Frequently Asked Questions

Perhaps you've heard of the saying that, you know, says:

"Behind every successful woman, is a basket of dirty laundry."

Girlfriend, I am TOTALLY workin' it - welcome to This Full House!

I love meeting moms (and dads) from all over the blogosphere and enjoy hearing from my readers - especially, when something I've written (or done) resonates really strongly with a fellow blogger - still, I thought that perhaps a list of the most often asked questions would help you better understand some of the reasons for - not to mention, the many trials and tribulations of - keeping This Full House.

How long have you been blogging?

I started blogging in September of 2003 -- at the suggestion of my good friend, Liz -- for several reasons...okay, mostly due to four of the two-legged kind...and with the first couple of posts I thought, okay, I can come here anytime I want, wearing whatever the heck I feel like, and write my heart out.  I started with Blogger and then moved to Typepad (although, I don't know how to retrieve any of my old posts) and purchased my own domain with Wordpress, but moved back to Typepad in the Fall of 2007.  Okay, I have the tendency to bounce around (a lot) but, I also happen to think that change is good.  DId I mention, I'm a Gemini?

Where did you EVER get the name, like, This Full House?

My friend, Liz -- you know, she got me blogging -- asked me if I'd be interested in writing for her webzine, The Philosophical Mother, and suggested that I come up with a catchy-sort of bloggy-type name; something that I (and my readers) could identify with.  But, since most of the COOL ones were already taken (waves to Busy Mom) and taking into account how I was writing, about feeling as if I would be stuck in this "old house" filled with dirty laundry, FOREVER....wait a minute.

Aaaaand that's how This Full House was born.  I guess I could always change it, but I think Dirty Laundry is already taken.

 

How many kids DO you have?

I have four children - Thing One is 14, Thing Two is 12, The Boy is 9 and Mini-Me is 7 - and I don't use their "real" names, because...well...with 6 people living in a 7 room house and ALL three 3 girls sharing 1 bedroom...I would like them to feel as if they had some sense of privacy.

Besides, they have their own blog -- This Full House Kids -- a place where they have my permission to, you know, talk back!

 

Why DO you call your husband, Garth (not his real name) anyways?

 

My husband works for a bank (I can't tell you which one, because I really don't have anything nice to say, since I'm mad at them, and I might get him fired) and he fears his customers might find out that he's really, really good in...ahem...ANYHOW.  Some people say he looks like Dennis Miller.  There's a touch of Eddie Izzard in there, too - same sense of humor, really, - but, I happen to think he looks a lot like Garth Brooks!  So, it sort of stuck (yummy as he is) and now that I'm blogging full-time (yes, it' more than just a hobby) I'm ha

 

ppy that Garth (not his real name) has AT LEAST allowed for a pseudonym.  You should feel lucky, too.  I caught him on a good day and got him to stay still long enough to get the back of his head.  Purr-tty, ain't it?

How many hours do you write and do you get paid for your blog?

Yes, I am a charter member of the BlogHer Ad Network and have joined with other affiliates to run ads here and on my review blog.  I get paid (per click) providing that I keep my blog updated with new content.  I also do freelance work (operative word being FREE) and I am also a member of several parenting advisory boards.  I spend about 35 hours per week, reading, researching, blogging and writing for some awesome websites.  I am very lucky to be associated with companies who believe that people like me (especially, moms) should get paid for what we do.  You can view a full listing of writing assignments here, in my bio.

I've got this AWESOME idea; would you like to endorse my product?

Sounds great - I keep a separate blog for that and we are always looking to post reviews on products that help make our lives a little easier and perhaps be of interest to families, like us! The opportunity to try new products and services is a privilege, as is the manufacturer's responsibility to market their items in a fair manner.  Here are our guidelines.  Is this in line with your company's commitment?  Let us know!

So, are you a SAHM, WAHM or what?

I am a full-time mom, but I write part-time from home.  I've claimed a small corner in the living room as my office and I hope to be able to renovate my bedroom and graduate to moving into the garage, one day.  Since, we don't have a basement and haven't parked the car in, like, 10 years!  We'll see.  But, it's a comfortable arrangement for now - four kids make for a lot of days home, sick or not - and I am ALWAYS on the look out for new gigs.

I am a mom and I want to start blogging, any advice?

Great...YES...good, go here...here...here...and definitely, here!  Also, don't worry too much about stats - heaven knows, I must be annoying the heck out of the 3 people who read me regularly - don't take yourself too seriously and, for Garth's sake, remember to HAVE FUN!  Then, feel free to come back, clean off a chair and sit down.  I love meeting new bloggy-friends.  We can exchange links!

I like your mommy blog - want to exchange links?

Of course - see above - unless, you are spam.  Then, NO!  I have eaten my fair share of the canned stuff, already, thankyouverymuch!

Uh...okay, so how much money DO you make?

I blog because I love to write and am a bit of a techy geek.  HTML codes and designing my own website(s) is, you know, fun to us Dorky-types.  Whatever money I do earn (via ads and such) is nice, but certainly nowhere near my husband, Garth (not his real name) makes or a good-enough reason for him to quit his day job!

PHEW!

Confused?

That's okay - I'm STILL learning, too - but, I do strongly suggest you read Susan's post and NOT because she is a very successful mommyblogger, with 93 writing assignments, a feature on ABC and still manages to look good on camera...DAMMIT!

I got a chance to meet her at BlogHer '07 and I can tell you that she IS very smart, in person, too!

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