Where in the world do you live? And, are you from there?

I live in the United States. I was raised in Central New Jersey.  About 7 years ago, my husband and I moved to Pennsylvania.

What language(s) do you speak?

I speak English, but can definitely hold my own when it comes to speaking Spanish.

When did you first become a mother?

I gave birth to my twin daughters at age 32.

Are you a stay-at-home mom or do you work?

I work full-time.

Why do you blog/write?

Graduating with a degree in English, I have always had a passion for writing.  I “aspired” to be a Creative Writing teacher.  15 years later as a Director of Sales and Marketing, I am still “aspiring!”

My first blog started (and continues) as my personal family blog.  Instead of writing letters to my daughters, I have tried to keep a personal blog just for them. This virtual journal might just help them when they least expect it.

As my career responsibilities grew, I implemented blogs as a part of our marketing strategy.  Although I get some enjoyment from maintaining those blogs, they are nothing like my personal blogs.

I am also a contributor to a variety of industry related blogs.  Unfortunately, they feel more like work than anything else.

How would you say that you are different from other mothers?

After 5 ½ years of motherhood, I am proud to say that I am no different.  Like many mothers, I strive for outstanding – will learn to be ordinary but refuse to accept failure.

For me, “failing” would be if my children didn’t have this extraordinary sense of self-worth and confidence in who they grew to be.  When you strip down their education path, career choices, intertwined with life’s challenges, I would hope that they were still proud to wake up every morning just for being who they were.  To believe in yourself and stand proud of who you are can lead you to amazing things. I wish that for them – each and every day.

What do you view as the challenges of raising a child in today’s world?

For girls, it is this “in-your-face” need for perfection.  From body image to material things, girls are being shown that “perfection” is on the surface and that is what really matters! As we all know – it does not.

When my girls were very young, I used to say “you are beautiful on the INSIDE and out.”  When they got a little older, they started to understand what qualities truly made a person beautiful on the inside.  However, with all the media/peer influences, it is a hard for them to ignore the pressures of society.

Even at such a young age, they face this issue all the time.  I find this to be disheartening as well as challenging.

How did you find World Moms Blog?

Long or the short?  OK – here’s the short.  A family member emailed me a blog post from WMB that they thought I would enjoy.  I LOVED IT!

After reading and reading and reading, I thought I would “try” and join this group of writers.  Jennifer B. was extremely responsive and after submitting some writing samples, here I am – (thankfully!)