We want to hear how you do it, Moms! Are you a mom in Edmonton, a career mom, a stay-at-home mom, an entrepreneur mom, something somewhere in between? Contact us (kjristen@urbaninfant.ca) to be profiled!
Tell us about you, your children and where you live
My name is Lindsay Stratton and I am a single mom to a wonderful 3.5 year old Sadie. We live in South Terwillegar in Edmonton, just the two of us. It’s a wonderful community of families that we are so lucky to have met a lot of! I was married when Sadie was born but due to a difference in marriage values I somehow ended up divorced and a single mom! Not exactly what one pictures when they go through the process of life events, but we are strong together and we are thriving in a life that may not be perfect or the norm, but it’s our life and we have learned to value it. Our life is full of family, friends, adventures, and love! I have learned to let go of a lot….my perfect house is not always that way because I have realised that reading books with Sadie is more important than cleaning. My dinners are not always spectacular because I realised in the two hours between work and bedtime I need to grocery shop, do laundry, run a few errands, cook dinner and/or take Sadie to a scheduled event. Priorities have changed and I have learned to give myself a few breaks. 
Do you have help? (incl childcare, housework, personal assistant)
I have a girlfriend that has a live in Nanny where I take Sadie everyday and a wonderful family that helps me with Sadie so much. You know the phrase, it takes a village? Well it takes a village! I work full time as an insurance broker and am the sole provider of a home, our social calendar, healthy meals and a loving environment for Sadie. I clean the house, I drive to childcare, dance, skiing, and anything else that comes up, I do the laundry, I do the yard work, and I make sure there is enough time left over to be a good mom. My daughter goes to preschool and thanks to my mom who is retired, she is picked up every day and played with until I can get home from work. My dad is also retired so between them and a wonderful sister, I always have someone willing to help around the house or to watch Sadie when I need a sitter. You don’t realise the value of being able to run out for something or make plans because your spouse is home….I realise the value of that for others now that I don’t have it! Planning ahead is key for us!
Best hobby?
I read at night once Sadie is in bed. It’s quiet, it’s just me, and I try not to think of all the housework and such that needs to still be done.
Extracurricular activities for you?
I like to have wine with my girlfriends or dinners with friends and neighbours who also have kids. I go to the gym, run, yoga, and try to get away on a trip each year without kids. Any exercise I can get in makes me a happier person and a better mom. It isn’t always easy to fit in when you are in charge of everything else!
Extracurricular activities for your babe/children?
Sadie is in dance class every Monday night. She loves to go to movies at the theatre. In the winter she skis and skates. She takes swimming lessons a few times a year. I try to get her in as much as I can now, so she has a variety of sports and activities to choose to continue when she gets older.
What does a typical family day look like to you (Saturday/Sunday)?
We get up at about 7:30am, we eat breakfast in bed (milk and cereal bars or banana bread) while watching cartoons. I know, I know….best parent award? Maybe not. But it’s our thing and we love it! I drink coffee….sometimes I need 2 cups! Then we get dressed, we head for a run or to the gym. When we get home we colour or play with playdoh or princesses and then we eat lunch. We always have plans with friends or family….we meet friends for new adventures or festivals, we go to the park, we go visit my parents or my grandmother, etc. Sadie still naps on the weekends so she usually gets into bed at around 2pm for an hour. During that hour I let myself nap or watch tv….I don’t rush around to get things done because otherwise when do I have time for me? We spend our weekends having friends for dinners or going to friends’ houses. Saturdays are busy days for us! We are not home much, we have lots of people to do things with, and we are social butterflies! Then after dinner its bath, books, snuggles, and sleep…..the best part of the day is this hour!
Who cooks dinner?
Me! Who else? Lol I cook all our meals and try my best to ensure they are well balanced and healthy. It’s not always easy when you realise after your child is in bed that you needed food for preschool snacks and your own lunch the next day….and you are stuck at home! But I have become inventive and way more organised than I ever was before!
How does the grocery shopping get done, by whom, with the kids, and do you use coupons?
The grocery shopping gets done after work or on Sundays….by me with Sadie in tow!
How often do you buy something for yourself?
I don’t buy myself much although splurge on something new a few times a year when in Phoenix where my parents have a home. Things are just so much cheaper down there so we stock up on clothes for me and Sadie at Easter and in September when we are there!
Do you exercise and if so, how/when do you fit the time in to do that?
I do but it is so hard!! I pack Sadie in the Chariot to take her for runs after work or on the weekends. I try for 3 times a week but when the weather is bad it’s hard to justify putting her through that. I take her to the gym a couple times a week…the ladies at the World health daycare are amazing! I have to be organised, but I pack her dinner with me the night before, pick her up after work and take her right there. Those ladies actually feed her dinner while I work out so when we leave we are ready for home and bedtime! They are my saviours. I try to do hot yoga once a week but its hard as they have no childcare.
Favourite movie?
Primal Fear or Sleeping with the Enemy
Favourite nookie song?
Nookie? What’s that?
Favourite beverage special coffee, cocktail?
I enjoy a great skinny vanilla latte in the morning and a glass of red wine at night.
Favourite pair of shoes?
My Christian Louboutin Pumps. I don’t really have anywhere to wear them anymore, maybe I will start wearing them around the house
‘Cannot leave home without it’ item?
For Sadie – her backpack full of little characters
For Me – my cell phone (ok with all the kid’s games that’s for Sadie too!)
Thank you for sharing with all of us Lindsay! Thanks for being an Urban Infant reader!
