Hi, I’m Alex.
I’m a mom of two, a school-age girl and a little boy, and for the past ten years I’ve worked in IT. Somewhere between meetings, calls, and bedtime stories, I realized that parenting is the most important job I’ll ever have—and nobody gives us a manual for it… at least not one with clear instructions 🙂
Why this blog?
Because I wanted a place for parents like us, who are raising their children as best they can, to feel less alone. A place to share what works, admit what doesn’t, and speak openly about the things we usually keep to ourselves.
What you’ll find here
Garden stories: slowing down and growing at our own pace
Life with kids: honest moments from our everyday family life
Among the marigolds: making time for ourselves again
Why Growing Crăițe?
When the idea of putting the experiences, challenges, and joys of parenthood into words first took root, I wanted the blog’s name to carry a little piece of who we are as a family.
That is how Growing Crăițe was born.
The name comes from crăiță, the Romanian word for marigold—a flower that, in a beautiful and symbolic way, has long been part of our family’s story. From there came the image that often returns to me when I think about being a parent: caring for and helping the most precious flowers in my life grow—my two children.
The marigold is known for its resilience. It is undemanding, withstands the summer heat, and helps protect the more delicate plants around it. It is an unassuming flower, yet a strong one. And that is one of the qualities I hope to nurture in my children: the strength to remain kind, gentle, and courageous, whatever life brings.
As much as we might wish to, I don’t believe we can shield our children from every storm they will encounter. What we can do is help them grow strong roots, so they can continue to bloom even when life becomes difficult.
At the same time, being a parent in today’s world is not always easy. We are surrounded by advice, opinions, and endless information. Somewhere among it all, we are trying to find the path that feels right for us and reflects the values we want to live by.
Growing Crăițe is where I’ll share experiences, ideas, lessons learned, and resources that have helped us along the way. Not because I’ve found the perfect parenting formula (spoiler: I haven’t), but because sometimes simply knowing we are not alone on this journey is enough.
Welcome to our garden of marigolds!
