Go check her out and leave her a message of congratulations! Go visit her blog and leave any question you’d like her to answer in the comments. OR, post your favorite quote from her blog!
Here are the first few questions:
1. How long have you been blogging?
I entered the blogosphere this past November when a friend of mine passed on her blog link to me. It was great to be able to keep up with what was going on in her life – and it didn’t hurt that she is a really awesome writer.
2. What made you start a blog?
Since becoming a mother and leaving my outside-of-the-home job, I had become very isolated. I live far from family and friends, and it seemed that without my career, I was pretty darn lonely and bored. I also felt as though my struggles to find peace and joy with motherhood were unique as most of the moms I talked with had their complaints, but mostly thought mothering was “the cat’s meow.” I, on the other hand, had a very difficult time adjusting and felt more like an American girl stuck in a foreign country – no interpreter, no friends, and no PHONE! I hoped that through writing about my struggles, I might be able to help out other women and meet some other moms who felt the same way.
3. What is your greatest challenge as a mom?
I am constantly challenged with the balancing act of motherhood and womanhood. I am a giver to the greatest degree; givers make great moms, but they also have a tendency to forget about themselves. I’m trying to find a good marriage between my old and new self – and accepting MOM into my own identity as opposed to boxing it along with all my other personality traits.
4. How do you keep your identity as a PERSON, outside of being a mom?
I’m still active in my career as a music therapist, college professor, and writer. I work a few hours a week outside-the-home and pay a babysitter good money so I can go to the gym or sit quietly in a coffee shop. I maintain my friends-sans-kids relationships as best I can, and I try to find little things that are for ME and me only. Blogging, in that sense, has been a me-saver.
5. What one piece of advice would you like to pass on to moms everywhere?
You have to do what YOU believe is best for your child. Sure it helps to be informed – read the research and talk to other parents, but when it comes down to it, you have to do what your gut tells you to do. Just because you have never done it before does not mean you do not know what you are doing. I spent many a day crying and stressing because I felt as though my daughter SHOULD be doing certain things (like sleeping in her crib for naps, or playing on her stomach for at least 10 minutes a day), when I really should have been doing what worked for us and provided me with a little more sanity and peace. Let her sleep in the darn bouncy chair with vibrate on - if she hates her stomach – then pick her up! Happy moms are good moms. And we all need more of those!
