Dirty diapers, sleepless nights and the faint smell of spit-up; what’s not to love about being a new parent? I’m doing my best to navigate the ups and downs of this most amazing roller coaster one day at a time, and I hope you’ll share the journey with me.

I’ve spent the past six years working in television, most recently as a reporter for WLNS-TV6 News in Lansing, but now I’m taking a hiatus from the TV world to be with my babies while they’re still babies.

I’m far from a parenting expert, in fact it’s a chapter in my life that only just began in July 2007 (Noah), with Chapter 2 just getting underway (Cecilia, June 2009). But I know you can relate to what we’re going though: There are good days and not so good ones, and I’ll tell you honestly about both.

There are the struggles of being a career-focused woman staying at home, the challenge of trying to keep one foot in the work world while the other is covered in Play-doh. The classic “Sandwich dilemma” of caring for aging parents and young children at the same time. The attempts to blend my Middle Eastern culture into my family’s life.

I’ve been fortunate enough to wear many hats up to this point: world traveler, teacher, runner, exercise enthusiast, journalist, and now Mom. Do the others still fit? How many can you wear at once without looking like a fool? Just a few of the questions I’ll tackle in this space, and I hope you’ll help find the answers.