Julieanne is another Newport Beach/Costa Mesa native who loves raising her family where she grew up. She is the host of an upcoming annual community fundraiser for the Orange County Ronald McDonald House in memory of her daughter, Brooklyn, who passed away at 14 days old.
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How many kids do you have and what are their ages?
I have 4 children. Kylie is 12 ½, Gavin is 10 ½, Scarlett is 4 ½. Brooklyn would be 6 ½, but passed away at 14 days old.
What are your favorite things to do with your kids in general or in town?
We enjoy riding bikes on the Back Bay trail. We also like trampoline parks like Big Air. We just discovered CircusTrix in Mission Viejo and we all had a blast there. During the summer we love to go to the beach!
What’s your favorite restaurant in town for a family date? A night out with friends? Why?
Souplantation is a favorite family restaurant because it is easy to please everyone! We also love Cheesecake Factory because of their Crispy Chicken Costoletta.
What is your favorite kid-friendly recipe?
I love to make chili because it’s easy and my kids like it! Recipe is: 1 lb. cooked ground beef or ground turkey; 2 cans kidney beans rinsed; 2 8-oz. cans tomato sauce; 1 can Hatch diced tomatoes with chilis; 1 packet of chili seasoning. Put in the crock pot for 4 hours on low. We like to enjoy cornbread with it sometimes too!
What is your local go-to store for children’s clothes? Yourself?
I like to buy clothes at Target and Old Navy for the kids and myself. My absolute favorite jeans are the Denizen brand from Target. For dresses and fancier things, I usually shop at Macy’s.
What are your favorite events in Costa Mesa or Newport Beach?
My favorite event is the Fundraiser that I host each year. We raise money for the OC Ronald McDonald House in memory of our 3rd child, Brooklyn, who was born with a heart defect called hypo-plastic left heart syndrome. While she was at CHOC, I stayed next door at the Ronald McDonald House. By being so close, I was given TIME with my daughter that I can never get back. She had recovered from open heart surgery and was doing really well. We were planning to bring her home at about 3 weeks, but on her 14th day of life, something went wrong inside her little body and she passed away. In her memory, we help other families who need a place to stay when their child is in the hospital.
After we raise the money, we donate it via Team Brooklyn Papa for the RMH Walk for Kids, which is another of our favorite events in which we participate each April.
Another local event we enjoy is every November. It is called Hearts and Hands and it’s a day of community service. It is also a blood drive. It’s held at the LDS Church on Dover Drive and people of all faiths participate.
My children sing in Millennial Choirs and Orchestras and perform twice a year at the Renee & Henry Segerstrom Hall. That is an event that we really enjoy too!
What has been the most difficult age with your children to date? What helped you overcome the challenges at that time?
Probably their toddler ages just because I had to watch them so carefully to make sure they were safe – like near water, stairs, and other things that aren’t baby proofed when you’re not home. Also, just them getting into everything! What helped me overcome that was knowing that it was just a phase and that it would soon pass.
Tell us one thing people would be surprised to know about you.
People who know me now would be surprised to know that I was extremely shy as a child. That didn’t change until my junior year of college when I was about 20 years old. I still struggle with shyness in certain situations, especially if I’m alone and don’t know anyone else.
Favorite hobby?
I love to scrapbook. The crazy thing though is that I’m years behind and haven’t scrapbooked in a very long time. My plan now is to do digital scrapbooking, but I haven’t gotten around to that yet.
What is one piece of advice you would pass along to other moms? What was the best advice your mom gave you?
My mom is such a great example to me. She raised seven children and did quite a good job. One of the things I learned from her and would pass on to others is to not let your kids get away with unacceptable behavior. Stop it when it starts or it will get out of control. As the parent, we see further ahead than the kids can. Parenting is hard. It’s sometimes really hard to enforce the consequences of kid’s actions, but it can save them a lot of heartache and hard times as an adult if they learn appropriate behaviors when they’re young.
What do you most value in your friends?
Loyalty, trust, acceptance, experiences and shared values.
What was your career before having children? If it’s the same, how do you balance career & motherhood?
Before having children, I was the Office Manager & Travel Manager for a benefit enrollment company. When I had my first child 12 ½ years ago, I was able to transition my workload to be just the Travel Manager and work from home. For the past 3 years I’ve been an AdvoCare Independent Distributor and have been able to help people jumpstart their health and wellness goals including weight loss, increased energy, sports performance and overall wellness. If you want help with health or wellness goals, please contact me at 949-677-8901 or check out my site www.papaadvocare.com.
How can we participate in the Fundraiser?
Please join us on March 14 at 6:00 pm at 2390 Redlands Drive in Newport Beach.
And if anyone wants to walk with us at the RMH Walk for Kids, please sign up at www.walkforkids.org/goto/brooklynpapa. We would love a large team!!
Thanks Julieanne!