Mamahood Adventures
Vanessa Barrios is a Stay-At-Home mom from Woodland Hills, who’s raising two kids while working from home as a college counselor/consultant.
At the age of 20, Vanessa was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and her chances of having children were slim…but the universe had other plans. Twelve years after her diagnosis, she conceived two healthy boys, Anthony, 3 and Dominic, 1.
Her blog, Mamahood Adventures started as a place to help fellow moms navigate the many things Los Angeles offers and ways to handle an outing when mom’s alone with the kids. Her husband’s work schedule was such that Vanessa began developing anxiety about leaving the house by herself with her two boys, until she faced her fear and let her adventurous spirit take over!
Currently, Vanessa is learning to play the piano with her three-year-old son.
“You are never too old to learn something new,” she says. “I am proud of myself for learning how to play Old McDonald on my own. My goal is to play Midnight Sonata, and if you look at the difference in song sheets, I have a long way to go!”
You got this, mama! Thanks for sharing your fun mommyin’ tips with the world!
What inspired you to become a blogger?
My husband’s work life is crazy, so I am alone most of the time when I am out with my children. I was getting major anxiety about taking them to new places alone, and I realized that I was actually limiting our experiences. I thought to myself I can overcome this hurdle and help other parents who might be experiencing the same feelings. I provide a quick reference on each LA/OC kid-friendly outing that will help ease any anxiety or stress and create an awesome MOMent for their family.
What is your proudest Mommy Blogger Moment?
I am not tech savvy at all! So navigating finding a graphic designer, then Go Daddy and WordPress, and figuring out the logistics of the site was a huge accomplishment for me! Once I figured out that piece, it was easy to just write about our experiences because I know this blog will help other families navigate their own excursions.
What’s your favorite place to take the kids in L.A.?
I love Griffith Park! We still haven’t explored the entire area because there is just so much to do. I like that it is affordable for all families and their interests. So if you have a animal-loving child you can visit the zoo, but then your other child might love trains so you can easily visit one of the three railroad museums. It also takes us away from the city life and into a calmer atmosphere, although ironically it is surrounded by the city and traffic!
What’s your favorite L.A. hang out without the kids?
Target! Just kidding, but not really. I love a good musical at the Pantages Theater. And although I know I will take my kids when they get older, I don’t think narrating Hamilton to two toddlers would have have had the same effect.
What’s your best motherhood advice?
Everyone always tells me to enjoy them while they are young because once they are older it is different. So I thought how can I capture these tiny moments and memories so that I can still remember them young once they get older?
I created gmail accounts for them so I can write to them and I link our everyday pictures to their accounts. Once they turn 18 I am handing over their passwords and they will have moments emailed to them and all of our pictures from our adventures. Plus, I have all the emails saved so I can hold on to these special memories that I might have forgotten had I not documented it. And even now I am starting to forget how it used to be with my 3 year old when he was an infant and I just go back to his emails to look at his growth. But in reality I am also looking at my growth as a parent.
Connect with Vanessa!
Instagram: @mamahood.adventures
