Niki Smith
Niki is an Iowa native who now lives with her husband Ryan, daughter Riley, and son Merritt in Johnston. She is passionate about paid leave for working parents, thrifting, and Beyonce. Niki is the Marketing Campaign Manager at Homesteaders Life Company in West Des Moines. She is also owner of Bee Thrifty, which consigns designer clothing for clients on Poshmark. Niki is a two-time graduate of Drake University with a bachelor’s in journalism (2008) and a Master’s in Communication Leadership (2015).
Celebrate Your Gals on Galentine’s Day
Do you celebrate Galentine’s Day? Maybe you have no idea what it is.
The concept for the made-up holiday came from popular NBC TV show ‘Parks and Recreation.’ It was created by the character Leslie...
Favorite Restaurants for Date Night in Des Moines
My husband and I make sure to sneak away for at least one date night a month. We are foodies so we rarely add a movie or show to our dates. Instead, we take...
How AI Can Transform Your Parenting Routines
We shouldn’t be expected to do it all. Juggling parenting, work, and a personal life is overwhelming. Let me rephrase that to: You shouldn’t do it all. But, we can lean on a few...
25 Non-Candy Halloween Treats
I love Halloween! When we moved into our first home we had no kids yet, but I dressed as Columbia from Rocky Horror Picture Show and anxiously awaited the arrival of hundreds of princesses...
Do you know what’s awesome? Being grateful.
This November, I invite you to reflect each day on what you are grateful for.
According to a Harvard Health Study, being grateful is strongly associated with greater happiness. From the study: “Gratitude helps people...
Why I Started a Little Free Library (and How to Do It!)
For the past year, I’ve hosted a Little Free Library at my home. It has been a delightful adventure, with hundreds of visitors stopping by to borrow and exchange books. I was grateful to...
How (and Why) to Get Involved in 4-H!
“I can really tell you made an impact on your community.”
That’s what my daughter heard from a judge at her first county fair after she talked about her very first 4-H project. She returned...
Honoring Grandparents
Grandparent’s Day is the beginning of September, and it is a special time to honor them.
We each have our own ways of honoring grandparents. In our family, grandparents love pictures of our children (printed...
How to Raise a Monarch Butterfly
We love butterflies, and all pollinators, in our home. We have hobby bee hives in our backyard, and I involve my kids in the process of caring for them from installation to honey harvest.
The...
Streamlining Family Routines: A Mom’s Guide to Utilizing Alexa
I personally sum up parenting tips into two common phrases:
“It takes a village” and “Work smarter, not harder.”
Previously I shared some common mom hacks that I use. Since then, we have added one artificially intelligent...