An Interview with Sheri of Mommy Adventures
Tell us about yourself, your family, and your site. When did you first start your site Mommy Adventures? Also, tell us more about being an American mom in Australia and the story behind that.
That’s a loaded question! I grew up in Washington State, USA, surrounded by horses, cats, and a dog. When I was little, I used to compete in horse shows and taekwondo tournaments. I always wanted to go to Australia, for as long as I can remember. I never knew why, just that I wanted to. I got a job at 16 and saved all of my money so I could be an exchange student for my last semester of high school. I met Aaron whilst on exchange. Aaron was my host sister’s boyfriend’s best friend (did you get all that?). He was my very first boyfriend, and I his first girlfriend.
I had to go back and forth between here and the States a few times for visa reasons, but here I am, 1 wedding (to Aaron, in case you didn’t get that), 2 kids, Australian citizenship, and 11 years later.
Hannah, 2.5 years old, is our first child. She is cheeky, rambunctious, and apart from not being able to figure out how to poop on the potty instead of her underpants, super smart. Daniel, 8 months old, is our second (and last!) child. He is jolly, getting into everything, and is always singing non-understandable, happy baby songs.
The 4 of us live in a small, kind of dingy 2 bedroom apartment while we save up a house deposit. Let’s just say, it seemed like a good idea at the time….
My blog started when I was pregnant with Hannah. It was actually Aaron’s idea. My family and extended family were always wanting to know how things were going with us and the pregnancy, and my baby brain couldn’t ever remember who I’d already told things to, so I’d end up telling people the same story over and over again. Or forgetting to tell someone something important. And so the blog was born.
Back then though, it was called Things and Stuff, and was so incredibly boring that I have no idea why anyone actually read it. I suppose not many people did, just my family. It pains me to go back and read it, it was that bad!
Mommy Adventures, and my facebook page, were born a year ago when I decided to get my own domain name and attempt to scale the giant ladder that is Top Mommy Blogs (www.topmommyblogs.com). I was number one. For about a day. Sigh.
Your cartoon illustrations are hilarious and make your posts so much more relatable! What gave you the idea to create these illustrations and add them to your posts?
Thanks! They actually came about by accident. I never set out to illustrate my blog. I’m not even good at drawing! We used to live with Aaron’s Grandma (she’s over 80, had a 4 bedroom house all to herself, and was scared she’d fall in the shower and be stuck there for 3 days because no one would be there to find her. So she asked us if we wanted to move in) and one weekend, we all thought it would be a good idea to clean out the shed. We found an old dresser FULL of cockroaches. Ick. I excitedly waddled (I was pregnant at the time) inside to get my camera as I thought it would make a great blog post. Grandma, however, did not. She forbid me to even take photos of the shed, the dresser, the roaches, or anything even remotely related to cleaning out the shed, let alone post them on my blog for all to see. I still wanted to do a post about it, so I decided to draw the disgusting dresser full of roaches. Cheeky, I know.
Everyone loved my ridiculous drawings so I kept doing them. Eventually, they went from black and white and drawn on paper, to full colour and drawn on the computer with a graphics tablet. But my graphics tablet eventually kicked the bucket, and I’m too cheap to buy a new one. So now I use the iPad, with a drawing program I got for about 3 bucks. And no one has ever noticed the difference.
What is your biggest challenge being a mom?
Not losing my mind! Dishes, laundry, poopy nappy, feed them, clothe them, wash them, poopy nappy, tantrum, poopy nappy, clean up toys, amuse them, dishes, tantrum, repeat…. Moms, you know what I’m talking about.
What are some ways in which your family tries to save money?
Living in a 2 bedroom apartment! That’s the main one, but I also make a weekly meal plan and shop accordingly so I know exactly what I need to buy and don’t end up buying lots of stuff I don’t need. We stick to a weekly spending money budget, and I buy generic things when I can. I also try not to use the washer and dryer during peak times of the day when electricity costs more.
Do you have any favorite blogs you love to read that you would like to share with our readers?
I think Pretty All True is hilarious. I also like Hot Mess Mom, and Mom Illustrated
What are your top 5 tips for all moms?
1. Meet with other moms, particularly ones who have kids around the same age as yours. I still get together with my antenatal class from when I was pregnant with Hannah. Even though I moved an hour away from them, we still email a lot, and get together in person when we can.
2. Whenever you can, have some you time and don’t feel bad about it.
3. Make time for your husband (or boyfriend, fiance, whatever), your kids are not the only ones who need you.
4. Get out every day. Even if it’s just to the end of your driveway.
5. Eat together as a family as often as you can.
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Site: www.mommyadventures.net
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mommy-Adventures/203964682967827
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/MyHilariousFam
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/mommyadventures/
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