Mic test.
Is this thing on?
You might be wondering why I gathered all of you here today.
Wait, let me introduce myself first.
Hello everyone! I’m Jhanis from The Vanilla Housewife and I am hijacking Mommy Bloggers Philippines today for something very important.
If you’re asking where Lani is, don’t worry. I have her safe and sound (and probably nervous about the fact that I have the steering wheel today bwahahaha!).
Going back to the topic, the reason why I hijacked MBP today is because I wanted to practice my hacking skills.
And to present to you our Blogger of the Month.
Without further ado…
By the power vested upon me, our May – Blogger of the Month is….
Tadaaaaa!!!
Say hello Lani from TweenselMom!
TweenselMom is a blog that chronicles the journey of a work at home mom as she guides her tweenies in their most crucial years before they enter teenage-hood. I think it is very important for us parents to be there for our kids especially during these years, because it is during these times that things can go quite crazy. I know this because I was a teenager once. Not that my mom wasn’t there for me, I was just a… special case. But I digress, if you haven’t had the chance to visit TweenselMom, you should.
Now, if you didn’t know yet, aside from running TweenselMom, Lani is also the founder of Mommy Bloggers Philippines, an awesome group that brings Filipina mom bloggers from all over the world together in one place. Who is a member of MBP, raise your hand!
And because the spotlight is on Lani, I declared myself to be her interviewer (how crazy it would be if she interviewed herself, right?).
So Lani, tell us something about yourself and your family.
I’m a 37 year old mother of two girls, one is 8 the other is 10. I work at home as a PR editor of Online PR Media. It’s a company in US which was also founded by working moms:-). They were my inspiration and I have worked with Tara and Christine since I started being a WAHM. I also work as a researcher for a company which I can’t mention because of an NDA:-) Both full time that’s why I really couldn’t go out that much. But I enjoy my jobs and I learn from what I do everyday. If teaching is someone’s passion, mine is learning. I am always interested to learn something new everyday and it makes me bored when I don’t learn about something new for days.
How did you start blogging and what are your goals as a blogger?
I started blogging when I felt I needed someone to talk to. Not the actual talking but someone or something I can relate with. My hubby has his passion for toys and I got envious of why I can’t find happiness for myself. Through blogging, I feel I have invisible friends who I am able to help and as I compose my blogs, I encounter more mommy blogs out there and then I learn so many things from them which makes me truly happy too. Sharing and learning are two fun things which I love most about being a blogger.
I know you run TweenselMom and Mommy Bloggers Philippines, how do you find the time to blog? Do you still sleep? Are you a vampire that you can forgo sleeping altogether?
I always make it a point to sleep 6 hours daily. TweenselMom is my personal blog while MBP is for the blogger moms whom I love. Actually, MBP takes more of my time than TM but I find real happiness when I feel that I am able to help the moms be happier with their own blogs especially the newbies. I really hope that the group makes blogging a little bit better and more exciting for the moms. I am actually not comfortable being called a founder. I just thought there should be somewhere we can gather and be found easily. Anybody can do what I did. ♥
I know that you are currently a WAHM but we would like to know what life was like pre-kids/family.
I can say that I came from a not-so-ideal family because my parents were not together since I was 5. It wasn’t that hard though since I had many relatives who took care of me when I was young. When I had my own family, the realizations of having a complete family hit me. No child deserves a broken family. With all the divorces, family disputes, domestic abuse issues, a child born to a complete and nurturing family can be considered lucky.
As far as my career is concerned, I have worked with a telecoms company for 5 years before I decided to be WAHM. It was so ironic that our rented house was just recently robbed then, we were full of debts and my youngest was just two months old, when I really decided that I wanted to quit working and stay at home. It was when we were so down when I think the Lord told us that it was time to pause and think of driving another path. We started from scratch again and worked our way up. Well, I don’t say we are living an easier life than before, just smooth sailing and always letting HIM guide us.
Your most memorable experience related to blogging so far.
My blog is almost 7 months old and so is MBP, very young but what really makes me excited is when I can go out to attend to an event and see other moms from the group, I feel hey, here’s a friend from the group and I feel we’ve already know each other for a long time.
Care to share one blog post that you are very proud of?
I think it was my first post on Tweenselmom where you see my daughters’ photos when they were babies and their transition to being tweens 🙂 I think all moms can relate with me on being proud seeing their kids growing fine and healthy. That’s one of the perks of blogging for me, you get to talk about and be proud of your child whenever you want it.
What advice can you give to newbie bloggers?
For newbie bloggers, what I can really advice is to try to not pressure yourself. Blogging is meant to be enjoyed, not pushed. If you don’t feel doing it, then pause, do something else. Eventually, it will call you and you’ll find that you are in your happy place again, writing a 2-pager. Just like me here, LOL.
MBP is doing so well, what are your future plans for the group/site? Can we invite Channing Tatum as our model?
So many 🙂 One is for the group to be involved into something worth remembering, a social campaign which maybe we can start up or support as a group. Something that will have an impact to our children’s lives. We are not there yet but sooner or later, through the support of members, we will be there. We are the queens of the core group of our society. I believe someday, we will all be movers and jump starters of the community too.
But before all those seriousness, honestly, I am looking forward to have our first Christmas Party! I just wish all the moms will agree to be there, exchange gifts with each other, see our kids and moms perform on stage, win prizes! It has been years since I attended a Christmas party like that ♥ What do you think?
Finish the sentence: “I never thought I would be a mom who would….”
—- stay at home, slave herself and be happy about it. LOL!
🙂 🙂 🙂
There you have it my friends! I sure hope you enjoyed and learned something from the interview!
If you are a member of MBP, let us know in the comments how the group helped you when it comes to blogging.
If you are not a member of the group yet (where have you been?!) comment what you would like to see more on MBP.
That’s it! See you on the blogosphere!
Uhmm… Who do I give this mic to???!!
-Jhanis
Yay! Hahahah, this was fun Lani! Thanks for letting me have the mic and interview you! All the best and cheers to more success!
Thanks so much Jhanis! And all the more success to everyone’s blog 🙂 I’ve always admired our mommy bloggers and I feel that there are hundreds more who deserve to be admired and highlighted. But thank you very much again for the moms who believe in the group, and enjoy being in it. Always looking forward to meet each one of you, even you Jhanis. Tell us maybe when you are coming to Manila one day so we can set up a meet!
Bravo! Clap!clap!Clap!
I enjoy reading it too! Congrats mommy Lani. Thank you for creating this group. Because of MBP, I am able to attend events, meet new friends, and learn from other mommy bloggers. I’m also looking forward for our first Christmas party. Congrats too Mommy Jhanis! Super fan mo talaga ako. hehe…♥♥♥
Waaaa! Parang out of the picture na naman ako sa Christmas Party na yan. Sucks to be not in the same island as most of you guys are! Skype nalang para maka join ako dito sa Cebu LOL
We won’t let you out of place Jhanis kahit nandyan ka sa Cebu, I hope we will have more moms from Cebu noh para you can also have a mini-party same time with us.
mommy Jhanis, you’re in Cebu pala. I wish we could go there in August, will be in Bohol kasi. I pm kita ha. hehe..:-D
Sure! Maybe we can have coffee! Or beer LOL 😉
maybe both..hihi..:-D
Jhan, let’s do a Cebu leg.. 🙂
Sure! Whatever that means, I’m in! Hahaha!
Channing Tatum, please!!! 😀 LOL! I really had a great time reading this. Thank you, Jhanis for hijacking! Haha!
On a serious note, I am so blessed to have found this group. Thank you so much Lani for leading us. The group has given me opportunities to attend events, meet other moms, and connect with the blogosphere. As a newbie, I am learning A LOT from fellow mom bloggers, and I’m so grateful to all of them. All the ladies I have connected with (online and offline) were warm and courteous, I can’t wait to meet all of them. I think I found my online sorority 😉
Kat, that’s so nice to hear, yes, exactly, an online sorority! I felt that in the beginning, being lonely on my blog, until I met all the welcoming moms who were the first members of the group 🙂
Love that Lani has been put in the spotlight! MBP is such a great initiative for us mommy bloggers and I’m so thankful I’m part of this group. Cheers to Lani!
Thanks mommy Louisa, you are one of my most admired WAHM and mommy blogger! I am looking forward to one of these months when you are nominated to be our blogger of the month 🙂
Well deserved title Lanie!! 🙂 Plus so hilarious Jhanis made it all the more enjoyable 🙂 Proud to be one of the MBP members
Camille thanks! We miss you and love your shorty hair, and thanks for being with the group from the start!
Aww, so happy to see Jhanis here featured and just lover and adore her and her blog 🙂
Nice to meet you! Fantastic achievements!
Came from The Vanilla Housewife. Great interview! Funny interviewer! But the answers are awesome! Lani, you are a top-notch person! May your family be full of peace and happiness forever!
Wow, thank you so much Terri. The Vanilla Housewife is one of the most followed blog in the group and we are honored that we have her with us 🙂
My favorite part of your interview: One is for the group to be involved into something worth remembering, a social campaign which maybe we can start up or support as a group. Something that will have an impact to our children’s lives.
I sure hope that when the time comes, everything’s fallen in their sweet places for me and I can get involved.
Kudos for Mommy Bloggers Philippines, Mommy Lanie! One of my favorite FB groups. 🙂
Great interview 🙂
It was nice getting to know you Lani, and wonderful job Jhanis.
XOXO
Mrs. AOK, you have a wonderful blog, thanks for being here with us and more success to blogging and motherhood!
Good job Mommies!So glad we have this group.
Gladys, one of our stateside pretty mommy blogger! I have always been following your blog and wonder how it is to live in the US. And you are doing a wonderful job!
Great interview and GO YOU for doing this – such a busy mummy and business woman too!
Nice interview. Thank you for posting it and sharing it here.
What a fantastic interview! I’m so glad Jhanis took the initiative so Lani could have the spotlight! Our “finish the sentence” would be exactly the same, Lani! My 26 year old self would never EVER guess what my 46 year old self is up to…and that’s pretty great, I think! –Lisa
Lisa, thanks for visiting our website to grace us with your comment. Jhanis did a great job on her interview. And yes, I think most of us haven’t quite expected anything about motherhood years before 🙂
Hi there! I really admire your group. I’m a blogger wanna-be. But I also want to work at home. I’m currently working fulltime but I want to spend more time with my family while working. Do you have any suggestions? Thank you so much!~
Hi Mommy Mitchie, don’t be a wanna-be, why not start creating your own blog na? 🙂 Here’s one of our featured posts which will definitely help you on that http://mommybloggersphilippines.com/2014/06/18/mommy-bloggers-wanted-start-creating-your-own-blog/ .
Being a mommy is a little tough when you are juggling with your mommy tasks and your career. It will take careful thinking which (work at home/work outside) will be perfect for your family. What we suggest is for you to assess first if you have the skills for you to be able to work at home. Not all moms thrive in being a good work at home mom, especially if you have been used to working outside.
Feel free to follow us and send us an email whenever you have questions. We are looking forward to your first blog posts!