Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Interview of a Mommy Blogger


Recently one of my favorite "Internet" friends, Liz from Eternal Lizdom, asked if any of her readers would be willing to be interviewed and post it on their blogs. I thought this was a great idea and gladly threw my name into the pot, so as to give my readers a little insight into who I am and my motivation for starting my blog. If you want to play along and be interviewed by me, please post a comment on my blog and I will email you some questions! Or if you'd rather learn more about me, feel free to post your questions and I will answer them in a future post.

The fun begins. . .

1. I know you through the Internet even though we live in the same city/area. How Internet savvy are you?
Thanks to my brother introducing me to computers way back in the 80's, I have basically spent the second half of my life around these ever changing machines. I also managed to marry a "techie" so I am always introduced to the latest technology as soon as he knows about it, which is often before the general public does.

Do you get online a lot? I spend probably way too much time on online, but as a stay at home mom, the Internet is my main way to communicate with the adult world; without it days would be much longer and lonelier.

Favorite online things to do? I love reading blogs and started my own back in May when my baby graduated from preschool. I love to write and this blog has been a great outlet for all of the thoughts clogging up my head on a daily basis. I only wish I had more time to write as I have so much more to say (which won't surprise those of you that have known me a while.) I also enjoy chatting with other Indy moms on Moms Like Me, a social networking website, which is where I "met" Liz! I hope to meet many of the other moms I interact with some day! I am also a Facebook addict (no joke!) and have connected with so many friends from high school and college since I joined. I swear if I did not have access to the Internet I'd lose my mind! I treasure my time with my kids (and they inspire me everyday!) but I feel I need these adult interactions to keep me sane! : )

2. Your daughters are beautiful. What is your greatest wish(es) for them? What are your goals as a parent?
Thank you! I love having two girls, which is funny because before I had kids, I always said I wanted boys. Amazing how things change as you get older! My greatest wish for my girls is that they grow up happy and healthy, well rounded, and confident. I had a low self esteem growing up (still do) and I don't want them to ever feel that way. I want them to feel proud of any of their accomplishments and be happy with who they are, no matter what. As a parent I hope that I can teach them to be as open minded, loving, and respectful of others, as my parents taught me to be. I also encourage them to always share how they are feeling and not be afraid of their emotions. I encourage them to tell me everything, even if they think they will get in trouble. I really want to keep the lines of communication open as I know that will come in during the teen years!

3. Describe a regular day for you. Every detail. I want to feel what it's like to be in your shoes!
Oh boy are you ever in for it! Ha ha! I usually get up early, around six, so I can take care of Laci (the pup) and myself before I get the girls up. I have to get Kiki up first, as she gets on the bus a little after eight. Boo usually wakes up just before her sister leaves for school. So the first couple of hours I am awake is devoted to getting myself and the girls ready for the day. After things get settled, I try to spend one on one time with Boo. We cuddle on the couch and watch TV or read, play games, etc. Sometimes if she has a friend over or is happy playing by herself, I will sneak some time on the computer. After lunch it is time to get her off to Kindergarten for the afternoon and then it is Me Time! I use this quiet time to get things done in the house or run errands. Nothing too exciting. Some days I am very productive and accomplish many tasks. Other days I am tired and unmotivated and spend time "goofing off" on the computer. I try to use the quieter times of the day to write my blog. When I've gone a long time without posting it is usually because I am having trouble finding a quiet time when my brain isn't absolutely fried. After the girls get home from school the craziness begins! Some days we have after school activities, and of course there is homework, snack, taking care of the dog, making dinner, bedtime, etc. I usually end the day by reading books with the girls on our bed. This is truly one of my favorite times of the day as we are relaxing and cuddling together, talking about the day and what we will be doing the next day. After the girls are in bed, then it is time to hang out with my husband and the puppy. We usually are so tired we watch TV, but we also use this time to talk and have uninterrupted time together. I often stay up too late, but I think that is because I know when I wake in the morning, the craziness starts all over again. Two days a week I work part time, so those days tend to be a little more hectic.

4. Tell me the story of how you met your husband and started a family.
I lived in Ohio for about six years after I graduated from college, and met my husband, Bill, when we were both working at a restaurant. We were friends for a long time before dating and spent a few years dating on and off before we got serious. He proposed to me during a vacation in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, up in the mountains and under the stars. It was very romantic and completely caught me off guard. Just that same day we were chased by a very protective and angry mommy Black Bear while we were taking pictures of her cubs. Little did I know, Bill was carrying a ring around in his pocket that day. He told me much later that when the bear incident happened, he kept thinking of this headline: "Couple Mauled by Bear. Ring found in Man's Pocket." Definitely a story we will share with our kids someday! We moved to Indiana just a few short months after getting married and have lived here for ten years now. We were married just over two years before having our first daughter, Kiki, and then two years later we had her little sister, Boo.

5. Think about your life before you had kids and your life now. What's different about you? Growing up, I was quite shy and only had a friend or two. As I got older, I became more relaxed and social and made friends everywhere I went. Before I had kids, I went out with friends and/or my husband all of the time. I'd say what is different now is that while I am still a very social person, I almost never go out with friends. I'd also say that is what I miss most - having friends and a social life. My husband commutes so we both have long days and it is hard to go out. I don't like to leave my family and often feel guilty when I do, even though I know it is good for me to be out with friends. And even though I consider myself an outgoing friendly person, I am definitely shyer about calling people and setting up play dates and other social activities than I was before I had my children.

What do you wish you could reconnect with?
I wish I could reconnect with the adult world! I started working part time this year and that has helped some, but I so miss having adult friendships! I also would love to reconnect with some of my long lost friends. I recently reconnected with one of them and found out her son has cancer. I wish we lived closer so I could be there physically to provide support for her, but I do what I can via the Internet!

Or do you feel like you are fulfilled with life now? I don't feel completely fulfilled. I wanted more than anything to be a mom and be able to stay home with my kids. I got my wish, yet I feel like something is still missing and I am not sure what that is. I am rewarded everyday by having a wonderful family but somehow that is not enough. I never thought at 40 I'd still be trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up! Surely I should know by now? I do know that I have this calling to work with sick children, especially those with cancer. I would love to be a Child Life Specialist someday but have a mountain to climb to get there. Meanwhile, I just have to tell myself to be happy with all I've accomplished and not worry the rest!

Thanks for interviewing me, Liz!

2 comments:

Eternal Lizdom said...

Great answers. Loved reading this!!

I'm most touched by your last paragraph. You feel like you have a calling but aren't sure what to do with it. I think it's awesome that you have something you are passionate about. I bet you will soon have an opportunity come your way where you can work to influence people or help kids.

Maybe someday we will meet for real!!

Molly said...

This is really very cool! And I know it's hard to be patient, but once Kiki and Boo are both in school all day, you will have opportunities for fulfillment, by getting involved in their school, maybe taking a class to prepare for Child Life Specialist, or adding a day or two to your work schedule. Setting aside time for YOU is important, even if it's difficult right now.