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Meredith (Nelson) Nathan

@meredith_nathan

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I’m a holistic fertility specialist, a women’s wellness advocate, an entrepreneur, an educator, and a mom to my 3 answered prayers.

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🎀✂️ It’s official! Kingdom West Montessori has cut the ribbon! 💚🦁

Though our first day of school was August 17th, we just had a beautiful celebration of the grand opening of Kingdom West Montessori alongside @naperchamber (Naperville Chamber of Commerce), Councilman Ashfaq Syed @ashfaq.h.syed, our families, friends, and so many wonderful members of our community! We loved sharing the incredible space God has given us to grow - we could not feel more blessed to have such incredible partners in @napervillechurchofchrist (Naperville Church of Christ).

Our hearts are full of gratitude for everyone who came out to celebrate this special milestone with us—including a wonderful visit from @mbasta67 (Mayor Mary Alexander-Basta) of Bolingbrook!

Some of our favorite moments? Watching our students share their own experiences at Kingdom West, hearing their sweet voices fill the room as they sang You Are Holy, and seeing so many families and friends come together in support of our school. 💚

And of course, no celebration is complete without some delicious food!

A HUGE thank you to @gather.bbq (Gather Brisket & BBQ) for treating our guests to incredible brisket sliders, watermelon caprese salads, and mac & cheese! And to our very own Ms. Kelly, whose famous homemade desserts were the perfect sweet ending! 🧁

We also had a wonderful raffle thanks to the generosity of local businesses who donated gift cards and helped make the celebration even more special:

🎁 Lola’s @lolashandcraftedchurros
🎁 Lantern Pizzeria @lanternpizzaco
🎁 Bach to Rock @bachtorockmusic
🎁 Prime Health & Wellness @phwchiro

Thank you for investing in our school and supporting our growing community!

As we look around at what God has already made possible, we’re reminded that Kingdom West is about so much more than opening the doors of a school. It’s about building a place where children are known, loved, challenged, and encouraged to grow in faith, wonder, and wisdom.

This is just the beginning, and we’re so grateful you’re part of our story. 💚

#KingdomWestMontessori #NapervilleIL #ChristianMontessori #MontessoriEducation FaithWonderWisdom by @meredith_nathan

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5 days ago

What a weekend! So grateful for this amazing couple @ltd100k and @pam_winters for being examples of walking by faith in all areas. Incredible guest speakers, @jackie_moreta and @luismoretaabreu blessed us with their journey of overcoming. And thank you to @therealherebelions for ushering in a transformative Sunday morning. A weekend of seeds planted and abundant harvest. #summit2026 by @meredith_nathan

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14 days ago

Happy 81st Birthday to my dad — although 81 feels like a clerical error. He still looks, acts, and lives much more like he’s somewhere in his 60s.

I flew to Maryland to celebrate, which of course meant a trip to Kent Island — a longtime Nelson family happy place — and the realization that Dad and I apparently have an “affogato-a-day” relationship when we’re together.

Thankfully, his glucometer serves as the responsible adult in the room.

Even the rain cooperated, giving us just the right windows for a proper birthday celebration.

Somehow, whenever I visit for his birthday, I’m the one who gets the royal treatment: beautiful restaurant meals, a handmade Mediterranean breakfast, plenty of time built in for relaxing, long conversations, and generally being treated like I’m staying at a very exclusive bed-and-breakfast where I happen to be related to the owner.

So happy birthday, Dad. I’m so grateful for you. And thanks for once again making your birthday feel suspiciously like mine.

81 looks awfully good on you. 💕 taken in Kent Island, MD by @meredith_nathan

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a month ago

What does Montessori actually look like? 🌱

It can look different from the classroom many of us grew up in—and that’s very intentional.

At Kingdom West Montessori, children aren’t simply given information to memorize. They’re invited to touch it, explore it, question it, practice it, and ultimately understand it.

In this video, Kingdom West Board Member Heather Thomas shares a glimpse into the Montessori approach and why these carefully designed materials and experiences matter so much in a child’s development.

And Heather knows Montessori. 💚 With 11 years of experience as an Early Childhood and Lower Elementary Guide and Head of School, along with her AMS Montessori credential, she’s spent more than a decade watching children learn this way.

What we love about Montessori isn’t that children are simply given more freedom.

It’s that they’re given purposeful freedom within an incredibly thoughtful environment.

Concrete experiences build understanding.
Understanding builds confidence.
Confidence creates the freedom to explore further.

And over time, something much bigger begins to develop:

A child who doesn’t simply know how to learn—but genuinely wants to.

That’s the kind of learner we’re hoping to nurture at Kingdom West.

💚 Faith. Wonder. Wisdom.

#KingdomWestMontessori #MontessoriEducation #Naperville #NapervilleSchools #christianmontessori taken in Naperville, Illinois by @meredith_nathan

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2 months ago

One thing I've learned after six years of raising Montessori boys...

They are endlessly curious.

Which also means they ask questions...
make observations...
and occasionally say things that leave me completely speechless. 😂

Motherhood keeps you humble... and very entertained.

What's something your child has said recently that you'll never forget? ⬇️

#MotherhoodUnfiltered
#KingdomWestMontessori
#MontessoriMom
#MontessoriKids
#BoyMom by @meredith_nathan

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2 months ago

One of the biggest surprises of our Montessori journey wasn't academic...

It was how many ordinary moments started looking different.

I never set out thinking, "I hope my boys learn to make breakfast."

I hoped they would become kind.
Responsible.
Confident.
Curious.

But somewhere along the way, I realized those things are often built through ordinary opportunities.

Pouring the milk.
Cracking the eggs.
Cleaning up the spill.
Trying again when something doesn't go quite right.

Every small responsibility whispers the same message:

"You're capable."

And when children begin to believe that, they don't just become more independent...

They become more confident.

Six years into our Montessori journey, I still love being needed by my boys.

But I also love watching them discover all the things they can do for themselves.

Because raising capable kids isn't about asking less of childhood.

It's about believing children are capable of more than we sometimes imagine. 💚

What's one moment recently when your child surprised you with something they could do on their own?

#KingdomWestMontessori
#RaisingCapableKids
#MontessoriMom
#MontessoriLife
#MontessoriParenting by @meredith_nathan

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3 months ago

Less than one month.

It’s hard to put into words what it feels like to stand in a classroom that is so quiet today... knowing that in just a few weeks it will be filled with laughter, discovery, friendships, and children who are just beginning their own stories.

Right now, I see empty shelves waiting for beautiful Montessori materials. I see tables waiting for little hands to gather around them. I see a space that has been prepared with so much love and intention.

But more than anything...

I see the children who will soon fill it.

Every family has entrusted us with something incredibly precious, and we don’t take that lightly. We’ve spent months preparing this environment, praying over these classrooms, and dreaming about the moments that will happen here.

The first day of school is getting closer, and our hearts are so full.

We truly can’t wait to welcome our founding families and begin this incredible adventure together. 💚

If you’re joining us this year, we’d love to know—what are you or your child most excited about as the first day approaches?

#KingdomWestMontessori #Montessori #ChristianMontessori #ChristianSchools #naperville by @meredith_nathan

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3 months ago

What an incredible day in history!! So grateful to be raising my family in this amazing country!! #independenceday🇺🇸 #250thanniversaryofthefoundingoftheunitedstate taken in Kent Island, MD by @meredith_nathan

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4 months ago

This was NOT on my 2026 bingo card! Six months ago, if you had told me I’d be helping launch a school, I probably would have laughed…and then gone back to bed. But apparently God had other plans.

After it became apparent that our school community (which had deeply impacted and enriched our family) would be closing, we found ourselves asking a simple question: what if the story wasn’t over?

Today, I am honored to be part of the founding team of Kingdom West Montessori.

It’s been stretching. It’s required faith. I’ve wondered many times if God didn’t mean to pick someone with a little more energy and a few less gray hairs 😅.

But His provision and plans have been unmistakable, every step of the way.

We still have a lot of work ahead, but I am filled with gratitude, hope, and excitement for what is to come.

Faith. Wonder. Wisdom.

#kingdomwestmontessori by @meredith_nathan

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4 months ago

This was NOT on my 2026 bingo card! Six months ago if you had told me I’d be helping launch a school, I probably would have laughed…and then gone back to bed. But apparently God had other plans.
After it became obvious that our school community (which had deeply impacted and enriched our family) would be closing, we found ourselves asking a simple question: What if the story wasn’t over?
Today, I am honored to be part of the founding team of Kingdom West Montessori.
It’s been stretching. It’s required faith. I’ve wondered many times if God didn’t mean to pick someone with a little more energy and a few less gray hairs 😅.
But His provision and plans have been unmistakable, every step of the way.
We still have a lot of work ahead, but I am filled with gratitude, hope, and excitement for what is to come.
Faith. Wonder. Wisdom.
#kingdomwestmontessori by @meredith_nathan

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4 months ago

Three generations, two seagull whisperers, and one 80th birthday!

Three cheers to my dad, who just turned 80!
(Okay, technically several weeks ago—but as per usual, I’m behind on anything that involves social media.)

For his birthday, we planned a getaway to Kent Island on the Chesapeake Bay—a long-standing Nelson family tradition I remember from my childhood: cracking crabs at The Crab Deck, feeding ducks, soaking in that easy Eastern Shore magic.

It was supposed to be all five Nathans, but poorly timed, frustratingly staggered cases of chicken pox kept Micah (and Mark, his brave caretaker) at home. So Max, Kai, and I boarded a plane to Maryland for a slightly smaller—but still joy-filled—celebration.

Kent Island is such a charmer: part Key West vibes, part rural Eastern Shore. We ate on the water every day. Kai and Max made fast friends with the seagulls and were completely transfixed by the Bay. (Fun fact: the Chesapeake is the world’s largest estuary—where ocean and freshwater meet—a detail, of course, I learned from Dad.)

My boys are so lucky to have such an adoring Papa—one who lets his “birthday weekend” turn into a big grandkid adventure. He indulged their every curiosity, laughed through their chaos, and made the whole trip about them.

Dad, you’re amazing—and somehow getting better with every passing year. I’m endlessly grateful for your love, your humor, and that brilliant, never-ending mind. It was an honor being your birthday date (along with my two little gentlemen). You traded your peaceful routine for giggles, noise, what seemed like thousands id seagulls, and constant motion—and I know that post-trip nap was well earned.

I love you, Dad. Here’s to another beautiful year—and to celebrating 81 together again on the Bay. ❤️ by @meredith_nathan

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a year ago

**Top 5 from 2024**
#1 - Holiday Season with the Boys 🧑🏻🧑🏽‍🦱👦🏻
Orlando/Thanksgiving in MD/Christmas at Home
Max-8 Kai-5 Micah-2
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All parents of older kids tell you to enjoy the young years because it goes to fast. Sometimes you appreciate things in hindsight, and sometimes you can feel how special it is in the moment.
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I could feel how precious the moments were as they were happening. We are grateful for all the amazing moments we have literally every day and month…but the holiday season really is something special.
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First Disney Trip…first trip to Universal…first video game system for Christmas. Lots of wrestling, sledding down the stairs, and other non-stop boy shenanigans. Tons of Christmas movies (including Home Alone 1-4), cookies for Santa, and gallons on gallons of hot cocoa. Love our family and these precious times. Looking fwd to and praying for another blessed year ahead! by @meredith_nathan

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2 years ago