Not Really a Mommy Blogger

I have this cool part-part-time job that consists of reviewing all of the master's theses that go through the BYU graduate program. This semester I reviewed fourteen, so you can imagine how little time I spend on this work, but it's nice to see what people are doing, and I do like helping them format it right. It is easy enough for me, even though I sometimes have weird conversations with James like "Is that an adjective or a pronoun in this sentence?" and we review the content until we are satisfied with the answer.

The latest thesis I read (which isn't yet published, so I won't tell any details) was a rhetorical analysis of readers' responses to Mormon mommy blogs. It was a really interesting take on how people perceive themselves through the lens of the optimistic, domestic Mormon mama. It was obviously inspired by an article that appeared on Salon a couple of years ago. The author feels like she's nothing like the women who post photos of their pretty babies and make elaborate birthday parties for their children, but she feels hopeful about motherhood when reading about these women's lives.

So, I'm not really sure where I fit in the Mormon mommy blog world. I'm not a consistent blogger. Obviously. I haven't posted beautiful photos of my children for months, maybe even a year. I like to cook, but I can't bake anything pretty. Ever. I tried on Friday, but the brownies that were beautiful in the pan came out crumbling and cracked on the plate.

But I do scrapbook. And I throw a mean birthday party. I mean, I like crafts. Hobby Lobby is a fun store to wander through. I used to bead and watercolor and draw. I'm not really sure how anyone can sew and craft and bake and pintrest and all of that with a bunch of little kids.

I guess I'm a domestic Mormon mama with a bit of cynicism and playfulness who sings "You're So Vain" and "This Is Halloween" with my children and has pillow fights and crawls around like a tiger (or tells the tiger to go away because we're not afraid), and takes really, really long naps when James is able to take care of the kids. I'm also the mama who snaps at the older two to get ready for bed and forces them to pick up toys. So mean. I have a good job and a good family. I like them both, but I also like getting away from them both sometimes.

I think the main thing is that I'm not the mama that other women envy.

And I like that.

But my children are beautiful.

I'll show you.