GainesvilleMoms.com

My name is Laurel Housden. I have three children - all going to three different schools. My oldest Madison (13) goes to Lincoln Middle, my middle girl Rowan (11) is a 6th grader at Kanapaha and my baby - well my 6 year old - Aidan - goes to Jordan Glen School.

I have lived in Gainesville since 2000 - before that I lived in Dublin, Ireland and Berkshire England (my husband is Engish/Austrailian).

I am a professional portrait and lifestyle photographer and work at home. Love it!

Glad to be part of Gainesvillemoms.com - the boards are so helpful!

Cheers,
Laurel

Hi Laurel!

My name's Maranda. I have 2 kids, a daughter just about to turn 8, and a son that's 3 1/2.

I'd love to learn more about your time in Ireland and England! Hubby and I have always loved the idea of going abroad and both of those places sound so interesting!

Welcome to Gainesvillemoms! I have always wanted to go to Ireland! I hear it is beautiful not to mention the accent! I love the way the Irish speak! I hope you are enjoying Gainesville and all that it has to offer and hope to see you around!

Welcome to GainesvilleMoms, Laurel! We have such a wonderful group of moms here. I hope you and your family are able to make it to some of our upcoming events!

That's wonderful you are able to work at home. Is it ever tough trying to get your work done wih the kids around, or do you mostly work while they are at school?

@Stacy....Yes...I get most my editing and development done during the day between 9-3 while the kids are at school. I "try" and turn off once the family is home. I schedule photo shoots during this time too...but mostly do those in the late afternoon and weeekends. The cool thing that I am finally taking advantage of is that my oldest is 13 and can babysit. I forget about that sometimes. I don't like to leave the three of them alone together for any long periods of time...maybe a run to Publix.

Cheers,
Laurel

Thanks for the Welcome! Living abroad with two little ones was a challenge. You get used to the ease of shopping and driving in the States. It's not so easy in Dublin and England. But the beauty and the people really make up for it and I learned to adapt and appreciate how much easier we have it in the States.

Welcome Laurel. Sounds like you've had such an interesting life. So how did you end up in Gainesville?

When my parents retired in 95 - they moved to Gainesville - so it made sense for us when moving back to the states that we lived in the same town. The funny thing is - they moved away in 2004. We love living in Gainesville!

Welcome Lauren! I too have three children all going to three different schools too. I know how you feel. I wish I could be a stay home mom, but being a single mother doesn't allow me to be. I currently work at a bank, but starting in Jan I will be going back to school (10 years later) to hopefully get my degree in nursing. I figure it will take me about 4 years to complete everything. Glad to have you aboard.