At first, Tanisia “Tee” Moore considered her business idea selfish. MomTings, a line of stylish apparel for moms, was a venture she dreamed of launching simply because she wanted something all her own.

The idea came to the mom of three in 2019. At the time she was nursing her two youngest children. “I’m looking at my body and there are these two little humans attached to me,” she recalls. “And I just remember thinking, I’m sharing everything. I want something for me.”

She launched the first website for MomTings in 2020 followed by a more polished site in 2021. And by then she’d realized that her idea wasn’t selfish at all. “What I was experiencing was not so much selfishness but because I have a life to live,” she says. “I’m not just their mother.”

Conversations with friends revealed to Tanisia that she wasn’t the only mom who needed this message. “We talk about the things that we can’t put on social media in fear of judgment,” she says of her group of mom friends. And so, the mission of MomTings was born: MomTings is for the mama who needs a gentle reminder that she is more than a mom.

The MomTings website declares, “Before we became MOMS, we were dreamers, rockstars, bakers, and anything else we could imagine. Our purpose didn’t die when we became mothers. No, our purpose became realized when life blessed us as mamas.”

The name MomTings is an homage to Tanisia’s Jamaican roots. The brand’s colors of black, green, and yellow reflect the colors of the Jamaican flag. Some of the T-shirts also boast Jamaican sayings such as “Heel Nevah Go Before Toe” – an expression that means you should always deal with important matters first.

Tanisia hopes the apparel will show moms that they and their dreams are important. “It’s not just cute sayings that don’t have meaning behind them; they’re a reminder,” Tanisia says. Slogans like “Purpose Driven Mom” urge mamas to reconnect with what they believe they have to offer the world.

“As a Christian, part of my purpose is to be a mother, but God also still called me to do other things,” says Tanisia, an intellectual property lawyer and published author. “Outside of being just a mom or being just a wife, I am meant to be an attorney as well, I’m meant to serve my clients. I’m meant to be a writer because I’m meant to reach readers. And even if I was strictly a mom who stayed at home, then I’m going to be the best mom that stayed at home.”

She hopes slogans like “Dream, Prep, Do, Rinse and Repeat” will serve as a blueprint for mamas on a mission. “It’s not a lifestyle brand,” Tanisia says. “It’s a mindset.” Tanisia also plans to create grab-and-go bags that expectant moms can take to the hospital when it’s time for labor and delivery.

Tanisia credits her therapist with helping her make peace with the idea that she can be a great mom and still have great dreams. “She said to me, ‘Your kids are not your final destination,’” Tanisia recalls. “You know I had to put it on a shirt!”

Purpose Driven Mom

Tanisia Moore is the proud mother of three– 7-year-old Sydney, 5-year-old Savannah, and 3-year-old Jay. She and her husband Lutis Moore, Jr. have been married for 11 years. Tanisia, who is licensed to practice law in Alabama and Georgia, heads up her own firm Moore & Young Legal Solutions where she helps clients with contracts, trademarks, and legal matters related to the publishing industry.

But law isn’t the only way she’s making a mark on the literary world. Tanisia is the co-author of the book Film Makers: 15 Groundbreaking Women Directors, which was released September 2022. She has deals with Scholastic for three children’s picture books and a deal with Reycraft Books for three children’s chapter books. One of her dreams is to one day win a Newberry book award – one of the highest honors for writers of children’s books. Tanisia is also working on a romance novel for adults.

Despite her literary ambitions, Tanisia never wants to be that mom who works all the time. “When I’m present with them, I’m present with them,” she says of her family. “The laptop is put up.” And though she admits the balancing act is hard, she says it’s worth it. “It brings me joy when my oldest tells me she wants to be an author and a mom,” she says.

You can find MomTings apparel at momtings.com.

Dream, Prep, Do, Rinse and Repeat

Tanisia’s tips for moms who want to keep dreaming and doing:

1. Get To Know Yourself

“We lose our identities so easily,” she says. Take time to remember what you like and don’t like. “Remove the titles,” she suggests. “Who are you at the core?” Are you kind, creative, or peaceful? “Who you are will help determine where you will go,” she says.

2. Find Community

“Find people you can talk to, to glean from, to push you, to motivate you and to maybe help with childcare,” Tanisia says.

3. Write It Down

“Write out the plan,” Tanisia says. “The Bible says, ‘Write the vision and make it plain.’” You could also try making a vision board, she adds.

4. Do It

Once you know what you want, research to figure out how you’re going to make it happen, she says. Maybe that means going back to school or using YouTube to learn the skills you need.

5. Do It Again

“Once I’ve finished one dream, then I’ve got to move to the next one,” Tanisia says. “That’s the rinse and repeat.”