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Awesome Moms of Huntsville: The DI Dynamo

Awesome Moms of Huntsville: The DI Dynamo

Do you have trouble standing still? Then you’ll probably have a lot in common with RCM Amazing Mom, Deta Adams. This Madison mom lives in a state of progressive perpetual motion, whether at her job or chilling on the weekends. Deta’s work with Destination Imagination and other community projects inspires us on the regular!

Welcome to our series where we explore amazing local moms and their impact on our community. We’ll hear about their journeys, inspiration, advice, and snag a few gems off their playlists! Thank you to Advanced OBGYN for sponsoring Amazing Rocket City Moms.

Her Passion

I am passionate about progress. Whether it is in my job in the Aerospace industry or at home raising my kids, I love to feel like the world is continuing to move forward. And I like feeling like I am a part of pushing it forward.

I am a part of a few projects that I feel like embody that. One is the “$5 Fridays for North Alabama Schools” project. It uses the concepts of social media, crowd sourcing, and micro funding to solve problems for our schools. Each Friday morning, I get a Facebook notification letting me know which project on www.donorschoose.com to donate my $5 to. I click the link, enter my donation, and that’s it! The magic happens when as the day goes on, the donations total goes up, and the project gets completely funded. The project has raised over $24,000 for local schools.

I also volunteer at Bob Jones High School as a part of the Destination Imagination program. I serve as a team manager for seven kids. I get to advise the kids on how to collaborate as a team and complete complex challenges. Our team has made it to the Global Finals for the past two years allowing the kids to interact with kids from all over the world.

BJHS Destination Imagination team representing at Global Finals.

Her Journey

Looking back to when I was a young professional, I feel like I made many decisions based on having children one day. I turned down relocating, promotions, and higher demand jobs. All the things the book Lean In tells you not to do. But my ultimate goal wasn’t to be a CEO, although I might one day. It was to be a mom. My daughters are both dreams come true for me, and they are my future as well. They will be with me long after my career is over. My secret weapon to being a great mom is my husband Chris. He has always been a partner to me. I don’t just have his emotional support, I have his actions in taking on the day to day chores of being parents.

Her Quest for Balance

I am not sure any of us moms will ever feel the joy of being balanced. Just when you get a routine down and you’re killing it, that season is over, and it is time to evolve to the next one. My high schooler has a total different set of needs than my 4th grader, so we are always adapting and changing. I think the fact that I am comfortable and excited by change helps me cope with this.

My best advice to young professionals that I mentor is to embrace change. Use it to mold your life into what you want it to be. A key element of that is learning to say no. Say no in a way that leaves the door open in the future, but trust your instincts on timing. Communicate how you feel when you turn an opportunity down that lets the offeror know that you really considered it, and that maybe you will be open to it in the future. So many times, young people feel like that if they turn something down, they will never move forward. That’s just not true. The world will always want to use your talents.

Her Rocket City Favorites

After work on Friday nights, I love to go out for dinner as a family. My favorite is I Love Sushi in Madison. Then home for a relaxing movie night. Fall Saturday mornings are great for pulling up a lawn chair and watching my daughter’s soccer games at Dublin Park. After the game, we are all hungry, so we have lunch at Metro Diner in Madison. Then, its Auburn football! We love to get together with friends and watch the games. I love to try out new recipes for snacks and treats in the Fall. Something about fall makes me want to cook! Sunday is our day to prepare for the next week, but if we go out on Sunday, my favorite is having dim sum at Ding How II on Airport Road. Dim sum is a unique experience of choosing small plates from carts that come by your table. It allows you to share each dish and taste lots of different dishes. On Sundays, they have my favorite dish called Shrimp Toast, but I also love the dumplings and radish cakes.

Funniest Parenting Moment

My oldest daughter struggled as a child to tell a joke. Any joke. She would try so hard, but she never got the punchline right or messed up the timing. We would laugh so hard though because it was so adorable and earnest.

See Also
A model covered wagon is parked outside a replica 1800s barn for Burritt's Spring Farm Days event.

Deta’s Top Parenting Tip?

Don’t set your goal at perfection. Don’t waste time hiding your flaws or struggles. It is a huge waste of energy and cuts you off from getting support from others. There will be a lot of “crisis” moments in parenting your kids, that will feel so huge in the moment. You will feel lost. You won’t know what to do next. Know that every other mother around you has those moments. Reach out to another mom and talk it out. Usually, just talking about it out loud will help you feel more confident in how you are handling it. If you need help, ask for it. If someone asks for help, be there for them. None of us can do this alone.

The Super Power She Wishes She Had

I would love to fly. I am so jealous of birds. They save so much time moving from one place to another by flying.

Parenting Book Recommendation

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee has influenced so much about me. I think Scout is my favorite literary child. Her father, Atticus Finch, took the actions that he did as an adult because he was setting an example for his children. I try to communicate my personal values to my children and then show them how to live those values.

Her Playlist

Name the song you think of when you need to:

  • Get your Gameface on: “My Shot” – Hamilton soundtrack
  • Recover from heartbreak: “Tomorrow Will Be Kinder” by the Secret Sisters
  • Energize yourself: “Have It All” by Jason Mraz
  • Let loose and have fun with your friends: “Some Nights” by Fun.
[themify_box style=”lavender rounded”]Do you have a local mom in mind as an Amazing Rocket City Mom? We want to hear from you – send us your ideas and we’ll get in touch![/themify_box]

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