My name is Vinae. I grew up in southern California, lived in Oregon for nine years, and I currently live in the Bluegrass region of Kentucky, United States. I am a stay-at-home mom of three, and I homeschool.
My husband and I married in 2000 after dating for less than nine months. We had been friends for almost three years before we even started dating, so once we realized we were interested in more than friendship, things really took off.
Two years after we were married, my husband took a job transfer that moved us 1,000 miles away from all of our family and friends. We knew absolutely no one when we moved there. It was a struggle, but I looked forward to the newness of the experience.
Nine years after he was transferred to Portland, my husband was transferred back to Southern California. It was nice to be back near family, but it was still difficult. Two years in California, and we are once again being transferred, this time to Kentucky.
Eldest was born in early 2007. He was a rather mellow and compliant child, but now loves to assert his individuality. He has turned from a boy who loves any type of vehicle and dinosaurs, to a boy who is consumed by Star Wars, Legos, and Minecraft, or any combination of the three.
CurlyGirl was born in mid 2009. Because she was born two months early, her gross motor skills lagged. She first crawled at 13 months, learned to pull to standing at 16 months, and finally at almost 21 months, learned how to walk. However, she is rather skilled in language; unbelievably, she was talking in sentences as a one year old.
LittleMan was born at 36 weeks gestation in early 2012, but he was perfect; he had no complications at all. In fact, he weighed more than our first son who was full term! He was such an easy baby, which I think the Lord knew I needed. He is now a very active pre-schooler who gets my heart pounding daily with his brave antics. His personality is really shining now; everyone remarks at what a loving little boy he is. He adores his older siblings and imitates everything they say or do.
I am a stay-at-home mom, and I usually love my job. I tend to get frustrated easily, and that is reflected in my kids' attitudes. I started homeschooling my two oldest in the 2013/2014 school year, and it's a challenge. I am a Christian and I try to demonstrate God's love to everyone, but that is NOT easy for me to do. Recently, I told a friend that my tone of voice was having some issues (I'd like it to be gentle; it forgets and often sounds harsh).
I have Crohn's disease, which affects my digestive tract in various and adverse ways. I am on a medication to help control it, but can also control it with my diet (which I often fail at doing). Recently, my medication dosage was lowered because my liver function had dropped. Because of this, my Crohn's has flared up a few times. It is difficult to handle kids and the household when I am ill, but I am learning (again) that God is faithful to help me through the hard times.
Revised 8/2016
Additional revision 12/2024:
2018
March - my mom passed away from pancreatic cancer
June - I became a Beachbody coach to work on my health and deal with my grief
December - I went on Humira for my Crohn's disease
2019
May - we moved to Riverside, CA and bought a house; I stopped Humira treatments
June - my dad remarried
2020
March - worldwide hysteria
May - we moved to Long Beach, CA and rented a house
September - I started using Plexus
2021
June - we bought a house in Cerritos, CA, I quit Beachbody
December - my husband told me that his plant was closing down
2022
March - my husband moved to Ohio; I started Optavia weightloss program.
April - we sold our house in Cerritos; I discontinued Optavia
May - we moved to Ohio, lived in a rental
June - we bought and moved into a house in OH
