Meet the Mom – Amy Chaplin

Name: Amy Chaplin

Where did you grow up:
I grew up in Maitland, a small city just north of Orlando

Town you live in now:
I live in North Palm Beach. We are actually raising our kids in the house where my husband grew up!

Why you love living there:
I love North Palm because it’s such a great family oriented neighborhood. My kids can play out front and we almost always see one of our friends while we are out. We’ve made some of the sweetest friendships with our neighbors!

Tell me about your kids:
I have three kids, two girls and a boy. My oldest daughter, Nora, is 5 years old and my youngest, Hannah, is 5 months. My son, Theo, will be 3 next month. Life with 3 kids 5 and under at home is chaos but in the most magical way. Nora loves all things active- riding her bike, swimming, gymnastics, soccer. Theo will definitely be my class clown. He’s been so silly since he was a baby and is always looking to make someone laugh. He loves cars, trains and dinosaurs. Hannah is my smiley and snuggly little love. My friends call her “fake baby” because she’s so easy going and happy 99% of the time.

Favorite things to do with the kids locally:
I swear my kids are part fish so we love anything where we can be in the water! They love to go to the North Palm pool and play in splash pad or jump off the diving boards. We also love exploring the county and finding new parks to play. If the park has a zip line, it’s a winner in their eyes. The South Florida Science center is our go to on days it’s just too hot or rainy to be outside.

What’s your ‘day job’? How did you get started with it?
Prior to having kids, I was a kindergarten teacher. Once my oldest was born, I knew I wanted to be home with her more. I started teaching swim lessons from home with Kids 1st Swim School and I love that I still get to use my teacher hat while keeping kids safe in the water. I also have a baking business that I launched just over a year ago. Sunshine Sweets was born in my kitchen out of a lifelong love of baking. I have some of the fondest memories growing up in the kitchen baking with my mom and I hope my kids will be able to say the same. I love to experiment with new recipes and create beautiful cakes and cupcakes but my chocolate chip cookies are my #1 seller!

What is your best parenting advice. Lay it on us. Give grace. To yourself. To your kids. If I’ve learned anything since becoming a mom, it’s there’s A LOT that I don’t know. I am constantly learning on the job and I make a lot of mistakes. I think it’s so important to model to my kids how to learn from those mistakes and how to apologize. In the same way, my kids are always learning and need grace and patience as they grow.

What do you do for self care?
I don’t do nearly enough! Baking with my company Sunshine Sweets is my #1 catharsis though. I love to get in the kitchen, turn on some worship music and create. I also have a monthly massage membership at a local spa that I like to use when I find time to get away. And when I can pull myself out of bed before the kids, I love to enjoy a hot cup of coffee in the stillness and silence of the morning. It helps me start my day off in peace before the chaos.