binkies and briefcases

Is this your first visit? Check out my collection of most popular posts to get started. 

Welcome to Binkies and Briefcases! I’m Stephanie and I’ve been hanging out in this corner of the internet since 2010. “Binkies” are pacifiers– you know, because I’m a mom– but if you read the the title of the blog as “Bikinis and Briefcases,” you aren’t the first one.  

However, this is not a place for me to model bathing suits (as everyone, especially me, collectively breathes a sigh of relief). As women, we often try to be everything to everyone and the title of the blog is about trying to find that elusive balance.

Psst…Can I tell you a secret? I’m not actually sure that balance exists. 

My husband, Eddie, and I were high school sweethearts and I used to be an elementary school teacher. You can read our love story here if you want to. Now we are married and living in Amish country in central Pennsylvania.

We are currently raising five children. One of our children is adopted and two are biological. Two are foster children we are in the process of adopting. Because of foster care regulations, I can’t share much about them until an adoption is finalized. Three of them also happens to have pretty extensive special needs. That’s why you’ll see a lot of posts on the blog about foster care, adoption, and parenting children who have special needs or who have experienced trauma. 

I started this blog for myself, but over the years it has turned into amazing platform for parents to connect with each other and now it is much bigger than just me. Now it is yours too.

I have traveled and spoken at events, been interviewed on Good Morning America and Glenn Beck, and published a few books. Now I get to combine my love for blogging and my love for education in a whole new way by helping other bloggers! You can also contact me for private consultations through the About tab in the menu or by emailing the address listed below. 

In 2014 I wrote a blog post that compared the shorts offered for girls in retail stores to the ones offered for boys, and it went very viral very quickly, going on to become one of The Huffington Post’s most shared pieces of the decade. I also wrote a Letter to Kip Moore about how much his song, Hey Pretty Girl, inspired our son. And sometimes I write about topics that are important to our family that happen to touch a lot of other people as well, like the post I wrote about Sensory Processing Disorder and How I Know It Is Real. 

But this blog is about more than just a few viral posts. It’s about building a community and giving YOU a place where hopefully you feel like you can breathe. 

I think that balance sometimes looks like leaving the dishes in the sink and watching Dawson’s Creek reruns until 1am because you need a minute (or two hundred) for yourself, and sometimes it looks like speaking up for your child at the doctor’s office or an inside joke you text to your partner.

I know the balance we’ve all been looking for is hiding here somewhere between the binkies and the briefcases, I just haven’t found it yet.

CONTACT: To contact Stephanie regarding questions about this blog or for sponsorship opportunities for the BlogU conference, please email stephanie(at)bloguconference.com 

PRIVACY POLICY