Favorite post: My very favorite was My Name Is Not Julia- the writing prompt I did back in September for the blog exchange. It was spontaneous and I sat down and wrote freely, almost effortlessly, start to finish in a matter of minutes and I loved it. I wish writing always felt like that.
Why did you start blogging? I came for the outlet and stayed for the camaraderie.
When I started I thought it would just be my own place to capture and make sense of a new chapter in my life. I never imagined I would actually have people stopping by to visit. It’s very powerful, knowing there are others out in the world who think and feel about things in a way similar to how you do.
Are you still in binkytown or have you transitioned to somewhere else these days? I’m still here but I’ve got my eyes open looking for a new town to move to.
What’s the best binky out there? AVENT. Hands down. They come with snap on binky covers for travelling and they glow in the dark so you can spot them in the crib or on the floor at three AM.
Whose side are you on and why — The Donald or Rosie (or do you care?): ROSIE! A)She’s awesome. She really does so many great charitable things for children that it makes me very upset to see her portrayed so badly by the media. B) Donald Trump should be getting WAY more flack for calling her “fat” and “ugly” and clearly used her for publicity. I’d like to see Heidi Klum kick his butt, tell him he’s “Out” and take over his lame-o show.
How’d you get the name “Bobita?” When I was in fifth grade my family moved to a very small mountain town in Arizona. The school that I attended had an enrollment of 13 children. Yes, 13 children in the entire school; which included 1st – 8th grade. I attended this school for a grand total of 3 months. While there, the only other fifth grader befriended me (what choice did she have??). Almost daily, we pretended that we were movie stars, hiding from all of our many, many fans. We would pass notes all day long discussing where we were going to hide out, who we would invite to our secret hideout and which male movie stars we would invite to join us. My movie star name was Bobita, because it sounded romantic and would surely lure Scott Baio to my secret lair!
Why did you start blogging? My mentor told me about her blog and recommended that I visit the blog of a mother in Seattle. After reading the entire contents of both blogs, I immediately developed my own. I knew that blogging was for me because: 1) I love to tell stories, 2) I process my thoughts and feelings through writing and 3) suddenly I wasn’t alone in my dichotomous experience of motherhood!!
What’s the best and worst part of graduate school? The best part is that I am constantly learning something new; my grey matter is never at rest. Right now, the challenge of writing my dissertation is particularly invigorating because I have recently fallen “out of love” with the mundane, previously all-consuming tasks of motherhood and housewifery. The tasks that beg my return include: washing dishes, doing the laundry and cleaning wax from my children’s ears.
The worst part is that although I am occupied by researching and writing, I can’t avoid the stack of dirty dishes in my sink for more than a few days, eventually the reserves of clean underwear are depleted and very quickly my children have accumulated stores of ear wax enough to start a candle-making business. Or perhaps, a handlebar-mustache servicing trade?
Who would be better in the sack — Jung or Freud and why? Although Freud was exceptionally preoccupied by the powers of the penis, I have to go with Jung. It seems to me that Freud spent too much time reveling in the magnificence of the appended beast, and too little time perfecting its use. Whereas Jung was a bit more existential, philosophical, somewhat poetic and thought and pontificated about deeply fascinating concepts related to how we are all connected. Jung strikes me as more original and creative; as having the patience and interest in making a woman very happy that she was at the receiving end of his…attention.
What’s your blogaversary? I was coming out of my fourth trimester in October of 2005 when I began blogging. I could not have done it any sooner. Only when three months had elapsed since the birth of my daughter could I even begin to navigate the fog of my new life in a way that was responsive to landmarks that weren’t breast based and diaper dependent.
Why did you start blogging?A friend of mine brought the blogosphere to my attention before the idea of becoming a “mommy blogger” was even a gleam in my eye. She thought that my writing skills–coupled with my constant, yet unfulfilled search for discipline–made me the perfect candidate for the structure of blogging. Like everything else, that morsel of inspiration was tucked deeply into my subconscious, not to reappear until I was good and ready for it. I now consider the leap I took when I searched the Blogger templates for the first incarnation of my three blogs to be one of the most important factors in solidifying my identity as a writer and, far more surprisingly, as a mother.
Favorite books (top 5 will do): I was in middle school when I read–and read, and read again–Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes. I was looking for love and I found it in Cilla and Johnny, whose romance fueled my pre-teen fantasies. In college, at an all-women’s school in Virginia, I was assigned Isabel Allende’s The Stories of Eva Luna. The writing was so perfectly pure that I found it hard to believe I was reading a translation. Her words in English me want to learn Spanish (though I never did). That summer, back home, I read Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum books on lower bunk of my old bed. The guttural hum of the air conditioner couldn’t drown out my laughter as I woke up my parents in the next room. Then summer was over, and school was over, and work began, and I didn’t read much. Five years passed. I was in my early second trimester with The Boss when I discovered The Red Tent by Anita Diamant as I sat in an outdoor hot tub of stone. I knew that pregnancy rendered verboten such extremes of temperature, but the air at that Canadian ski resort was so clarifying, the water so warm, and the book so inviting that it took many chapters before I was able pull myself away. Everything turned out fine. I haven’t stopped reading since.
Other than your daughter, any other favorite bosses? I’m a direct report to only one person, and that’s the 18-month old I call The Boss. They don’t come any better than that. Admitting it is no small feat, either, because I’ve never been the type to willingly submit to other people’s ideas of the way things should be. I remember being four, and standing at the top of the stairs with my arms bent out from my hips. “I’m NOT your service,” I would scream down to my mother whenever she asked me to do something. Isn’t it funny how things come full circle?
P.S. I’m sorry if anyone was hoping for an ode to Springsteen…
Explain the whole chicken and cheese connection: When my daughter first started eating solid food she ate everything. Broccoli, steak, potatoes - you name it. Slowly, she began eliminating items from her diet and now she only eats chicken nuggets, grilled cheese, and homemade macaroni and cheese. Hence, Chicken and Cheese. It sums up my daily life!
Life in the Midwest in a few sentences: Flat, flatter and flattest. Where we live there isn’t a tree to be seen and the view form my kitchen window is a corn field. All my life I’ve lived near water - the shores of Lake Ontario, the Charles River in Boston, and the Thames in London. For God’s sake, England is an island! I’m totally landlocked now.
We live in a very small town now, and when we drive around here the baby yells from the back seat, “Mommy! I wanna go to a CITY!” Yeah, me too, kid.
Best accessory, hands down: Handbags. Without a doubt. I have two that are completely opposite, but I love them both - my Kate Spade in her monogram print, and my yellow J. Crew tote. The Kate is perfect for every occasion and it makes me feel totally sophisticated, even when my butt looks huge. And my tote is embroidered with bright blue butterflies, which makes me think of summer on Cape Cod. Plus, I can carry enough supplies in it for a whole day out.
Why did you start blogging?: I always whined about giving up my writing career and how much I regretted leaving journalism for corporate life. My sister started lurking around on Motherhood Uncensored, and suggested I should start a blog of my own as a way to dust off my skills and work through some of the issues I was facing in my life at that time. I’ve been hooked every since. As much as I love writing my own blog, I love reading them, too. There are so many amazing writers out there, people who would never label themselves as such. Their stories and the beauty of their language humbles me and inspires me every day to be a better writer, a better parent and a better person.
Kids and ages: My “oldest” is 9 and my “youngest” is 3.5.
Reason you started blogging: A girlfriend urged me to start because she loved it so much. I figured it could help me promote by books (Waiting for Baby and Baby of Mine) and also get me some exposure (I’m a photographer) and so I decided to give it a whirl. Who knew I’d be hooked almost before I began? Hmm. I guess she did.
Where else do you blog?Picture This at ClubMom (http://picturethis.clubmom.com)andMinti and my Mother May I is fed to my Minti Blog so that will give the Parent Blogging Network clients another audience for my review posts. It’s an awesome added bonus!
What’s the best thing to wear in a picture to look fabulous? A black, fitted v-neck knit top or sweater will usually do the trick. Purrrrrr…
As we continue to welcome new bloggers into our network and spread the word about our services, we’d like to highlight the wonderful parent bloggers currently participating in our network. If you’re a business owner or PR professional looking to use our services, please read the How it Works section, and email us at parentbloggers@gmail.com to request a client prospectus. We’ll get back to you shortly.
In my former life…: I was a broadcast journalist and an attorney (believe it or not!).
Reason you started blogging: I had been writing a weekly opinion column for a local newpaper for a about a year. When they had an editorial change, that gig was over, so I wanted to find a way to keep that op-ed part of my brain percolating, especially in hopes of landing another column somewhere else!
Best blog fodder when it comes to politics: Just living life is my inspiration for politics! I’ve been a political junkie since I was in high school (I actually watched the Watergate hearings as a kid!) But when I need inspiration, I read the Washington Post and the New York Times, watch Countdown with Keith Olbermann and listen to the other parents at drop-off and pick-up!
Favorite splurge item/service/etc: A mani/pedi or a bottle of great Italian or French red wine.
Thanks for the fantastic response to our open call for bloggers! We were amazed by the number of applications we received - many more than we could possibly accommodate right now.
Since we’ve now got a full line-up, we’re no longer accepting applications. However, we’ll keep all current applicants’ information for future consideration, and we’ll issue another call for bloggers when necessary.
Kids and ages: Jo, “four and three quarters,” and Opie, 21 months
When I’m not blogging… I’m working my day job, keeping my toddler away from the knife block, or spelling words for my daughter (”b … i … r … t … h … d … a … y”).
Reason you started blogging: I have been terrible at keeping paper journals or even printing out any of the digital pictures I take. I’d love it if I could read about myself and my siblings in my parents’ own words from our childhood. When I was 4, my brother turning 2, and my sister a baby, we lived in England for a year. My mother wrote long letters to my grandmother, since she couldn’t call her, and I loved reading those when I discovered them many years later. I still remember one line: “Cathy [that’s me] is learning to read, [her sister] is starting to walk, and [her brother] is our chief dog-pile spotter.”
Must see tv?: You mean other than Noggin? Moving Up (the best-kept secret on TLC), or any of those medical miracle shows featuring pregnant women, babies, or little kids. I am Discovery Health’s bitch.
Stay tuned for more great parent blogger highlights!
Reason You Started Blogging: When I started my blog in mid 2005, I was working in corporate communication, writing every day, but the things I was writing were press releases and marketing materials. I started blogging for a creative outlet. The community that I have found and become a part of has been an added bonus.
Hobbies & Special Interests: Scuba diving, boating, concerts and live music, travel
Kids Names You Both Have Nixed (TB is expecting #1 this Spring): Apocalypto, Bilbo, Xenu, Starbuck
Any Food Cravings? Tequila and cigarettes. The strange thing is, I’m not even a smoker.
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