Mommybloggers: Thanks for joining us, Anjali! We are delighted to introduce you to our readers. You're a busy mother to two active girls, with a husband who works a long, grueling schedule. How do you find time for such thought-provoking, near-daily entries?

Anjali:Thanks so much for having me! What a great site!

Anjali:Finding time to write is quite a challenge, and one that I don’t seem to manage all that well most of the time. But, it does help that my girls, who are now 4 and 2, are at an age where they can play together (or fight like cats and dogs, depending on the position of the moon). It helps having a laptop so that I can travel around the house where they are currently wandering. Also, when my husband has some down time in his work schedule, he takes over the girls completely, and then I write like mad. And last but not least, I am a true night owl, and can regularly be found in front of my screen with a hot cup of tea at midnight.

Mommybloggers:We really enjoy your ability to share the daily adventures of a mom in the trenches. We found ourselves nodding in recognition as you recounted fibbing to your pediatrician about infant milestones, grimacing as you searched for Gibby, and doing that laughing/crying thing as we read about your adventures at the Target photo studio. How has reading other mother bloggers impacted your outlook as a new mom?

Anjali: Reading the writing of other mommy bloggers has inspired me to take a more “Type B” approach to parenting, as opposed to my “Type A” usual self. It has also allowed me to enjoy parenting more, because I’m not spending as much time regularly recalling all of my screw-ups as a mother, and believe me, there are many. I’m also not as self conscious, because when my girls are simultaneously screaming and crying on the floor of the Seattle International Airport at 8 am (sorry, Seattle, for the disruption), I know that there is another parent somewhere going through the exact same thing.

Mommybloggers:Several of your published works talk about sharing your South Asian heritage with your daughters. Does writing about your heritage help clarify what traditions and culture you are passing on?

Anjali: I think so. My writing about my heritage is often fueled by fear – fear that my children won’t respect, enjoy, and honor the cultures that shape the fiber of their beings. I worry that they won’t value where they came from, and won’t attempt to understand the roles their ancestors play in their lives. I worry that in a world of increasing political correctness, children are being respected for being different, but not necessarily for actually expressing their differences. So, I write about what I want my girls to know about who they are and where they came from.

Mommybloggers:Have you always been a writer? What got you started with blogging?

Anjali: Well, I’ve always been a reader. For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved curling up with a good book. I think the amount of reading I have done has, in some ways, taught me how to express myself through writing. And now that I’ve really discovered writing, I’m as addicted to it as I am to reading.

Up until a year and a half ago, I had never even heard of blogs or blogging. Then, last spring, a wonderful organization that I’m a member of, Mothers & More, had several of us members blog for their Mothers Day Campaign to raise awareness about how mothers spend their time. The opportunity really turned me on to blogging, and I started my own blog soon thereafter.

Mommybloggers: What do you think about the term "mommyblogger" - do you consider yourself a mommyblogger?

Anjali: I guess “mommyblogger” is considered a negative term? Perhaps because it assumes that if you’re a “mommyblogger,” then you’re not a real writer? The term is really just a job description for me: I’m someone’s mommy, and I blog. So I’m a mommyblogger. Some of the greatest writers and thinkers I’ve found through the internet are mommybloggers. I’ve read many posts from other mommybloggers that could have easily been features in salon.com and slate.com. So I’m honored, actually, to be in such good company.

Mommybloggers:How much of yourself do you put out there? Do you censor yourself in your writing?

Anjali: The piece that I’ll have up here tomorrow was a breakthrough for me. It is an expanded version of a blog post, which was later published on mamazine.com, where I really put my emotions out there. I am very proud of it, because I finally felt free enough to be honest. Having said that, I still do censor myself in my writing. Although I’ve gotten more and more comfortable with writing truthfully over the past year, I still have trouble really bearing it all. I’m still weary of other people’s judgment.

Mommybloggers:You've been published in many wonderful journals and online magazines - where else can we find your writing?

Anjali: I recently started blogging for dot-moms. And I’m trying out my hand in poetry. My first poem was published in the Spring 2006 edition of MotherVerse.

Mommybloggers:You've written candidly about wanting to return to a professional career outside the home - and yet you are enjoying your time at home, too. What is the hardest part of being an at-home parent with professional aspirations? In an ideal world, what would you do?

Anjali: The hardest part about staying home but wanting some type of career, is finding at least some time to put myself and my ambitions, first. On a nice, sunny day, instead of writing, I’ll think, how can I possibly not take the kids to the pool? I have a really hard time ever saying “no” to my family, and say “yes” to myself. I’m trying hard to remember that my dreams and goals should also be a family priority.

In an ideal world, my husband would work 2.5 days a week, and I would work 2.5 days a week. So, we’d never have to worry about childcare, or finding time to do the grocery shopping. Oh, and we’d also have a housekeeper, and a gardener, and full health and retirement benefits. Hmmmm, I’m quite the dreamer, huh?

Mommybloggers:Okay, tell us: do you still have all your Def Leppard posters?

Anjali: Not only do I still have them, they’re in pretty good shape!

Mommybloggers Give us an insight into just how big of a fan you really are.

Anjali: Well, I still wear my Def Leppard t-shirt on occasion (actually, I’m wearing it right now). And I listen to their music on a regular basis. I get the same adrenalin rush hearing “Pour Some Sugar on Me” that I did when I was sixteen. When the kids are screaming and yelling, and I feel like I can’t take them anymore, I put in Hysteria, my favorite album of all time, and crank it up. When my husband Brian tells me that, instead of making it home in time for dinner, he’ll be arriving at midnight, I put on “Love Bites” and belt the lyrics. Def Leppard is touring this summer, and my best friend and I plan on going to one of the concerts!

Mommybloggers:Please tell us you're heading out to BlogHer this year - we would love to meet you in person!

Anjali: Not this year, but boy does it sound fun! I’ll save my pennies in a jar for next year!

Finally, here are the questions that we subject all our interviewees to - a la Inside The Actor's Studio:

What is your favorite parenting related word?

Birth

What is your least favorite parenting related word?

Discipline

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

Freakin’ (unfortunately, this is now a very popular word in Mira’s vocabulary!)

What is your favorite hiding place in your home where you go to get away from it all?

If I had a lock on any of the doors in my house, it would be a room with a lock. But since I don’t, I’ll have to say the alcove in my bedroom.

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

The shower stall!

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

“You were right about Dr. Phil all along. Would you like to host your own show instead?”

Join us tomorrow as Anjali treats us to a wonderful essay.