About Southern Mom Flair
Southern Moms learn early how to love their babies. This little girl grew up to be my Mama. She raised five of us kids.
So what’s up with that name?
When I told my husband about the website, he said, “You should take out ‘mom’.” I was shocked and asked why he’d say such a thing. He said, “Nobody wants to know how to be a mom.” He continued, “Southern Flair, now that’s something they want to know about!” Well, being a mom, I was kind of hurt by my husband’s careless words. I mean, what did he think of me. My first thought was, “What the heck are you talking about? People want to be good moms and Southern Moms are the best.” Besides the site is not just for moms, it is for anyone who needs to know how to do things that their parents never taught them. But being a Southern lady, I held my tongue (for a second) before I went on to explain my reasoning behind the name.
Southern moms have flair!
I was searching names and knew I wanted it to be a how-to, DIY and learning site from a decidedly Southern point-of-view. I mean, what else could it be? So using bustaname.com, I went to poking in words trying to find something that fit. Lots of things came up, but nothing with that Southern air, you know that graceful sway, that breezy feel, that sweet twang and drawl us Southern girls have. Then, like a flash out of nowhere, “flair” came to mind. I know Southern girls have flair, but what exactly does that mean. It’s a little hard to nail down. Well, a quick search for the definition and some synonyms. Bam! That was it. Oh, let me tell you the definition so you understand why it fits so well.
My Grandma with some of my cousins all gathered around. That’s me, second from the left, little blonde next to Grandma. Starting to see a theme? Mamas, babies and history. We treasure them all down here.
This is us in a rare picture all together. I’m the short one in the middle with Teddy behind me. Michael is on the ground with Oliver. That’s Chris and Stacey on the right. Becca and Arya on the left.
Sharing is caring.
Sharing some of my mama’s teaching is part of this website. Of course, I learned a lot from other women and even a bunch of men along the way of growing up in the South. The thing is, no matter how great one’s parents are, they just don’t know everything. Thank God others were willing to teach me things. Yes, I use Google and read a lot too.
Having raised two kids with one in the process, I am still learning and teaching. We homeschooled the two older ones. Now, the youngest is starting his seventh grade year. He was in public school until last semester of last year. We are homeschooling, AGAIN!
Being married thirty-five years, I have a little bit of experience being a wife too. Remember I started this post by saying something about “holding my tongue” ? Well, that’s a little skill I learned from my mama. (Wink, Wink) I was a feisty seventeen-year-old girl when Teddy and I fell in love, we kinda grew up together. We’ve learned to live together in a mostly peaceful way. I’m still a little feisty, but a lot sweeter with age!
Let’s get into some stuff.
I want to serve my readers and members by helping you find answers when you can’t call your mom, like a recipe or how to make something out of nothing or plan a party, clean a stain, start and run a business. You know, all that stuff mamas are supposed to teach their children before they leave home, but life gets in the way and things get missed. I gotta tell to you that I know college educated people who can’t even wash clothes or balance a checkbook. There’s just stuff folks need to know how to do. Sure you can Google just about anything or ask Siri, but really, having your mom teach you things is so much more special.
Losing my mama a few years back has made me miss her advice and kind ways. I guess we take for granted our moms will always be around and when they are gone….well, there’s a big hole. I’d love to call her one more time and really listen to her like I never did before. I’d listen more and talk less. She’d have me hanging on to every word. If you still have your mom, go call her. We can chat later. If you don’t have your mom anymore, hang out with me a while. My name is Vicki McCay and I am glad you are here.
Fun Facts About Vicki
Southern Mom Flair creator, Vicki McCay
Born and raised in Mobile, Alabama as the third child of six born to my mother. Unfortunately, my older sister only lived a few days. I never got to know the love of a big sister. Instead, I was the big sister and turns out the smallest, as well.
- Started working at the age of sixteen and Mama encouraged me to save a little money, but more importantly, she wanted me to spend some on myself. That may sound selfish, but she knew better than most that mamas often come last in the budget and she wanted me to learn to take care of myself too.
- Spent thirty years, off and on between having our first two children, working in the automotive industry. I took accounting in high school, along with BOE (Business Office Education), which led to my first position as a file clerk and switchboard operator. Through the years I progressed into many different positions in several dealerships and found that some of my hardest-to-deal-with-bosses taught me the most.
- Adopted our third child when I was forty-something. He keeps us young and wears us out at the same time! Our first two were diagnosed with ADD with Anxiety and ADHD. Our youngest is Gifted. All three are very similar and super different from one another.
- Stuffed jalapenos are on the menu for every Alabama football game and almost anytime our family gets together. Yes, I’ll share the recipe. Beware, they are addictive!
- This is my second website building project. Yes, I am building it myself. I’ll share the course I took that helped me learn how to do it in just 30 days.
- Other jobs I’ve had include working for a Private Investigator and as a Realtor. My most recent job was as a Personal Assistant to a well established insurance agent. I’m a licensed Insurance Agent, though I’ve never sold a policy and I took the course, even passed the test, as a Mortgage Loan Originator. Yet, I never went through with getting the License. I guess you can say I love to learn new things. I don’t necessarily need to do the job to use the information for my benefit and that of my family. Sound weird?
- Each experience has made me who I am today and helped me have the confidence to start my own business from home. I work for the same agent plus another small business doing accounting on QuickBooks from home. This has given me the opportunity to become an Amazon FBA seller as well. Be sure to check out my QuickBooks for Amazon Sellers course.
- I love saving money with coupons, phone apps, sales – online and in-store, and sharing resources I find helpful. My son knows better than to ask for a grocery item unless it is on BOGO!
- Re-purposing things is a passion of mine. Thrift stores, garage sales, flea markets and farmers markets are so much fun for me. I can spend hours browsing for just the right items. They may be just plain ugly at first glance or have a unique quality that makes them beautiful. Either way, I like to put my little spin on things to recreate, reuse and re-purpose these fun finds.