Mommy Loves Munchkins is a wonderful example of finding something you love even when you’re not seeking and watching something develop organically, growing simply because of passion and persistence.
Alyse has always loved social media. She is an extremely social person by nature and excels at maintaining long-distance friendships as though she were minutes away from her friends. She remembers faces, names, and dates as I only wish that I could. Social media is a perfect environment for her! She manages to filter out the vitriol so common on the social platforms and use the tools to make and build friendships, follow interesting ideas, and share herself and her family.
Our family’s story is one of adoption and the non-“traditional.” I will write extensively about adoption over time but Mommy Loves Munchkins launched out of Alyse’s love for Calvin and her desire to adopt again. Calvin is a huge personality and incredibly photogenic, as you will see on his Brave Captain Calvin channels. We loving capturing Calvin’s craziness and excitement and Mommy Loves Munchkins started as Alyse shared moments with Calvin to our family and friends. We also like to keep busy, going out as much as certain global pandemics will allow and certainly before them, seeking out new local places to eat, hang, and chill, and, of course, playing a ton around the house. Mommy Loves Munchkins grew along with these activities.
As we began to hope, consider, and prepare to adopt again, we were advised to share ourselves in such a way that biological parents looking to place could get a sense of who we are as an every day family. Alyse’s Instagram became that platform to share our family as a prospective placement family and a way for our friends and family to share the journey with us. She began to take the time to explain our activities more thoroughly, display Calvin’s antics and joy more often, and chronicle more of our daily lives.
Once Aaron and Lillian entered our lives, Mommy Loves Munchkins grew even more with tons of pictures of the babies and describing their growth and development – how on earth are they rolling over already?! We are always happy to tell our story and explain how adoption is so much more approachable than it first appears. Alyse’s platform is a fantastic place for us to show rather than tell our story.
Over time, many people have also asked Alyse questions about certain activities she records and even products that she uses and she takes the time to answer these questions thoroughly. As such, she has begun to circulate amongst other Mommy-influencers and has grown to more followers than she ever imagined. Even still, the core of the channel remains her love of her children, her passion for adoption, and her desire to share joy.