The "iya" in iiyabox

“iya” is derived from a word in an African language meaning, “mother or nurturer.” Anu & Bola are the two iya(s) behind iiyabox.

Over the past year, we have been on a journey to bring our idea to life (fair to call it, our baby *smile*). We want you to know who we are - two ordinary moms who appreciate the simple life. Grab your tea (coffee or water) and let’s connect.

By the way, that cute picture with our little ones basically sums up our lives juggling it all, but we wouldn't trade it for anything.

So… we’ve been friends for over 20 years! It seems like a long time and what that really means is that we have aged *smile*. We met at church as teenagers and have so many fond memories through the years together - the good, the bad and the ugly (maybe we will share at a later time). We have always been very close friends but interestingly neither of us ever imagined we would one day own a business together. We are sure folks who knew us growing up could have guessed it. It is safe to say they were not too surprised – we were like white on rice! We eventually ended up with the same alma mata (Texas A&M University – Gig ‘em Aggies) and we both still live in our childhood hometown of Houston, Texas where we are now raising our own children. We both enjoy gatherings with friends and family.

Anu is mom to three handsome little boys: a 4-year-old, and 2-year-old twins. In the daytime, she works as a research scientist. Bola is mom to two beautiful little girls ages 4 and 6. In the daytime, she works in financial compliance.

We are so excited to connect with our village of iya(s).We would like to use our blog page as a platform to do just that. You can expect to see posts related to our journey as mothers, mom-hacks and much more. We will also be featuring special guest bloggers. We hope to learn from and inspire our larger village of iya(s)... you!