As a mom, when we meet other moms, one of the first questions that inevitably comes up is “do you stay at home or do you work?” (Most of the time, the mom asking the question instantly knows how silly that sounds. Aren’t “mom” and “work” synonymous, after all?)
I started my blog nearly three years ago, and until recently, I’ve always answered that I’m a stay-at-home mom, keeping my blogging gig under wraps. Not that I was embarrassed or wouldn’t have told them about it if they asked, but I always thought that if it was someone who had just met me that they would think “blogger” didn’t qualify as a real job. For the rest of the world (not us—who check our favorite blogs before our morning coffee), it’s hard to understand how blogging can be profitable, how more than a handful of friends and family would want to read what we say, how thousands of people could actually be excited to see the wall you just stenciled in your bathroom over the weekend. . . I know, can you imagine not being excited about that? :)
Over the weekend, I met a couple of new moms and when the infamous question came up, I told them that I was a blogger. I still felt like I was apologizing for it a little, though. Why is that??
It’s always good to get a little validation, I suppose, and last week, I got a surprise in my inbox when I learned that Babble.com had named my site one of the “50 Top Design Blogs for Mom”.
I’m flattered to be included with some of my favorite blogs. See the full list here.
So, fellow “mom bloggers”, I’m curious to know. For those of you whose blogging is more than just a hobby, how do you answer the question “do you stay at home?”
And, for everyone else, what are some of your favorite design blogs written by moms that we might not know about yet? (Because we all need more and more blogs to read, right?!)












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ReplyDeleteHow exciting for you! Congratulations! I'm a teacher who loves blogging and it has become more for than just a hobby for me lately,too! HomeGoods picked my blog to be featured in their new Stylescope for Set Sail, and another company just this week wants me to featured their site on my blog. It is quite thrilling when a huge well known company acknowledges your blog and wants you to mention their name. So if someone were to ask me the question today...I would have to answer, I teach and I'm a blogger. I do feel proud of that now! Thanks to you! Congrats my dear! love your blog!
ReplyDeleteI stayed home for 12 years and I would have loved to have been a blogger back then! There was no such thing and it's too bad because I really thought I was Martha Stewart!
Congrats on the HomeGoods feature! You have a beautiful blog :)
DeleteI have only just taken my blogging as a serious place of business. It's only in the last few weeks that I have told people this is what I do and I am calling myself a design writer. So exciting to be named amongst other fantastic Mummy bloggers.
ReplyDeleteyay congrats! Your blog is fabulous and you deserve to be on that list! I know how you feel I never tell people I am a blogger. My husband usually does though which is sweet because I guess he is proud of my site but I still feel silly about it sometimes:)
ReplyDeleteSo many people are entering and reading the world of blogging now that I think you should be proud to tell people! Although my job is more than full time, I have seen through writing my weekly blog how much work it is. To gain such recognition with yours is quite and accomplishment!! Keep on writing! Leslie
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome Emily, congratulations! I fall into the same trap and always feel silly to ever say that to other moms. My hubs gets really annoyed as he thinks I should be shouting it from the roof tops! :)
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DeleteDitto to that! My husband chats about it with people far more than I do. I always live in fear that people will not understand or not take what I do seriously, when in fact, it is one of my favorite accomplishments. I really need to be better about wearing the title proudly!
DeleteEmily, I agree you are one of the most inspiring DIY blogs out there! Congrats on all your success and your ability to do it all with a house full of sweet munchkins.
xo!
Jen
Congratulations! Your blog was the first blog I had ever encountered and I have been hooked since that first day! You bring so much fun and inspiration to me every day. Enjoy your success, you deserve it!
ReplyDeleteA well deserved honor. I know it's my morning ritual to have my morning coffee and read your blog. Well done!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the Babble mention, that's awesome! I am totally in the same boat. "Officially" I am a stay at home mom but I would love to be more confident in the blogger title as well. I don't know why I feel weird about sharing that part of my life. It's really silly.
ReplyDeleteYou deserve it girl! Your blog is fabulous in every way.....
ReplyDeleteCongrats! You are my favorite design blogger because you keep it real and everything you do is affordable for real people. I am not a blogger or a stay at home mom but a stay at home wife with grown children. That gets a lot of eyebrow raising! But honestly I have more work to do everyday than I ever did when my kids were at home to help.
ReplyDeleteEmily, Just think... when your little ones are grown and have children of their own they will have a wonderful chronicle of a slice of your life! Maybe your great great great grandchildren will too! What a gift!!!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your Design Blogs For Moms award!
Congrats! Your blog has always been a favorite of mine & you should be proud to say that you are a blogger. (although I know what you mean because I fee the same way)
ReplyDeleteCongrats, I love your blog! My answer is always "stay at home mom" (as that will ALWAYS come first for me and it's something I don't take lightly as I know how many mommy's out there would LOVE to get to be fortunate enough to stay home with their babies!) but all my friends and family know I have a blog and do interior design consultations as well! It's a fun balance! :) Keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteYou know I love your blog and you! Tell it sista!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the Top 50 list! This topic is close to me because I've only recently started to identify myself as a blogger when I meet people, and I just changed my work information facebook to "blogger," which of course makes everything more official. :)
ReplyDeleteI used to just shrug it off and say it's just a hobby, a creative outlet, but now I'm standing up and saying yes, this is something that I'm really doing and really trying at, and while it's no full-time income, that doesn't discount this dream yet. :)
Kelly @ View Along the Way
www.viewalongtheway.com
you so deserve to be credited as a wonderful influence! you seem to be a great mom and i certainly think you are a great, informative and stylish blogger :)
ReplyDeleteI am not a mother or blogger, just a blog reader and design enthusiast. But I do understand how frustrating that infamous question must be and it always drives me crazy how so many people often try to categorize others upon meeting them with a career label...as if that is all that is important about the person. I also find it interesting how my female co-workers who are moms feel as if they are somehow inadequate mothers because they work instead of choosing the stay-at-home mom route. I guess the grass will always look greener regardless of which side of the fence you are standing on. You have an amazing blog and a beautiful family and you shouldn't ever feel the need to apologize for that. Be proud of how much you have accomplished and of the fact that you inspire so many people through your blog.
ReplyDeleteSadly, I am like you and always say I am a stay-at-home mom. Although I just recently started saying I am a decorator and it feels good. I am trying to be better about owning it.
ReplyDeleteYou have always been a favorite of mine!
xo~Jill
Congratulations!! That's awesome, you deserve the recognition.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Emily! That is a nice affirmation of all of your hard work, as both a blogger and a Mommy. I did the work full-time and be a mother thing, but after my second child was born, I became a full-time stay-at-home mother and part-time dance instructor. Nowadays, I am a full, full-time Mommy to three (6 years, 2 years, and 1 year), in addition to 'blogging'. I don't think I qualify as a bona fide blogger, as I just started and I don't generate an income - yet, I'm working on it. I enjoy blogging, it helps me keep in touch with the outside world and forces me to get projects completed and also feel accomplishment in the little things. I appreciate your blog for what it is, but I appreciate even more knowing that you are a mother of five! Have a great day and thanks for being such an inspiration!
ReplyDeleteI've only recently started telling people, " I write a blog" in response to the " What do you do?" question. And I'm still pretty new and green :). Congratulations on the recognition. Your blog is wonderful and it's much deserved. You're my photo inspiration...my interiors photography needs some serious work and yours are always s very lovely and professional.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! What an honor!
ReplyDeleteAs for your jobs! My goodness, being a mom (which I am not) is the most important and hardest job in the WORLD! And blogging, that is no easy feat! The fact that you are juggling all of this is a job and a half.
You should be proud you work hard, have a beautiful house, family and blog.
Have a great day, Elizabeth
Congratulations, Emily!!! Your blog as well as Janell's, were the first two I read. SO excited for you and so well deserved. I definitely struggle with this. I don't come right out and offer the fact that I blog to people when they ask. But truly, as it grows and takes up more time I am starting to feel more like it is a part time career. My husband will tell anyone who walks by, though. Oh, dear!
ReplyDeleteCongrats, Emily!! Your blog is always so well-written and I get inspired by the transformations that you make happen. Keep up the great blogging!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! I can't think of a more deserving mom! You are so inspiring and such a lovely person to boot. Thank you for blogging Emily, you are one of my favorites.
ReplyDeletexo Nancy
Powellbrowerhome.com
I am not a blogger, but I struggle with something similar; when the question comes i answer I WORK AT HOME, and still feel people laugh at me a little. Is that awful?
ReplyDeleteYours is one of my favorite blogs. I also like Little Green Notebook by Jenny Komenda and Colour my world by Maria Killam. Also A Thoughtful Place is fun to read, by Courtney.
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ReplyDeleteCongrats Miss Emily! As a Mom that works a full time job at home in Publishing Ad Sales and a Blogger and recently a home accessories/furnishings dealer and a part-time event and home stylist...and a Mother (best title of them all)...I say be proud of whatever title(s) you wear...you're fab!Well deserved honor!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations!! That's an awesome, and well deserved honor!!
ReplyDeleteI concur on the awkwardness I feel when asked that question. I stay at home with our daughter, but I also work from home (and I have a blog, but it's just for fun right now!). But I always feel funny trying to explain working from home, it just leads to so many more questions, especially since I do freelance work and don't work for one company doing one specific job. So to make it easier I often just say that I stay at home, and leave it at that!
Congrats on the top 50 list!! I LOVE your blog! While I still am working full-time and just started blogging about 7 months ago, I would love to be able to do what you do! To be able to stay home and blog and do all of my favorite things - sharing with others? That would be awesome. There is a wonderful community here in the blogging world. SO, be proud of your accomplishments! I still do not tell people I blog yet, just because I'm still trying to grow and yes, it feels funny to tell people who may not understand the whole world of blogging. :) So happy for you!!!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to you on a very well-deserved honor!! And I tell people I am a Work at Home MOM!
ReplyDeleteCongrats, Emily! You're an inspiration to us all. I have actually been thinking about this very thing lately, and seem to have a different answer to the 'what do you do' question by the day. Aside from writing for my fledgling family-oriented design blog, I just started a decorating business and am taking classes to further build my skills. But my answer to the question is usually that I am a stay-at-home mom, which is also completely true. Perhaps I should start referring to myself as a WFHSBOSAHM! Points if you can translate that :).
ReplyDeleteI give up. Cannot figure that one out :)
DeleteWork From Home Small Business Owner Stay At Home Mom. Phew!
DeleteYour little ones are growing so fast! Absolutely precious! Isn't it so funny that we feel weird telling people that we blog? Some people really get it and start reading, but others have this 'huh?' look on their face. To be honest, I guess I would have had that same look before I discovered it. I do think that it is becoming more popular and mainstream, now that bloggers are always featured in magazines, tv shows, etc. Congratulations on your well deserved honor! :)
ReplyDeleteFirst of all - congratulations! Well deserved. I agree - this blogging thing is kind of a grey area...I find myself trying to mumble something about "a blog, a small import/expert company and getting a design biz underway" and trying to get it out non-chalantly! Weird. Only bloggers can understand I guess! :)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Emily! You have been and continue to be an inspiration to me and other bloggers I am sure! I dont always mention that I blog...but I always correct people if they say I dont work! I politely add that I dont work "outside" the home...because as any stay home mom knows, we do ALOT of work inside the home! :)
ReplyDeleteHi I am Kathysue, I am a design blogging, Grammy, Mom, retired designer! Whew that was a mouth full. I agree, unless you are a blogger you don't realize the time and gratification it can be. I have yet to monetize my blog, still doing it for the joy of design and writing. More power to those of you that are making monies while doing something from home that you love!!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on being in the top 50 Mom bloggers!!
Happy Monday,
Kathysue
http://goodlifeofdesign.blogspot.com/2012/10/will-white-be-winning-color-for-fall.html
Maybe we should start a support group??
DeleteI know exactly how you feel! I just started a blog after thinking on it for...several years. I've only told a few people about it because it's so personal. What if they hate it? Think I have no business writing about interior design since I majored in nursing? That it's shallow? The list goes on. It's not really a business for me, just a creative outlet. It doesn't mean I don't treat it as one so I should give it some credit!
ReplyDeleteAnd, congratulations! I love reading your blog!
Thrifty Decor Chick should be on the list! Her blog is one of the first ones I started following and I get excited every time I see a new post from her. She's so creative and funny, and I know I would feel right at home in her house.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the top 50 list!
ReplyDeleteI'm not a mom blogger, nor a stay at home blogger, I still consider myself very new to blogging and just a personal hobby. My blog hasn't been up a year yet. But I know what you mean about keeping it a bit under wraps. It may sound funny, but I haven't told very many people (friends or family) that I started a blog. It just seems so personal, which sounds odd since its public on the internet. :)
That's so cool Emily- congratulations! I feel the same way you do. And whether or not I mention my blogs depends on if the person I'm talking to will "get it" or be interested in hearing about it.
ReplyDeleteI always answer that I stay at home, then when they ask what I "do" all day, i tell them that I'm a blogger. Like so many others, my husband is always quick to bring up the blogging thing, love those supportive guys:)
ReplyDeleteMy goodness, that baby grew quickly! Where was the other one(s) when that picture was taken? I'm usually tackled by 2 or 3 at a time:)
Jessica
Your blog is one of my favorites! Your blog and a few others have inspired me to start my own. I have been a stay at home mom for 17 almost 18 years. I now do real estate and started my decorating blog about 6 months ago. I enjoy reading other decorating blogs so much I could not wait to share my own ideas. I would love for you to take a look at it! www.myeverchanginghome.blogspot.com. Thanks so much for creating such an awesome blog, love your style!
ReplyDeleteEmily: Congrats. You deserve it. I found your blog through Purestylehome in December 2010. This is one of the mommy blogs that I read every day. The others are Honey were Home, A thoughtful Place, Dear Lillie and Purestylehome. I have enjoyed every single post. Thanks for your excellence. You are very talented. Please keep blogging. Many blessings to you. Your baby looks soooooo cute in the picture.
ReplyDeleteAnna
Congratulations on the confirmation that you really are one of the best! I just discovered you a few weeks ago. My kids are grown and I have 6 grandbabies and I am just in awe of all you are accomplisg=hing in your home with such young children! Young mommies today are a-mazing! LOVE your site and read every post now. Beautiful to look at, enjoyable to soak in. Thanks for your hard work and sharing the home with us all.
ReplyDeleteYES! I finally found this web page! I’ve been looking just for this article for so long!!
ReplyDeletewedding dresses
I can totally relate to your sentiments about claiming the work you do. I too feel somewhat silly or guilty to claim my business as work since it is something that started out as a hobby but grew and isn't a necessary part to our family income. I could quit it at any time I wanted. Plus the fact that I get to work when I want and do so in my yoga pants makes me feel like an imposter when claiming that I do run a business. In fact, I've had this business for 4+ years but only just recently began telling people about it! It seems to silly, but I'm glad to know I'm not the only one:)
ReplyDeleteBy the way-you definitely deserve the top 50 blogs for moms! You are the first blog I read when I start going through my list:) Way to go!
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ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the top 50 blogs for moms! I'm a relatively new blogger and am still hesitant when people ask me what I do. I'm a mom to three at home but with two in school now I can get a lot more done! I've always got a project going on. If I'm not creating something I make something up. Blogging began as my creative outlet but has turned into so much more. I'm also a freelance graphic designer but blogging has given me such a sense of accomplishment. Your blog has been an inspiration along the way!
ReplyDeleteCongrats! This is so exciting! Enjoy every bit of it :)
ReplyDelete~Edyta
Wow...i hope you are so proud of yourself and truly give yourself a whole heap of credit. Staying home as a mom, is by far the most demanding job there is...obviously most of us wouldn't give it up for the world, but saying we "stay home" should be enough of a job title. (And I only have two kids) I recently have been filling out a bunch of paperwork (first home purchase = exhausting) and for job I always just say homemaker when I want to scream so many other titles...I just think mom always trumps the others. I, too, need to remember to say mom first and fore most, but I'm also a blogger and business owner! We are such creative ladies (and men) that we need to stand proud :)
ReplyDeleteSo so exciting Emily ~ be proud!!
ReplyDeleteEmily, looks like this subject is something a lot of people can relate to. I keep my blog quiet too, some of my good friends don't even know about it. That's crazy, I suppose, but it's true!
ReplyDeleteCamille
Congratulations, Mommy Blogger! You are great at this, people love your work, and it and your personality shine through your posts! So absolutely, be proud! Janell
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