Blogger Spotlight

Blogger Stephanie Elie’s family keeps her busy, as does the online store she manages, but she still finds time to write on her blog devoted to technology and parenting, appropriately called Bizzie Mommy. Life360 caught up with her recently to discuss mommy blogging, tech that make kids safer, and the gadget she wants most for 2010.
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No man can serve two masters, or so the biblical adage goes, but can a dad truly devote himself to technology and to his family? Blogger Michael Sheehan says yes—not that it’s always easy.

The father of three daughters and an avowed gadget junkie, Michael admits he sometimes feels “two things tugging me in different directions: family and technology.” But, he says, “instead of trying to battle these two potentially opposing forces, I made the effort to combine the two.”
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“Mom, you rock” is a phrase mothers love to hear, and blogger Lindsay Maines, aka Rock and Roll Mama, wants you to know it’s a fitting one for moms everywhere.

“If there’s one thing I’d love for women to take away from my writing, it’s that they’re doing it right,” Lindsay said. “They don’t need to fit in a box to be great mothers, and they need to give themselves permission to cut loose every now and then… motherhood doesn’t need to be a woman’s sole identity.”
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Asha Dornfest is the founder of Parent Hacks, a community-guided site full of everyday know-how, crowdsourced from the creativity of its readers. Parent Hacks covers everything from removing gum from your kid’s hair (olive oil) to getting helium balloons down from a high ceiling (vacuum cleaner) curing hiccups (peanut butter).

Asha spoke with us about how she started the site, what other blogs she reads, and what book she’d bring if she were stuck on a desert island.

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What was the inspiration for Parent Hacks?

The inspiration (or should I say anti-inspiration?) was the bewilderment I felt after my first child was born. I read all the books but was as confused as ever when he didn’t “fit” the descriptions and the strategies. I slowly realized that a combination of advice from experienced parents plus my own intuition was generally more helpful than anything ever written by an expert.
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“Anyone can cook,” the optimistic slogan from the film Ratatouille, may not have applied to Sara Chatfield when she left home for college. After a particularly disappointing effort that resulted in spoiled instant pudding, she nearly called it quits in the kitchen. But the necessity of eating while living off campus and a deal with her roommates to make dinner once a week brought her the experience and ultimately the confidence she needed to start enjoying cooking and baking’s rewards.

It also introduced her to new dishes, delicacies and eventually a new hobby. Since October 2007, Sara has recorded recipes, as well as her cooking and baking adventures on her blog, Cupcake Muffin.
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Formerly the education and family reporter and currently food editor for the Bay Area’s San Jose Mercury News, Contra Costa Times, and Oakland Tribune, Jackie Burrell is no stranger to putting her family experience into words. She’s also writing online for the Bay Area News Group’s parenting blog, aPARENTly Speaking, and About.com’s Young Adults section.

We caught up with Burrell to ask her about planning family vacations — what to do, what not to do, and how to avoid disaster.

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Life360: You have four children and have gone on numerous family vacations to fun places in the U.S. and abroad. How do you plan ahead for family trips? How do you decide where to go?
 
We start planning six months to a year ahead and do a lot of research on the internet to find really memorable experiences, whether it’s luge rides in Austria (highly recommended) or a dinosaur dig in Montana (ditto). As the kids have grown, we’ve given them a lot of say in what we do and where.
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Vered Deleeuw is a blogger for hire, a term you didn’t hear much up until recently. But Deleeuw is among a burgeoning number of tech savvy writers ready to help individuals and companies find an audience on the web. She also keeps a personal blog, in which she talks about everything from blogging to Obama’s recent speech on education to cupcake recipes.

We caught up with Deleeuw and asked her about her writing, family, and the role of social media in the home.

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In a MomGrind article you wrote about children’s self-esteem, you advised that parents should “encourage your children to be adventurous and to try new things.” How can parents tell where the line between “adventurous” and “risky” is?

Simply listen to your instincts. I know I write a “mom blog,” and I sometimes give advice to other moms, but I’ll confess that I rarely take advice from others. I strongly believe that parents should listen to their own instincts instead of relying so much on information from the outside (books, blogs, etc.).
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Amy Bellgardt is the founder and administrator of online magazine Mom Spark, a network of 17 moms who contribute advice, stories, and recipes online. She’s also worked with companies like Warner Bros., Ford, and Nestle. We caught up with Bellgardt and asked her what about blogging, social media, and why she never writes about her kids.

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So let’s start off simple: why do you blog?

I originally created Mom Spark because I was an overwhelmed stay-at-home mom with a difficult newborn, a strong-willed eight year-old, and a husband who worked a lot. Need I say more? I needed the companionship, advice, and support from other moms, even if I had never met these moms in “real life.” Mom Spark became my therapy, my way of connecting with the world amidst the chaos in my head, home, and heart. Please let me note that I love my children and husband and want to stay home with them and never regret doing so at all, but when I started Mom Spark, I especially needed that extra boost of confidence, assurance, and hope.
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Wherever there’s danger, Alison Rhodes is there to tell you how to prevent it. Better known as “The Safety Mom,” Rhodes is a leading expert on child safety, health and wellness, and “going green.” She has made television appearances on The Today Show, Good Morning America Now, ABC World News Tonight, NBC’s Open House, and CNN, and has been featured on American Baby Magazine, Parents, BabyTalk, Parenting.com and Expectant Mother Magazine. She blogs regularly at The Safety Chronicles, which is one of our favorites here at Life360.

We recently spoke with Rhodes, who shared her best summer safety tips, what she’s currently reading, and more.

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