Um,insanity? I’m not kidding. My tag line is “Purposeful insanity ensues… Mommy Upgrade: I’m trying to be a better mom, one crazy project at a time.”
Oh, you mean you want something longer? Okay but I’m not sure it’s that interesting. (Skip to question 2 immediately) Let’s go with: paranoia, a calling, and an aversion to talking on the phone.
You had your chance – you could have done what you were told and go to question 2…
Paranoia: I started blogging for my business but I was so afraid I’d mess up something important so I started
Mommy Upgrade as my proving ground. Strangely I didn’t feel the same pressure to keep it professional and perfect as I did with my business blog because, well, I didn’t tell anyone about it and I figured no one would find it. Ha.
A Calling: Truth be known, I’ve always loved writing.
Aversion to talking on the phone: So I guess really I was lazy too. Every time I did a dang craft or recipe, I was calling my friends and telling them all about it and how to do it different because of course they were going to do it too. I figured writing about our crazy projects would take less time than me explaining over and over on the phone. I’m not really that patient on the phone – especially with a 3 year old where I cannot complete an entire sentence without inserting a “Yes baby,” and “Mommy’s talking…” and “Do you see that I am on the phone?”
What is something you do when you are not blogging?
I blog for business, for my mommy blog and for several clients. So if I’m not blogging, or thinking about blogging during “my” time, I’m chillin’ with my mini-me. Oftentimes that means making something with the Princess Cupcake – whoops, yes, for our blog. See I can’t help it. Well, for her, but then I’ll write about it when she goes to bed. I was born to blog. I am convinced. Oh, but I do have a husband and two puggies that I snuggle up with when I finally do get to sleep at night.
What makes your blog stand out amongst other blogs?
Imperfection! See, I used to be a wee bit obsessed with crafting. When the light of my life, the reason for my being got old enough to join in the fun, I quickly realized that I had to release that inner Martha or else neither of us were going to enjoy it. It was no longer about how pretty the project turned out, it’s ALL about making a memory and showing her how to be creative. So when I blog about our projects, the posts tend to be a little long — by design. My posts are as much about reliving the memory as it is sharing with other moms the how-to’s and ultimately what I learned from it.
Is there a certain blogger who influences you the most?
C’mon. I grew up on Martha Stewart!!! Of course she wasn’t a blogger back then but I ate up everything that woman spit out. Television, magazine, website, you name it. She fed my creativity for eons.
Now that I’m constantly on the prowl for project ideas for the Princess Cupcake who is 3, I look for things that either we can do together or I can do for her that she will absolutely adore. When she was younger, I did more for her. Now that she’s the wise old age of 3, she is involved with EVERYTHING I do, so I’d rather steer her towards something creative than helping me clean out the office. We seem to do a lot in the kitchen. She’s not huge on sweets but I like baking and it’s more about the making than the eating.
Having driveled on about all that, I love these blogs:
Jaderbomb – She’s my girl. We met at Martha Stewart and it was destiny. She’s awesome but I’m speaking to the choir here…
Vintage Sugar Cube – because she’s sassy, she’s from my old stomping grounds and because her website makes me want to put on heels and a fur (fake of course) and bake while sipping a martini. Oh, and the recipes are to.die.for.
Sweet Sugar Belle – my new favorite – I can’t do ANY of that royal icing magic she does, but I love to look at it and her other mouth-watering goodness. Her facebook page has links to fun projects too.
Bakerella – my staple for all things cake pop! I got to hug her when she came to Williams Sonoma. I love, love, love her.
Cookies and Cups – I just found this one recently and she cracks me up – in addition to having some great food projects.
…. Are you seeing a trend here? I swear I’m not 400 pounds – but I should be….
Outside of the kitchen?
Family Fun Magazine – I know it’s not a blog but there are lots of kids craft projects that we can adapt for preschool-sized attention spans.
June Cleaver Nirvana – Holly is hilarious. Period. The end. And I’ve been lucky enough to get to know her since she’s lives in the Dallas area too. And she’s got her blogging mojo on. She seems to collect blogs in a similar fashion to myself, but she’s major leagues, I’m still playing T-ball. Basically I cyber-stalk her at ever opportunity. If Holly’s there, I want to be there.
Mommy’s Wish List – another friend who I know through my husband strangely enough. LeaAnn saves me money. She taught me to coupon. She’s crack-you-up funny. What more could you want?
ET’s Adventures in (Foster) Parenting – one of my oldest and dearest friends. She recently embarked on a brave journey to adopt, and she’s an amazing, amazing woman. I’ve always admired her unwavering moral compass and unbounded amount of patience and generosity. She wanted to blog about martial arts or something silly like that, but I told her to blog it out about her instant family. She’s just gotten started and it’s raw, it’s real and it’s totally honest. She’s a natural. I can’t get enough of it.
I think I’ll stop there. Send me your suggestions! Requirements: must include sugar, saving money, good peeps, or be spit your food out funny.
How do you balance blogging with your personal life?
What personal life?
What is your number one goal for your blog?
I have three goals for every post:
1) show or tell you a project that you can do to make a memory with your kids
2) get you to laugh out loud for realz
3) learn from my mistakes.
Is there anything or anyone who you could credit the success of your blog to?
The Princess Cupcake. She makes my world sing. I want her to be so infused with creativity. I want her to love making things more than watching reruns of My Little Pony. I want her little mind to run free with ideas and to learn that giving makes people happy. We rarely eat/keep everything we make, we take it to teachers and friends. We share online and in real life. She is my why.
What is your definition of success?
Happiness.
Where do you find inspiration?
In that 3 foot tall bundle of sweetness that is my one and only. And Holly. (See number 4)
What advice would you give to bloggers who want to grow their blogs?
Do it for you, and write about what you love. Don’t expect overnight success. And don’t worry about being perfect, or too controversial. Creating good content will get people to come back.
Well Jaderbugs, I hope you enjoyed learning about Trista and enjoy all of the links she gave us! I am sure you will find something you will become obsessed about!!
Stay tuned new crafts coming up on 100 day’s of Martha!!!
(me on the show!)
Just in case you are not aware of my countdown I am doing right now you can click HERE to read all about it!!!
Make sure you click on the Martha countdown tab on my blog to see the crafts I have already done!
AND IF YOU DECIDE TO DO ANY OF THE CRAFTS, SHOOT ME AN EMAIL AND I WILL ATTACH IT TO THE POST WITH A LINK THAT GOES STRAIT TO YOUR BLOG! OR IF YOU DON’T HAVE A BLOG JUST EMAIL IT TO ME AND I WILL STILL PUT IT UP!!!!
JADE@JADERBOMB.COM
