Meet Jessica: A SAHM Living in an Otisville Oasis

Hi guys! I am Jessica, a stay-at-home-mom of one three-year-old boy, two slightly {insert your favorite antonym for ‘slightly’ here} untrained Mastiff mixed dogs, and nine, YES, NINE, well-behaved chickens.

Here I am, wearing my husband’s jeans while chit-chatting with my favorite girlfriends like a normal crazy chicken lady.

My daily interests include hiding home-grown vegetables in baked goods and fibbing to my husband about how many more baby chicks I plan to bring home. I am also a master at reciting bedtime stories from memory, specifically Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. If you peak in my window at any given moment, I promise you will catch me belting out the lyrics sung by our favorite characters, Anna and Elsa, as if I am standing on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry.

My family and I vacationing in Port Austin, MI.

I am a motherless mother who struggled with fertility issues and I am close to earning my master’s degree in ‘Potty Training Magicianism’. Jessica Cardinal, MPTM. Honestly momma’s, we know we deserve that title in every way!

Over the last year and a half, I have managed to stock my freezer with half of every dinner I have cooked. Unfortunately, I didn’t think to stock up on toilet paper, hand sanitizer, or Clorox wipes while I was at it. Fortunately, we have a lot of single socks lying around, so I think we are all set. All kidding aside, allow me to backtrack a bit and introduce myself to you all from the very beginning.

I was born and raised in Flushing, Michigan. Sports and athletic endeavors have always been my passion. I was a dedicated gymnast until a surgeon told me I may not be able to walk by the age of thirty if I stayed the course. I begrudgingly moved on from the sport and later busied myself with new pastimes, including volleyball, tennis, and pole vaulting. I also ran the 2008 Chicago Marathon, but it was clear to me by the twenty-first mile I would not be running another marathon EVER AGAIN.

2002 Regional Champions

After high school, I studied at Central Michigan University, where I focused on a major in changing majors. I dallied in pre-med, meteorology, and psychology courses before realizing my heart just wasn’t in any of it. A college friend soon announced a cross country move, and I saw an opportunity to experience an adventure. I decided to join in the fun and was allowed to pick where we would venture off to. I laid a map of the state of Florida on the ground, closed my eyes, and pointed to a spot. Next thing I knew, I was off to Tampa Bay!                                                                                  

At fifteen years old, I knew while vacationing in Sarasota that I would someday call Florida home. I also knew while living in Florida that I would return to my first home in Michigan before starting a family of my own. I was blessed to meet good friends that I created great memories with, and I was lucky to have landed a professional position with a globally recognized commercial real estate company while I was there. Five years later, a first of many family emergencies brought me back home a bit sooner than I had planned.

Here we are on our wedding day with our first beloved dog, who has just turned ten.

A couple of years after returning to Mid-Michigan, I met the man I would go on to marry. A fun little side note: we met in the backyard of the house we now call our home. It is the same backyard we exchanged our vows in!

In the seven years that we have been together, we have grown our family to include a second dog, our beloved son, and all the chickens I keep forgetting to leave at the store.

The last three years of my life have been fairly simplistic. As a stay-at-home-mom, I keep busy doing all the things we mommas do. For the sake of your sanity, I will spare you the detailed list! In all honesty, I have never been more thankful for this lifestyle. Since our son isn’t supposed to begin preschool until this coming fall, our day-to-day routine hasn’t been seriously affected by the changes occurring throughout the world today.

As we all know, the days ahead are full of many unknowns. What I do know is I am thankful to be welcomed into a group of accomplished women and mothers who are passionate about sharing ways to remain positive while living life during uncharted times. I look forward to having a chance to connect with you all through discussions about some of the experiences and topics I previously mentioned. Above all, I wish each of you wellness in the days to come!

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We are passionate about the Mid-Michigan community and the moms who live here. Our goal is to make this community feel just a little bit smaller. By using both our website, as well as, various social media outlets, we are able to keep you up to date on family-friendly activities around town, provide advice on motherhood, and encourage each of you to get out and explore all that our wonderful area has to offer!