Meet a Parent: Meet Hannah Marcotti

Today meet Hannah Marcotti, a Holistic Health Coach, writer (Hannah’s Harvest), mom and panelist from the upcoming Kidoinfo Conversation, Parenting Simply. Please join the conversation on Monday, March 7th at the Speakeasy at Local 121 in Downtown Providence. Click here for details.

Kidoinfo: What neighborhood do you live in?
Hannah Marcotti (HM): I live in Elmhurst near Providence College. We moved to this neighborhood (having two weeks to relocate for my husband’s job) with no knowledge of Providence, 8 years ago. We have been blessed to have many friends move into the neighborhood and have our own little community growing around us.

Kidoinfo: Where were you born?
HM: I was born in Wisconsin and moved from there when I was 4. I have a few memories of my time there, snow piles and fields of sunflowers being among them.

Kidoinfo: How long have you been in Rhode Island?
HM: We have been here for 8 years, moving from New Hampshire when my daughter was 14 months old. This is a long time for me, having moved around as a child and then moving here and there after college. I love that you meet someone in Rhode Island and are instantly connected through 2 other people who all know each other.

Kidoinfo: What is your current state of mind?
HM: Today it is a full-mind which means focused so that life around me doesn’t fall apart. I have a group coaching call tonight, 19 women starting a cleanse with me tomorrow, a two year old throwing back-to-back tantrums, washing laundry and heads due to lice having moved in, a really bored 8 year old…I’m a working mom! And that is maybe too much information.

Kidoinfo: Who’s in your family?
HM: My husband Patrick, who I met in college when I was 19 years old. We will celebrate our 13th anniversary in October. We have three babies, who aren’t such babies now. Chloe Rane who is 8, an artist, budding entrepreneur and wears mismatched outfits daily. Eli Zachary is 5 and loves all things that exude testosterone, make loud noises and prefers to air bend rather than walk (Avatar reference). And then there is Lucas Clancy, our two year old, full of tantrums and laughter – often simultaneously – my office mate who has recently discovered Scooby Doo on Netflix.

Kidoinfo: What trait do you most admire about your family?
HM: Their ability to move on, and through. There are many hurt feelings and words said that aren’t always the nicest. After a quick little pout or outpouring of feelings, they are off playing or laughing. This includes my husband’s ability to move past all of my moods and high drama!

Kidoinfo: What is your favorite thing to do?
HM: At this point, in a small house with three kids, I love to rearrange the furniture. It’s a bit obsessive I have come to see, but it keeps things interesting and different, and changes the way we use the space, play and interact. A new coat of paint helps with this too! I also love when I get time in my house alone. I am amazed at the quiet and that things stay where I put them!

Kidoinfo: Where is your favorite place to hang out?
HM: The beach is my zen place. Any beach will do, though a few have captured my heart along the way. Also a trip to Ikea is always in order every few months…love.

Kidoinfo: Where would you most like to live?
HM: I really feel happy living in Rhode Island, but I wish that when we lived on the West Coast we had given a year or two to Oregon, I think it would suit us well. And for just a year or so I would love to live in an RV and travel the United States.

Kidoinfo: What do you like to do when you are not with your kids?
HM: I feel blessed that my work is one of my favorite things to do, because I do that with most of my time away. I do have dreams of an overnight trip with my husband, preferably to a beach setting.

Kidoinfo: What is the most overrated thing about parenthood?
HM: I think just the idea that there is one perfect way to do things. Everything changes when you hold your first baby in your arms, nothing can prepare you for that. Everything you ever thought you would do, not so much. You grow together with your child and they teach you along the way.

Kidoinfo: What is your most treasured possession?
HM: Tough one. I am fond of my wedding band and a sand dollar my mom found on the beach after I miscarried when I was 25. They both remind me of my dreams, connection and faith.

Kidoinfo: What superpower would you most like to have?
HM: I would water bend, most definitely (another Avatar reference, the cartoon, not the movie).

Kidoinfo: Who is your favorite fictional mother or father?
HM: I am fond of Ron Weasley’s Mum from Harry Potter, her love of a large family, food, and handmade items.

Kidoinfo: What are you going to do now that you have answered these questions?
HM: Write a recipe for a new project I am working on, grab a snack and spray the house with tea tree oil!