The Story Behind
The Winding Willows
Tips, tricks, and advice with a little bit of humor, a little bit of research, and a lot bit of love.
Amanda Polson
Have you ever made a plan for you life?
Has it ever gone exactly as you expected it to? Yea, me either.
With 30-something years life experience, I’ve found that plans, more often than not, hit a ‘curve in the road‘. Sometimes that’s a good thing. It opens up doors to new and better opportunities. Other times it’s not. But LIFE is also about getting up, kicking the dust off, and figuring out how to move on.
Here at the Winding Willows, that’s what it’s all about. I’m delving deep into my life experiences and family traditions to bring you every tip, trick, and recipe I can to make your home, your health, and your happiness the best it can be!
It is my dearest mission to support Step Moms and women with Chronic Illnesses. Here, you’ll find helpful resources, encouragement, faith in your abilities to make life wonderful, and unconditional love from someone in the same boat as you.
Inspiration, from whatever the source, arouses feelings within us that rekindle hope, ambition, and determination. It is a momentary whisper of encouragement and reassurance that causes us to become aware of our potential.
It all started in 2013 when I came down with a host of symptoms that would be diagnosed as Fibromyalgia / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (and a number of complimentary diagnoses).
Because I can never do anything halfway, I decided to ‘double down’ by starting to date a man and his 3 children three months later. It’s a decision I’ll never regret, but it has certainly impacted my health in ways that I wasn’t prepared for.
I officially became a Step Mom (Smom) in 2015 and was received my official diagnosis in 2017.
Basically, I’ve been on one sharp learning curve since then!
And thus came the small seedling of an idea. Over time, with a lot of trial and error, The Winding Willows grew into an idea that couldn’t be ignored.
In our family, we believe that God can force you to do things you didn’t realize you wanted or certainly weren’t ready for. But EVERY TIME they turn out better than you would have dared to imagine.
Well, in 2019, God and life presented an opportunity for me to build the Winding Willows into a support home for women like me.
May this site be as helpful and useful to you as it has been for me!
A little more personal
It’s so nice to officially meet you. I’m the voice behind The Winding Willows. I’m a Smom of 3…Zayne, Zoey, and Zakyra. My husband Troy and I live with our family in Western Colorado. We’re joined by 10 chickens, one mini-pig named Albert, and a giant fluff-o-love named Gus, our Newfoundland rescue mutt.
My life revolves around family, my walk with Jesus, an insane obsession with starting new traditions, managing the good and bad days, and vacuuming #allthedoghair. And believe it or not, I do it all without that evil little migraine-creator called COFFEE!
My happy place is wherever my family is. I’m likely to be found baking, reading a cheesy romance novel, camping or fishing, listening to a rather eclectic Pandora station, or watching the Broncos.
Outside of family, I’ve earned a Master’s in Public Administration and spent the last 9 years working in our local government. Eight wonderful years were spent running our Election’s Department followed by a year in civilian Law Enforcement. Most recently, I’ve transitioned into being a homemaker to focus on being the best and healthiest version of myself.
