Today we’d like to introduce you to Maria Rives.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Maria. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Hi! My name is Maria, and I am just your average working mom! I have two beautiful children in elementary school, and they have given my life such purpose! The three of us live in Sugar Land, just down the street from my parents. I am a high school history teacher, and in the evenings, I teach psychology to online undergraduate college students. I also run a small business called The Cookie Mom, where I make decorated sugar cookies for special events.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I feel incredibly fortunate for all of the opportunities that I had on my journey; however, there have been many struggles along the way. The biggest struggle has been managing work, kids, and finances as a single mom. Living in Sugar Land provides my children with great educational opportunities, but there are times when I feel as though I cannot keep up with my neighbors. I often get asked how I handle working multiple jobs, and the answer is I just have to power through. There are some weeks where I don’t get as much sleep as I should because I am up all night working. There are weekends where I intend to take the kids to see a movie, but we never make it there because a chore, a work assignment, or a cookie order had to get finished first. And there have been countless times where I have been invited by friends or co-workers to grab dinner or see a show, but I say no, because I have my children full-time, and if I randomly have a free evening where I don’t have to work, I want to be with them. In the moments when I start to feel down or get overwhelmed with work, I try to find some gratitude though. I am thankful that I am close to my family who are willing to help me with the kids and offer me emotional support. I am thankful to have a home where my children feel safe. I am thankful for my wonderful co-workers and friends who encourage me to keep at it and assure me that I am doing the best I can do.
For young women who are just starting out on their journey, my advice would be to stay true to who you are and to not compromise yourself for anyone. Looking back on my life experiences, I am glad that, despite unhealthy personal relationships, I worked hard for my career and financial independence. Had I compromised my integrity, I may not have reached some of my goals, like becoming a home-owner or finishing graduate school. On a practical note, I find it helpful to stay organized and manage my busy schedule by keeping a planner and a written to-do list. All of my cookie orders go on the calendar in my planner, and I can see any upcoming events, like birthday parties or school functions, by checking that calendar. I plan out my weekends by keeping a running to-do list in my planner, and without it, I would be completely lost!
What should we know about The Cookie Mom? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I bake and decorate specialty cookies for weddings, birthdays, holidays, and other special events. I learned how to decorate cakes when I was thirteen (the lessons were my Christmas present that year!), and I worked at a local grocery store as a cake decorator for a few years in high school and college. After having children, I made fewer and fewer cakes, but I would see pictures of beautifully decorated cookies on Pinterest. In 2014, I made my first decorated cookie in the shape of an Easter egg, and I continued to make cookies for work events. Eventually, my co-workers and friends started to order custom cookies. I took a break from making cookies when I was in graduate school, but after I graduated, I began taking more and more custom cookie orders, and in the past three years, my business, The Cookie Mom, has grown steadily. It makes me so happy to hear sweet messages from my customers who love the taste of my cookies just as much as the decorations on them. I decorate cookies in the evenings and on the weekends, and I have found that it is easiest for me to stick to a schedule where I bake and flood (the first layer of icing) on Sundays, decorate the details on Mondays and package on Tuesdays. If I stick to this schedule, then I feel less stressed during the week, and I consistently have more time in the afternoons with my kids.
During the day, I am a high school teacher, and I have been teaching history and psychology for nine years. I always knew I wanted to be an AP teacher; I finished college in three years because I had enough AP exam credit (thanks to my amazing AP teachers) to skip a year in college. When I had my first child as a college student, I realized just how significant this skipped year would be. I knew that I wanted to help other students earn college credit as high schoolers, just like my teachers had done for me. Even though there are small moments when teaching seems like a thankless endeavor, it is truly rewarding. I remember staying an hour late at work last May to run a review tutorial for my students who signed up to take the AP exam. About seventy kids showed up, and we had the best review session; students were asking (and answering) questions, making connections between different concepts and time periods, and coming up with jokes and mnemonic devices to help them remember concepts. I left the tutorial with the biggest smile on my face! It’s days like this one that remind me why I wanted to be a teacher.
In addition to teaching high school, I am also an adjunct instructor for Angelo State University, teaching online psychology courses to undergraduate college students. I earned my graduate degree from ASU, and as a graduate student there, one of my professors, Dr. Moore took an interest in me. She encouraged me to apply for positions that I would not have applied for on my own. For example, I served as her teaching assistant for one semester and as her research assistant for another semester. As a young single mother, I often feel inadequate and inferior to my peers, but working with Dr. Moore helped give me confidence in my abilities, and undoubtedly, I would not have had the courage to become an adjunct instructor without her guidance and support.
For good reason, society often focuses more on the problems rather than the opportunities that exist, because the problems need to be solved. However, we’d probably also benefit from looking for and recognizing the opportunities that women are better positioned to capitalize on. Have you discovered such opportunities?
As a teacher, I believe I have the opportunity every day to demonstrate responsibility, compassion, and integrity for my students, and as a mother, it is my duty to show both my children the value of hard work, as well as empathy and acceptance for others. Someone is always watching me, so it is important that I model the behaviors that I want my students and my children to demonstrate. I think this concept applies to women in general; someone is always watching us, be it our children, friends, or neighbors, and we have the opportunity to positively impact those around us with our actions and words. I personally have been inspired by the women I worked with, because they were genuine, honest, and conscientious, both publicly and privately. They showed leadership in an environment that often disregarded the contributions of the female employees, and despite that challenge, they provided me an opportunity to see what professionalism truly looks like.
In the workplace or in our personal lives, we can serve as mentors for other women. A good mentor will provide support, guidance, and opportunities for growth. While I have had several female mentors in the workplace, it’s my personal mentors and friends that I lean on heavily during hardships. For example, I recently joined a support group that gives me a chance to share about the struggles I face, and I have formed friendships with some of the other working moms in the group. We eat dinner together on Friday evenings and check in with each other during the week. Because we have similar circumstances, we can all relate to one another, and whenever I feel overwhelmed or frustrated, these women give me advice and empathize with me. Being vulnerable and open with others may seem scary or uncomfortable, but I believe that as women, we are particularly well-positioned for supporting and uplifting each other. Having these friends has made such a tremendous impact on my life, and I would encourage any woman to consider how she can uplift and support someone else and be the positivity in someone else’s life.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 9795579843
- Email: thecookiemomtx@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecookiemomtx/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecookiemomtx/
Image Credit:
Lida Mathews Photography
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