CFHGCleburne’s Fashion and High-class garments shopping!

I have updated the list of nominations for MOTW, so go take a look and vote, vote, vote! I have also fixed the link at the top of the page. That way you can get to the main MOTW page no matter where you click.

The new Writing Collaboration is up and I think it’s a very fun one, and I hope you do too. I also updated the Collaboration page so now you can access ALL past prompts!

Have at it you crazy hip mamas you!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Because of the holiday here in the states I did not put up a new MOTW. That will be done next week. In the meantime go back through our previous MOTW and visit their sites, read their interviews and just take the week off.

Don’t forget to vote for the next MOTW. If you’ve already voted, you do not need to vote again this week.

In other ring business:

Please double check what e-mail address you are sending regular ring business too. I’ve gotten quite a few e-mails on either the MOTW or the Writing Prompt e-mail. I don’t check those regularly unless I’m there for a purpose, so in order for me to help you in a timely fashion please make sure you are e-mailing to the right place. I’m not ignoring you, really!

Things are going to be a little slow in the CHBM department this week. I have a sick little one and if he doesn’t sleep, momma doesn’t sleep. Which means that momma doesn’t have the brain power for much of anything at all. LOL

Plus it’s already Wed (almost) and I will be out of town this weekend…so lots to try to cram in, fix, whatever in a short amount of time.

So in other words please have patience if it seems like things are taking a bit longer than usual!

Have a great rest of your week.

Congrats on being MOTW.

I ran into a bit of a snag however…I’m hoping the e-mail I dug to find works!

So go tell her congrats!

I’m happy to report that I did get a hold of her and WA-LA! The answers you all are waiting for!

1. How long have you been blogging?

For just a little over a year.

2. What made you start a blog?

Rejection. I felt rejected by mommy group’s because I wasn’t swooning over my new baby and, instead, wanted to rant about my difficulty transitioning into motherhood. A good friend of mine suggested I start a blog to vent my frustrations. When I got emails from other women who had similar feelings as me, I felt inspired to keep writing.

3. What is your greatest challenge as a mom?

Patience. I’m a bit of an A-type personality, which means I like to get things done as effectively and efficiently as possible. With children, this isn’t always possible. In fact, it’s rarely possible. Even something as simple as getting ready to take the kids to the park can be a huge endeavor. As soon as you get one kid to clean up his toys before leaving, the other kid is taking them all off the shelves the moment you turn to get your shoes. That’s when you realize one of them has just taken a dump, which means you won’t be leaving the house for yet another twenty minutes. Then once you do get all the toys put away and the diaper changed, you herd the kids out the door and they instantly become distracted by every little ant, leaf, flower, neighborhood kitty you wish would stop pooping in your yard – whatever – which means walking to the car is never a linear operation. It’s as if their being so close to the ground has actually put them in their own time zone.

The good news is that I’ve always wanted to have more patience and having children has forced to me consciously work at it. Every single day. So, while it’s my greatest challenge, it’s also just one of the many ways that my children are helping me to become a better person.

4. How do you keep your identity as a PERSON, outside of being a mom?

Attending grad school full-time helps. When I’m in classes or studying, it’s a time for me to see myself outside of the motherhood role. It’s a time for me to think about things that truly interest me. Not that my children don’t interest me, because they do. Reading “Goodnight Moon” 450 million times in a row, however, does not. For me – and I do just mean me – having that time away allows me to appreciate my mamahood that much more. When I am with the kids, I find it much easier to focus on them without feeling as if I’m somehow losing myself.

Get your thoughts and ideas in for the writing prompt. I know it’s been on haitus for a month or so, and it’s more than time to bring it back!

We’ll begin it next week. (Yeah I’m feeling brave. LOL) Meanwhile I’m going to find out what’s up with some of the things Pajama Mama had in mind before her haitus. Either way it will be up and running soon!

I also want to let you know that there are some new member made graphics. Big thank you to the ladies who sent their creations to me! I love them. Check them out and see if one of the new ones catches your eye.

Go check her out and leave her a message of congratulations! We will have lots more information up about her soon! Please 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 (which we are awaiting answers for!):

1. How long have you been blogging?

Just over a year. I was going through a tough time with raising Thomas and I really needed to find the humour in my daily life. It was a sad and scary time. They say a mother and baby should bond right away, but I was depressed and it didn’t happen right away for me. I nursed him, but that didn’t seem to help. I don’t know how else to explain how I was so disconnected then. My attempts at blogging were sparse then, but the writing came when I had the time. Now I blog daily, sometimes more than once.

2. What made you start a blog?

Trying to cope, as I said. I come from a long line of family who laugh off pain. Some of them drink off the pain, but I’m not a fan of the daily self-medication. I’m Irish – I laugh and drink….but drink in moderation.

3. What is your greatest challenge as a mom?

I have got to stop second-guessing myself and trying to prove I’m NOT my mother. For a little background, my mother is a mentally-ill drunk. That really is the long and short of it. When I was pregnant with Thomas, she bragged to me about abusing her boyfriend’s 8 year old daughter. I turned her in. I don’t regret it for one second. I couldn’t let what happened to me, happen to any other child.

4. How do you keep your identity as a PERSON, outside of being a mom?

I have a life outside my kids. Besides my business, and my blog, my girlfriends and I have girl’s night (full blown sleepovers complete with drinks, loud music and the pure joy of adult conversation without any kids around) once every 6 months of more; Daren and I call our sitter and zip out to run errands without the kids, and occassionally we date! At first I felt guilty about leaving the kids with a sitter, but they love it and I love being away for short periods of time.

5. What one piece of advice would you like to pass on to moms everywhere?

Well I need to take my own advice: lose the guilt and take time for yourself. Regularly. Oh and laugh alot! When I was going through the PPD, I woke up angry, every day. Depression and sleep deprivation will do that to a person. Now, the small trials of the day are laughed at, and the whole family is happier for it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not some crazy laughing hyena all day, but finding the balance, the humour and yourself are what’s important. I try to look at each day as a blessing. Our family’s life is really amazing and there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t appreciate them and the life we lead.

Leave YOUR questions or comments below!