Blog : kids

These babes! They make me feel like a crazy lady some days while others they have me convinced I’m the most admired, strongest woman in the world! As long as I have the chance to, I will choose to stay in the moments that makes me feel the deepest with them – when I’m angry to my core I’ll stay and choose to extend extra grace, when I’m excited I’ll get up and dance to make my kiddos giggle and stay there lingering in the silliness. When bed time rolls around and I’m exhausted I’ll choose to stay, snuggle & always pray for their hearts. When they’re angry, I’ll sit in silence offering them a safe place to talk when they’re ready. Part of being able to stay in those moments is learning where the weak spots are in me & allowing the friction I feel with my kids & the grace of God to dissolve them instead of becoming overrun by them. I want to always remember that my littles are learning from me, they’re taking something away from every moment, every interaction with me. I’ve only got a short season to be the mom I want to be while they’re little. They test my patients, my self control, my sanity & sometimes I fail miserably and like adults, children deserve respect and part of that is acknowledging when I’m wrong and saying I’m sorry. It’s not my favorite thing to embrace the personal challenges that come with the motherhood – growth is rarely a comfortable process – but you better believe I will always accept the challenge and give myself grace the same way I would with them. Being a mom is brutal and beautiful, consuming and liberating and I wouldn’t change a single moment of it! .
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#mothersday #momlife #mom #greatest #happymommy #mybabes #littles #kids #mommyandme #mama #mamabear

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Photo taken at: San Marcos, California

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You are enough. You are worth investing in. Your dreams are worth taking the risk for. The things that bring you life are important! As a mom I’ve carried this thought that I’ll be frowned upon for wearing too many hats… that raising my kids and building a career shouldn’t go hand in hand. For so long I fought fear that my kids would feel put on the shelf if I sacrificed even a moment of my time with them to invest in a career. Or that they would turn out to be wretched little humans if I didn’t give up everything and give them ALL of me.
I was wrong. The people who made me feel shame for wanting more than being a stay-at-Home-mom were wrong. I’ve learned that a child who knows they’re loved & feels secure, is there cheering mama on to become a success in her endeavors! Mamas success is theirs to celebrate too!
When Delaney says I’m a great stylist, I feel humbled. When I get to buy the kids something fun with my earned money, I feel proud. When I take a step back and I realize that the dreams in my heart were put there by a God who calls me worthy, deserving & capable, I understand that He also equipped me to walk through motherhood & my career with grace and balance. Moms are bosses.
Photo: @kelseyhettinga

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These three. I have never second guessed pressing pause on my career to give them all of my heart, I think that’s because I never let myself stop dreaming. That doesn’t mean I didn’t fight with thoughts of doubt – I definitely did. A lot of women feel like they lose their dreams when ‘mama’ becomes their title, understandably so! The demand to be present and available for them doesn’t leave much free time to invest in ourselves as women apart from being a mom. But can I just throw this out there… choosing to be a mom first in no way disqualifies you from chasing after your dreams! They might get a little dusty but they’ll still be there when you’re ready to pursue them! And for mom’s who need to work to provide, that doesn’t discount you as a mother! Finding the balance is HARD! I continue to see women show up, give it their everything in their careers and at home and seriously right now, y’all are BOSSES. I’m just really proud of so many of you for doing what you can to hold onto your dreams through the sacrifice of raising kids & when the time comes for YOU to shine, God honors the sacrifice and it doesn’t go unnoticed by those around you. I’ve become a pillar of strength in my kids eyes, a place of refuge & peace – someone I wasn’t familiar with before my kids helped me see that that’s part of who I am to my core. Raising those babes is a beautiful sacrifice! #proudmom #mompreneur ? @kelseyhettinga

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Photo taken at: Grand Rapids, Michigan

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Some days I’m completely consumed with trying to keep up with the trail of chaos this ones leaves behind. Think blueberries that seemed to have escaped his plate & somehow were stepped on, kinetic sand hiding in toy trucks all over the house, a game of Jenga that consists of simply ‘plowing them over’ again and again. Those are real days in my world, not days filled with hot showers and chasing after my career dreams in the coolest coffee shops around the city. I crave those days, I dream of them! But what I crave more is watching Weston play using his imagination, pausing while the house is in major disarray to play a game of Uno with Ryder (he belly laughs through them! It’s the best ever!) or letting Delaney sing on her microphone and hiding around the corner to listen while she sings worship songs at the top of her lungs! ———-
When I feel like my career dreams come secondary some weeks, I’m glad because that means my family came first. I have my whole life ahead of me to build my business which I will do with every spare moment I find and chase after my dream like a madwoman! ——
But it goes like this, I’m a wife. I’m a mom, I’m a girlboss Stylist. And I’m really proud of it!
#livstyled .
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#stylist #fashionstylist #mom #momtrepreneur #entrepreneur #smallbusiness #bigdreams #dreamchaser #familyfirst #fashion #stylediaries #style #mystyle #kids #priorities #wardrobestylist #wardrobe #gr #grandrapids #michigan #michigrammer #grmichigan #curlyhair

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Photo taken at: Grand Rapids, Michigan

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These guys keep me on my toes! Not only in case I need to tap into my inner Wonder Woman to catch them mid fall or activate my laser vision to remind them I can most definitely see everything, at all times… but also with my wardrobe! (Anticlimactic?! It’ll always come back to the wardrobe with me, I mean c’mon! I’m a stylist!) I want to be able to wear the cute dresses and heels and white too!! I think a lot of moms think those options are entirely unavailable with little, messy monsters running in circles in around them. But I’ve got a trick or 2 that say otherwise! Moms, I know you can feel like your identity gets lost in the shuffle of motherhood! One of the things that’s kept me feeling like ME, Olivia, with my own identity and desires is being able to feel good about myself. Feeling like I’m not destined to be a frump or wear the not-so-trendy kind of mom jeans. But I CAN dress trendy and wear the things I love in ways that make them practical for my lifestyle! If you need some help mamas, that’s why I’m here! I get you!! Email me and we can set up a time to chat about it and get to work on your style! Oliviajanae.stylist@gmail.com

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Photo taken at: Downtown Market Grand Rapids

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I thought I would share a little about myself and my babes with you all!
My name is Olivia, I am 30 years old & grew up in a small town in Michigan! I moved to California when I graduation high school in 2005 where I was exposed to the ocean, the magic of avocados & the best burritos on earth! The first week in California I met my husband, Scott. We will be married 10 years this fall! ?
My first job in SD was at Starbucks and I quickly stared a 2 year Bible school program through our local church. After that, I went after my degree in fashion business. Scott & I got married in 2007 and welcomed our honeymoon baby, Ryder, in 2008. I decided to become a birth doula after my own great birthing experience and did that for about 5 years & cried every single time a sweet babe made their entrance into their family’s arms! I also welcomed baby #2 of my own during that time, my only daughter Delaney.
I got pregnant with my son Weston 3 year later and after he was born we made the bittersweet decision to leave our lives in SD & move to Michigan to spend a season closer to our family in a Michigan & get a good taste of all 4 seasons.
We arrived late June, 2015 and by August I was working at anthropologie so I could meet some new friends, it worked! Yay! We bought our first home, a great church @newchapel & started connecting to the community.
A year & a half later I finally decided to pursue a career in fashion by launching my own personal styling & image consulting business, LivStyled. Today, about 5 months later I’ve had consistent clients and tons of learning opportunities! This job & I were meant to be, I just had to wait on the Lord to show me the right time. 9 years after I graduated fashion school I am excitedly starting my career & I never imagined it would be my own business!
I am so happy to be able to share a small piece of my life with you all. Our lives are what we make them, taking chances & trusting the process has been hard but with God’s grace it has proven to be so rewarding & full of surprises! Cheers to the future, to mine and to yours!

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Photo taken at: Grand Rapids, Michigan

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Here are 2 of my little humans! (And also my incredibly smiley face, wow. I assure you no children were eaten in the process of getting this photo! Only nibbled.) Weston & Delaney. A big part of this adventure is being authentic and consistent to who I am. These kids (and my big one, Ryder, he was as school when this was taken… who told him to go there?!) are my priority, my exhausting and beautiful full time job! I’ve learned more about myself by raising these little’s than I ever imagined was possible! I’ve felt greater appreciation for the simple things that I would have just passed by unnoticed before, I have more vision for who I want to become & the greatest sense of belonging I’ve ever experienced! These kids are forgiving, gracious, generous, very (very) silly and they’re authentic. They aren’t afraid to stand up for what they believe in and they’re sure they can accomplish whatever they put their minds to. Yeah, I wanna be like them. Plus, look at ’em!! Uug. They melt me.
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#family #grandrapids #michigan #style #stylist #mom #kids #love #trainthemup #little #cozy #darling #thatsdarling #adventure #life #goals

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Photo taken at: Grand Rapids, Michigan

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