Meet the Mom – Donna

Where did you grow up: The beautiful New England Town of Westport, Connecticut

Town you live in now: The beautiful South Florida town of Jupiter 🌞

Why you love living there:
Jupiter reminds me of my hometown – family oriented, focused on education and providing adults with a little bit of casual sophistication as well. I love that on any given weekend there are at least a half dozen kid friendly outdoor festivals and events that we can attend right here in our own town. And then mom can throw on her party clothes at night and go out for a little fun also, if I’m not sleeping!

Tell me about your kids:
I have boy-girl twins, AJ and Mia, and yes they are indeed a double blessing and double trouble all rolled into one fireball duo. They are my tribe, for sure. Because they are the youngest cousins, everyone in the family really rallies around them and gives them so much love and attention. They are very adored – the family mascots for #risolonation. They were the inspiration for Baseball Yogis.

Favorite things to do with the kids locally:
Believe it or not, my kids love to go to restaurants and they love live music. So we are regulars at Hog Snappers and Guanabanas. Not sure how the patrons feel about that, but the owners are always so gracious and welcoming of small children.

What’s your ‘day job’? How did you get started with it?
I’m an educator. I’ve held every position in the field from classroom teacher to central office administrator. It’s been a great profession. Now I think of myself as an educational entrepreneur. I have another business besides Baseball Yogis, called College Prep Tutors that provides college admissions consulting to high school students. That has been a wonderful experience for the past ten years, and I will continue that along side Baseball Yogis. But now being a mom of preschoolers, it was time for me to do something that provides wellness, fun, and peace to children and young families, hence, Baseball Yogis!

What is your best parenting advise. Lay it on us.
Absolutely accept your children as they are. Resist the thought that you need to change their personalities in some way. I am a real fan of Kahlil Gibran’s poem about raising children. It begins, “Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of life longing to be.” I absolutely love that poem and I live by that as a parent. Your children are on this earth to live out their destiny, whatever that may be, not meet a parent’s agenda. Sure, adjustments might be necessary if their behavior is inappropriate. But a child should never feel like you don’t accept them implicitly. Unconditional love is the easy part. Most parents feel that for their children. But unconditional acceptance, that is more challenging for parents, because we think it is our job to mold them, because they are “my” children. Stop correcting them and trying to change them. Unconditional acceptance is truly the most important gift you can give to support your child’s emotional well-being and self esteem.

What do you do for self care?
Ahh, well I’m big on self care. What most people think of as a sacrifice or chore, I think of as a good time. I love taking care of my skin, exercising, a good five day fast, and bring on the colonics. Lol! Of course, as a professional single parent, there’s not a heck of a lot of time for self care. But I always make time at night for my skincare routine. I never ever skip that. That is my me-time.

Anything else you want to share?
I am so excited for what Baseball Yogis has in store for the greater Palm Beach area. We have already added birthday party services, a summer “camp” for toddlers and preschoolers (just week-long half day sessions for little ones) and we are hiring an amazing staff of educators so we can offer Baseball Yogis as a preschool enrichment programs at local preschools. And we are actively looking to partner with other local businesses who cater to the family and wellness market in our area. Baseball Yogis has already received so much enthusiastic response from the community, I can’t wait to see what 2020 continues to bring!

561-558-5989. www.baseballyogis.com.