About Me

I'm a Midwest import to the Steel City, raising two glorious kids with a wonderful husband by my side (and a ridiculous dog under my feet most days).  I have the privilege of working for a human services non-profit, raising funds to support programs including a food pantry and supportive services for refugees.  I'm not a true Earth Mother, but I'm trying to teach the babes to know and love the earth.

I've been blogging for around five years and have written well over 1,100 posts across several platforms.  I've been featured as a guest author on other mommy blogs and contributed articles to the 2011 edition of "EcoCents: Your Green Guide to Pittsburgh."  When you're spending that much of your precious free time on something, it's good to sit down and think about why you're doing it. Thus...

I blog to remember. I've never been a successful journal-keeper. Though I had a few requisite diaries as a child, they inevitably fell by the wayside with only a page or two filled. Thus I knew from day one that I would be an utter failure at keeping a traditional "baby book." Happily, the blog is there as a record of my kids' childhood. When did Miss Mouse first sleep through the night? How old was Buggie when he started rolling? And why did I ever get rid of those fabulous plaid shoes?

I blog to keep in touch. I first started blogging in 2005 when I spent a year abroad, working at a boarding school in India. I found myself in the foothills of the Himalayas because of my grandpa, who had graduated from same school in 1939. My first blog was my way of sharing my adventures with him. Now, blogging saves me from having to write one of those dreadful Christmas newsletters each year.

I blog to share. While the primary focus of this blog isn't the edification of other parents, I do feel like I have some good ideas to share. Like what to do with left-over pot roast. And how to turn conversation hearts into a very memorable Valentine. And why you should never give spaghetti to your one-year-old.

I blog because I love to write. While I still hesitate to identify myself as "a writer," writing is at the heart of what I do professionally and also how I spend a good bit of my free time. I love the way that language works and the feelings it evokes. I like extravagant adjectives, splashy verbs, and sneaking in a well-placed adverb. I get a kick out of flouting the grammatical rules I learned in my childhood by starting sentences with conjunctions. And writing the occasional sentence fragment. My secret wish is that one day, the editors of the Chicago Tribune will call me up and say -- "Barbara Brotman is retiring. We want you to take her place."