Who is Hollis? Describe your family for our readers.
My husband Justin and I have been married for 6 years. We live together in Rolling Meadows with our 2-year-old son Oswald (we call him Ozzie) and 5-month-old daughter Gwendolyn (we call her Winnie). We’re very fortunate to have all four grandparents and many aunts, uncles and cousins living nearby, so we spend lots of time with extended family.
Justin and I both work in Schaumburg – I’m at the Library, he’s at the Park District.
How have you changed as a person since becoming a mom?
I’m not sure it’s changed me much as a person… though I have a feeling my husband would report otherwise! I do like the immediate connection and shared understanding you have with other parents. If my kiddo is having a meltdown at the store, I get a knowing, reassuring smile from a mom with kids a bit older than mine. I can see she wants to say, “It’s ok. It happens to all of us.” I only hope I can give that same reassurance when I see a mom with her child in mid-tantrum.
From where do you take your energy and positivity with everyday challenge as a working – mom?
I have to say, it isn’t easy! At work, I’m able to feed off the creativity and excitement of my coworkers. It’s definitely easier to get through the day being surrounded by hard-workers who love their jobs and the place they work. At home, we like to be silly and have fun together which puts us all in a good mood.
Someday, I’ll work exercise back into my daily routine – I like to take walks outside or do yoga at home – and that always gives me more energy and puts my mind in the right place.
What are your passions, hobbies?
I love to read and write, and I love music.
I make time to read just about every day before I go to bed – even if only for a few minutes. I’m finishing up the Choas Walking series and have really enjoyed that. I also like pretty much anything by Tana French, Dave Eggers or David Sedaris.
It’s harder to find time to write, but I really enjoy it once I get into the swing of it. I wrote a board book for my son’s first birthday and I’m planning to do the same for my daughter. I was so proud to see Ozzie’s book when it was delivered to our house that it motivates me to get working on the story for Winnie’s book.
In the days before kids, Justin and I would go to all kinds of concerts – we saw Cold War Kids and Nickel Creek and U2 and Temper Trap and Vampire Weekend... oh, the good ol’ days. We don’t make it to concerts these days, but I still love that feeling of hearing a new song that I just know is going to be a favorite.
What quality do you most admire in a mother?
I have two: patience and connection, and I think those work together because it takes patience to really make the time and effort to connect with your little ones. I try my best to slow down to my kids’ pace and be present in the moment with them: really listen to my son and answer his million questions; focus on my daughter, make eye contact with her and enjoy the baby snuggles while they last.
What advice would you give to your younger self at age 20? 30?
At 20, I realized the master timeline I had made for myself in high school just was not going to happen. At the time, I wasn’t quite ok with that yet. Now, I’d tell myself to just erase that timeline from my mind and pretend I’d never thought of it. Things worked out exactly as they were meant to, in the time they were intended.
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