‘Teamwork makes the dream work’: Davenport woman juggles roles of mom, attorney and Zumba teacher

April 22-- Apr. 22--DAVENPORT -- As the music coursed through the speakers, Amanda Motto picked up the pace.

When the music changed, she cued the choreography, guiding the people in the room through heart-pumping sessions of jumping jacks, salsa, squats and more.

Motto's life includes many roles. She is a mother, wife, attorney and Zumba instructor who co-owns QC Studio Z, LLC, with her sister, Sara Pearson, and friend, Missi Slankard.

This was a recent Saturday morning, and for Motto, that means it was Zumba time. She and the other two instructors take turns teaching classes on Saturday mornings and Monday and Wednesday evenings -- sometimes with one or both of Motto's kids in tow.

Motto, 36, is an attorney at Hopkins & Huebner, P.C.'s Quad-Cities office. She specializes in workers' compensation defense, representing Illinois and Iowa insurance companies, employers and self-insured businesses.

"I have always taken pleasure in reading, writing and solving problems. Being an attorney combines those skills, and I enjoy being able to utilize all of them while helping my clients achieve the best possible results," Motto said. "It is incredibly fulfilling."

Motto lives in Davenport with her husband, Joseph, who is an attorney and partner at a firm in Chicago, and children, Donovan, 3, and Dominic, 3 months.

Add teaching Zumba and caring for two little ones at home to her work schedule, and you might be left wondering how she gets it all done.

"Things are pretty hectic. However, I am extremely lucky to work for an employer that is so family friendly, to have two business co-owners that jump in at any and every opportunity to help me juggle everything, and two amazing parents who help me day in and day out with my boys," Motto said.

Her husband often is working out of town, she said, so most weekdays, she gets up around 6:30 or 7 a.m.; gets the boys dressed, fed and off to their respective day-care programs; and works from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. or so. She also serves on the Davenport Library Board of Trustees, so she has to fit those meetings into her schedule as needed.

After work, she picks up her children from day-care, goes to Zumba, goes home to feed and bathe the boys, and reads Donovan some bedtime stories before getting the two to bed.

After that, she can work remotely if she needs to; catch up on any personal calls, texts or emails; lay out everyone's clothes for the next morning; pack Donovan's lunch; load the dishwasher; and start or fold some laundry before getting to bed herself.

With a little planning and some huge help from her husband and their village of family and friends, she's able to do it all. "Teamwork makes the dream work," she said.

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Motto has always wanted children. "I have incredible parents who filled our house with love and laughter while I was growing up," she said. Now that she has children of her own, "I hope to provide them with a childhood that is even half as amazing as mine was.

"The best part is watching my sons grow and develop their own unique personalities. My 3-year-old is rather wild and a bit stubborn, but he is extremely smart and funny. He says and does things daily that surprise me.

"My 3-month-old has already proven to be my calm, happy-go-lucky child. He is quick to smile and slow to fuss. They both fill my heart with pride and love."

Life wasn't always quite so crazy. Motto said she was extremely sick during her first pregnancy, and her husband was frequently out of town working to make partner at his firm.

"I felt too horrible to continue working, and I also thought I wanted to be a stay-at-home-mom at the time, so I quit my job (at Hopkins & Huebner) a few months into the pregnancy. After I had Donovan, I did not return to work for about a year and a half, so my days during that time were all about him," she said.

"I spent the days holding, cleaning, feeding (and) entertaining him. I'd go work out for an hour, and then we'd go to bed together. This was a challenging time since he was a wild child, but my attention was really focused almost entirely on him during that time period."

Fast forward a couple of years, and she had thrown a return to work and an infant into the mix. How does she get it all done?

"Really, what I've found is that the major difference between now and before (children) is the crazy amount of planning that needs to be done," she said. "Nothing's spontaneous anymore because every time you go to do something you have to think, 'Who is going to watch the kids? Does the sitter have extra clothes, bottles, formula, milk, snacks, diapers, and wipes for each boy? Do I have time to pump before I leave?' "

But at the end of the day, she wouldn't have it any other way.

"I am genuinely blessed to be surrounded by the love and support of and incredible army of people," Motto said. "Juggling work, business and children can be exhausting at times, but it's all about savoring the bright spots.

"It's those little times when my 3-year-old climbs in my lap to read his favorite book, when I'm able to make a difference for a client at work, or when I look out into the crowd at Zumba and see all of those smiling encouraging faces -- those moments make it all seem like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be."

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