Kelly Barbrey
Kelly Barbrey is an early riser, old soul and retail therapy expert. She is a wife to Jonathan and a mom to two strong-willed daughters, born in 2007 and 2010. Kelly grew up in Atlanta, GA and earned a degree in magazine journalism from The University of Georgia. She has worked full time in tourism marketing for Experience Columbia SC since 2004, where she loves to share all the exciting things happening in Columbia, SC with potential travelers. When she’s not working or wrangling kids, she enjoys date nights with her husband at local restaurants, exercise, reading and sharing real and humorous accounts of life, motherhood and nostalgia on her blog, Up Early + Often.
Supply List for the Middle School Mom
I remember the middle school years like they were yesterday. The cool, caustic burn of a Clearasil wipe straight from the little plastic tub. The thrill of an encouraging word from a favorite teacher...
Shake Break :: Celebrate National Vanilla Milkshake Day in Columbia SC
Vanilla sometimes gets a bad rap for being, well, vanilla. But sometimes vanilla is the only flavor your kids will accept. And with melty weather and meltdown-y kids in the forecast, we’re all glad...
Dear Mama, It’s MAY :: A poem of solidarity in a month of crazy
On the last day of April you scroll through your phone
In a rare quiet moment with coffee, alone
To prepare and to plan - get ahead for the day
When you realize in horror the next...
10 Parenting Rites of Passage for the First 10 Years
I remember my baby shower well. I'd never changed a diaper. The only babysitting experience I had was playing with younger cousins on holidays with many other relatives nearby. I even remember telling my...
8 Ways to Celebrate Basketball Tournament Week in Columbia SC
Columbia, South Carolina will be a site for the first and second rounds of the Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament at Colonial Life Arena March 21-24, 2019. It’s the first time since 1970 that the...
Dear Teacher, I Promise My Kid Owns Pants
I seriously contemplated emailing my child's teacher this morning. I desperately wanted to let her know that I had strongly suggested (ahem, demanded) long pants, not shorts, as attire for this rainy-ish 47 degree...
Please Go to Sleep :: Parenting Through the Night
Over the holidays my sister-in-law asked if I had any tips for transitioning a toddler from a crib to a big-kid bed. After thinking for a few moments about how I could possibly regale...
Christmas in Tweenville
Not long ago in a land just like this
There were two little girls who were on the nice list.
They both wrote to Santa, so heartfelt and real
And all his deliveries were met with a...
The Babysitter Village :: Embracing a Variety of Childcare Helpers
I distinctly remember a conversation I had with someone shortly after returning to work after having my first child. She was talking about her son and mentioned that he and his wife had decided...
Introverted Mom, Extroverted Life
Don't tell anyone, but I'm actually an introvert.
How can this be? I have a job that requires lots of networking and public speaking, a very social family and therefore a very social schedule, and...
8 (More) Kid-Friendly Brunch Spots in Columbia
As a mom, I get a kick out of those t-shirts that say “But first...brunch.” Seriously, if you are a mom you know “but first” includes a whole heap of other things like diaper...
“Mom, I’m Bored!” :: 6 Inexpensive Ideas For a Throwback Summer
Only 1.5 days after the big yellow school bus chugged out of sight for the last time until August, I heard the dreaded words: “Mom, I’m bored!”
Nope. That's impossible. You have been counting down...
Like Mother, Like Daughter :: 5 Signs You Are Becoming Your Mother
Being a mom is one of the world’s greatest joys, but it’s also hands-down the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Can you relate? You start doing things you promised you’d never do as a...