There is magic in motherhood. A recipe for greatness. A conundrum of selflessness and self care. From the stay-at-home moms devoting all to focus on the family, to the momtreprenuers raising little people while parenting innovative ideas. Both sides deserving that CEO salary for their efforts. Both living models of achievement, teaching children to grow up with strong spirits and big dreams. This Mother’s Day, we want to shine a light on a few female neighbors who are mastering the art of the multitasking goddess called mom. We are honored to introduce these four local mothers, entrepreneurs and community liaisons, who represent a life-giving culture in Tacoma.
So, Dear Mom, chase the dream, conceive the inconceivable, and take away a few gifts that keep giving like links to a female led fundraising army, a modern mom’s bible study, and your village of new friends. You are welcome here.
Happy Mother’s Day.
Latasha Haynes of Ike & Tash
(mother, photographer and teen hero)
Latasha Haynes has a story to share and inspire. From being raised in and aged out of the local foster care system to health battles that recently threatened her life, she is a true alchemist for turning struggle into strength. Between juggling life with a bubbly four-year-old and running a portrait and wedding photography business with her husband of ten years (they met on Myspace!), this wonder woman invests her spare time and energy into the community that’s helped raise her. As a young lady, she earned the City of Destiny award for youth leadership and service and held fast to that calling, but as a foster child, she never had many portraits to represent her history, her family or her presence, she says. So for Latasha, going into photography allowed her to fill that void for herself and girls like her. She’s turning her bio around to connect to youth in the community with a message of inner beauty, strength and love through endeavors like And Her South Sound, a leadership and service club for girls, and The Street Team senior model project through Ike & Tash. Latasha’s creative energy and personal skills are cultivating a soul strengthening sisterhood, creating a safe place for girls to be themselves and uplift and encourage one another by embracing comradery over competition.
Ike and Tash
Website www.ikeandtash.com
Blog www.ikeandtashblog.com
Youtube www.youtube.com/user/LatashaHaynesPhoto
Facebook www.facebook.com/ikeandtash
Instagram www.instagram.com/ikeandtash
Blink Conference (In Seattle this November)
Encouragement for other mothers …
“Make sure you are doing the things that you love. When that’s the case it’s easy to just keep going, but you can’t think about the next level if you’re not taking the breaks that you need and learning how to recharge. I’ve never chosen between being a mom and a business person. I never want to compromise either side for the other. So, when you get me you get my family, and I’ve never dealt with guilt or shame around that because it’s all part of my story.”
Experience Tacoma, Latasha style …
Latasha is all about Tacoma events like the Farmer’s Markets and happenings at the Tacoma Arts Community Center. She also loves access to good food and recommends Metropolitan Market, the Vietnamese sandwich at Pho King, Tacoma’s #1 Fried Rice (the name says it all), Legendz on Sprague for burgers and sandwiches, Hazelwood Road Espresso, Red Elm Café and Quickie Too (for vegetarian and vegan options).
“Tacoma is such a hidden gem. I love walking our neighborhood and exploring the history of Hilltop. I feel so safe here. It’s such a mixed community of culture and seasons of life that is super underrated.”
Bobbie Bailey of M Agency
(mother, marketing professional and community sponsor)
Bobbie Bailey began her professional endeavors in web design and SEO website optimization before stepping out on her own eight years ago to fully embrace a then budding generation of online business marketing. Her mission to help businesses identify the driving force behind their brand has blossomed into M Agency, her full-service marketing firm. When not in the office or collaborating with the community, she is a wife and mother of two. It’s the growth and gusto of her business prowess that has allowed her to pour financial resources, time and energy into community endeavors like her annual small business grant, which went to Hilltop Artists this year, and the co-founding of South Sound 100 Women, quarterly-annual fundraisers supporting various non-profits. The benevolent movement has now sprouted similar efforts across the country and continues to grow in participation and value with each event, the last of which awarded over $11,000 to the Tacoma Humane Society.
M Agency
Website www.whatisyourm.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/whatisyourm
Instagram www.instagram.com/_m_agency
*Attend the next South Sound 100 Women event on July 11
Encouragement for other mothers …
“Get to know yourself and embrace imperfection. It’s far more beautiful and gives you freedom rather than trying to define yourself within social standard.”
Experience Tacoma, Bobbie style …
Bobbie believes in the value of recharging and so she seeks out Tacoma trails like Puget Park, Chambers Bay and the Tacoma Nature Center. She also appreciates the creativity in Tacoma including the Art Bus, collaboration of common interest like the welding club and art installations like those of Dave Chihuly in schools and the community.
Ruthy Taylor of Mosaic Home Group
(mother, real estate guru and play date extraordinaire)
Ruthy Taylor is a true friend among the mom community. Lord knows how she does it while raising two young ladies and spreading her name and reputation from one home to the next by selling residential properties in the South Sound with her husband Andy. Their business, Mosaic Home Group, won best of the South Sound 2017. This husband wife duo met and married within seven months and then sold everything for one way tickets to South America where they lived and traveled together for six months and only had two arguments – the dream team. Before becoming a local business owner, Ruthy earned her Tacoma fame by blogging about her adventures in motherhood. But she recognized the maternal need for true companionship that was being suffocated by the social media mentality. For this and a million good reasons, she founded The Village 253, a tribe of mothers who are eager to set their phones and computers down to interact and uplift one another in the joys of parenthood. From mom meetups sharing stories of motherhood and clothing swaps to play dates and family friendly community events, this mom boss is a true MVP”.
Mosaic Home Group
Website www.mosaichomegroup.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/mosaichomegroup
TheVillage253
Facebook www.facebook.com/groups/thevillage253
Instagram www.instagram.com/thevillage253
Encouragement for other mothers …
“Balance is a unicorn; it doesn’t exist in motherhood. There are ebbs and flows in life. Exercise the self-discipline to put your phone down and just be grateful. Every time things get hard ,the only choice is to spiral down or to break through, grow and gain perspective. Stop and smell the roses. It’s not about balance, it’s about perspective and gratefulness.”
Experience Tacoma, Ruthy style …
Ruthy appreciates a good kids’ menu and atmosphere like that at The Hub, the comfort and ease of Applebee’s and the play area within Chick-fil-A. She also loves supporting small family friendly businesses like Red Elm and Café Brosseau.
“How I experience Tacoma as a mom is much different from how I used to. It’s all about “family friendly” because I realize that as a parent you don’t really have “control” of your kids. I’ve humbly eaten all my words from life before kids.”
Tiffany Bluhm of TiffanyBluhm.com
(mother, writer and inspiring spiritual leader)
Tiffany Bluhm is spreading a soul saving message for women around the world from her home in Tacoma where she is raising two busy boys. At 7 years old, she was lit with excitement over a blank piece of paper knowing that she herself could fill that canvas. From there she went on to academic excellence through running start and tutoring the editorial endeavors of fellow students. It’s a journey that’s taken her across the globe including a chapter in England and to Uganda where she and her husband adopted their eldest son. Adventures like these have matured her into the respected public speaker and author she is today, tapping into the genre of non-fiction Christin literature to encourage women to thrive in the “now”. Her literary contributions in the community also include writing for South Sound Magazine and her personal blog and social media endeavors which are sure to bring some exciting news to her over 12,000 followers this year. She doesn’t stop there! Sunday evenings, during her five-week SIP soiree sessions, she can found at The Table on 6th Avenue, studying biblical scripture and enriching the lives of women. Sip bible studies, complete with wine, food and friends sell out within hours of opening ticket sales and unite women from over 13 different churches, and others unaffiliated, around the South Puget Sound.
Tiffany Bluhm
Website www.tiffanybluhm.com
Instagram @sipatthetable @tiffanybluhm
*Join the next SIP session in October
Encouragement for other mothers …
“You’re doing far better than you think you are. The dream looks a lot like hard work. Stay the course and remember that your bad, low moments don’t define you. Life is made up of seasons.”
Experience Tacoma, Tiffany style …
From dinner at The Table to a walk around Chambers Bay you’ll find a few of Tiffany’s favorites. She also pays tribute to the Rose Garden in Point Defiance and loves a good water front walk like Ruston Way where her husband proposed.
What other Tacoma Mom Bosses inspire you? Tell us at info@ExperienceTacoma.com