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Welcome to transPARENTcy


Welcome to transPARENTcy!  transPARENTcy is a daily lifestyle blog.  We cover everything from parenthood, home design, food, fashion and the one topic that sets my soul on fire...child advocacy.  As Sue Atkins said, "There's no such thing as a perfect parent.  So just be a real one."  In our daily posts, you will get an inside scoop on what being a real parent looks like in our eyes.

I started transPARENTcy because parenting isn't always easy.  In fact sometimes it is so freaking hard.  Being a parent is truly one of the greatest blessings and there is so much beauty in parenting, but I think often times the hard part of parenting isn't talked about enough and then we have parents who feel alone in their struggles, their journey to raise self-sufficient and kind children and this can cause some of us to lose sight of what our real job is as parents...to be the stable bow that sends our living arrows (children) forward in life.  So, we are going to discuss all things parenting.  Then we will have some fun with fashion, food, home design and charitable work. 

Some of you may already know me, but for those of you who don't, my name is Tricia Steffes and I live in Kansas City with my awesome possum daughters.  I am the mother to two beautiful daughters, Grace (12) and Allie (6) and the bonus mom to two more beautiful daughters, Kailey (20) and Reagan (13).  After thirteen years in the finance industry, I decided to start my own clothing line, Crossing Arrows.  Crossing Arrows was inspired by my six year old, Allie.  After two and a half years of navigating Allie's desire to wear boy clothes, I decided it was time leave my comfortable job in Finance to pursue my dream to grow a children's brand that gives spirited girls more gender neutral clothing options.  

I will practice this word TRANSPARENCY and let you into my life.  Completely...not leaving anything out.  Trust me, there is never ever a dull moment in my life.  Just ask my family and friends.  I will let you into the good, the bad and the ugly of divorce and co-parenting my girls with their father, quitting a very comfortable job in finance to pursue my dream as a "single" mom and growing a business which can all be really freaking hard at times.  Transparency isn't a strong suit of mine, so you will get to experience first hand me getting really uncomfortable, but that's my life...learning to be comfortable with the uncomfortable!

In the next couple of weeks, I will let you into my life.  Here is a quick snapshot of what you will learn about me.  My passion for child advocacy stems from my grandparents and mission work.  In my early 20s I graduated with my BSBA with a newborn, a struggling marriage and working full-time.  That struggling marriage ended in divorce and I was raising my beautiful Grace as a single mother and started my career in finance.  If that wasn't enough stress, I decided to get my MBA from Stephens College when Grace was only three.  I worked full-time and studied after she went to bed and would study until 2AM and for those of you who know me, I am NOT a night owl.  This is the time in my life I began my addiction to coffee.  After receiving my MBA in 2010 I decided to pursue law school so that I could have more of a voice in my child advocacy work.  Three months prior to starting law school, I received a life changing phone call.  A call from my sister asking if I would adopt her unborn baby.  After 13 years of battling bi-polar disorder and extensive drug abuse, she made the selfless decision to offer her baby a better life.  So, just five short months after that call we met our little blessing, Allie.  Read our adoption story here.  Allie changed my life and many people's lives in a very powerful way.  She is a super special child and you will get to know her pretty intimately in my blog as well as my other girls.  The craziness of my life didn't stop with Allie...in fact, it got even crazier but it has made me strong and fierce and has taught me that I truly can create the life I want for my girls in me...it just requires HUSTLE and a lot of it.  

Join me in my parenting journey as well as other parent's journeys.  I am excited to let you into my life where you will read about fearlessness, ambition, goals, a growing business, heartache, struggles, failure and triumph.  Thank you for reading!



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