We were thrilled to sit down with Memorial Villages Mom contributor and Hedwig Village resident, Jamie Burns, for our “Meet a Mom” feature.
Jamie is originally from St. Louis, Missouri, but grew up in Louisiana just outside of New Orleans. Jamie went to Louisiana State University for undergrad and then moved to Texas for Law School.
You’ve had quite the diverse career journey, from attorney to PTA president and now revitalizing your real estate career. How did these transitions come about, and what inspired you along the way? Well, it’s been quite a ride! I started out my career as an Assistant District Attorney with the Harris County DA’s Office. I then had my own defense firm until my oldest was born. I loved practicing law, but when my kids came along, I realized I wanted to be more present for them during their formative years. I loved volunteering at their schools and moved up the ranks until I served as the PTA president. Volunteering allowed me to stay involved in their school community while balancing family life. And now, with my youngest in elementary school, I feel it’s the perfect time to reignite my passion for real estate. I started as a referring agent five years ago, but I am now a full time agent for Compass Real Estate. I completed my first solo transaction in December and it really felt good to be back in the swing of things. It’s all about finding that balance and following your passions, I suppose!
How many children do you have and what are their ages? Any spots or activities they enjoy? I have three children, Brady, Baker George and Bailey. My husband’s family does all B names. His sister has three children who have B names and we decided to continue the tradition. My middle child has a double name, Baker George, although we did not intend it to be that way. When I was seven months pregnant with him, and after we had already picked his name, we moved into our new home. When we met our new neighbors, we learned that they also had a Baker. We started calling each Baker by their first and middle name and for Baker George, it stuck. My oldest, is 11 my middle is 9 and my youngest is 6. My two eldest children are boys and my youngest is a girl.
My children attend our neighborhood school and we love being close enough to walk. In addition to school, my kids are involved in lots of activities. My oldest enjoys swimming, drawing and playing baseball. He recently had one of his pencil on paper landscape pieces in the Houston Livestock and Rodeo art show. My middle son is huge fan of soccer. He plays almost seven days a week. My youngest also loves playing soccer, gymnastics and theater. We are very involved in Post Oak Little League with our boys and enjoy the community aspect. My daughter attends Wildfish Theater and they are a true gem in our city.
Our schedule is busy, but I love giving my children the opportunity to try new things and also get better at what they love. My husband and I keep a joint calendar on ical (although I am wondering if I would like the Google calendar better, but that is a post for another day). Each one of my children has their own color. Brady is blue, Baker George is green and Bailey is pink. These colors carry over into other areas as well. Brady’s labels are blue, Baker’s are green and Bailey’s are pink. I even buy them color coded water bottles, camp trunks and backpacks. This just makes it easier when grabbing things quickly.
As someone deeply involved in your community, what is it about your neighborhood that you absolutely love? Our neighborhood is like one big family, truly! I adore the sense of community here. We have fantastic parks where my kids love to play, and we’re lucky to have some amazing local businesses that we support regularly. One of our favorite activities as a family is attending the Memorial Villages Farmer’s Market on Saturdays. It’s such a vibrant event, and we get to catch up with friends while supporting local farmers and artisans. Plus, the kids always love getting the fresh squeezed lemonade and a cookie! We also love having breakfast every weekend at Buffalo Grille. My husband and I have been going since before we had kids and it is one of our children’s favorite traditions.
Balancing family life, community involvement, and career aspirations must keep you quite busy! How do you manage it all, and do you have any tips for other moms looking to juggle multiple roles? Oh, it’s definitely a juggling act, no doubt about it! For me, communication and prioritization are key. I make sure to communicate with my family about my commitments and involve them whenever possible. And I’ve learned not to be too hard on myself when things don’t go according to plan. Flexibility is crucial! I also make sure to take time to do things that I enjoy. I am on a tennis team that plays weekly and I play Mahjong whenever possible. My advice to other moms would be to find what works best for you and your family and don’t be afraid to ask for help when needed. We’re all in this together!
Gives us three of your top Mom Tips:
- Stay organized, especially where kids sports are concerned. I have bins labeled with each sport and team for that season. Also include a photo of the uniform on the bin so anyone else help you out knows what they need to wear.
- Set a sport priority hierarchy each season for those practices and games that overlap. This way you know exactly what your priorities are and decisions on what to miss are made early.
- Hello Fresh – this has saved me over the years. We have been with Hello Fresh since almost the beginning. We have taken several months off at a time, but recently signed back up. They have so many options now and my kids love their lunches!
Thank you so much for sharing your story and insights with us! It’s been a pleasure getting to know you better, and I’m sure our readers will find your journey inspiring.