Meet Lacy: A Young but Able Swartz Creek Mom

If you had asked me in 2008 what kind of mother I would be I would’ve said something like: The perfect mom, who bakes all the things, does all the ideas and never picks up her kids from school in sweats! Fast forward to 2018, and I’m the mom who tries really hard, fails often but loves her kids a whole awful lot. 

Hey there! I’m Lacy! I’m a Swartz Creek native, a young mom, a boy mom, and a bonus mom. My journey is non-traditional but exciting, and I’m thankful for the voice it’s given me. 

Women in line at my local Meijer often like to remark how I’m “too young to have children that old”, and my favorite response is always “I know. You’re right, I am. Thank you.”

It’s true, I had my first son at the ripe age of 19 and my second son by the time I was 21. They are now nine and seven, and I’m only beginning to get a handle on this whole Motherhood thing. 

I was raised in Mid-Michigan by a single mother who was attending the University of Michigan Flint {Go Blue!} and eventually went on to get her Master’s Degree from Wayne State University. I frequently visited my father as a child, and he instilled a love for the outdoors in me that I’ve thankfully never outgrown. We camped at Seven lakes and Holly recreation, swam in McGinnis and Silver Lake, and hiked the trails that surround both. I’ve gone on to instill a love for fishing and getting our hands dirty in my boys. They spend almost all of their free time outside, swimming, playing basketball, baseball, football, riding their bikes, fishing, hiking, or anything else you can think of that makes me say “Oh! Be careful!”

I’ve been a single mother for most of my mothering days which provided me with a unique perspective of Genesee County. Did you know there are about 10,000 excellent resources for single moms in Genesee County? My children attended Head Start from the time they were one until they were five. Living below the poverty line for the early years of being a mother humbled me. I wasn’t raised to want a lot, but wanting to do what was best for my kids was intuitive. I think like every mother, I second-guessed myself often. Eventually figuring out that imperfect parenting is the best and only kind of parenting that exists.

After my second son was born, I attempted to juggle work, motherhood, and school at Mott Community College. Turns out, that’s extremely difficult for a young mom with undiagnosed Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.  Instead, I entered the full-time workforce and have stayed here ever since.

About two and a half years ago, after a short marriage and quick divorce, I swore I would not date until my children were 18 and headed to college. 

But as fate would have it, six months later, the greatest guy I’ve ever met walked into my life. Ryan is funny, caring, kind and can cook fantastic food. To add the cherry on top, he introduced me to his beautiful and smart daughter. How could I pass all that up?! Two years later, we are still together and have the most fun, goofiest, loving relationship I never knew existed. 

We love living in Swartz Creek, where we both grew up and enjoy all the small town has to offer. Everyone knows our name when we go to Kroger. We are walking distance to the homecoming parade, and the annual Hometown Days is right around the corner. 

Some Sundays we attend church at Central Church of the Nazarene. Afterward, we take a short drive down to the Genesee County favorite Donna’s Donuts. Everyone picks a donut {except me because I don’t eat gluten!} and we sit and plan our Sunday afternoon. In the summers I like to take the boys fishing at Linden or Fenton mill pond. Ryan and I are foodies, so we try to attend all the “Taste Of” festivals in the mid-Michigan area. Our children are big on always “going somewhere” and “doing something” so we are often looking for cool community events we find on Facebook. 

During the day I am a Legal Secretary to a really excellent Lawyer in downtown Flint. I live out my dream in the evenings writing on my blog, Mothering the Storm with Lacy Estelle. It highlights my non-traditional journey in Motherhood and my struggle with Adult ADHD. I highlight different strategies I use every day to help both my son and I cope with having ADHD. It’s the little piece of my writing dreams pie for now, and I’m so excited to reach other mothers through it. 

I’m thrilled to be a contributor to MidMiMB. One mantra I strive to live my life by is: Someone needs you, and you never know who. It’s what keeps me reaching out to others even when I feel I have little or nothing to offer.

Sharing our stories of motherhood encourages moms everywhere to enjoy their journey just as it is. None of us got a handbook on how to do this parenting thing correctly. So spending time judging each other for being different is time wasted. Why not share, encourage and delight in our differences?

There is always something to learn from the mother next door. Essential stuff like, which wine goes well with Lunchables? Or if anyone in the school pick-up line can tell I’m on day three of dry shampoo? As long as I’m a mom, I vow to be a voice of encouragement and understanding. After all, none of us get out of this without wearing poop in public at least once. None of us.