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Andrea Cooley and Kara Knaack took over Des Moines Mom in October 2016 with a goal of continuing the mission of building authentic community and relationships both online and offline with moms in Des Moines.

It is fitting that Andrea and Kara met online, through their personal blogs. They soon discovered they share similar interests in books (any other Modern Mrs. Darcy fans out there?), have kids who are close in age, and try to cram as much productivity as possible while their kids are in school. They stay in touch via Marco Polo and love it when they have time for working lunch dates at their favorite spots around Des Moines. 

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Andrea Cooley

Co-Owner, Editorial Director

Andrea is a coffee drinking, Jesus following, book-loving, single mom of three. She’s an Iowa native who dreams of someday living somewhere warmer. She loves raising her 3 kids, born in 2012, 2014, and 2016, in Des Moines. Controlled chaos is their goal!

Most days you can find Andrea playing outside with the kids, finding lost lego pieces, or exploring parks around Des Moines. She lives in the heart of the city and can’t imagine raising their family anywhere else. Andrea especially loves shopping local and eating at as many local restaurants as possible. She loves decorating, gardening, and spending quality time with people.

If you have editorial questions or an event you would like to share with Des Moines Mom readers, you can reach Andrea at andrea {at} desmoinesmom {dot} com

Read Andrea's Posts
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Kara Knaack

Co-Owner, Business Development Director

Kara grew up in northwest Iowa where she met her husband, Lance, through a 4-H fashion show. Wearing the hat of “wife, mommy, business owner, chef, ribbon tie-er and family calendar organizer,” Kara knows a bit about juggling life and work. Kara became a boy-mom in June of 2011 to Lucan and a girl-mom to Gracelyn in December of 2014. Most days you can find her mixing up metaphors and oversharing life’s moments via social media.

Kara enjoys yoga, reading, gardening, cooking, sewing in straight lines, and singing along to musicals. A spender by nature, but thrifty by necessity, Kara is always in hunt of a bargain. She’s an active member of Northpoint Church and a resident of Grimes. Her vision for life includes “doing the best we can with what God gives us.”

Kara oversees all advertising and sponsorship opportunities for Des Moines Mom and can be reached at kara {at} desmoinesmom {dot} com

Read Kara's Posts

Photos courtesy of BreannaMaxwellPhotography.

The Founders

Bekah Riker and Sarah Farnsworth founded Des Moines Moms Blog in 2012. Bekah and Sarah stepped down as owners in 2016, but Des Moines Mom wouldn’t exist without their original vision and passion for connecting moms in Des Moines.

*Photo courtesy of Lon Monahan.

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