Meet the Mom – Allie A.

Name: Alexandra Gioia Amelio but you can call me Allie 🙂

Where did you grow up: South Miami but have called Jupiter home since High School

Town you live in now: Tequesta, Fl

Why you love living there: I love feeling secluded a bit in little Tequesta but still close enough to all the things we like to do.

Tell me about your kids: Olivia, 23 months is about to be a big sister to a little boy mid July! We think she’s excited about it but not sure she knows what she’s in for. Neither do I! She is my little ray of sunshine even though she shouts “Noooo!” when I sing You Are My Sunshine to her.

Favorite things to do with the family locally: We love picnics at the beach, boating, Constitution Park, Busch Wildlife Center, Loxahatchee River Center and We Rock the Spectrum. Olivia also loves the fish and balloons at Nordstrom and I love to shop there so it’s a perfect outing for us!

Best family restaurant: U Tiki is probably our favorite. You can’t beat the view and there’s lots of things to entertain your toddler with if they get bored.

Ideal family vacation spot and why: Well the only traveling we’ve done since having Olivia was to escape a hurricane so once we take one I’ll let you know! I feel like somewhere in the Keys would be lots of fun!

What’s your ‘day job’? I used to work in marketing in the corporate world and turned my side hustle of designing jewelry (AlexandraGioia.com) into a full time job!

How do you balance your ‘day job’ and motherhood? –    Opening my Design Studio (390 Tequesta Dr.) has been the best thing for me! I’m able to get so much more accomplished in a short period of time outside of the house when I don’t have a toddler fighting for my attention. I’m much more attentive to her when I get back home knowing I’ve crossed a few things off my work to do list but also struggle with being able to shut it off when I get home. I’m still figuring out how to balance it all!

What do you do for self care? I LOVE pedicures especially the massage part. My husband is deathly afraid of feet so it’s so nice when someone will actually massage them. I also love to just sit in a coffee shop (Oceana’s Cold Brew might be my favorite) and take a minute for myself. I don’t do either of these things enough!

What did you wish you knew but no one told you about being a parent? Before becoming a parent I thought being a stay at home Mom would consist of trying out new Pinterest recipes, relaxing and doing mess-free craft projects. Boy was I wrong! You are on 24/7 with no breaks but just as everyone says, it’s the hardest yet most rewarding job you can have. Staying at home while trying to run a business definitely comes with its set of challenges but I feel so blessed that I can watch Olivia grow and learn something new each day.