Mommybloggers: First off, Busy Mom. Shall we call you Busy Mom, Mrs Busy or have we known each other long enough that we can just go on a first name basis and call you Busy.

Busy Mom: Oh, goodness, no need to be formal. "Busy" is just fine. Some people are even more casual and call me, "BM". But, well, that can be awkward sometimes.

Mommyblogggers: Do your children get picked on in school for having such vague and unusual names as Busy Boy, Busy Girl and The Preschooler formerly known as Busy Baby? (And really, how mean is that to make him learn how to spell all of that out!)

Busy Mom: Their true friends will accept their names, it builds character. As for "The Preschooler Formerly Known as Busy Baby", I hear you get at least 2 points for writing your name on an AP exam, so I figured his name would be good for at least 3 points and, thus, college credit while still in high school.

Mommybloggers: Have you thought about trademarking the name Busy Mom? Because we have seriously heard people on the streets talk about being a Busy Mom and then we have to get all up in their grill telling them they are SO not Busy Mom!

Busy Mom: Actually, I usually don't give it much thought until the random reader takes it as some sort of statement and reminds me that "ALL moms are busy". I do, however, want to talk to the lady driving around town with the "Busymom" vanity car license plate. Apparently, she's not much of a driver and local readers keep asking if that's me. I may have to take legal action.

Mommybloggers: We happen to know you have a set of drums. (And we know you sing along to the radio) Are there plans in the works to start up a Busy Band?

Busy Mom: Hmmm, "Busy Mom and the Bloggers". It does kind of have a ring to it, no? (Note to self: secure place for auditions).

Mommybloggers: Can the mommybloggers go on your next annual girls trip? We'll behave. (Well, we probably won't, but that makes it more fun!)

Busy Mom: Sure, we'd have a blast! However just one caveat: Don't be annoying. It doesn't matter if the cost of the toilet paper we bought gets split 9 equal ways. Somone may actually get hurt on this upcoming trip if they don't figure that out soon.

Mommybloggers: Not at all a problem. We have a plethora of toilet paper. Long story. Kind of traumatic. Not sure we can legally talk about yet.

Mommybloggers: So, we all know you are a soccer mom. In fact, you are pretty much the poster mom for soccer moms. Have you ever played soccer? And tell the truth, do you even enjoy soccer or do you rank it around you football feelings?

Busy Mom: Yes, actually, I have played soccer. I played in grade school, but there wasn't much high school soccer the area until I was a senior, so I didn't play then. Before kids, I played on an adult recreational team. Both"adult" and "recreational" were misnomers. I love to watch soccer. I don't follow any pro teams or anything, but I enjoy my kids' games and high school games as well.

Mommybloggers: Do people in your everyday "real life" know about your blog?

Busy Mom: Oh, goodness, a very few do *waves hello to real life friends*. For the longest time, no one did, but I told a couple of people and then I was exposed when I was sloppy with the bookmarks on my laptop and Google outed me a couple of times. I was a bit uncomfortable with people knowing, not because I wanted to write stuff about them, it's just that I didn't want them to think I was a bigger geek than they already did. They do, however, need to speak up more. Would it kill ya to comment?

Mommybloggers: What topics (if any) are off limits to you when it comes to what you will share online?

Busy Mom: Though Busy Dad reads only occasionally, I don't make a habit of talking about serious stuff between us, and I try to limit specific information about my children. I don't talk about politics because it bores me senseless, but I would post something about it if I felt the urge. I also try not to link my real name to my blog, but I haven't been all that successful (see above). While it's somewhat about Internet safety, it's more that I get embarassed when someone I know sees the waste of bandwidth I can perpetuate.

I have no need to speak badly of another blogger outright or through veiled hints. If there's something that I don't like, I can either enter the conversation like an adult or choose not to read. I know there are "Internet fights" out there, I stumble onto them occasionally, but half the time I have no idea what they are about, but I can't imagine a scenario where I'd need to get involved.

Mommybloggers: You have a pretty broad range of readers. You attract men, women, children, parents, nonparents and we hear a primate or two enjoy you as well. What do you feel is the secret to gaining and maintaining your reader base?

Busy Mom: I think you scared the monkey off (things that sound dirty, but aren't). [Editorial note: Jenn did scare the whole Ask the Monkey thing right off the blog. That thing scared the beejeezus out of her. Sock monkeys are just wrong! Having them give advice? Horrific!] I am grateful to everyone who reads what I write, they are a varied lot, that's for sure. I just write whatever bubbles up from my brain and sometimes people read and sometimes they don't. I do try to post regularly, but mostly because I enjoy doing it. Every now and then, someone will ask for advice, and I tell them that I think it's important to participate, visit and comment on blogs you like. I don't think I have a secret. Well, not that kind of secret and I'm not going to tell you the others. Then they wouldn't be secret anymore.

Mommybloggers: What do you think about comments on blogs? Seriously, you can write that your Diet Coke made you burp and will probably receive more than a dozen comments on that. Yet, we have yet to see any flames be spewed upon your blog. What is your secret?

Busy Mom: Dang, you heard me? I said, "excuse me" when that happened. I think that comments are the very essence of blogging. It's not really about how many comments a post might (or might not) have, it's about the potential for interaction, people can jump in the conversation if they choose. I suppose I don't have much flaming because I really don't write about anything of much consequence. When I get trollish comments, though, they are pretty good ones.

Mommybloggers: You dare to use the word "mom" in blog url. Of course, it is not mommy, so you have redeemed yourself a bit. We ask all of our featured bloggers this question: What do you think of the term mommybloggers?

Busy Mom: That does seem to be a hot topic out there. I almost hate to admit it, but my blog name arose only because I couldn't find a name at Blogspot, lo those many years ago, that wasn't already taken. I was kind of annoyed when I typed that in, but it was available and it just kind of stuck.

I don't really get all the "mommyblogger" hate. Either read someone's blog if you like it, or don't read if you don't enjoy it. A blog solely about parenting and children is not any different from a blog solely about marketing or about computer programming. The writer is writing about what they know and enjoy. I may not be in marketing, but I might enjoy reading something in someone's marketing blog, anyway. I wouldn't necessarily dismiss it because the word "marketing" is in it. Conversely, if there's a blog that is about lots of different things that happens to be written by someone who is farsighted, that doesn't make them a "Presbyopia Blogger". I'm not offended by the term "mommyblogger" when it is directed at me, unless someone is using it to dismiss me without knowing what I write. I'm proud to be a mother and if my writing's not someone cup of tea, that's OK.

Mommybloggers: We know you have sold your soul to Starbucks. On a typical day at a typical coffee shop, what do you order? What do you think of the people who stand in line in front of you and order things like a "triple, grande, half-caf low fat no foam extra hot latte with whip"? Have you ever smacked one of them? You can tell us. We won't tell.

Busy Mom: As much as I've blathered on about the specialty drinks (my recent pumpkin spice latte jag), I usually get a tall, mild drip coffee with room for cream, because coffee is a vehicle for my beloved half-and-half. However, since I only drink coffee first thing in the morning, I have a secondary habit of their Shaken Iced Tea Lemonade. I am very scared it will leave the menu for the winter.

As for these people and their fancy pants drinks, I mentally mock them, but my desire to smack someone is usually reserved for the people fixing the drinks, especially when they are not as efficient as the ones at my "main" Starbucks. Damn, did I just admit I have a "main" Starbucks?

Mommybloggers: Let's get serious with you for a minute. You have shared with your readers about your mom's lung cancer diagnosis. It's been touching, heartwrenching and has given a lot of your readers a glimpse into the world of the Sandwich Generation. Has it been helpful to you to write about it?

Busy Mom: Oh, absolutely. People have been wonderful and they really care. I am also profoundly grateful that I have, in a small way, been able to help others out there who are going through something similar.

Mommybloggers: How have your readers helped you through this? Any regrets about talking about it?

Busy Mom: No regrets at all about writing about it, I'm so glad I have people out there supporting me. When my mother was first diagnosed, a total stranger (not someone with whom I regularly interacted with on a blog) e-mailed me from out of the blue and let me unload on her. And, boy did I. She happened to be some sort of therapist and, though I don't remember who she is, I will always be grateful. Even though I haven't written anything about her in a while, people will e-mail me asking about her. There are so many thoughtful people out there.

Mommybloggers: Now, more play time.

And here are the questions we subject all of our featured bloggers to (With apologies to Bernard Pivot and Inside the Actors Studio):

1. What is your favorite parent related word?

"Goodnight"

2. What is your least favorite parent related word?

"Uh-oh"

3. What is your favorite creative censored curse word used around children?

What is this "censored" of which you speak? Kidding, kidding (mostly). It's not terribly creative, but, "gawd-doggit" can usually be substituted in time.

4. What is your favorite hiding place within your home when you need to get away from it all?

The living room

5. What hiding place have you been found in too often and can no longer use?

The bathroom

6. If Oprah exists, what would you like to hear her say when you arrive at the Oprah Winfrey show when she features the Mommybloggers?

"Welcome to my 'Favorite Things' show. We'll start with the entire Coach collection."

Mommybloggers: Busy Mom, we at Mommybloggers are thrilled to have had this chance to sit down and chat with you. You make reading about motherhood more fun and relatable. We look forward to reading whatever thrilled and awe-inspiring thing you have to say to us tomorrow. (Did we mention you get to write tomorrow? Ooops. Our bad)! Seriously, we adore you. Thanks for playing along with us!