching.
What message would you like to share with other moms? Remember to tell it like it is.
Enjoy each phase of each child. For good or for bad, it won’t last forever. There should be some-
thing positive from each day. Find it. Use your support system. If you don’t have one, find one. Once you start looking, you’re bound to find others like you.
MOMs love local…
We love locally owned businesses, restaurants, places and organizations. Share your favorite…
…spot to get a good workout: Courthouse Club Fitness
…meetup spot for happy hour: HopsnDrops
…any other local places you love: Copper Creek Mercantile for pet supplies
MOM’s favorite…
Tell us about your favorite…
…family games: playing sports with the family — soccer, basketball and baseball
…words to live by: “Take a breath. Let’s figure this out,” and “Nothing lasts forever, so let’s enjoy the moment we’re in right now.”
…binge-worthy TV: Bluey. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve cried over this show. The Baby Race is fantastic.
…way to get out of making dinner: Call my parents/in-laws and see if they have dinner plans.
…time-saving digital tool: Our calendar. I put my family’s events on there to make sure my husband and I are both aligned.
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