Kayley Clevenger
Kayley Clevenger is the co-owner of Seattle’s General Harvest Restaurants and manages its seafood distribition and retail shop (East Anchor Seafood).
Mom to: Oliver, 2.5; Barrett, 8 months
Hometown: Bainbridge Island, WA
Favorite ways to spend family time in WA: Anything outside! We live in such a beautiful state. I love seeing our kids play outside. They are so observant and notice things I take for granted. Edible berries on bushes! Sticks! Jumping in a big pile of leaves. Good stuff.
Your most rewarding motherhood moment: Seeing how sweet the boys are to each other melts my heart. They can make each other laugh over the silliest things. I know they will have disagreements as they get older, but hopefully their relationship will always be kind and full of laughter.
Biggest challenge as a mom: Being in the moment. Especially as work from home has become more prevalent, it’s hard to let go the to do list and be present.
A mother who inspires you and why: My mom. She was so supportive and engaged. If we were interested in a new hobby, she would encourage us and learn about it too. She never acted like our ideas and interests were childish or boring. Our grownup world is full of big responsibilities. It is easy to minimize kids play or feel like it’s silly and a waste of time. I remind myself to engage and validate whatever stage of play our kids are in.
Best piece of advice for a new mom: The best piece of advice I can pass on is to stay positive. It is easy to get stressed and upset when things are tough or don’t go according to plan. Raising children is a constant evolution. If things are really hard one week, they are often simple and full of joy the next week. It’s important to stay positive and remember that all the hard things will pass. When I look back, I want to remember the first words, the first steps and the cuddles–not all the times I had to get up at night or change diapers.
Your biggest hope for your children: I hope they grow up to be kind people. Our world needs kindness.
How are you celebrating Mother’s Day? Changing diapers and playing trucks! My husband makes a special breakfast, and we spend the day with the kids.