Karen Arokiasamy
Born & raised in the KC metro, I now live in OP with my husband, 8yo son, goofy Golden mix & grouchy geriatric cat. After graduating from KU & spending over a decade as a buttoned-up corporate person, I quit my job, pierced my nose & hunkered down to raise a kiddo. Here we are, 6 years later, & I love spending my days writing, volunteering & planning our next far-flung adventure.
Kansas City Spotlight: FosterAdopt Connect
In our continuing series featuring local non-profits serving Kansas City's moms, children and families, we are thrilled to highlight FosterAdopt Connect (FAC). The goal of this series is to introduce you to some important...
Kansas City Spotlight: Uzazi Village
Kansas City Mom Collective is thrilled to kick off a series of interviews with local non-profit organizations that serve Kansas City's moms and children. We hope to introduce you to some very worthy organizations...
Mom Approved: Products and Services We’ve Tried and Loved
Over the past year, the KCMC team has tried a host of new products and services as we've navigated life through a pandemic. Today, we're sharing some of our mom-approved favorites that we think...
Pockets of Joy in the Longest Year
One year ago, I woke up and the day started out somewhat normal. Morning school drop-off, a few errands for PTO to set up a teacher/staff appreciation event, an hour or two of consulting...
Understanding True Allyship
A few weeks ago, I had the good fortune of spending a couple of hours in conversation with my amazing family friend Morgan Walker about race, allyship, and growing up in the Midwest. Morgan's...
Should I Let My Kid Play Fortnite? A Gamer Mom’s Perspective
I have a gaming injury. Yep. I'm 43. I've been playing Fortnite with a handful of 9-12 year olds for about 3 months now, and now I have tendinitis. I have to wear a...
Bringing Your Spring Break Vacation Vibes Back Home
I don't know about you, but our vacation budget isn't exactly brimming. We try to make an effort to get away once every 18 months or so. Every time I get on a plane...
Family Dinner Follow-Up: We Failed
You may have read my lofty post back in November about starting a more traditional family dinner routine, wherein I challenged our family to sit at the table and eat together at least four...
Family Dinner in the Era of Endless Evening Obligations
Monday - rare free evening!
Tuesday - piano class
Wednesday - soccer practice, Dad out of town
Thursday - Mom @ PTO meeting, Dad's home at 8:30 pm!
Friday - family night, possible soccer game
Saturday - soccer game,...
If It’s Not a Hell Yes, Then It’s a No
For years, I said yes to things I didn’t dig. Jobs. Volunteer opportunities. Friendships. Activities. All of it. I said yes because I thought my work, my contribution, or my presence would make someone...
The Road to Citizenship
Once upon a time, I was halfway through my third year at KU, working as an RA and gearing up for another semester at the journalism school. That same month, an 18-year-old Indian guy...
10 Ways You Can Support Your Local PTO/PTA
Don't be scared! I'm just the PTO lady (and my name is Karen. Can I talk to your manager? Just kidding.).
This was going to be a post about how I got involved with the...
Delicious Fireside Tradition: How to Make Pudgie Pies
When my dad was a little boy, his family, the Wards, camped in tents at Pomme de Terre Lake every weekend in the summer and at Bennett Spring State Park every weekend in the...
Navigating Life in the Sandwich Generation
In the past three months, my mom was admitted to the ER three times (in-patient once), my son celebrated his eighth birthday, and my grandmother passed away. One of my girlfriends has two kids...
Why I Still Love Shopping in Actual Stores
You know what I love? Walking into a store, being acknowledged by an employee, and then being left alone to browse unless I have a question. It's my ideal way to spend a free...
