Hi, I'm Allison! I'm a thirty-something mom, a part-time dental hygienist and the keeper of our family spreadsheet. I live in a rented two-bedroom duplex in Oakland, California with my husband Dan, who fixes heating and air conditioning systems for a living, and our boy-girl twins, Theo and June, who were born in the spring of 2024 and have been running the house ever since.
Mama & Maple started in September 2025, when the twins were about seventeen months old and I realized I had been texting the same answers to the same questions for a year. What did we actually put on the registry? How do two babies nap at the same time? How on earth do people pay for daycare here? Writing it all down in one place felt easier than retyping it, and a little like therapy.
Why "Mama & Maple"?
Two reasons. Maple syrup pancakes are the one breakfast both twins will eat without negotiation, and there is a big maple tree outside our front window that has watched us carry two car seats up the steps more times than I can count. It felt like home.
What you'll find here
- Motherhood – the honest version, including the parts that did not go to plan.
- Baby & Toddler – sleep, gear, activities and whatever stage we are surviving right now.
- Home – making a small rental work for four people, and keeping the bills down.
- Family Money – our real numbers: budget, childcare, insurance and the decisions behind them.
- Recipes – weeknight dinners and freezer meals that toddlers and adults both eat.
- My Life – slow weekends, small wins and the occasional ramble.
A few promises
I only write about things we have actually tried. I share real numbers where I can, because vague money advice never helped me. I am not a doctor, a financial advisor or an insurance agent, so please treat anything health- or money-related as one family's experience, not advice.
Thank you for being here. Grab a coffee (or a cold one, I won't tell) and stay a while.
— Allison