Welcome to the American Moms Blog!

January 7, 2017

Hi there! Welcome to The American Moms blog.

We are twin sisters, moms, political junkies, former White House and Capitol Hill staffers, food lovers, and devout to our faith.

This blog is a long time coming. We’ve talked about blogging together for years. But only recently (er, Election Day 2016) did we realize it needed to happen ASAP. This little corner of the Internet is all about civics and civility and raising our kids to be big proponents of both. The two go hand in hand (or at least they should go hand in hand). We’re trying to teach that to our kids.

Hopefully we’ll enlighten you with our inside look at how the political process works… because, let’s be honest, it is incredibly wonky. We’re happy to help you make sense of it all. Because if you don’t get it, how are you supposed to explain it to your kids? It can be hard to talk to your kids about what’s happening in this big, wide, crazy world we live in. If you need help understanding how our country works and how you can get involved, you’re not alone. We may know a thing or two to that can help.

Want to know more about the duo behind this blog? Read on, friends…

Introducing The American Moms

See that photo up there? That’s me on the far left. I’m Andrea. On the far right is Brittany, my identical twin sister. She used to work for President Bush and invited me to the White House Christmas party back in 2006. I’m not sure if that’s where my love for politics began, but it definitely planted a seed. And boy was the food at that party good.

Andrea

Hi! I’m Andrea. I’m an American mom. But before that I was a news reporter who somehow got sucked in to the political world in Washington, D.C. I moved there from Florida on a whim and without any Capitol Hill experience, I miraculously convinced Senator Bob Bennett to hire me on his press team. When his term ended, I also miraculously convinced a senator from Kansas to give me a shot as his press secretary. Working for the United States Senate was an experience of a lifetime. It was during that time I also miraculously convinced (my life is filled with miracles) a handsome guy, who I had known for years and who lived on the other side of the country, to marry me (that’s another story for another day). We have two precious, yet menacing, little girls. We now live in Washington state, along the Columbia River, just miles away from where the feds tested their nuclear bombs during World War 2. It’s also the same place where I got my first news gig after college. My world has come full circle.

Brittany

Hey there! I’m Brittany. I’m a mom, a huge book worm, a bit of a foodie, and maybe a slight (or major) nerd. I’m a former C-SPAN intern who had to turn down an internship at the White House and when I did I thought my dreams were shot. If only I had known that God truly does care about our dreams, I wouldn’t have prematurely given myself so many gray hairs! After college I found myself working in Las Vegas on President Bush’s re-election campaign. There, I made lifelong friends and connections that (you see what’s coming, right?) helped me score a job working in the Office of Presidential Speechwriting at the White House! It was a serious dream come true. My memories from that experience are priceless but the reality is it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done (until I got married and became a mom, that is! Man, parenting is HARD!). While at the White House, I met my husband, moved to Richmond, Virginia for him to finish his schooling, and landed a job at the district office of then House Minority Leader (later Majority Leader) Congressman Eric Cantor. Since then, we’ve lived all over the South, most recently Knoxville, Tennessee. My kids are all born Southerners. I never thought I’d say that, but man, do I love the South–so much so that we’re now living in SOUTH Dakota! That’s something else I never thought I’d say! We’re mere minutes from Mt. Rushmore and our downtown (dubbed the City of Presidents) has a life size statue of every President of the United States to date. So even though I can’t be in my beloved Washington, D.C. any longer, I still get a taste of patriotism that keeps me happy and keeps me dreaming.

We’re glad you’re here checking out our little corner of the Internet. We promise to keep things interesting and informative. So keep coming back. If you have any questions, insights or comments, feel free to contact us here. We’d love to hear from you!

Thanks for being part of the American Moms!