Michele Banares

United States

2K Reach

$41

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I’m Michele Banares, the author/owner of At Home Livelihood, a lifestyle and blog entrepreneurship site. I’ve worked for over a decade in the nonprofit sector and after becoming a Mom, I became a Special Education teacher. Now I’m a Blog Entrepreneur for the freedom, flexibility, and happiness it gives me in being with my family.

Below are some quick facts about me.

1. EDUCATION

I have a BA in Political Science and Journalism minor from Georgia State University and a MAT in Special Education from Brenau University. I wanted to be a political reporter and work on the campaign trail but after serving a couple of sessions in the Georgia General Assembly as a legislative aide, I became jaded with politics. Instead, I worked with nonprofit organizations.

2. LATE STARTER ON KIDS

My husband and I got married when I was 29. After fertility struggles, we had our daughter when I was 32. I thought we were one and done but the good Lord blessed us with a son when I turned 38. He is a blessing and completes our family! I think I had more energy at 32 vs. 38. Maybe it’s because I have 2 kids now?

3. POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME

I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, PCOS. I was told that I would have a hard time getting pregnant and I did. It took us three years to become pregnant with our daughter. I had every test done to see if I was fertile but we had given up. In 2011, we booked a trip to the Philippines to visit family and to learn more about the adoption process. We had a big surprise before we left!! Read more about my infertility journey and How I Overcame PCOS.

4. MILITARY FAMILY

My husband, Berwin, continues to serve our country through the Army Reserves. He was active duty Marine Corps for 4 years and deployed to Iraq. He will deploy again to Afghanistan in September 2018 with the Army. Please pray for him and all the soldiers who are away from their families.

5. FILIPINA

I’m half Filipina. My Mom is from the Philippines. My Dad is from Georgia and I was raised in LaGrange Georgia. I’m really GRITS (Girl Raised in the South). My husband is Filipino and he’s darn lucky that I know how to cook Filipino food. I’ll post many recipes on the art of cooking Filipino food.

6. NONPROFIT VETERAN

I began working for the Georgia Center for Nonprofits for about 10 yrs. I loved working in the nonprofit sector. Also, I was an administrative assistant to the Executive Director, Karen Beavor, and also worked in the finance and consulting departments. I also wrote grants for the Georgia Breast Cancer Foundation and lastly on the national nonprofit job board, Opportunity Knocks (now Work for Good), as Client Services Manager. I’ve done it all!

7. COTTAGE FOOD BUSINESS

When my first child was born, I stayed at home to work on my MAT – Special Education and began a cottage food business selling cake jars and others goodies. I loved to bake! I would go out to weekend farmers markets and set-up my display and sell. My pistachio cream cheese bread was the best seller.