This week's interview is going to start a bit differently than most. Before we get into our "hard hitting, ground breaking" questions, we wanted to hand the blog over to one person who has known her the longest and has a very special relationship with our good friend, Kelly. So, without further ado from us, in the words of her very own daughter, here is Mallory telling us more about her amazing Mom.
"Kelly, Mocha, Mrs. W" to her friends and her students, "Mommy" to only 3 very special, and all alliteral M-named, kids. Sharing my mother has never been easy for me; seeing her be changed from my mommy to a wife was a hard change and then you add on two more to the family, plus a dog, a mortgage, hundreds of students, masters' classes and a handful of ever-expanding friends and a lot of "Mommy" time is gone. But we have a secret, my mother and I do. Mom comes home almost religiously every day to a nap. Once some time has set in, where she's rather groggy and half-way to her REM sleep, I sneak into the room, very carefully arrange a pillow, and silently lisen to mom sleep. Those times are some of the most memorable, most connective moments that I've ever had with her. Sure, we are great with exchanging words, whether in laughter or in anger as we both have a great pair of lungs, but being able to connect on a level most people will never know with a woman most people will never forget is something I'll never lose sight of. A great momala, a fantastic teacher, an understanding friend, and one hell of a blogger, my mother couldn't be replaced by anyone and I am proud to be her daughter.
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.- Maya Angelou
And that's my mom.
Mallory Lynnae
We could so end this right here because that says more about Kelly than any interview we could do. However, we did put her through the work of answering questions, so now we will here from Kelly herself.
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Mommybloggers: One of the reasons we love your blog so much is because you have the ability to make us wipe tears of laughter away one minute and tears of empathy the next. You are an amazing writer and we appreciate you doing this interview with us. Ready? We'll start small. Feel free to be as honest as you need to be about this. What do you think of the fact that they are no longer considering Pluto a planet?
Kelly: Seriously, I’m a little concerned. First, we have Mickey Mouse who owns a dog. I mean, really. A mouse who owns a dog? And then the dog doesn’t even talk, but the mouse does? That reminds me…what’s up with Goofy? What is he? Is it a he? Oh, pardon me. My kids just told me you were talking about the planets. I was all confused. That’s easily done.
Mommybloggers: You became a Mom a month after you turned 15. Obviously it impacted everything about your life. But the fact that you stood strong and made yourself the best Mom you can be and the best person you can be is an amazing testament to who you are. (I mean, you were crowned Homecoming Queen when she was just 2 years old.) How do you feel being a teen Mom impacts your relationship with your daughter as she was growing up and now that she is older?
Kelly: The fact that we grew up together isn’t at all lost on me. I made no pretenses about the fact that I did NOT know what the hell I was doing and was parenting by the seat of my pants. Of course, now I realize that every mother does that. It taught me a lot of humility and made me somehow more ‘real’ to her as a person, not just a mom. The only thing I knew for certain was that I wanted to have fun being a mother and my kids have a great sense of humor. This house is full of laughter.
Mommybloggers: How do you feel it affected your relationship with your sons when they were born since you had both age and experience under your maternal belt?
Kelly: I still realized that I knew nothing, but I was smart enough to know that these were entirely different beings so it was as if I had to start all over again. And then again with my last son, too. There are days when I look at all of them and wonder, “Who are these creatures I’ve created and cared for? Why am I so lucky with them?” Then, I ram my head into a hard cabinet until that feeling goes away and I remember just how difficult this mothering thing is.
Mommybloggers: We have to tell you that we have great admiration and respect for you. A single mom at 15, you graduated respected among your peers, went to college, met an amazing man and are a successful, happy woman currently going for her Masters. Where do you think that inner strength you have comes from?
Kelly: I am the most stubborn and irritating kind of person. Normally, it’s a bad quality, but I used my powers for good. Yoda would have been proud of how I used the Force. In truth, I only went to college because everyone said I’d be a failure and end up on welfare. Nothing made me happier than proving them wrong. Also, I come from good German stock.
Mommybloggers: With all that you have been through in your life, what do you see has been your biggest challenge or hurdle in life?
Kelly: I have had a hard time forgiving Richard Cranium. It’s not that I don’t want to, because this is an awful burden to carry around, but I want to do it for Mallory and for myself. He’s just so damn stupid. It’s hard to forgive the stupid.
Mommybloggers: You are quoted as saying: "I didn't get caught up in the mommyblogger-vs.-everyone-else-drama because let's face it: I have enough drama to deal with in my real life that I don't need to take on virtual ones." If you could just make one statement that would shut up this controversy, what would it be?
Kelly: Women need to stop being so hard on other women.
Mommybloggers: Is there anything you won't write about on your blog? Anything off limits or not "for blog consideration"?
Kelly: For the most part, I don’t talk about things that my children experience because those are for them. They don’t live to provide me with blog fodder, but I want them live in such a way as not to fear reading about it on the internet or that I’m writing it down instantly. I’ve kept journals for years and years and those are for them. I also stay away from religion and politics. That is for when I’ve had a few beers and can wrestle you if I can’t win the argument. Since my children can all read (and occasionally read my blog) I try not to talk about sex. When I do, I warn them just to see their faces screw up and hear them say, “Eeeeewwww, Mommmmm.”
Mommybloggers: Describe yourself in 7 words that would have our readers able to walk away feeling as if they know who you are.
Kelly: Verbose, determined, funny, intuitive, compassionate, fragile, open-minded (do you know how hard it is for a verbose person to limit it to seven words?)
Mommybloggers : Tell us a secret that no one knows.
Kelly: On the day that the newest The Gilmore Girls DVD comes out I go to Best Buy as soon as they open so I can buy it. I have taken a morning off of work for this.
Mommybloggers: Okay, it has to be brought up. There was a little rumor about a bit of a cat fight between you and "another blogger" over the whole mocha momma vs. javadiva thing and a challenged was issued to see who can out coffee the other. Care to confirm or deny this?
Kelly: I can only say this: my espresso intake has quadrupled since this “challenge” was issued and I believe I experienced a small stroke this afternoon. Also, I think I may have said something like, “I can drink you under the table in all things caffeinated!” Let’s just say I’m in training, ok?
Mommybloggers: Your daughter just got inked with the most awesome tat ever. (The back story on that can be found here on Kelly's blog.) What was your initial reaction when you saw it?
Kelly: My very first reaction was tears because I was so touched by the thought. I immediately bent down and kissed her foot.
Mommybloggers: And because you are so cool, you, too are inked. Care to share with us what and where it is?
Kelly: I have an ankh on my right shoulder blade. It’s an ancient Egyptian symbol meaning “life, soul”.
Mommybloggers: 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?
Cuddle
2. What is your least favorite parent related word?
Wipe
3. What is your favorite creative censored curse word used around children?
Nucking futs. They gasp when I say it anyway.
4. What is your favorite hiding place within your home when you need to get away from it all?
I hide in the cleaning supplies closet. No one EVER looks in there but me.
5. What hiding place have you been found in too often and can no longer use?
In bed with Jayne (my laptop, for those who don’t know I name inanimate objects) watching a DVD. Everyone comes in bed and tries to crowd around a 15” screen until I end up taking it out and moving the DVD to the family room tv.
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?
I think you’ve got something there with that Allen Series. How about a paid sabbatical from teaching to finish writing that book?
We have loved the chance to get to know Kelly better and hope you have too. Be sure to come back tomorrow when we turn Mommybloggers.com over to Kelly as she shares one of her own essays with you.
Today we are so excited to feature our good friend, Kelly also known among the Internet as