This week’s Lívia Woodcock, the mom behind Iowa City – Cedar Rapids Moms. She and her husband and daughter, Alice (3) live in North Liberty, a suburb of Iowa City, Iowa. Here is a bit more about Lívia, including why she joined The Local Moms Network and her midwestern suburb.
Can you please share a bit about your area?
North Liberty is a very small city, with a population of approximately 19,000. From 2000 to 2010, North Liberty was the second fastest-growing city in Iowa. A 2017 LendEDU poll named North Liberty the ninth most educated city in the United States and the most educated city in the Midwest. Besides endless corn fields, North Liberty is very popular in Iowa and in the Midwest for its annual Blues & BBQ Festival, which happens in the Summer. It was canceled last year and this year too due to the pandemic.
We moved from Cypress, TX last year because my husband got a job offer here after being laid off during the pandemic, and I’m glad we did. I love the town, the Midwest winter, people are nice, and life in general seems calmer here. I love the fact that there’s no traffic at all! People say it’s a great place to raise a family and I completely agree.
Why did you join The Local Moms Network?
I had a small party business in Texas and it was going great, but I had to pause it when we decided to move here. I knew I was going to feel like a fish out of the water the first couple of months, so I thought it would be great to bring The Local Moms Network to the area and build my new community here right away, and so I did. I Joined the team in October 2020, only two weeks after we moved, and it was the best decision I made. Starting life in a new city is never easy, especially when you were settled elsewhere, but God works in mysterious ways and I can only trust he has greater plans for us. Hopefully, I’ll help others in a similar situation while being a great resource to the community.
What is your background and how will that help you in your role with TLMN?
I’m originally a Chemist, but spent most of my time working in the Oil & Gas Industry as a Project Manager and then in Sales & Business Development. I’ve always had strong communication skills (big extrovert), I loved writing from a very young age, and I believe the interpersonal skills I developed through the years, being goal oriented and focused on results will help me in my role with TLMN.
What is your favorite part of being part of TLMN?
It’s an amazing community of moms sharing experiences all the time, not only about motherhood, but life in general and business. I love all the resources and connections the platform offers and what it did for me even before I joined the team. Plus being able to work from home and have flexible hours is priceless when you have young children.
What is your best “working mom” tip?
Don’t create expectations about anything, especially regarding your children. Don’t feel guilty either, you are doing what you have to do. We already deal with a lot of pressure just by being a mom, we don’t need the extra load.
What has been the hardest part of quarantine for you and how have you dealt with it?
The first two months were really hard for me, and not having any idea of when things would go back to normal (here we are a year later still in the abnormal) made it all extra hard. I tried to focus on my small party business and adapted it to be able to stay busy. I had no idea it was going to be as good as it was. I doubled my revenue with only online sales and party boxes. After that I was in a better state of mind, but it’s still hard not being able to travel overseas to see my family and even gather all my friends at the same time. It was also the worst time to move to a new state, and that’s one of the reasons I’m so thankful for being a part of TLMN and having a fresh start.
How are you feeling about the upcoming school year/what are your plans for school?
I feel very good about it. Alice has been going to a daycare since January and she is not going to Pre-K yet in the upcoming school year, so it won’t change much for us.
What’s one thing most people don’t realize about your area?
For such a small town, it is a very developed area. It’s a good balance of rural and urban living. It’s also a very academic area, the biggest employer in the whole state is The University of Iowa. There are lots of research and academic campuses all over the state, especially in the Iowa City-Cedar Rapids Corridor.
What’s your favorite quarantine activity?
Drinking wine while binge watching Netflix.
Anything else you’d like people in your area to know about your site?
This site was founded to be your go-to resource website for everything in the Iowa City-Cedar Rapids Corridor! Currently, that also includes complete coverage of Coralville and North Liberty communities + events happening in all towns around the Corridor area. We have the very simple goal of saving you time and energy by providing a comprehensive collection of local events and resources, building our community, and creating a place where the Mom (and Dad) talk continues. We are here for you and we hope each post helps you along this journey of life!
We love supporting local businesses. Can you please share your fave places in your area to:
Go to dinner as a family – Cedar Ridge, The Dandy Lion, Table, Tin Roost
Have date night – Big Grove Brewery
Have fun as a family outdoors – Wilson’s Orchard, Colony Pumpkin Patch, Bloomsbury Farm, Prairie Patch Farm
Workout (at least precovid!) – Thrive Gym
Get your hair done – Avenson Salon
Get your nails done – I usually do it myself, but when I need I go to Sky Nails.
Go shopping (for kids, yourself and gifts) – Stuff etc, MOXIE + mortar
