Lafayette Mom

Aleice lives in Lafayette with her wonderful husband Jonathan and their three beautiful children: Evelyn (6), Nora (3), and Louis (8 months). She is originally from Alexandria, LA and graduated from ULL in 2006. She then moved to Lubbock, Texas where she earned her MFA in Theatre Arts from Texas Tech University. Aleice and her family have been living in Lafayette for 5 years now and she is very grateful to be raising her children in a culture so rich in family and traditions. Aleice loves being a mom, Target, yoga, wine, spending time with family and friends, her faith, her dog Ellie, Disney, musicals, and most importantly coffee.

Ali is a homeschooling mama of 2 kiddos, Ella, 10 and Cohen, 9. She and her husband Jansey are originally from Acadiana and have finally returned home after 10 years of living around the world. She graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in Child and Family Studies and is currently getting her Masters in Higher Education at Louisiana State University. She is a full-time mom, wife, teacher, maid, chauffeur, student, and a part-time remote employee at Valet.io.

She and her family love to travel and do so as often as possible. In her spare time, she enjoys rescuing animals and currently has 2 dogs, 3 cats, a guinea pig, a bird, and a fish. Her hobbies including crafting all of the things, cooking, and binge-watching reality tv late at night.

Amanda is a native of Kenner, LA and is now an honorary Cajun. She is married to the most interesting man in world (Joe) with one son (Kael-pronounced like the superfood), one dog (Luna), one cat (Loki) and a partridge in a pear tree. She spends her days working as a social worker/yoga teacher/toddler tamer. Amanda graduated from the University of Louisiana of Lafayette in 2003 and earned her Master’s in social work in 2005 from Louisiana State University. She has worked in the fields of inpatient and outpatient mental health and is now immersed in Hospice and End of life care. For fun, she enjoys long walks with her favorite furry companion (Luna the wonder terrier) accompanied by a disturbing amount of true crime podcasts. She has learned that life is too short - do the things, pet the dogs, drink the drinks, and eat the cake!

Amy was born and raised in Lafayette.  She attended UL Lafayette and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Health Information Management.  She and her husband of 11 years have a two year old son, Ian.  Amy is the EMR & Scribe Services Manager for a national healthcare company based in Lafayette. When she isn’t dealing with EMRs and scribe contracts, she enjoys food, wine, books, daily Tone It Up workouts and spending time with her family.

Blair Broussard is a transplant Cajun by way of Dallas, Texas now married to a Broussard. Mom to Louis (almost 1) and wife to Bennett (almost 35). Blair runs the empty streets of Lafayette before the sun rises, sells real estate by day, and wrangles Lou by mid-afternoon. Evenings usually end with a book (read: trashy reality tv show) and a glass of wine. The move from Dallas to Lafayette was made possible by a volleyball scholarship to the University of Louisiana and she has yet to look back. Grateful to have called many places home over the years and been gifted with the opportunity to bicycle across the country, still nothing compares to Lafayette and the people here. Motherhood is a moving target and she knows she is a work in progress towards hitting the mark. Blair is confident that God made her for this moment to be the exact mom her son needs, and you to yours.

Caitlin made her way to Lafayette more than a decade ago, after growing up in North Carolina and then graduating from the University of Georgia. Since then, she married the man who introduced her to Cajun country, and they welcomed their now 4 year old daughter into the world. She spends her days as the Digital Director for The Daily Advertiser, helping to coordinate video, photo, and online coverage of everything happening in Acadiana. When she’s not working or wrangling her tiny human, she can be found running (slowly), testing new baking recipes (ask about her almond poppyseed bread), or wielding a glue gun for her latest craft project.

Carlie is a divorced mom of five. She moved to Lafayette 22 years ago from a small town in-between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. She has four young adult children from her first marriage that ended after 19 years, Christopher, Cara, Clay and Cade. She has a one year old daughter, Poppy Mae with her significant other, Joey. She is a work-at-home mother who is a freelance writer and photographer/owner of Carlie Anne Collective. Organized chaos and tons of lists are her style. Carlie loves to workout, travel, visit with her friends, bike with Poppy Mae in their neighborhood, attend outdoor concerts, eat out at local restaurants, walk aimlessly through stores looking for good deals and swing in her hammock while chatting about her BST addiction with her online friends. She keeps an active Instagram account as a photo journal of her days.

Casey Hilty has been married for over 12 years to her beau, Bo, and has three kids ages 11, 9 and 6. She is a published author and just released her first book Her Children Arise - a Bible study for moms.  She is an active member of The Bayou Church and leads a Bible study group for moms called MOMentum.  Casey is also an artist and member of the L’Acadian Art Guild.  Her family shares a passion for the people and culture of Haiti and Casey and her husband lead annual mission trips there.  The Hilty Family lives on a small (itty bitty, teeny tiny) “farm” in New Iberia with their kids, dog, cats, goats, a bunch of chickens and one rooster. You can follow Casey on Instagram @caseyhilty or on her website at www.caseyhilty.com.

Christina has been a Louisiana resident her whole life. She now resides in Youngsville with her husband of 15 years and their girl clan who they lovingly refer to as, “The Fabulous Five”. She is an ophthalmology nurse, Midwifery student/aspiring Midwife, Stillbirthday bereavement Doula, and homemade elderberry syrup slinger. Most weekends you can find her cheering on her girls at a softball game, as travel ball is their “family hobby”. She loves all things organic and holistic in nature. On any given day you can find her wearing essential oils and carrying crystals in her pockets. She is passionate about all things birth work, extended breastfeeding, and advocating for racial disparities in our local birth community.  

Christy is a fun-loving wife and mother of two little ladies Amelia (5) and Gwendolyn (1) currently residing in Broussard. She met her husband, Thomas, through Greek life in college at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and the rest, as they say, is history. Christy is a Senior Party Décor Specialist and Product Designer at Confetti Momma. She is obsessed with her job and is currently working on developing the perfect balance between work and home life. Being a little bit corny and a LOT cheesy, she lives for the laugh and appreciates a good pun. Making people smile gives her the warm fuzzies. Christy loves baking with her daughters, Gilmore Girls, game nights with friends, and all things frozen (as in ice cream and snowballs- although Anna and Elsa are her home girls). Oh! And coffee … lets not forget coffee!

Courtney is the wife of Daniel Henry, her high school sweetheart and is the mother to Aleana, Avah and Daniel. She works and resides in the Frog Capital of the World, Rayne LA. She is a graduate of LSUE and a former boutique owner. She is a self-proclaimed planner addict who loves brownies, Saints football and would rather not be wearing shoes. When she’s not chasing after kids she’s probably organizing or reading.  If you see her on Ambassador, stuck in traffic, she is having a solo dance party or saying a rosary. She could live off coffee and cookies, although it would be frowned upon.

Elle, a New Orleans native, loves being a mom while growing her career at a local Catholic Elementary School. She loves working and volunteering in the community but can't wait to come home and spend time with her boys Charlie and Andy. Elle met her husband, Fletcher, in 2013 while she was attending the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. When she met him she knew that her life would never be boring again. She loves calling Lafayette home and is very excited she gets to raise her children here.

Jennifer was born and raised in Lafayette, La. She married her perfect match, Avery, and they have two children together: Graham (4) and rainbow baby Eliana (6 months). Prior to becoming a stay at home mom, she was a hospice nurse; a job she hopes to one day get back to. Her days are spent trying to tackle the never ending pile of laundry and keeping her family happy and healthy. She thoroughly enjoys a good Xtend Barre and Peloton workout, but finds it hard at times to fit it all in during this season of life. She’s always planning something whether its a family dinner, birthday party or next family vacation. In her spare time she enjoys designing and sewing outfits for her children and her small sewing business.

Jenny Prevost is an aspiring picture book author, registered nurse and french fry fanatic living in the big town of Rayne. In the kind of story that you’ll only find in a small town, she married Terral, a boy who grew up one street over, and is blessed to be Mom to three lovable kiddos (and one lively lab.) She’s a woman of many hats (her favorite being a ball cap) and, when she’s not writing, she spends her days auditing and educating for a regional hospice company. It’s been said that she ‘missed a good chance to be a 50s housewife’ and has fallen hard for all things domestic. In her down time, she loves to sew, paint and play games with her fantastic and feisty crew. She has a passion for creativity and whole heartedly believes Brene Brown when she says, “The magic is in the mess.”

Kelly is a Baton Rouge born and Acadiana raised Environmental Engineer. She is married to Bryan and they are parents to their six-year old twins, Oliver & Amelia. After many years in Louisiana’s “Cap City”, she and Bryan decided to move their family closer to home and now reside in Youngsville. When Kelly is not working, she enjoys traveling with her family, playing the silliest games her kids can come up with, and starting craft projects she never seems to finish. She is an LSU alum and can be found sporting purple and gold on any given Saturday. While she enjoys football, LSU baseball is her true love; but don’t fret Cajun fans – she and her family will always show UL some love, as long as they aren’t playing the Tigers.

Kenzie is the Chaos Coordinator to her three Garner girls & solo son: Shaila, Maci, Gemma Evan, & Levi. A New Mexico desert native, she married her best friend, Ty, five years ago. This yucca blossom has been planting her roots in the Lafayette gumbo mud since 2014. As a blended family mama, she has made it her mission to prove that “stepmom” is not a dirty word. When she isn’t studying to be a nurse, you can either find her listening to a true-crime podcast and leisurely strolling the aisles in Costco or on the couch binge-watching trashy reality TV in her sweats. A firm believer in flying your freak flag, with Kenzie, it’s always messy: her home, her hair, & her life...but the mess is magic.

Kristen was born and raised in Lafayette and is proud to be a Cajun. She lives with her husband and best friend Dustin and their three children: Isabelle 6, Carson 4 and Logan 5 months. She has a degree in early childhood education from The University of Louisiana at Lafayette and believes that teaching Pre-K is truly her calling. After staying home for 5 years to raise two of her babies, she went back to work as a French Immersion teacher. When she isn’t wrangling tiny humans at work or at home, she enjoys making jewelry and watching Vampire Diaries on repeat. She is always up for a Casino trip and the beach is her happy place.

Kristen, a proud UL Lafayette graduate, lives nestled between Verot School Rd. construction signs with her 2 children, hubby and projects waiting to be worked on. For her, family comes first - always. When she isn’t diving head first into an existential crisis, she spends her time catching up on all things Bravo, wishing she had gone to bed earlier, and helping her husband find household items hidden in plain sight. Kristen is obsessed with helping moms feel encouraged, supported, and confident throughout their motherhood journey. As owner of Baby Boot Camp – Acadiana, she devotes her time and energy to ensuring moms across the Acadiana area look and feel their very best. A fierce mental health advocate and part-time social justice warrior, Kristen believes vulnerability is the key to a happy life and strives to live life as transparent as possible.            

Laurel Hess is a mother to 2 young boys, a dachshund, two cats and three hermit crabs. She spends her days as President of a local marketing agency, helping craft integrated digital strategies and leading a team of creative collaborators. Once at home, however, Laurel is just trying to find peace with being the World's Okayest Mom. A Dallas transplant in a Louisiana world, Laurel graduated from Loyola University New Orleans in Broadcast Production. She met her husband while she was evacuated in Lafayette during Hurricane Katrina. They lived 5 wild, kid-free years in New Orleans while Laurel served as the Sales and Marketing Manager for the Superdome, Arena and Champions Square, before finally returning to Lafayette and into the wildest phase of life yet ... Parenthood.  

Lauren, a Shreveport, Louisiana native, moved south in the summer of 2010 to attend University of Louisiana at Lafayette. In the fall of 2011, she laid eyes on Ross Curet, her now husband of 4 years. It was the closest possible scenario of "love at first sight". Lauren is a stay-at-home mom of their two children - Maddox, 2 years old, and Regan Evangeline, born in May of 2019. Building a family and home with her husband is her greatest joy and accomplishment! When she isn’t changing diapers, you can find Lauren shopping BST pages, traveling all over Louisiana to visit family, out and about in the stores of Lafayette (carrying a toddler on her hip and an infant in her arms), or in the CC's Coffee drive-thru. Extra shots of espresso, please!

Lauren is a native New Orleanian that was transplanted to Lafayette in 2008 (kicking and screaming) by her husband Daniel. She has a B.S.N. from Louisiana State University – School of Nursing and a M.S.N. from the University of South Alabama. Her “paying gig” is as a Nurse Practitioner in the Quality Department at Lafayette General Health, with a focus on infection prevention. Her other full-time gig is as keeper of her home and mom to William 4 and Mary Kathryn 3. Most of her days at home are spent picking up toys and socks off the floor so the family Bernese Mountain Dog, Tipper, does not demolish them.  When she has a spare moment, she enjoys reading crime novels, playing board game with her kids, cooking and baking foods that are not on her diet, and finding any reason to celebrate by drinking her beloved champagne. To burn off a few calories and any leftover energy, the family enjoys walking or riding bikes on the shaded boulevard on which they live. Lauren has fallen in love with the people and city of Lafayette and is very proud to raise her family here and to now call it home.

Lauren Venable is a single mama and somatic meditation teacher living in Lafayette. You’ll hear her joke often, “Thank God I meditate for a living!” as she juggles her 2 elderly yet somehow still wild Boston Terriers, navigates the endless chatter and relentless curiosity of her Kindergartener, and brings her own meandering mind back to the task at hand (instead of the butterfly that just passed.) She’s a sucker for spontaneous adventures and is rocking a solid 70% success rate with her house plants. Her struggles with divorce, postpartum depression/anxiety, and the general overwhelm of motherhood have cracked her wide open and offered such rich soil for personal growth that she now helps other moms manage the motherload, too. You can find out more at www.balancedrootsreiki.com or follow her podcast, Homeward Bound: Meditations for Motherhood.

Leigh Ann is a proud Lafayette native and 2009 ULL Public Relations graduate. She is Mom to one precious little boy, Rafe, currently living in the Youngsville area. Over the last decade, she’s built a carefully crafted career for herself, a path laced with strategic moves that have landed her in some seriously cool How-Did-I-Get-Here scenarios for a home-gown Lafayette girl. Well, any ole girl for that matter. In addition to her number one role as Mom and her professional life, she’s a distance runner, fitness enthusiast, mermaid advocate, dairy-free wanna-be and ninja-like multitasker trying to find time to sleep in between work, play, and daily loads of laundry. You may recognize her online as the former blogger, Elle Noel. She retired her blog, along with her Mrs., and is joining Lafayette Mom as a fresh start in more ways than one.  

Mariah Miller was born and raised in Carencro, LA. Monday through Friday she’s known as Mrs. Miller to her dear 7th graders. When she’s not molding young minds, she’s relishing in her time being a wife and mama either chasing her babies at home or proudly holding them back on the sidelines of a gym as a Coach’s wife.Their little family of four is built on their Catholic faith and Cajun cooking.Since childhood, her passion has always been writing.From the brightest days to the darkest seasons, she believes writing helps us keep on keepin’ on.In her heart, she feels that the beauty of a Lafayette Mama is getting to be a part of a Cajun culture that keeps us close, and she hopes you’ll read along with her to keep that spirit of community alive in all of our hometown, “How’s Ya Mom and Them” hearts!

Marissa is a Las Vegas native who transplanted to Acadiana 6 years ago. Her blended family consists of Brandt (10), Jackson (2), her husband Justin and an ever expanding herd of animals. They live on the outskirts of Lafayette and love gardening and raising chickens. She graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Nutrition and Culinary Arts. She worked in several restaurants before realizing that her real passion was for teaching. She is now in elementary education and is hoping to gather enough interest to have an after school cooking club like she did at the last school she was at. She spends her time volunteering with Lafayette Education Foundation, writing for Lafayette Mom and is in the middle stages of writing her first children's book! Motherhood of full of ups and downs but hope is always consistent.

Monica was born and raised in a little town called Erath, about 20 miles sound of Lafayette. After high school, she went on to continue her education at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette - GEAUX CAJUNS! She is a proud 2004 alumna, with a Bachelor's Degree in Marketing & Business Law, and a minor in Finance. Lucky for her, it didn’t take long to land a dream career in healthcare. These days, you can find her living her best life as a chauffeur, photographer, crisis manager, and cheerleader for her precious daughter, Layla. When she’s not recovering from life with a tween, you can find her passionately pursuing Jesus, volunteering, writing for Lafayette Mom, or at her CrossFit box. Monica has a passion for people and empowering other women, but if you want to empower her, then it will most certainly be through a freshly brewed pot of coffee!

Natalie is a nomadic spirit who loves to travel but has always called Louisiana home. Born and raised in Lafayette, she grew up with five brothers and so she feels that being a #boymom was destiny.  Marriage and babies were a late blessing as she became a wife and mother in her mid-thirties but she wouldn't have it any other way. Life with her husband, Wayne, and two sons, Edison and Oliver, is always full of laughter; there's never a dull moment with those three! Natalie is a Licensed Social Worker and currently works with children in the charter school system. Providing support for children in need is her life's purpose. In her mind, social work and motherhood go hand in hand. Creating an environment where kids feel safe, loved and valued as individuals go a long way to building well-adjusted adults.

Rebecca is an attorney by day and a toddler wrangler by night. She is a product of divorced parents and grew up in both Thibodaux and Franklin, Louisiana. Rebecca attended Loyola University of New Orleans and Southern University Law Center. Rebecca married her high school bestie in 2012. Quinton and Rebecca went through months of infertility before giving birth to Maxwell Lincoln in 2015. In 2016, they were surprised by a baby boy due in June 2017. But, in February 2017, they suffered with incompetent cervix and delivered sweet Theodore Paul too soon. In October 2018, after an incredibly difficult pregnancy, a cerclage, and a whole bunch of bedrest, Fitzgerald Joseph was born -- a happy, healthy, and perfect rainbow. If you can't find Rebecca, you can summon her with pot of freshly brewed coffee or look for her in Target or behind the kitchen island where she is hiding from her kids with a very generous pour of red.

Sara is a proud mother of two daughters. Morgan (13), a product of her first marriage, and Elizabeth (4) with her husband of six years, James. He is a very patient, loving soul who embraces all the ladies in his home, including their 9-year-old Schnauzer, Sadie.  Sara is a native of Lafayette turned Texas transplant who moved back to Cajun Country as fast as she could. An only child, she maintains a strong relationship with her parents and believes having close friends is important. When she’s not cheering on soccer, volleyball or fixing top knots for dance class, you can find Sara at her day job as an insurance agent for a local agency. She loves spending time at the beach with her family, traveling to new places, and indulging in local food and drink - then working it all off at Red’s. Oh, and all things UL. Geaux Cajuns! She’s just living life wildly. One day at a time.

Sarah is a Cecilia native currently living in Lafayette's oil center. She's the mom to a Brady Bunch of 7 children ages 12 to 3. Married to Clint, her 'environmental superhero,' she enjoys traveling often. The self-proclaimed queen of big family travel planning; she's also taken up GLAMPing as she explores the State and National Parks. Sarah started Real Product Talk, a product testing and secret shopper service, with her online bestie of 10+ years in 2014 and continues to grow as a major player in her field. When she's not working from home, she's can be found serving the less fortunate in Lafayette with Cajun Compassion.

Sarah is a 30-something mom of four children under six and wife to her high-school sweetheart. She returned to Acadiana two years ago following her husband’s completion of medical school and residency in Shreveport. After the move, Sarah switched gears from full-time pediatric speech-language pathologist and working mom to full-time stay-at-home mom to her brood. Her current hobbies include “speech-therapizing” her children, re-reading the Outlander series, catching up on her Netflix queue after the kids go to bed, completing XHIT videos at naptime, and taking her medication every morning. She loves and respects the sacredness of motherhood, but sometimes you just have to let go and laugh it out. Motherhood has been the most humbling and empowering journey she has experienced.

Shanna was raised in Breaux Bridge and continues to live there with her high school sweetheart turned husband, Derek. As the wife of a pipeliner, she spends most of the year running the roost and the roads with her three children, Gavin (11), Gunner (6), and Sloane (5). She is a graduate of UL Lafayette with a degree in sociology but she’s been a SAHM for the last eight years, specializing in all things mom. You can find her substituting and room momming at her children’s school,  boating and fishing in the Atchafalaya, baking cakes, traveling with her kids to the state her husband is working in, or reading (preferably slightly saucy books.) She’s a ‘go with the flow’ kind of girl who doesn’t stress so much about schedules, loves to enjoy carefree family moments, and is possibly the only southern woman who can catch a kitchen on fire when she cooks.        

Shelby hails from Vashon Island, a rural community only a short ferry ride from Seattle, and relocated to Lafayette in 2011.  She graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2015 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology in 2015, and is currently working towards her MBA in Healthcare Administration. She has spent the last four years serving those most in need, most recently as a Homebuilders Practitioner helping parents with active DCFS cases to provide safe and stable homes. If she isn’t working or studying, she is doing crafts or watching something true crime related. She loves to spend time outdoors exploring with her partner, John Sr, and John Jr (10). And with what little free time she has left over, she spends it on her accounting side hustle, volunteering with Avec Les Enfants as a monitor, as a Car Seat Technician, or as a founding member of VOICES of Acadiana!

Tiffany is a University of Louisiana at Lafayette design graduate. She resides in the heart of Lafayette with her husband and their two children. She loves her family, living in the Deep South, and spending beautiful days outside. Tiffany spins a lot of plates as a busy, freelance graphic designer, a triple-certified placenta encapsulation specialist and a holistic birth doula, and also making organic, home wellness products with her husband like elderberry syrup and colloidal silver. She believes in your inner strength and that you can accomplish anything including but not limited to the birth your desire. She loves encouraging lady bosses working their hustles, through the hard knocks, while becoming strong, smart and successful.

NOLA born and raised, Traci moved to Lafayette in 2005 to pursue a career in corporate marketing. She married her husband Ryan in 2010 and adopted her son, now 6, in 2016. Today, along with being a full time mom, she owns and operates a dog daycare, boarding and grooming facility in Lafayette. She and her husband maintain a part-time residence in NOLA, spending weekends "home" visiting family and friends. Avid sports fan, dog obsessed, wanna be distance runner (finishing just one half-marathon), and adoption enthusiast, she looks forward to adding "blog contributor" to her lists of accomplishments.