How I Ended Up with 23 Kids (When I’m Only Mom to Six).

Some were born into my arms. Others arrived with suitcases and accents. All of them have my heart.

Let me rewind this chaos.

I started off as a very young mother, just a baby raising a baby at 18. Life threw me a few plot twists, and I added two more kids during my first marriage. Then I found myself solo-parenting, juggling textbooks and night shifts, with diaper bags slung over one shoulder and dreams over the other. Enter: my Prince Charming. We met in 2010, and I gained not just love, but two bonus kids (who I NEVER call step kids—that word doesn’t fly in this house). Fast forward, and along came blessing number six, rounding out the loud, sticky, wonderful bunch we called our family.

Our first Halloween as a blended family.

After a move from East Texas to my hometown of Katy to be closer to my husband’s constantly-in-the-air work schedule, something in me stirred. I wanted more. Not more things — more meaning. You see, my roots run deep. My family is from Iquitos, Peru. My dad grew up in the Amazon jungle (yes, really), and when I was 16, he sent me there for the summer. It flipped my world upside down in the best way.

That summer cracked my heart wide open, and I thought: what if I could do that for someone else? What if I opened our home to a teen who wanted to experience high school pep rallies, Chick-fil-A, and yellow school buses? Next thing I know, we’re hosting our first exchange student.

And then? I became a Community Representative (CR), aka local coordinator, because of course I couldn’t stop there. Now, plot twist number 847: I'm the Regional Manager for the Southwest Region for the same organization I hosted through. Talk about full circle.

What I’ve Learned From This Circus of a Family

The biggest lessons I’ve learned from raising a blended, multicultural, mega-family? Patience (like, monk-level patience) and a deep appreciation for things I once overlooked.

You know what blew my students’ minds? Brown paper lunch bags. Like... what? It made me pause and realize how magical the ordinary can be when seen through someone else’s eyes. Hosting taught me to parent better. To study my own children’s love languages. To show up more thoughtfully.

We are never bored in this house. Between jiu jitsu drop-offs, band practice pickups, pasta nights, crock pot meals (shoutout to the culinary genius who invented the crockpot. You, my friend, understood the assignment!), this home is a symphony of controlled chaos. Some days I crush it. Some days I forget pajama day and accidentally take a kid to the wrong appointment at the wrong location (and act like it was a field trip). I even lost a kid in Chicago once. Briefly. We're fine.

But here’s what my kids do know: they are loved with the full force of a hurricane wearing hoop earrings (you can take the girl outta the hood, but the hoops? Oh, they stay.). I embrace my roots as a Texas-born woman with a Peruvian soul. I can fry okra and cook arroz chaufa without breaking a sweat.

And if you're wondering how I have time for any of this... I don't. But I somehow said yes to being Vice President of the Fort Bend Junior Service League, where I spend time helping our community and volunteering with a nonprofit to teach ESL. I’m also in a couple of networking groups, because loving on people is my cardio.

Also: I can be bribed with tacos. Or compliments. Choose wisely.

Also bribable with giant cream puffs. Just sayin’

Final Thoughts from This Hot Mess Express

So here we are.

I’m just a mama with a self-diagnosed case of ADD who says she’s tired and then volunteers to throw a block party. Because... why not? Life is too short to live small. And while I don’t fully know what I’m doing with this blog, I do know I’ve got stories, laughter, love, and a WHOLE lot of dry shampoo. Stick around.

It’s about to get joyfully chaotic in here.

Stay tuned, subscribe, and welcome to the family.

99 problems but peace and quiet ain’t one.