Kelly
Kelly and her husband, Shawn, are both Fort Worth natives and proud parents to their eight-year-old daughter, Avery, the inspiration behind many of Kelly’s articles.
In her time as a mom, Kelly has become an unofficial expert on the NICU, autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and global developmental delays. She’s an open book about their experiences and is always happy to talk to other moms looking for guidance or just another mom who gets it.
After being in corporate marketing for almost 20 years, craving more flexibility and time with Avery, she founded 314 Marketing Solutions (www.314marketingsolutions.com) in 2019, a full-service boutique marketing agency.
She considers herself an expert in multi-tasking and counts her car as the main headquarters for her business, regularly switching being a special needs mom driving to and from multiple therapy appointments, activities, and business owner.
Mastering the Art of Mediocrity (in Seven Satisfying Steps)
Accepting mediocrity doesn't mean you will always be mediocre at everything. It just means at a time when you may be truly excelling in one area of life, you need to give yourself grace and manage your expectations of how you much you'll be able to give in other aspects of life. Life ebbs and flows, and so will the areas of life where you accept mediocrity.
How to Survive a NICU Stay
Our NICU stay changed me forever. It shook me to my core, made me reevaluate everything I once thought was important, and I will never EVER be the same person again. But I've learned a lot. I'm a better person for what we endured.
Depression Is Not a Choice {And Other Thoughts on Mental Illness and Suicide}
I’ve learned that if you don’t also suffer from some sort of mental disease, you will never truly understand -- and that’s okay. I wish I didn’t understand. We need to continue to educate people on this disease and erase the stigma that so often comes with depression, anxiety, or any other mental disease.
Drowning Is Silent :: A Plea to Lifeguard Your Child
As parents, it’s easy to get distracted, especially when at the pool or the lake. You’re talking to friends, grabbing a drink or food, taking pictures, catching up on your social media accounts, and often times trying to keep up with multiple children in the water. That’s a lot going on at once.
How to Survive a Hospital Stay with Your Child
First, you have the heart-wrenching pain of watching your child struggle. You feel helpless as you watch doctors and nurses do the thing that you’re supposed to be able to do: make your child feel better. Add to that stress and lack of sleep, and you’ve got a pretty terrible combination.
The Ironies of Infertility
Fast-forward 15 years, and the irony of my college worries sets in. I’m on edge again. Waiting impatiently every month. But this time, I’m hoping and praying that my period DOESN’T come. Did we have sex on the right day at the right time? Did I actually ovulate this time? Did his sperm find my egg? Did the Clomid and the hormone shots work?
Developmental Delays :: The Invisible Diagnosis
Developmental delays occur for a lot of reasons including premature birth or a medical diagnosis, or often times for no reason at all -- which can be especially frustrating for a parent. In our case, we have a reason for our daughter’s developmental delays, as she was born extremely premature. Having a reason does ease some of my angst, but it doesn’t make our daily struggles any easier.