As parents as well as designers of personalized baby gifts, big sister shirts, big brother shirtsand 1birthday shirts, it’s important for us to connect with other parents who are just as excited about parenting (and being creative too!). That’s one of the reasons we’ve started our Brand Enthusiast program so we can also introduce our readers to these inventive and oh so special mamas and daddies.
This week we’re here to welcome Merely Mothers! Read on to hear more about this dynamic duo:
What is MM all about?
Merelymothers is about helping moms and dads press the pause button on their parenting. Why do we do the things we do with our children? We write about the little things, the big things, and the things that make us women and wives…not “just” mothers.
How did you get your start?
We used to take daily walks around our neighborhood when our oldest children were about a year old. During these walks, we’d talk about all the parenting decisions we made, no matter how trivial. We realized bringing our analytical side to parenting made for a lot of interesting questions and debates! It seemed like we just had endless topics to cover and never enough time to cover any topic fully.
One day, Sarah, who had some experience with freelance writing, asked Evanthia if she wanted to start a blog on parenthood. And after a few girls nights, a few glasses of wine, and a few phone calls debating the name, merelymothers was born.
What do you love most about blogging?
Sarah: I love that I can go outside of my house with my kids and see a 700-word essay manifest itself in the smallest things. I love that I can come home and work through what happened in writing, something I’ve loved doing all my life. That is my favorite part of merelymothers: writing and analyzing the things that happen on a daily basis, the little things that over time become the backbone of my children’s childhood. But I also love watching the blog grow. I love working with Twitter (@merelymothers), creating more social connections, watching our social media numbers grow, and seeing new commenters and new dialogue. I don’t even want our readers to always agree; I just enjoy the conversation.
Evanthia: Blogging has been a really unique way for me to connect with other parents about the things that matter most to me, whether it be how to handle a two-year-old who laughs in the face of any punishment I throw at her or how to reconnect with your spouse after you welcome a baby or what it looks like to create “me time” when you’re a SAHM. I love sharing a part of my story and hitting on a topic that it turns out lots of parents want to discuss.
How has it changed your lives as women and mothers?
Someone once told Sarah that blogging would “change your life.” She had no idea what this could possibly mean; it was just a small corner of the internet, right? But now, after two and a half years, we completely understand. Not only has merelymothers created a forum for constant dialogue and analysis on parenting decisions, but we’ve had the opportunity to partner with national brands, hone our writing, design, photography and technology skills, and turn the blog into a business. We’re even carrying our own products now; we just released our branded tote bags, handsewn by Evanthia!
What opportunities has blogging opened for you?
Sarah was actually contacted by a publishing company who found her through merelymothers, and she was asked to author a parenting book, called Making Kid Time Count: The Attentive Parent Advantage: Ages 0-3. The book is a conversational overview of the most recent research on 0-3 year olds, explaining how they are developing emotionally, cognitively, physically, and how we as parents can maximize the time we spend with them. Each chapter includes 10-20 easy activities we can do with our young ones to help them grow and give them the connections they need for a strong future. These early years are critical for future development, so we must use this time as wisely as we can!
We also have made some amazing friendship, through other bloggers and brands!
What do you love/enjoy about Petite Lemon?
Petite Lemon products capture something special about childhood, whether it be a major milestone—a birthday, a “promotion” to big brother or sister—or a simple moment in time.
Sometimes motherhood can get so busy that we forget to slow down and enjoy the small stuff. But having things like personalized growth charts in our kids’ rooms gives us a visual reminder (a stylish one at that!) to pay attention to how much they’ve changed. We notice it in how fast our kids outgrow their clothes, but to see the marks inch upward on the wall really captures the fleeting time of early childhood.
Describe motherhood in one word.
Love.
Thanks Sarah & Evanthia, we’ve loved hearing more about you and MerelyMothers!
Do you have a mommy or daddy blog and are a fan of our personalized baby gifts, big sister shirts, big brother shirts and/or 1birthday shirts? If so, shoot us an email at buzz @ petitelemon (dot) com to talk more about becoming a Blog Ambassador.
