Introducing.....Shelley - she's a stay at home mother of two, who enjoys cooking and trying new recipes. She also loves sharing her love of cooking with her children and they can often be found in the kitchen right by her side as she cooks and shares her fab recipes and that's what makes her a great Mom That Blogs.
Tell us a bit about yourself.....I am a thirty something stay at home mom with two kids - a five and a half year old daughter and a one year old son. My husband and I eloped in Jamaica, which was pretty much the best thing ever. We've been married for almost ten years now. I have an MBA with a concentration in marketing, and I was a Marketing Manager at a Fortune 500 company. And, though I loved that job, nothing compares to being a Mommy. I can't imagine not being there to watch my kids grow and learn. I love to read, and I dabble in all kinds of crafts, though I am much better at beginning projects than at finishing them sometimes. The other thing I love to do is dance. I danced growing up, danced competitively in college, and will bop around to just about any song I hear.
Tell us 3 fun facts we might be surprised to learn about you......Fun facts, huh? Hmm... well, most people are surprised to hear that I was born in Puerto Rico. My birth certificate is in Spanish and everything. I'm an American citizen, but can still count myself as Puerto Rican if I want to!
I am a twin, which fascinates many people, but to me it's just what it is! The funniest part about that, though, is that my parents didn't know they were having twins until my sister (five minutes older) was born. For a while my name was "surprise!" I have been asked so many times "What is it like to be a twin?" but I have no idea what it is like to NOT be a twin, so it is hard for me to give a real answer.
And I have never been to the West coast. As a matter of fact, I have never been further west (within the US) than Atlanta. Crazy, huh?
When did you first start blogging.....I started blogging in January 2010. I actually started my blog specifically to be able to join the Daring Kitchen - an online community that hosts baking and cooking challenges monthly. While a blog is not mandatory for joining, it is generally intended as a food-blogger community. But now the blog is so much more than just the Daring Kitchen, and I love sharing my crazy kitchen adventures with whoever stumbles across the site.
What is your blog about......My blog is a food blog, but one that incorporates my life as a mommy. I like to incorporate my kids in my cooking and baking, and I feel like both they and I gain so much from the shared experience.
Why do you blog......I blog mostly for fun, but also as a creative outlet. I love my kids and my family, but it is nice to have a challenge for myself outside of that, and for me, taking the pictures, writing up the posts and learning new things has really been a fun challenge.
Must read blogs that you visit daily.....Oh man, well, I have so many friends with blogs, and reading their blogs help me feel like I am keeping up with their lives, even when we live far apart and during those hectic times when we can't really call each other that often. And, as I am always looking for new recipes, I am always finding new food blogs. There is just so much out there!
What inspires you.....So many things inspire me.
Food inspires me - we have to eat three times a day, might as well have fun with it, right?
Nature inspires me - I love using fresh ingredients, and, beyond that, just being outside in the sunshine (well, when it's warm!).
And most of all, my kids inspire me. They keep me motivated and always looking for new and fun projects, both in the kitchen and in life.
Do you have a bucket list, name a few things on it......I don't have a bucket list per se, but there are so many things I want to accomplish in life.
I want to travel - see the world and all of the beautiful places there are. I think the best would be to travel to as many tropical islands as possible with my husband. That would be heavenly.
I want to continue learning new things every day. I don't even care what those things are, I just want, when I think about each day as I am getting into bed, to know that I learned something new.
I want to watch my kids grow into happy, productive, proud adults. Obviously I want them to have happy childhoods - it's what I try to provide them with every day! But furthermore, I want them to be strong, independent people who can be confident in themselves and in the fact that their mommy loves them and trusts them.
Do you have any blogging advice that you would like to share......Be yourself on your blog. I know that so many people like to hide themselves in the online world and put forth the image of themselves that they'd like others to believe, but being yourself, online as in real life, is really the best way to be. I think that the most successful bloggers are those who tell it like it is, warts and all, and who know how to laugh at themselves in the process.
To learn more about Shelley and try her super awesome recipes...check out her blog
C Mom Cook
