Blooming as a Mom Blogger

My bio has a new line: The mother of three, Barbara is a contributor to Chicago Moms Blog.

I. Am. Not. A. Mommy. Blogger.

I am a mom who blogs. So, call me a mom blogger; a women who blogs who also happens to be a mom; or the mother of two teens and a twenty who likes to write about lots of things, including what it’s like to be a mother. And, I’m a consultant who likes to be on the inside of the mom blogosphere. It’s an interesting place and I’m honored to be there.

My most recent Chicago Moms Blog post, Graduation: The Second Time Around, got proofed by my oldest who said, “I love reading writing with no mistakes!” My son, the subject of the post, didn’t read it, but said, “Did you HAVE to use that picture? Whatever . . . ”

Coincidentally, this post was selected to go up the same day he graduated from high school. Although I’ve been a mom for almost 21 years, writing about motherhood so openly is new to me.

Here’s my first official mom blogger post.

But . . . It didn’t make it past submission. The editors suggested that this post belonged on a more personal blog. And, while this blog is not a hyper personal blog, it is my blog.

Let’s Start Here

Although I’ve been writing for what seems like my entire life, including writing professionally for the last 20 years, I’m a bit anxious about writing here.

Why is that?

What makes me anxious?

I don’t know you yet. Yes, I know a few of my co-contributors here very, very well. In the past year or so, we’ve become friends and business partners.

And, I don’t me.

My experience tells that I can do this. I started writing to our firstborn on my first computer when I started my business in 1990. These were late night chats meant to communicate with someone so little that their only communication back was not yet in words, but in smiles and sounds.

Over the years, my mother’s writing work spilled into spirals stacked on shelves around the house with stories like what it was like the night my kids took their first pony ride.

When I started my business blog in 2006 – four years after presenting a sold-out workshop for writers and two years after teaching my first blogging course, I struggled with where to put my mother stories.

Did they belong with my business? Was a business blog a place where I could wander off into a space that’s private, personal and emotional? Or, was it better to be more neutral?

I settled on the latter and managed to sneak in a few glimpses to what life behind the business was like every now and then – about once or twice a year.

So when MJ Tam suggested that maybe I might like to contribute to chicagomomsblog.com, I pondered the idea of having a coming out party of sorts.

Applying to become a writer here felt right. Thanks to MJ, chicaomomsbog.com team lead, and to Jill Asher, founder of Silicon Valley Moms blog for welcoming me so graciously.

Not a new idea, really – my kids first suggested I write about family issues in 2007 after I came home from my first BlogHer conference. “Wait – you’re a mom and you’re a blogger. Why don’t you be a mom blogger?” they asked. And, truthfully, it’s been a bit awkward to be around other moms who blog about being moms and not adding my voice online.

So, here it is. My first post here. Let’s get this ball rolling.

I’ll kick things off with a bit about me. You tell me a bit about you. Along the way, we’ll get to know each other, learn from each other and inspire each other greatly.

Quick bio . . .

Mom xs 3
One college girl, a junior studying music business management and two high school boys, a freshman singer/game enthusiast and a senior skateboarder/film maker. [update: a sophomore singer/skateboarder/ebay expert and a college freshman who studies film when he’s not filming and skateboarding]

Wife: celebrating 25 years of marriage to an athlete who’s completed 77 races at the marathon distance or longer and climbs rocks and mountains.

Pets: One survivalist tabby cat who lovingly shares her purrs and furs with us.

Photographer: http://thesociallens.com [update: photo credit: copyright Barbara Rozgonyi 2010 for http://thesociallens.com]

Entrepreneur: Named my company after my mother [Cory] and grandmother [West]; transitioned away from a successful national sales manager to become a pioneering work from home mompreneur in 1990.

Where to find me in Chicago: at Social Media Club Chicago events

What else do you want to know?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What part of you needs to be nurtured and bloomed? How can you start that happening?