Anastasia is “momma” to two toddler boys Lorenzo and Benicio and nearing the end of her third pregnancy, expecting a boy arriving in July. She is wife to OJ, her best friend and the most wonderful dad to her lucky sons. She was raised in Rio Grande City and has returned to the RGV after leaving the state to attend college at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she studied architecture design (MIT BSAD, ’04). After college she returned to her beloved home state and moving from McAllen to Austin to Laredo and now back!
Anastasia designs from home, running two Etsy shops and working as a freelance graphic designer. When she’s not busy picking up toys, providing bandaids and kisses, keeping her boys from climbing over the couches or running away in opposite directions, she can often be found designing invitations, editing photos, creating and managing websites, baking goodies (and eating them, too), or trying to squeeze in movie time with her hubby. Her experience ranges from public information for non-profits (multimedia, video, web, print) to mathematics teacher (6th grade through AP Calculus) and now mom, designer, and blogger.
Finish the sentence, “One look at me and you’d never guess that I…”
… love running. I run a handful of half-marathons and other races and dream of completing a marathon. My favorite race has been the Austin Half, course-wise, but I had the most fun running the San Antonio Rock-n-Roll Half with my brother. After this pregnancy, I’m looking forward to training for a race again.
What are your three must-haves?
1 – Bare feet. I love the freedom of being shoeless. If not shoeless, then I must have flip-flops. I even wore flip-flops often during winter in college, rain, shine, or snow.
2 – My Day Designer is my calendar and planner extraordinaire. I use it all the time and often carry it with me around town!
3 – A hair tie can always be found around my wrist, in my hair, or in a purse side-pocket. It’s a serious necessity.
What is your favorite food?
Dessert. Meringue cookies have a special place in my heart. I love baking them. I love eating them. I looove the way they sort of melt in your mouth and crisp up in the oven after a long bake.
What do you miss most from your days before kids?
The most popular answer is probably sleep, which was nice to have back in the day, but I mostly miss my curly hair. Pregnancy abruptly relaxed my hair and did away with my curls.
What is your pet peeve?
Sticky fingers! Sticky door handles! Sticky countertops! This is challenging as a mom of two little boys who seem to find the sticky in everything and wear it proudly on their hands, shirts, and faces.
Dog or cat person?
I am definitely a dog person and have always been so. My beloved lab mix, Holly, found me with her lovely, soulful eyes on a visit to the animal shelter in McAllen years ago. Tommy, our white boxer, is like another kid in the family. However, I did save an injured kitten once. She had a broken tail and stayed in my guest room for about a month (much to Holly’s dismay) until I found a home for her.
Describe your ideal day.
An ideal day would include quality play time with my boys, healthy naps for everyone (including me), delicious meals cooked by someone else so I can savor them without worrying about a messy kitchen, a few hours of efficient and productive work time for my design businesses, free time to create new designs for my shops, down time to visit and catch up with my husband with no distractions, lots of stories at bedtime with the boys, and a good night’s sleep. That ideal day would also start after 8:00 AM. Can that fit in a 24 hour period? Maybe!
