I came to know Angie in March 2009 and have enjoyed working with her ever since. Her blog is all about her experiences raising her 5 children and I learn a lot from reading her posts. I wonder how she does it all – raising 5 kids, home schooling them and maintaining her blog! I am sure she must be great at scheduling and managing her time. This interview will give an opportunity to our readers to get to know Angie and learn more about her blog.

Interview with Angie Vinez

1.    What is the name of your blog? What do you blog about?

My Blog is 5 Vinez Monkeys which is named for my 5 little monkeys. I blog about a little bit of everything: Life with a large family, photography, living in a rural area, and I host lots of product reviews and giveaways.

2.    What do you most enjoy about blogging?

Being introduced to fantastic products that I haven’t ever heard of before. I absolutely love finding new businesses that are run by other moms. As a mompreneuer myself, I love getting these moms in the spotlight.

3.    How did you get into blogging?

My very first blog, as pitiful as it was, started as a way to keep family updated on my pregnancy with Lucy (my 4^th). I loved it so much, that I started other blogs – one for my business, and one to keep track of the funny things my kids say, among others. When I found out I was pregnant with Parker, and we were hundreds of miles away from family and friends, I wanted to keep them all updated on the pregnancy and the kids.

4.    What are the challenges you face as a blogger?

Saying No. I love writing product reviews and finding out about new companies, but it gets to be a lot of work. As a mom of 5, finding time to sit and write the posts for these reviews is difficult. It means I’m awake, working, when I should be sleeping.

5.    How would you describe yourself in one sentence?

Easy-going, fun-loving, caring, devoted wife and mother who loves her family and her God.

6.    What do you do for FUN?

Lots of things. But, my absolute favorite thing to do is walk the trails in our beautiful mountains.

7.    Are you a full-time mom? What else do you do other than blogging?

I am a full time mom, definitely, especially since my 1 year old still isn’t sleeping through the night. Aside from blogging, I run a photography business, a web, graphic, and blog design business, and I am super active in my church and my community. I obviously love to be busy!

8.    How would you describe your children?

My kids are awesome. It’s funny how different they are from each other. Ashley is super shy and ultra girly. She loves math, and she loves making things with her hands. Zander is my little artist. He’ll sit and draw for hours. Jace is my daredevil. He’s not afraid of anything, and he’s had the broken arms to prove it. Lucy is not shy at all. She loves to sing to anyone who will listen, and she’s my rough-and-tumble kinda girl. She loves to get dirty and play right along with her brothers. Parker is my baby, but he is quickly showing his independence. He still snuggles with his mommy, but he wants desperately to keep up with all his older siblings.

9.    What are some activities that you enjoy with your children?

My absolute favorite activity is reading with them. We also love playing outside, hiking through the mountains, and, of course, playing the wii.

10. What is your proudest moment as a mom?

I can’t pick just one moment. I am so proud and so lucky to be a mom to these wonderful kids. Every day, they all do something that makes me proud to be called their Mama.

11.  What are the challenges you face as a mom?

The biggest challenge is dinner time. Finding something that will make all 5 kids (and my husband!) happy, is almost impossible. I get so tired of hearing the “I don’t like that!”s before they’ve even tried the meal! I really dread dinner time, unless we’re ordering a pizza!

12.  Do you have any parenting advice for other moms?

Don’t ever be afraid to ask for help. Being a mom to 1 or 10 can be exhausting, and it’s ok to need to take a break. Asking someone to keep the kids for an hour so you can nap can make all the difference in the world. Just make sure that you actually NAP during that hour. The dishes will still be there when you get up. Sleep is a precious commodity when you‘re a mom.

13.  How do you balance your busy life?

I schedule everything. Because I homeschool and work from home, I have to plan my day to the minute. Now, anyone with kids knows that schedules don’t always get followed, but I sure try. My day starts at 5:30, and doesn’t usually end until around 1. I’ve learned to live on little sleep, but it allows me to get plenty of time with my kids and my husband.

14.  Have you made any friends through your blog? Have you met any of them in person?

I’ve made so many friends through blogging, it’s almost unbelievable! There are some amazing mom bloggers out there! While I haven’t met any of my blogging friends in person (YET!), I have gotten many of my real-life friends hooked on blogging.

15.  What advice do you have for other busy mom bloggers like you?

Just remember that family comes first. Always. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself to blog that you forget why you’re doing it. (Hopefully for fun, right?)

Thanks to Angie for sharing her thoughts and experiences which will help other moms and mom bloggers like her. 5 Vinez Monkeys blog was chosen as the 2009 winner of the MagnaPlay Best Mom Blog Contest. Do visit Angie’s blog for some great parenting tips and giveaways!

Interview with Candice Broom

1. What is the name of your blog? What do you blog about?
Mom Most Traveled. I blog about family travel, mom stuff, and I also do product reviews and promotional giveaways.

2. What do you most enjoy about blogging?
I love writing and I like knowing that people are reading what I have to say! The best thing about blogging is having online friendships with other bloggers with whom I have things in common.

3. How did you get into blogging?
I started blogging in 2000 when a friend showed me an online journal site called Diaryland.com Later when I moved to China in 2002 it became a way to stay in touch with family and friends. When I had my first child in 2004 I used it
to share pictures of my son with faraway family, and that was when I started connecting with other mom bloggers.

4. What are the challenges you face as a blogger?
Busyness! There are so many things I want to do with my blog, but since I actually have a “real job” teaching preschool, I am really short on time. I would love to be able to earn a living by blogging. I have made some money along the way but not enough to be called “a living”!

5. How would you describe yourself in one sentence?
This is a tough question! I am a people-loving introvert and a life-long learner. How does that sound?

6. What do you do for FUN?
Blog and check emails! I also go on a dinner date with my husband about once a week. I think eating is fun. Sometimes we buy an entire season of a favorite show on DVD, then make our way through bit by bit each night after the kids are asleep.

7. Are you a full‐time mom? What else do you do other than blogging?
Until recently I was working as a substitute teacher, but I was just hired as a full time EY3 teacher in a PYP private school. The teaching part is fun but it turns out there are lots of time consuming housekeeping and administrative duties in this type of program.

8. How would you describe your children?
Jojo is boisterous and excitable. He loves to joke around and be the center of attention. He just turned 5 in October and loves Lego and Indiana Jones.
Deeds is good natured and driven. He has a quick and adorable smile which wins him friends of all ages. He just turned 2 in August and wants to be a part of everything. He pulls up a chair to stand on when he sees me busy in the kitchen, and tries to keep up with whatever Jojo does. He really likes cats; I feel a little guilty for not wanting to bring a pet into the home.

9. What are some activities that you enjoy with your children?
I like reading to them and “dancing” to CD’s.

10. What is your proudest moment as a mom?
Jojo is starting to read, that makes me feel proud! I was also pretty proud when he was potty trained by his second birthday.

11. What are the challenges you face as a mom?
I always wear out before the kids! And I have the universal problem of never seeming to have enough time to do everything I want to do.

12. Do you have any parenting advice for other moms?
One thing I feel I do right is giving my kids an early bed time. They are in bed by 8pm and I have noticed that they wake up at the same time every morning no matter if I try to keep them awake to tire them out or not. Putting them to bed early is not only good for their bodies, but it gives me some time with my husband before we collapse from tiredness.

13. How do you balance your busy life?
I have been working over the past year to try to simplify things in different areas of our life, and I think I have been successful but we still have a way to go. The best thing we did was to relocate to a smaller house that is within walking distance of our school. Jojo, Nick, and I can all walk to school and work. I love it. It saves the stress of a morning drive,
and we can leave the house at 7:10 am to get to school at 7:15!
I am trying to delegate more. I have a stay at home mom neighbor and I am working out an arrangement with her where she makes dinner for my family once a week and I pay for the food. I also sometimes have my babysitter do some food prep stuff if I think about it in advance, like chopping veggies or something so I can just walk in the door and start cooking right away.

14. Have you made any friends through your blog? Have you met any of them in person?
Yes, several! I was able to meet a few of them at BlogHer ‘09 in Chicago this past August. It was incredible!

15. What advice do you have for other busy mom bloggers like you?
Keep doing it as long as you love it! Don’t be afraid to make contact with “big” companies or bloggers. We don’t know where this new media will take us, so just enjoy the ride!

Thanks to Candice for sharing her thoughts and experiences which will help other moms and mom bloggers like her. Hope you enjoyed getting to know Candice as mich as I did. Do stop by her blog Mom Most Traveled for tips on traveling and great giveaways!

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