BlogHer'11: Meet My Roommate!

I don't think I've been chatting about it too much on the blog, but you've probably seen the button in my sidebar: I'm going to BlogHer'11! And to sweeten the deal, I'll be sharing a room with the super fabulous Morgan of Mama Loves Papa fame. Today we're sharing interviews with each other on our blogs, as a little get-to-know-you.

01. Tell us a little about yourself!
I'm 28 and have been married to my husband, Eric, for almost eight years and have four kids. (Yep, we got married and had babies super young!) Our boys are 6, 5, and 3 and our baby girl is 16 months. I love to buy vintage clothes and refashion them. I also love thrifting, sewing, riding bikes with my family, and drinking coffee.

02. Describe the path that lead you to begin your blog. What advice to you have for other blogging mamas?
I've always been a big fan of the internet. In high school I loved chatting with friends on aol and I even had my own website on "gurlpages" a domain through the store Delia's. Totally random. After my oldest son, Judah, was born I wanted a place to document his life and to post pictures for family to see. It was also nice to have a little hobby as a new stay at home mom.
My advice to blogging mamas is just to be authentic and real and let the joy in your life overflow into your blog. I love all kinds of pretty and inspiring posts, but seeing a glimpse into someone's heart is my absolute favorite.

03. What is your favourite part about being a homeschooling mom? What is the hardest part?
The hardest part- I'm with my kids all day long. I'm the one who has to deal with the fighting, all the messes, and I never really get a break during the day. (Although, my husband is usually good about allowing me time to recharge in the evenings or during the weekends.). My six year old is a great little learner, but trying to entertain three other little ones can be really frustrating. Next year I'll be teaching my two oldest and I don't know if that's going to be easier or harder. We're definitely being schooled in patience, grace, forgiveness and getting to say "I'm Sorry" a lot.
My favorite part (or "favourite" as you adorable Canadians say) is the same thing- being with my kids all day. I love that I get to see their joys and accomplishments, I'm the one to comfort during their hard times, I just get to spend lots of time with them and hang out with my favorite little people. My goal for homeschool is definitely for them to be strong academically, but more so to help form their character and see them grow up as loving, compassionate adults.

04. Can you tell us what "a day in the life of Morgan" looks like?
During the weekdays I usually roll out of bed (I'm not a morning person) and have a little bit of quiet time before I wake up. If my husband has to leave early I'll make the kids and I breakfast, but if not then he makes breakfasat. We usually start school around 8:30 or 9. School can be chaotic sometimes (although, sometimes we have days when everyone is quiet and attentive), so I'm usually helping my oldest while holding one or two of the little ones on my lap.
We're done with school by lunch, so we all eat lunch together, then I put the little ones down for a nap. Twice a week my oldest goes to "real school"- the private school that we homeschool through, so we drop him off there before naptime. On the other days the older boys play with toys or in the backyard while I straighten up the house, do chores, and/or work on my blog and catch up on reading my favorite blogs.
After nap time I start making dinner, my husband comes home, and we eat. My husband usually gives the little ones a bath and the older boys take a shower. We clean up the table/kitchen and finish up the bedtime routine. By this time we're usually exhausted, so we relax by watching something on Hulu, reading, or more blogging for me, only to wake up and do it all over again.

05. What are you most looking forward to about BlogHer? What are you nervous about?
I'm so excited to connect with and meet (hopefully) so many of my favorite bloggers. I can't wait to see in real life people that I already feel like I know so much about. I'm sure one of the highlights will be rooming with Desiree! I'm also looking forward to the speakers and sessions and the parties sound like so much fun!
With Blogher being my first conference I have no idea what to expect. Sometimes it seems like the more I read the more overwhelmed and intimidated I am, although I know it will be so much fun!

You can check out my interview over at Mama Loves Papa too -- I promise you'll be hooked on her blog in no time!

Are you San Diego bound this August? If so, let me know in the comments. I'd love to meet you!