Interview with Breastfeeding Momma

Today, I want you all to meet Alexandra from Breastfeeding Momma. Her blog is super interesting, especially if you are interested in natural parenting! Make sure to go check out her blog after you are done reading her interview!

1. Tell me about yourself and your family.
I am 24 years old and I stay at home with my two beautiful kids. My son is two and my daughter is 8 months. My hubby is a web designer by day and a seminary student by night. We don't see a lot of him now, but in just one more short year he will be done with school!
We are a biracial family. I am white, hubby is black, and kids are (obviously) mixed. I try not to make a big deal out of this, but it tends to shock people. So I just get it out in the open and go from there.

2. What made you decide to blog?
My original intent was to just keep our family updated. But then I wrote a particularly emotional post that got some responses from people not in my family, people I didn't even know. And it was very healing. And the rest is history!

3. Your blog is all about natural parenting - breastfeeding, co-sleeping, cloth diapering. Why did you chose to parent like this?
The natural parenting style just kind of fell into my lap. I actually have friends that still make fun of me to this day because they remember me going on and on about how no baby of mine was going to sleep in my bed.
But then my son was born. And he was a stinker, in the best way possible. After a month of pure exhaustion I finally caved and fell asleep with him in my arms. And I got the best night sleep...but even better so did he. Only after we started doing this did I start reading up on co-sleeping and babywearing (among other things). It was then I realized there were actual benefits to those things.
I am very glad I had him first, because I would have never known the wonderful aspects of natural parenting. My second came into the world very independent, and if she had come first I probably would still have a very "western culture" view of parenting.

4. What plans do you have for the future?
Tricky question. The more planning the hubby and I do the more our plans seem to fall apart. I think God keeps trying to tell us that we don't in fact know what is best for us. So right now we are just trying to enjoy our kids and go where the Lord decides to take us.

5. In your spare time, what do you do?
Spare time? what's that?

6. So far, what has been your favorite thing about parenting?
The bonding relationship that comes with breastfeeding. I don't think I would be as close to my kids without it.

7. When it comes to chores, what one do you hate doing the most?
Laundry!!!! I would rather scrub toilets all day!

8. What kind of books, music, and movies do you like?
I am a sucker for the romantic comedy. I grew up loving country music, but hardly listen the radio anymore so I don't even know what is going on now. And any book you want to throw at me I will read. I love books!

9. What should readers expect to see in the future of your blog?
My blog Breastfeeding Momma will be filled with my adventures trying to be as natural a parent as possible. Also breastfeeding news and tips and any little thing that pops into my head.
I also have a family blog that follows our day to day life. This is the blog I kept before I started the natural one. I post on both of them because the Breastfeeding Momma blog allows me to be completely myself. No covering up who I am as a mother or woman. I never felt entirely comfortable doing that on my family blog because I know some friends and family members disagree with me and I didn't want them to feel obligated to read it when they just want to see pics of the kids. If you would rather see that one the link is:
http://frappuccinosaremyfriend.blogspot.com

10. What is your dream vacation?
A cruise through the Greek islands with just my hubby. But he is a little scared of boats so I am not sure it will ever happen.

Now that you know a little about her and her blog, go check it out and stay tuned for another interview with one of my amazing followers - maybe you?!

Interview with The McCullough Family Files

I want you all to meet Rebecca from The McCullough Files. I hope you enjoy reading her interview and then when you are done, be sure to go check out her blog!

1. Tell us about your family
I started young. I was 19 when our daughter was born, she's now nearly 5, and our son is 2 1/2. Anytime from now until June 4th we'll be welcoming our 3rd, another boy! We moved to Colorado from Los Angeles, California a little over a year ago. I miss the city life, but I am getting used to the country life. We currently live with my parents, by choice, which is amazing for the kids (not to mention the live-in nanny role played by my mom) We are currently undergoing the challenge to visit every National Park. We live close to a large number of them, so each summer we take a trip for a few days. It's great to be able to enjoy such beauty and history with our kids.

2. What made you start to blog?

Mainly I started because I had so much rattling around in my brain and nothing to do with it. I figured that someone out there might enjoy reading my blurbs of insanity.

3. What are your favorite movies, books, and music?

If you ask any of my friends they'll tell you that I have one of the most eclectic tastes in music. I was a professional musician for a number of years so classical has a special place, but I also enjoy reggae, pop, soul, blues, so on and so on. I can't stand country, rap or metal, though. As for books, I hardly have time to read anything other than my email or "Go Dog, Go!", but should I have the chance, I love diving into any good story. "The Memory Keepers Wife" is a favorite, as well as "Memoirs of a Geisha". Movies are another matter. I love them all, really. As long as there isn't much un-needed nudity and profanity, I'll watch it and enjoy it.

4. What is your favorite part of being pregnant? What is the worse part?

Favorite part is feeling him move around, and the excitement of meeting him. The worst part is not being able to do anything without needing to pee.

5. If you had to give new moms advice, what would you tell them?

Don't listen to anyone else's advice. Mom's know what is best for their babies, and half the time the advice other mom's give won't work for you and your baby anyways. I've had some downright crazy advice thrown my way. All I do is smile and say thank you and then move on. Every baby is different, and every family has their own ideals and goals for raising their kids. As long as you believe in what you are doing, then it's perfectly fine.....unless you believe in beating your children and not feeding them......then definitely think about what some people have to say......

6. What should readers expect to see and learn from your blog in the future?

The raw honest truth of marriage, life as a stay-at-home mom with three kids, and a Pastor's Kid. I have never been one to sugar coat things, I prefer to say things as they are. I also love to pass on good things I come across such as money-saving deals and charity fundraising causes.

7. If money wasn't an option, where would you go on a dream vacation and why?

Australia or New Zealand. I'm obsessed with them. I don't know why. I also wouldn't mind taking a trip to Thailand. It's beautiful there and I love beautiful things.

8. What is your favorite baby item that you use?

Oh my goo'ness. I think that would have to be Camillia extract. It's a life-saver for teething babies. Seriously. You can get it at any health food store. One vial of that stuff and you would never know that baby was screaming with diarrhea half and hour ago.

9. What are your plans for the future of your family and personal future goals?

We try not to make plans too much. It seems like every time we make solid plans God laughs at us and throws a curve ball, so we have basic plans, but nothing concrete. We're planning on staying here with my folks for another 6 years or so, but I would like to eventually purchase our own home. As for personal goals, one day I will get my degree in Medical Sciences. I just don't know when. haha.

Well, now that you know a little bit about Rebecca, be sure to go check out her blog!

Be sure to stay tuned tomorrow for another awesome blog! If you want an interview, please leave a comment with your email address so I can send you questions!

Interview with 3 Little Ones

Time for you, my lovely followers, to meet another awesome Momma! Today, you are meeting Jackie from 3 Little Ones! Once you read her awesome interview and answers, make sure you go check out her blog!

1. Tell us about yourself and your family. My name is Jackie and I am married to a great guy, Steve. We met in college, started dating our junior year, and were engaged about 6 months after we graduated. We both graduated with accounting degrees, studied for the CPA exam together and both earned our CPA license at the same time! We've been married for almost 7 years now and have 3 little kids - a 4 year old son, a 2 1/2 year old daughter and a one year old daughter. After we had our second baby, we decided it was time for me to temporarily "retire" and stay home with our kids. I love staying home and raising our kids. I feel very blessed and fortunate to have had this opportunity to spend all my days with our 3 little munchkins!

2. What made you decide to blog? Once I became a SAHM, I thought it was very important for us to find ways to save money as a family. With my whole salary gone, I thought it was important for us to look at how we were spending our money and find ways to save where we may not have considered before. Part of saving money also turned me into going green in our house. The more I leared about ways to save money and go green, the more I wanted to share with others. That's how my blog originally started. Then the more it went, and the more mommy bloggers I met, the more I started to share crazy and funny stories about my kids too!

3. What chore do you hate to do the most? Mopping the floor. I don't know why, but it's always the one that I put off forever!

4. What is your favorite movies, music, and books? I have a couple of favorite movies: Pretty Woman, Sweet Home Alabama & Dirty Dancing . For music, I love country - but especially love Tim McGraw & George Strait. For books, I love the Twilight series and the James Patterson women's murder club series

5. So you are trying to go green, in what way are you going green? I use reusable grocery bags, I make most of my own household cleaners (for the ones I don't make, I buy ecofriendly ones), I use cloth diapers & cloth wipes, I've really cut down on the amount of paper towels we use (by using lots of rags), I've replaced dryer sheets with 100% wool dryer balls that I make, I've made reusable swiffer duster pads to use in place of the store bought disposable ones, I have started making cloth napkins for my kids to use, we try to unplug most of our unused appliances in the house, and we recycle everything that we can. I'm sure there are more things, but that's all I can think of right now - haha!

6. What is your favorite baby product that you would suggest to other moms? I LOVE California Baby products - especially their sunblock. We used to live in South Florida and I found that stuff to be the best - my kids never got a sunburn with that stuff (and I'm sure you can imagine how strong the sun is down there year round!).

7. I know that you cloth diaper - what made you decide to cloth diaper? There were a few reasons - it was just after Earth Day in 2008. I was potty training my oldest (with cloth underpants) and realized that when he had accidents, it wasn't really that bad cleaning it up! At the same time, I had been battling diaper rashes with my then 7 month old daughter. I saw some articles that said cloth usually results in less rashes. I was also looking to go green with our family and save some money, so it seemed like a no-brainer (to me!). With much hesitation from my husband, I ordered a starter pack of prefolds and a few bummis covers. After a couple weeks of trying them out, I was hooked and started to build up my stash. When I had my 3rd, I still had my 2nd in diapers, so went out and started adding a bunch of newborn sizes to my stash. Now I love to try different brands and love adding new colors and designs to our stash! I have way more than I could possible need (especially since my 2 1/2 year old is potty trained), but they really are kind of addicting!

8. If money wasn't a worry, what is your dream vacation? Ireland!

9. What kind of plans do you have in the future for you and your family? We recently moved back to New England to be closer to our family so we are still kind of settling up here - haha! But my 4 year old is starting preschool in the fall, which him and I are both looking forward to! He is excited for a few hours each week to spend time with other kids besides his sisters!!! Once all 3 of my kids are in school is when I will probably start to look into getting back to work and using that degree and CPA license I worked so hard to get!

10. What should readers expect from your blog in the future? I plan on continuing to share with my readers some ways to go green, some ways to save some money, and also keep sharing stories of my crazy kids! I have also been getting more involved in product reviews so my readers should keep a look out for more reviews & giveaways coming up!


Now that you know some things about Jackie, go check out her blog - see her cutie kids and learn some awesome ways to go green!

Check out tomorrow's post to meet Rebecca from The McCullough Files!

Interview with 6 Inches of Ribbon/An Event to Remember

Hello my dear followers! I would like for you to meet Ashley, the writer of two blogs 6 Inches of Ribbon and An Event to Remember. Ashley decided to play some switcheroo - check out my interview with her on her blog!

1. Tell the readers about yourself.
A little bit about me. Im a 25 year old stay at home mom of two children, 8 and 5. While im not doing the hussle and bussle of the kid things, I plan weddings on the side. I love being able to help people make their special day what they turely dreamed of.

2. Tell us about An Event to Remember.
An Event to Remember is an Event design company that was started in 2007. We love to meet new people and get their ideas of what they dream their wedding day would be, then we take those ideas and design many aspects of the wedding.

3. Tell us about 6 inches of Ribbon.
6 inches of Ribbon is my personal blog where I empty out everything that is in my head. Sometimes I can get overloaded and just need somewhere to write it all down. You will find many interesting things on 6 inches such as my Friday Ponderings, crafts, and kids things.

4. What is the favorite wedding theme that you have planned for thus far?
right now I am in the middle of planning a Rustic modern wedding. We are using browns, greens, and ivorys. The wedding is in October, so that is the perfect time of year for a rustic wedding. All the colors and decor will look devine!

5. What is your favorite movie, book and music? I dont really have ONE favorite movie. I love The Notebook and the Twilight series. I listen to alot of Chiristian music and read many christian books. One of my all time favorite writers is R T Kendall. He's excellent.

6. On your free time, what do you like to do? Oh.. this is an easy question. The BEACH!!! During the summer, that is where you will find me and the kids. I love just laying there thinking and watching the boys play.

7. What is your best advice for women planning weddings? The best advise I could give them, if they are planning their own, would be to get a week of wedding planner. No bride wants to worry about how things are going right before she walks down the isle. She needs to stay relaxed and enjoy her day. Let the wedding planner handle all the complications that can arise on the wedding day.

8. What should readers expect to see coming to your blog in the near future? As for An Event to Remember, I will probably start a Vendor Highlight". I will highlight my favorite vendors I like to use and hopefully show some of their work on the blog.
With 6 inches of Ribbon, im not really sure yet. I love ribbon, and thats one reason why its called 6 inches of ribbon, so I might try some craft ideas using ribbon.

9. For the future, what kind of plans do you have personally? Well I would like to travel with my hubby. Our family life was started really early, so we havent really had the chance to go and discover the world. Ive never been on a plane so I know that is in my future for sure!

10. What is your dream vacation?
A nice beach in costa rica or somewhere in that area.


Now that you know a little about Ashley, go check out her two blogs - 6 Inches of Ribbon and An Event to Remember! Also, go see my interview too!

Stay tuned tomorrow for a fabulous interview with Jackie from 3 Little Ones!

Interview with Work, Wife, Mom... Life!

Today is my third interview with one of my awesome followers! Today, you all are meeting Julia from Work, Wife, Mom... Life!
Make sure that after you read her interview and learn a little about her, that you go check out her blog!



1. Tell us about yourself!Well, I'm a working mom with 2 kids (Hannah is almost 3 and Noah is 15 months). My career is in athletic development for youth and it brings so much joy to my life! I love scrapbooking and other crafty stuff, I attempt to be slightly green by cloth diapering and I love snuggling up to a good movie. I've been married to a wonderful man almost 6 years. Our life is full of hecticness and love but we wouldn't have it any other way.



2. What is your favorite baby item that you would suggest to other moms? A soothie binky! Ha! My daughter loved it and I'm almost regretting taking it away at 21 months (she's now a thumb sucker) and my son never really took one (and he's a thumb sucker).... ahhh!



3. What is the hardest part of parenting? Juggling it all. When chores and errands and work and things need to be done seems to be when the kids need the most attention. Finding the right balance. We all know our kids come first, but frankly, work has to get done. Time management for me is huge!



4. What does the future hold for you and your family? Do you have any big plans?Our big plans just happened! We moved back in September from the East coast back to our home of the Midwest. We have been temporarily staying with my parents until our house closes (next week!) and now onto house hunting. So, I guess our big plans are house hunting!



5. What kind of music and movies do you like? I love romantic comedies. And silly, nonsense movies like Anchorman. I love classic rock, alternative rock and Christian music. Put Christian and Rock together and it's a match made in heaven.



6. When you have free time, which we all know is hard to find, what do you enjoy doing?Scrapbooking, sewing, crafty and of course, blogging! My husband and I enjoy playing games too, like Scrabble and Cranium.



7. Are you following the trend and trying to go green too? If so, what are you doing to go green?Like I said, we've been cloth diapering since my daughter was 1. So, it's been awesome because the diapers we used for her, we also use on my son now! Talk about saving tons of money! We recycle, I've made my own laundry soap and I try to use natural stuff for cleaning products (vinegar can do a lot of stuff). I like to line dry my clothes in the summer too. Can't wait to get my bike fixed... riding to work would be great!



8. What can readers expect from your blog? Why did you start to blog? I started to blog as a way to update my family when we lived 500 miles away. My daughter was 3 months old at the time, so I've been blogging for nearly 3 years. As I learned more about the blogging world, I branched out and now write about life, raising kids, parenting (and all its joys and struggles), faith, and working mommy stuff. Being a resource for other working moms has been awesome! Love that we can connect on that level and share! Oh, and the occassional giveaway too!

Right now, I'm doing a fundraiser for an organization that supports orphanges in Russia, Ukraine and Uganda. $1 for every new follower until April 25th! I've almost reached the $100 mark. And bonus TWO people are matching my donation!! So, please check it out!



Now that you know a little about this awesome, hardworking momma, go check out her blog and ALSO help donate to a good fundraiser just by following her!



Tomorrow, tune in to meet Ashley from 6 Inches of Ribbon and An Event to Remember!



If you want to have an interview also, please leave a comment with your email address. Now go read Julia's blog!

Interview with Hello Sneakers, Goodbye Heels

Welcome to Day 2 of my interviews with my AMAZING followers! I have another wonderful woman to introduce you too - Christie from Hello Sneakers, Goodbye Heels. I suggest after you read her interviews, check out her blog.

1. What is your name or an alias you go by? Christie from Hello Sneakers, Goodbye Heels.
2. Tell us about yourself and your family. I am 28 years old and married to a very supportive husband, Justin. We've been married for 2 1/2 years and live in New Jersey. I am a writing teacher soon to be stay at home after the end of this school year. I cannot wait to be home with my daughter, Aubrey! She is a little over 4 months old and the joy of my life.

3. Since you are a mom, what is your number one favorite baby item that you would suggest to other mothers and why? Earplugs. Just kidding. I don't think I have a stand out favorite, but the Boppy pillow is definitely one of our favorites. Especially when Aubrey was so tiny, it helped with supporting her well while holding/feeding her. We also love our Diaper Genie. It does a great job of masking the smell of stinky diapers!

4. What chore do you hate the most that you do around the house? Washing. Bottles. All. Day. Long. And I hate laundry-it seems like the baby's laundry basket is ALWAYS full.

5. I have to know - is your red hair natural or bottle?! NATURAL! I've never dyed it. I hated being a redhead as a kid, but as an adult I love it because it's so low maintenance!

6. What is your favorite: movie, book, and music? movie- Field of Dreams book- don't have one. unfortunately, I'm not much of a reader anymore. music- country (Sugarland, Brad Paisley, Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney)

7. I read your first post - you are right, a baby changes everything. But, what in your life has changed the most since having your little daughter? I'd say the biggest change is that you realize how self-centered your life was before a baby. Every single thing you did revolved around your own wants, needs, desires, and schedule. Tired? I went to sleep. Hungry? We went out to dinner. Want a new outfit? I would hit the mall for the day. Now that I have my daughter, my wants and needs are completely secondary. I was not prepared for this huge shift in priorities, but it's not a choice. You just do it because it's what's best for your baby.

8. What do you hope for your future? Any plans in your future? Cue cliche response in 3...2...1...HAPPINESS! Of course I wish for my husband, daughter, and I to have a happy, healthy future. But more specifically, I hope we can buy a new house soon and be able to take Aubrey on vacations so she can learn and explore outside of New Jersey. I hope my stay at home mom gig can stay permanent until I'm ready to work again. I also plan on winning the Power Ball.

9. What can readers expect from your blog? My blog isn't a personal photo album or a place to come if you're looking for giveaways. It's meant to be an honest, humorous response to the surprises of motherhood. I wrote my blog because I love to write and share stories. I love hearing that I am not alone in my experiences/feelings, so I wrote my blog so other moms could feel like someone else understands and can relate to their experiences/feelings.

Now that you know a little about Christie, go check out her blog and learn more about her and see her adorable daughter!

Make sure that you tune in tomorrow to meet Julia from Work, Wife, Mom... Life! If you are interested in having an interview, be sure to leave a comment with your email address! Now, go read her blog!

Interview with Marcie

I've very happy to introduce you all to Marcie from Marcie's Blog She is a Momma to be. Make sure to check out her blog after reading her interview!

1. Tell us about yourself. I'm a 20 something momma-to-be (due in June). I'm also a newlywed, recently married to the love of my life in October. We live in a small town in New Mexico. I'm in Community Relations/PR at our local hospital and my husband is a mechanical engineer.We just bought our first house this summer and are having a blast remodeling and decorating it. I don't mind cooking, but I am terrible at baking. I think laundry is the devil. I love online shopping because we don't have any good stores in our town. I'm a sucker for cheap handbags and accessories. I am working on my MBA and hope to finish in December. I have two fur babies - a black pug named Fiona and a fawn pug named Barney.

2. So far, what is your favorite part of being pregnant? The best thing about being pregnant is feeling movement. It's just amazing knowing there's a little person in there! Also hearing the heartbeat is just breathtaking.

3. Why did you start to blog? What do you want to get out of blogging? I started to blog because I was constantly reading other womens' blogs and getting good ideas, tips, feedback on products, etc. I thought it was so fun reading, I decided to start writing one myself. Eventually I'd like to get into doing more product reviews/giveaways, but for now my blog is mostly just my random musings, tips/finds, recipes, etc.

4. What are you looking forward to do with your little one? I'm excited to cuddle my new baby!!! It's so hard when they are in your belly, you just want to meet them and hold them so badly!

5. Are you planning on nursing or formula? Cloth or disposables? I'm planning on nursing, but I am also going back to work 10 weeks after the baby is born, so I'm hoping I can pump and keep up with it for at least 6 months. I am really interested in trying cloth diapers, mostly from a cost perspective. I've been looking at a new brand - GroBaby. They are very affordable and seem really comfortable for baby!

6. What is your favorite meal? I have lots of favorites, but I would probably have to say my recipe for Spinach Enchiladas is one of my all-time favorites. It has corn tortillas, spinach, ricotta, sour cream and mozzarella cheese, and enchilada sauce. I have the recipe posted on my blog.

7. In your free time, what do you like to do? I'm in graduate school and working full-time, so I have no free time. LOL. Just kidding! I spend a lot of time blogging and reading blogs, I enjoy shopping (especially online), and I love going to see a movie or renting movies.Pretty much anything that gets me out of doing laundry.

8. What are your favorite movies, books, and music? My favorite movie is Chocolat.I have been reading for my classes, so I haven't read for fun in quite awhile. I would have to say one of my favorite books is "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. As far as music, I love anything by the All American Rejects, Colbie Callait, Keith Urban, and Brad Paisley.

9. What was your first thought when you found out you were expecting a little one? At first it was a bit shocking because we weren't "trying" for a baby and we'd just gotten married a couple weeks prior. But once I showed my husband the pregnancy test and I saw the excitement in his eyes, I was overjoyed!

10. What should readers expect to see from your blog in the future? Since the first baby is on the way, I am betting a lot of my posts will be about the baby and about being a first-time-mom. I'm hoping not too many horror stories about newborn poop, breast milk, etc, but you never know!

This woman is pretty awesome, so I suggest you go and check out her blog. I found a couple recipes myself that I want to try and I'm excited to hear about her journey into motherhood - its a crazy one!

Stay tuned tomorrow for another interview with another of my amazing followers, Hello Sneakers, Goodbye Heels, and make sure to check out Marcie's Blog!

If you want to have an interview also, leave a comment with your email address!