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By funsherpa, June 1, 2010 8:42 am

Dana seeing without the rose colored lenses

Funsherpa chats with Dana Lynn Formby to discover the world of a blue-collar playwright.  Dana shares her interest in giving a voice to the working class and uncovers the secret three E’s of theater.  Her play, Inherit the Whole, will be starting a run at the Mortar Theater this Friday.

F: You’re often described as a ‘blue-collar’ playwright.  How did that come about and why make the distinction from other playwrights?
D: I call my self a blue-collar playwright because my father is a pipe-fitter and my mother was a hairdresser.  They loved and supported me and struggled with money their entire lives.  They rightfully told me I could be anything I wanted… I was an American.  Through the struggle of growing up, I learned, what the media told me I wanted was different from the reality staring me in the face.  I’m interested in taking off the rose-colored glasses I perched on the end of my nose as a kid.  I carefully assembled my glasses out of clippings of American dreams found anywhere from Glamour to Fortune 500. I write plays that question this rose-colored-cutout-pasted-collage, in hopes of preventing certainties that arise when blue-collar economics beg you to stop at your gender.  I do this to look past what the 2D American dream promises, and aim for the impossible.  Through my art, I strive to dismantle the barriers put up by economic classes.

F: We saw another online feature of you that mentions your fondness of listening to Cake to get into the writing mood.  Do you still listen to Cake to get yourself into the writing mood?  Or has your musical taste evolved since then?
D: Cake!  Absolutely!  There is something about how raw and dirty the sound is, that puts me in a nice bit of anger at the world.  This helps me see the obstacles my characters need to face.  Also, I love me some Chris Isaac.

F: As a playwright instructor with the Chicago Dramatists, how would you describe your teaching style?
D: I am a cheerleader.  I wish to empower my students to allow themselves the right to write.  I encourage them to ask questions.  I also ask them to teach each other what I have taught.  I believe the true path to learning is to teach what you know.  When you are forced to do this you realize you didn’t know it half as much as you thought.  And when you have to explain what it is your teaching, you yourself gain a deeper understanding for it.

F: How do you deal with hopeless students?
D: Hopeless is a strange word.  If you mean they don’t do the work there is not much I can do.  If it means they feel they can’t write, than it is my job to empower them.   As a writer there is always this critic sitting on your shoulder yelling at you, “You can’t do this!  You have no right to do this.  This is stupid.”  I encourage them to tell that critic to go eat a bag of chips because work needs to get done.  The critic can come back after you finish a draft.

F: Can you talk to us about your play at the Mortar, called Inherit the Whole?  Why talk about Vietnam now?
D: My father is a Vietnam Vet.  There is no me without Vietnam.  I honestly believe that half of him is still over there.  War causes a separation between all of the survivors of the war.  The country is at war again.  There are daughters and sons who will grow up with this same disconnect with their parent if they have served in battle.  Theatre has the ability to connect strangers through catharsis– through witnessing the journey of a character on stage.  It is my hope that writing about the past– Vietnam, we can quell the taboo’s of war for our soldiers coming home.  I hope lessen the gap between soldier and citizen. This gap will always exist but I believe through art, we may be able to reach over that gap.

F: Why did you bring in the element of the trunk of gold?
D: Honestly?  When my Granddaddy died, his brother’s came to his house looking for a big old bag of silver that my cousin Danny went with him to pick up at the train station back in the seventies.  We never found it.

F: Who did you create the play for?
D:  This is a rough question.  It’s something that an artist must ask themselves but is difficult to answer honestly.  This play came out of the chaos of living paycheck to paycheck.  I wish to give a voice to the working class.  I hope with “Inherit the Whole” Mortar Theatre is able to bring together people from different social economic backgrounds so that we can see our similarities are more in common than we think.  It is through our commonalities that humans find connection.

F: Who do you think will enjoy ‘Inherit the Whole’ the most?
D: People with a good since of humor who can laugh and get angry at the absurdity of life.

F: The story almost seems quite ‘melancholic’.  Is that an accurate description or is there more to what is presented in the play’s synopsis?
D: It is actually quite funny and quickly paced. I mean, men digging a hole in a living room!  Funny.  Dennis Zacek, the Artistic Director of Victory Gardens, keenly taught me the three E’s of Theatre.  First: a play must entertain, the next step is to enlighten, and finally, if we are lucky, the play will take us to a level of Ecstasy.  I believe all three are touched on in this play.  I also believe that I will learn so much about the play by witnessing how the audience reacts to the play.  I believe a production of a play is the playwright’s actual first draft.  The reason I say this is because the play behaves differently when it is on its feet moving around in three dimensional space.  Theatre is a collaborative sport and I am so thankful to have a place to play ball in front of a crowd so that I may grow past what I learned in graduate school.

F: How did you decide to share your play with the Mortar Theatre?  What was it like working with them?
D: I am an Ensemble Member here and I feel we are a great fit for each other.

F: What’s in store for your future plays?
D: Right now I am working a play called The Eve Maneuver.  The play is about a girl named Veronica,18, who wants to uphold the proud Semperfi tradition of her father, a Desert Storm Vet.  Determined to march in his footsteps, she unearths what it means to do or die, leaving her finger on a trigger as she decides between her patriotism towards her father and the heart she found as a child going to Sunday school.

F: Anything vastly different from the plays you’ve created?
D: Looking at what I just wrote above this question it would appear that I tackle the subject of war quite a lot.  I cannot deny that I am moved and feel a need to write about this subject.  But other plays I have written, do not touch on war.  I write very much from my heart.  It is hard for me to see the trees for the forest on this one.  I feel my plays are all very connected. Gender is something I choose to tackle as a writer. Some would say I have masculine plays and feminine plays.  I guess I have to say without one, the other cannot exist.  It is through my definition of masculine that I understand feminine and vice versa.  It is my goal to stretch myself as an artist while maintaining the honesty of my experience in the world around me.

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By funsherpa, May 11, 2010 9:04 am

Funsherpa is on a mission to discover what Chicagoans love.  We are going beyond the tour books and yelp reviews and are asking YOU, Chicago.  Funsherpa kicked off our series of surveys in honor of the Chicago Craft Brewery Convention with our beer survey.  The contenders were Allagash, Dogfish Head, Goose Island, Half Acre, Metropolitan, SKA Brewing, Three Floyds, and Two Brothers.  We are excited to announce that Three Floyds Brewery took the prize as Chicago’s favorite craft beer, with Chicago’s own Goose Island Brewing in a close second.

Who Are The Three Floyds

Three Floyds Rules in Neighboring Chicago

Brothers Nick and Simon and father Mike Floyd founded Three Floyds Brewing Company in 1996 in a small warehouse in Hammond, Indiana.  To give you an idea of their humble beginnings, their first brewery housed a used 5 barrel kettle, attached to a wok burner, with swiss cheese tanks turned into beer fermentation vessels.  But this simple brew house was all the Floyd’s boys needed to turn their dream into a reality.  They set out to brew beer that distinguished itself from other craft brews, with a motto of “it’s not normal”.  Three Floyds grew in popularity and eventually moved to Munster, Indiana which today is still the home of the brewery and their brew pub.

It’s Not Normal

With names like Alpha King, Gumball Head and Apocalypse Cow, and bottles featuring labels with trippy artwork, you can tell that Three Floyds Brewing is not your average brewery.  But it’s more than their unique branding that has given Three Floyds their cult-following – it’s their absolutely amazing tasting beer.  One of the Funsherpa team’s favorite brews is Gumball Head, named after a little known comic book cat.  Gumball Head was created to be a summer time wheat ale, but due to the great demand, it is now available all year round.  This wheat beer has a refreshing hoppy aroma, with hints of grapefruit, lemon, marmalade, and peach.  Three Floyds says “these flavors combined with low bitterness make Gumball Head a refreshing American Wheat Beer that doesn’t suck”.  Now if that doesn’t sell you, we don’t know what does.

I’ve Got a Golden Ticket

While Three Floyds doesn’t have a chocolate river or freaky little Oompa Loompas, their golden ticket is equally coveted.  Three Floyds Dark Lord Day is an annual

Dark Lord planning its takeover of the beer world

“Fantasy Beer Drinking Event” that happens on the last Saturday of April.  Selling out every year, Dark Lord Day gives beer enthusiasts from around the world a chance to sample craft beers, including Three Floyds own Dark Lord.  The Dark Lord Russian Style Imperial Stout is brewed with Chicago’s own Intelligentsia coffee, mixed with Mexican vanilla, and Indian sugar.  These intense flavors and the 13% alcohol content make Dark Lord Chicago’s most sought after beer.  To get your chance to try the Dark Lord you must buy a golden ticket, usually open for sale in early March, which entitles you to buy four bottles of the brew.  But don’t drink up just yet, the Dark Lord gets better with age, and most beer enthusiasts just now opened their 2009 bottle.

What You Crave

While we at Funsherpa definitely recommend taking a trip over to Munster for a brewery tour or a bite at the Brew Pub, you can find Three Floyds right here in Chicago too.  Try the Map Room or Sheffield’s Beer Garden.

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By funsherpa, May 7, 2010 8:00 am

Balancing Life with Stacey

Don’t forget to give Mom a huge hug this weekend as Mother’s Day is on Sunday!  Before you scrounge around for some last minute gifts for Mom, check out our final feature in our Mother’s Day series.  Funsherpa sits down with Stacey Hoffer Weckstein, the Chief Mom Officer of the Mom Renewal Project to share some of her fun spots in Chicago and her secrets in balancing a hectic Mom life.  Stacey has built an amazing community to recharge the body, mind, & spirit – so you can live your best life as a woman, mom & partner, so when you have a chance, check out The Mom Renewal Project.

F: What are some of the things you’ve learned from other Mom bloggers?  What have you taught other Mom bloggers?

S: Mom bloggers have taught me the power of a virtual community and beauty of blog karma. Women all across the globe are creating lasting bonds via blogs, Twitter, and Facebook. Knowing I have an online community that supports me and will listen to me when I need to share my voice is a gift that the mom blogging community has given to me.

What have I taught other Mom Bloggers? I hope I have encouraged them to take more ME time more often. I hope my social media influence gives mom bloggers (and all moms) permission to reconnect with their authentic selves so they can live their best lives as women, moms, and partners.

F: How do you balance being a mom, writing a blog, living your life, and enjoying what you do?

S: How do I balance it all? In one word, it would be passion. My passion drives me and fuels me. I have passion for being my children’s mom, for blogging, for offering life coaching programs and services, for being a social media strategist, and for spending time outdoors. I focus on my passions and all of the other things fall into place. My house is not spotless, my mail sometimes piles up, and sometimes it takes over 24 hours before I can respond to email messages. This is not because I’m lazy – it’s because I’m prioritizing my life and practicing the art of life balance.

F: You also started a coaching business while being a mom.  What were some of the challenges involved with that and how did you deal with it?

S: I think the number one challenge in starting a business is time. Life is busy. I work full-time, have two young boys, and have to take care of regular home routines. As a “mompreneur”, life coach, and social media strategist, I find my time early in the morning and once my boys are asleep. Once a week I have a mom’s night off and sometimes I also use that time to move my business forward.

Another challenge is the lack of quiet time. As a social media mom, my life is rather noisy. It is filled with some wonderful noise like children laughing and meaning conversations online, but my day-to-day routine is pretty over-stimulating. To be able to focus on my coaching business and on my natural inner wisdom, I take at least 5-10 minutes of quite time each day to help me recharge. This daily stillness gives me the opportunity to listen to my personal wisdom – without this time in my life, I don’t think I would have discovered so many different aspects of my business.

F: What do your kids think about you writing a blog?  Do they play any editorial roles?

S: My children are too young to understand what the words blog means, but they do know I love my computer. My six year old son’s definition of passion is “something you love”. So he thinks my passion is blogging just like his passion is playing Wii. As my favorite author SARK says, when my boys are older, I hope they understand the value of “gifting the world with your words and stories and creating the time and energy to actually do it”.

F: Can you share some Chicago activities that you enjoy doing with your kids?

S: My family loves Chicago, especially all of the natural spaces around the city. If it is above 40 degrees, you can find my family outside at the beach, the Chicago Botanic Garden, walking around Grant Park and Millennium Park’s gardens, biking along Lake Michigan at Northwestern University, or bird watching at Montrose Point. My three year old son’s favorite place in Chicago is the Butterfly Haven at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum where we can hang out in a greenhouse with over 1000 butterflies.

F: Any special message you’d like to share with other Moms this upcoming Mother’s Day?

S: Chicagoland Moms – On this Mother’s Day, I send you the gift of reclaiming, rejuvenating, and re-balancing your life. I give you permission to reconnect with your authentic self, to practice self-care, and to remember who you are above and beyond your role as a mom.

I want to remind you that moms who are physically tired, emotionally drained, mentally unfulfilled, and spiritually disconnected to their natural inner wisdom cannot fully be present in their own lives or in their children lives. So, I invite you to recharge – body, mind, and spirit – so you can live your best life as a woman, mom, and partner. I invite you to put yourself back onto your priority list because you and your children deserve it!

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By funsherpa, May 5, 2010 8:00 am

Where's the peanut butter?

This week funsherpa ventures out into suburbia to discover Mom’s who’ve traded in lake shore jogs for lawns and garage space.  Melissa, our featured mom of the day, talks to us about her transition out of the metropolis and ability to enjoy Lake County’s unique forest preserves.  When not parenting and enjoying the great outdoors, Melissa writes Peanut Butter in My Hair, a blog that highlights her family, struggles with parenthood, and tips for the everyday parent.

F: Your blog has a very cool title – ‘Peanut Butter in my Hair’.  Can you tell us how you came up with the title and what does it mean?

M: Well kids ARE really sticky. My daughter was born with lots of hair and when we feed her everything, I mean everything ended up in her hair! Peanut Butter was the hardest to get out, and one day it was in my hair too. My husband joked that Peanut Butter in my Hair sounded like a name of a blog. I was currently writing at a different title and wasn’t feeling it and I liked the name, it stuck.

F: You’ve left the city for suburbia.  What keeps you busy out in the suburbs aside from raising your kids?

M: Driving everywhere! Only sort of kidding. We are very involved in our local MOMs club and the school. So we have a weekly playdate and there are classes and school of course. I actually try to be not so busy. We truly enjoy the local  forest preserves and playgrounds but I am busiest just going about the day to day. Volunteering for my sons school (I chaired their fun day silent auction) and I organize the playgroups for our MOMS club. For myself? Well I try to avoid housework so I sew and craft and blog (of course). I enjoy running and would love to one day run the Chicago Marathon. I also make sure to get at least one, night out a month with other moms. Usually I drive back to the city to see the moms that I don’t get to see everyday anymore.

F: When you first moved out to suburbia, what shocked you most about the move?  Have you gotten used to it?

M: Driving! I knew I would be driving more, I was really not prepared for how much time we spend in the car. We could go a week in the city never getting in our car. For me to go a week without a car i would have to never leave my house. I have gotten used to it most days. I have learned the area a little better, though not having a grid system still really throws me off.  There are still days though, especially in the winter when everyone is all bundled up where I think, hmmm, maybe we’ll stay home today just so I don’t have to drive.

F: Are you still able to enjoy the great outdoors with your kids around?  Do they share your interest in the outdoors?

M: YES! My kids LOVE being outside. Especially my son. We are so lucky to have a fenced in backyard where they can play and most days they spend a lot of time out there. We live in Lake County and they have some of the best forest preserves in the state. I have visited a lot of parks and forests, my husband and I traveled all over the state before kids camping and hiking and so I feel like I know a good park when I see it, and they have the best. We frequently take the kids on hikes or my husband takes them fishing.

F: If you could take your kids anywhere, where would you take them? Why?

M: Probably to the Shedd Aquarium or one of the Zoos. My kids love animals and the Shedd is one of my son’s favorite places in the world. I love that no matter when we go we never do or see the same things and every trip is a different experience.

F: What are some of the cool toys kids play around with these days?  Do you find the technology/social media bug creeping down to their lives?

M: My children are only 2 and 5 so I don’t really see the social media bug creeping into their lives yet. My son does love the computer and playing games on it but we really limit how much he uses it and what sites he can go to. They have a whole lifetime to play video games and surf the web but he will only be 5 once we don’t want him to grow up so fast! My kids are really into old school toys the love blocks and Legos and anything messy (playdoh, paint, markers). I think some of the coolest new toys are the educational ones, although I am completely overwhelmed by them! We have two learning lap tops (one Thomas and one Pink) that they can learn and practice numbers, spelling, math…there are 30 different games on it and it’s been a toy that has grown with my son. He has had it since he turned 2 and still plays with it.

F: We understand that you don’t enjoy doing house work.  What short cuts or tips can you share with other Moms to get the house work done?

M: Divide and conquer! I refuse to do it all myself. For one I don’t enjoy it and for 2 why should I? I am not the only one making the mess so I make everyone pitch in.  My kids help in age appropriate ways, cleaning up their toys, picking up their clothes, clearing the table. I also try to make things into a game for me and the kids. I will set a timer for 15 minutes and I will clean what I can in these 15minutes and tomorrow I will tackle another room for 15minutes.

F: What have some of your best experiences on Mother’s Day been?  What would make your perfect Mother’s Day holiday?

M: My best experience would be having my son! He was due on Mother’s day I ended up having him two days before, but it’s still a very special memory to me. A perfect holiday for me would be one where I got to sleep in and do nothing all day! I would like a nice brunch where my kids don’t make a mess and use their forks. I’m pretty low key, so as long as everyone is taking care of me that day, even if it’s just a construction paper card and little toddler hugs I’m good!

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By funsherpa, May 3, 2010 10:42 am

Cynthia talks to us about blogs, web design, and family

From living the life of a Chicago trader to becoming a full time Nap Warden, Cynthia talks to funsherpa about raising her kids, blogging, and running her web design business. If you’d like to know her secret of juggling so many activities, chores, and tasks, read on. Also, if you’ve seen our Mother’s Day gift guide, and still haven’t got a clue what to give Mom – Cynthia shares her perfect Mother’s Day when her husband and kids give her the day off. It’s a simple and thoughtful solution that will surely rejuvenate any Mom!

F: How did the title of your blog, Nap Warden, arise?

C: I started blogging while living in a high-rise with two tiny babies. I spent all my time trying to get them on the same nap schedule. Seemed all I did was police naps:/ Had I known it was going to follow me around for my blogging career, I might have given it more thought;)

F: What do your kids think about you writing a blog? Do they play any editorial roles?

C: My kiddos are really too young to understand what blogging is. They do look at the blogs Mommy is working on, and like the pictures. I’m not sure how I will handle that as they get older.

F: Aside from blogging, you also do web design – how do you balance blogging, designing, and being a parent?

C: I don’t sleep! Seriously, I take whatever time I can when I get a break to try to work. My biggest fear is that it takes away from time with my Husband. I try really hard to turn off the computer. It isn’t easy when I put so many demands on myself. It is a tight rope walk.

F: How would you describe your transition from a professional to a mother of two? Anything similar/different?

C: Similar, it’s hard work…and I had no idea what I was getting into. It has been a hard transition. It used to be when I met folks/walked into a room, they asked what I did. When I worked, I was a trader on the floor. That commanded respect, and folks were impressed.

As a mom, I believe since folks know what that is, they just say “oh” and move on to the next person. It’s really easy to not feel important any more. I wrestle with it a lot. I know this is the most important job I’ll ever do, but it’s really hard to keep your esteem up. I love staying home with my kiddos. I have really wrestled with no longer earning a big paycheck. That was the hardest transition of all

F: Any advice to new parents in Chicago to ensure their kids get to appreciate the city they live in?

C: Take them out every day, rain or shine, or snow. There is so much to do. We belong to a couple museums; we go to the zoo all the time. Check out the free days (all the museums have them) I think it’s a misconception that everything is too expensive in the city.

I take my kiddos to the zoo, parks and museums every week. It’s my favorite thing about raising them in the city.

F: What are your ‘go-to’ restaurants in Chicago? Which ones are the most kid friendly?

C: I’m not much of a restaurant person. If I take the kiddos out, I like Frances Deli on Clark. I also really like The Athenian Room on Webster.

F: What have some of your best experiences on Mother’s Day been? What would make your perfect Mother’s Day holiday?

C: Is it awful to admit that the best thing my Husband did with the kiddos for Mother’s Day was give me a day off? He took the kids to his mothers for the day and gave me an entire day to myself…It was heavenly:)

I’ve only had a handful of Mother’s Days as an actual Mom, but that ranks way up there;)

F: Any special message you’d like to share with other Moms this upcoming Mother’s Day?

C: We/I had a really tough time actually becoming a mother. I was so stressed that I had “missed the boat” on motherhood by waiting too long to have kiddos. I suppose I’d share a message with other women in that boat. It’s something that I wish I could go back and tell myself…”Relax, the more stressed out and whipped up you get yourself, the harder you make things on your body.”

It’s something my doctors told me all the time, and it completely never registered. Now that I’m on the other side, I really wish I could have calmed down through all that.

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By funsherpa, April 30, 2010 6:48 pm

Forget transient flowers and stale chocolates. Chicago moms have other things in mind when they open up their presents this Mother’s Day. We have curated a Mothers Day Gift Guide for the Chicagoan with the most wanted list of gift ideas from our experience store. No matter what your mommy’s style is, we have got you covered, from sub-$100 experiences to an extravagant dinner at top ranked Alinea, but all sure to make mom smile. So, this May 9th, show Mom you didn’t forget about her and give her something she’ll never forget…or simply brag about during her next bridge game.

The hungry food critic mama – your mom a big foodie? Did she raise you with the best organic meals and do you need to thank her for saving you from fast food health problems? Browse unique gourmet experiences in Chicago, from French cooking classes to a dining treat at Alinea.
For the glamorous mama – mom’s want to be glamorous. They were probably a lot more glamorous until they had you. Find spa experiences perfect for skin restoration or facial rejuvenation. Restore that youthful vibrance that mom once had and treat her to our special organic facial or makeup lesson.
The stressed out mom – if mom is still burning the midnight oil and working hard, give her a spa day to eject the stress. From the Blueberry Moon to the Peninsula Spa, we’ve got you covered and know that she’ll come out on cloud nine.
The P90X workout crazy mom – is your mom more fit than you? Does she wake up before the crack of dawn to run down the lakeshore and end the day with yoga? Our active experiences have only the best instructors in Chicago to take your mom’s physical stamina and strength to the next level. Who knows, mom might start her own yoga school and outrun you in this year’s Chicago marathon.
For the don’t break the bank experience – there’s no need to splurge to shower mom with a gift she won’t forget. We have dozens of memorable experiences that mom can check out from tennis lessons to a lazy escape down the Chicago river that will leave you with enough dough to buy dad his perfect father’s day gift too!

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By funsherpa,

Supermom Sara Surrounded by Family and Technology

Sara Fisher, the creative talent behind the Self-Made Mom, demonstrates to Funsherpa how mothers juggle their personal and professional lives to provide their families with the best of everything.  A self-professed ‘former corporate hack’, Sara gives us a glimpse into her transition from the professional scene to motherhood.

F: What do you enjoy the most about Mommy blogging? What does your husband think about your blog?
S: I like creative/ humor writing and I think my blog is the best way for me to get out my creative energy. I wouldn’t say that what I do is “mommy blogging” but rather trying to provide a funny lens for people to see my life with two kids through. My husband is a fan of my writing, but not when it gets too personal. Let’s just say we have creative differences on that front!
F: You mentioned that you’ve transformed from a ‘corporate hack’ to a professional butt wiper. Do you find yourself using any of your corporate skills as a Mom? Any good examples?
S: I think I wrote a post about that a ways back. Yes, I feel that there are many times I’m using my organizational skills, my energy, my “get it done” attitude with my kids. Both for good and bad. For instance, I always would write emails or notes to contacts I met through business, and now, I make sure my older son and I write thank you notes for birthday presents. On the negative side, I probably am a little too demanding of my four-year-old. He’s not a 23 year-old account exec.
F: Can you talk about your experience when you first became a mom?
S: Lack of sleep and doing what you want, when you want were really hard for me to adjust to. I like to do things on my own terms, and now I have the little men who tell me what to do on their terms!
F: How do you manage living in a home full of boys/men?
S: Lots of wine. No, just kidding. I love my house of boys. I’m the queen and I don’t have to worry about how anyone is dressed or hair is brushed. Boys can get away with a little less personal hygiene I think.
F: Upon reading your blog, you seem to be quite a net savvy Mom, using Peapod, Ebay Classifieds, Craigslist, etc. Any other web services you’d like to share that are effective in managing home issues?
S: I use Google all the time, but so does everyone. Twitter is key for me to follow news, local happenings and keeping up with friends.
F: How is social media affecting the way parents raise their kids? Is there anything in the way that social media works that you’d like to change?
S: I think Twitter and Facebook have radically changed how we get and use information. For instance, sometimes if I have a medical or baby question, I’ll post it online before I call the doctor (not in an emergency, of course). On the flip side, I think there are some people that way over-share what they put online about their families and kids, and I’m totally not into that. Those babies are going to grow up to be teenagers and I don’t think they’ll be all that pleased to see a photo of their dirty diaper online.
F: Do you have any ‘Mommy’ role models (real or fictional)? If so, who are they and why do you look up to them?
S: Other than my mom who was a much more patient mother than I am, I think I’d have to say it’s other contemporaries of mine who’ve seemed to make it work having a career and being hands-on with their kids. I have not perfected that yet. Not even close.
F: What have some of your best experiences on Mother’s Day? What would make your perfect Mother’s Day holiday?
S: As I wrote last year, the perfect Mother’s Day for me is being alone! I would like to sleep in, have a leisurely breakfast, read the Sunday New York Times and shower for an hour. I love my kids, but I think having one day a year by myself is good for all of us.

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By funsherpa, April 28, 2010 8:00 am

Decoding mommy blogs with Bethany Hiitola

Discover the world of mommy blogging, free things to do in Chicago with your kids, and motherhood with Bethany Hiitola.  Funsherpa sits down with the writer behind Mommy Writer Blog to understand what it is like to be a mom, blog with kids in the house, and find inspiration in creative writing projects.

F: What do you enjoy the most about Mommy blogging? What do your kids think about your blog?
B: I never really looked at it as mommy blogging or anything but an outlet for me to write what I know. I’ve always been a writer and had a few blogs that I sorta maintained off and on for a few years prior to ever being a mom. But, when I had a kid, found myself at home most of the time with no babysitter (and surrounded by mothers who appeared to know what they were doing), I decided to turn to the outlet I always turn to–writing. And thus my blog and website were born (concurrently I also decided to pursue my dreams of writing fiction and getting it published – so they both were jointly born along with the first child).

My kids are still very young– son is 7 and daughter 2 1/2. So their opinion of my online space is yet to be determined. Although my son now can read at a pretty high level, and has his own computer and unfettered access to the Internet–he’ll find me soon. Though, I am not worried. I always try to write from my point of view (not theirs) so I hope they find it fun and entertaining.

F: Can you talk about your experience when you first became a mom? What were some of the things you had to learn/unlearn from just being an adult with no kids?
B: Frazzled. When I had my son, labor was about 20 hours, I was up all night, and well, birth was an experience that once you go through it, you are changed (in more ways than you care to share). But I survived. And had this pink wiggly crinkled thing handed to me and then everyone left the room. There was no instructions, no one to sorta sit down and tell you what you might expect from the first few nights, how to really change a newborn’s diaper, how you are going to survive on so little sleep you won’t know how to hold a conversation. And it just stays that way. No instructions. And really, no schedules and constant change.

The biggest difference from life with no kids to having kids is just learning to be unselfish. Suddenly your life will revolve around this new little being. And you have to let it for a while until you and the baby adjust. Sure, this changes as the child grows older and becomes more independent, but overall, you give us things for your kid. Whether that is sleep, time, schedules. Pretty much everything changes. And you need to find ways to make yourself a priority too (babysitters, help from family and partners, time away, etc).

And really just BE FLEXIBLE. The flexible and laid back you are about the kid, and naps, and feedings, and all that stuff–the easier your life will be. And more relaxed you will be. And the easier time you will need/have to adjust to motherhood (or parenthood. Dad’s have to do all this too). It’s all good. And children bring a new outlook on life for anyone. But as a parent they change the way you look at the world. So take deep breaths and just enjoy the ride–no matter how it takes you on little side tracks.

F: You seem to write a lot. Can you share with us some of your creative writing projects? What serves as your inspiration?
B: Is it that obvious? Yes I do write a lot. I always have written but never dedicated so much time with it until after I had children. But, then again, my children are part of the reason why I have dedicated more time to writing. After my son was born I found myself working over 40 hours a week at all hours of the day (to adjust for working from home with a young baby) and I wasn’t happy. I needed an outlet just for me and one that might get me out of the rat race.

I haven’t quite gotten out of the (corporate) rat race yet, but I knew there was no chance I could do that without giving a real, true, honest-to-God effort at writing books for publication. So here I am.

I’m working on a bunch of projects right now. The first is the 2nd technical non-fiction book about open source software. My first book was about creating podcasts with Audacity (you can find it here) and it was fun to write. So I signed up for another that I am working on now! This one is about using Inkscape as a web designer. It is due out by the end of the year.

I write for a variety of places online that you can find from my website and they keep me sane during the week when my work schedule is driving me crazy. For fiction, I have a book that I’m shopping around now, another one in the works, and some small pieces that are being published in quarterly magazines. Just enough to keep me from not going to bed too early in the evenings. And to keep me writing, no matter what my day throws at me.

F: What are some of the things you’ve learned from other Mom bloggers? What have you taught other Mom bloggers?
B: To relax. Have fun. Vent if you need to. And ALWAYS respect your children–as they are a wealth of blogging fodder (both good and bad) and are the cutest things ever. With them at your side, they sorta define that mom blogger part of your life. But you are also you. And Mom bloggers stick together. We have that common bond of parenting and we often share stories, agree with one another, disagree with one another and then always want the best for our families.

I am not sure what I have taught others. Maybe just that you can blog, have a life, be a mom, a blogger and other dreams too. Funnily enough, I have always associated myself as a writer. Before a blogger, before a mom, before a mommy blogger. So, I just hope that maybe that is what people have taken away from reading my blog.

F: If you could change one thing about being a mother, what would it be?
B: The extra 15-20 lbs I still have of baby fat. A magic potion to get rid of the constant large dark circles under my eyes. And maybe an “obey your mom” card that I can pull out and use for nap times, cleaning rooms, brushing teeth and more…

Other than that, I just want to enjoy the ride as much as I can. My son is 7. And honestly, there are times I still think he might be about 3 years old and playing super heroes with capes in my living room.

F: Any advice to new parents in Chicago to ensure their kids get to appreciate the city they live in?
B: Go to museums, shows, concerts, outdoor events. EVERYTHING you want to drag yourself too. This city offers anything from free to very expensive activities. Don’t be afraid to drag your kids deep into the city or to the ‘burbs. They both offer unique experiences that can enrich your child’s lives. And expose them to just about everything from sports games, to concerts, to small events (like free comic drawing classes), culture, and more. Just pick a few items a year and make it happen!

F: If you could take your kids anywhere, where would you take them? Why?
B: Finland. We will take a trip there at some point, we just haven’t done it yet. But we have a strong Finnish Heritage and I’ve would love to see the country itself. And the small village by the same name as my surname.

But really–I would love to take them all over the world: England, India, Africa. I’d also love to go see the Grand Canyon, the Pacific Ocean. And well just as many new places as we can afford.

F: What have some of your best experiences on Mother’s Day been? What would make your perfect Mother’s Day holiday?
B: I don’t get caught up on the holiday too much. All I really like are hugs, kisses, and some special homemade things from the kids. If I get a few hours of “free time” after a family brunch that makes it all a bit better. Gives me kid-free time to just re-coup and then come home to more snuggles.