In 2004, I became a mom. My world changed the very moment that I saw that heart flickering on my doctor's ultrasound machine. One of the first decisions I made as a new mom was to give breastfeeding a try. I soon found myself passionate about it and totally committed to it, unwilling to give it up. I would gaze at my daughter as she nursed, lying motionless and content. She was oblivious to everything else in the big world around her, wanting only to lay in my arms for nourishment. Oh, how simple it was, those moments of bonding so perfect. I could do this breastfeeding thing, no problem!

Ha, right! Despite having taken many infant development and nutrition classes when I earned my B.S. in Early Childhood Development, despite reading numerous books and attending a breastfeeding class, I was wholly unprepared for the change that soon occurred. Not once did a book or a teacher mention that nursing could change from a peaceful moment of bonding into a hair-pulling, neck-pinching, bruising battle. My daughter was distracted by the smallest sounds and the slightest movement; I even had to kick my husband out of the room just to nurse her!

However, as I watched my daughter nurse, I noticed her calm engagement with my necklaces. She would grab one necklace in particular, one of great sentimental value that my grandmother had given to me. For fear that she would destroy it, I needed to create something that was safe for her to twiddle, so that I wasn't continually deciding between taking the necklace off and just putting up with her twiddling behavior. It was a simple idea with complex components, but after creating my first Dangling Donut, I was able to see how my basic idea worked in action: It immediately lessened my daughters distractibility and pulling. Following that success, I was driven to fine-tune the design and create a line of Mommy Necklaces for myself.

Being passionate about style and motherhood, I began my mission: I would create stylish, functional, mommy-inspired jewelry. The jewelry would use strong, durable cording that wouldn't break when pulled and yanked. The beads would be non-toxic and safe for fingers. I would fuse functionality with style and make Mommy Necklaces something more than a few necklaces lying on MY dresser. I would share these with mommies all over the world!

It has been seven years since I was inspired to make my first mommy necklace, and now my older child, who inspired me, has started second grade and has a younger brother named Evan who is four. I always knew I'd give all of myself to help my children live out their dreams. What I didn't expect was that my children would inspire ME to dream my own dreams, too. And they, along with a devoted Facebook fan base, give me daily inspiration to turn my Mommy Necklaces dream into reality.

Yep, our necklaces ARE now found on dressers all over the world. And while my designs were originally inspired by and intended for breastfeeding mothers, I find that mothers and women of all ages and stages, breastfeeding or not, deserve justified jewelry. If you like the thought of stylish, customizable, dependable necklaces, buy them. There's no need to say, "But I'm not a ... !", because there is no Mommy Necklace rulebook. Whatever your reason, whatever your style, Mommy Necklaces IS jewelry, justified.