In this third installment of the Saturday Sit-Down series, I sit down with Kimberly from Party of Five blog. Enjoy! She is a sweetheart and a great writer with stories to tell.
As soon as I got today’s blogger’s answers back for this installment of “The Saturday Sit-Down”, I was eager to publish this post. 🙂 I hope you enjoy getting to know Kimberly from Party of Five blog.
Party of Five blog
Q: Hey Kimberly! In three sentences or less, tell us about who you are.
A: I’m a mom trying to rein in the chaos every. single. day. The chaos makers are three incredible babies under two: 21 month old twins, plus my 11 month old super surprise! My personal journey has truly been one of faith, hope, and love. I was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 27 and this year I will celebrate nine years as a survivor. While I’m originally from Texas, I was a public school teacher in New York City for eight years, and now I’m a full time mommy- the best and most challenging job, yet!
Q: Where do you blog and who would enjoy your content?
A: You can find me writing in my cozy home about 40 minutes outside of New York City. My blog is for moms of toddlers, ladies who want to feel great by making healthy food and lifestyle choices, and it’s for anyone who wants to laugh. Life with three little ones is just ridiculous. In addition, I love talking about travel and things to do in NYC!
Q: What do you enjoy the most about writing your Party of Five blog and what keeps you creating content?
A: Like most moms, I am learning as I go. From sleep schedules to toddler poop consistency-I’m always trying to figure it out. Whether it’s recreating a southern dish I miss or just talking about how to feel good as a mom, I love sharing ideas with other ladies. One of my most popular posts was the “Toddler Holiday Giving Calendar” and I loved knowing that other families were doing our project. No matter who you are or where you are, raising a family is hard work. My blog makes me feel like we’re all in it together. Recently, I learned that I even have readers as far away as Germany and Croatia- how awesome is that?
Q: Can you tell us a little bit about your breast cancer journey?
A: Going through a major medical crisis is rough at any age, but at the young age of 27 it was absolutely devastating. All of my friends were getting married and having babies, and I was going through the darkest moments of my life. I had a double mastectomy and went through six months of chemotherapy. If you take anything away from reading this, I’d like you to know that I found the tiny lump myself – it felt like a coffee bean- and mentioned it to my doctor. I have no family history and there were zero symptoms. You know your body. If something isn’t quite right, please have it checked out.
Q: How has breast cancer changed you?
A: While I was going through treatment I became interested in how exercise and nutrition has such an enormous impact on our lives. I read many books and scoured the internet to find out information on how to be my healthiest self. I tolerated the treatments fairly well and I believe that it was because of constant movement and great nutrition. People always commented on my positive attitude, and I tried hard to make a horrible situation into a learning experience. In addition to those things, it gave me a deeper appreciation of my family, especially my parents- they supported me in every way possible. When I was diagnosed I had just started my graduate degree at New York University and I was able to finish the following year. I met the love of my life four years after it was all over. The fact that I have three beautiful children and an amazing husband humbles me every day.
Q: What is the most frustrating thing about blogging for you?
A: The most frustrating thing about blogging is time. I need an extra day in every week just for writing (and laundry! Lol, so much laundry in my life!). I have had to let a few opportunities go because I just don’t have the time to commit to big blog projects.
Q: Are your three children similar or opposites?
A: Watching three personalities emerge is fascinating. My son, Charlie, has incredible amounts of energy- he wants to run, jump, and skip all day and he’s not even two! This has me a tiny bit nervous for the three year old stage I keep hearing about. On the other hand, Natalia is already obsessed with pens, markers and paper- a girl after my own heart. She loves to pretend like she’s writing and that makes me swoon. Lily is the sweetest baby and she is already trying to talk and do everything the big kids do! Luckily, she has been a very relaxed and easy-going.
And just for fun…
Q: What is your favorite sport to watch or play?
A: It might not officially be designated a “sport” but yoga is my favorite physical activity. People tend to think it’s just stretching, but it is incredibly physically demanding. I’m encouraging my readers to make 2017 their year to try something new like an exercise class!
Q: Biggest pet peeve?
A: My biggest pet peeve is rude people.
Q: Are you an introvert or extrovert?
A: I am definitely an introvert. I need alone time to recharge and refresh my brain. For me that can be reading, getting a coffee by myself, or (after all day with three babies!!) a walk to clear my head and come back fresh.
Q: What is your favorite holiday?
A: Birthday season! What is that? Starting with the baby and ending with my husband- all five of our birthdays fall within one month! We’re starting next week- it’s absolutely crazy!
Q: Where should new readers start on your blog?
About Me | Toddler Holiday Giving Calendar | Our Favorite Baby Products (<—This post won the Ultimate Baby Registry Challenge on The Today Show Parenting Team!)
You can find Party of Five blog here: Blog | Instagram
Feel free to say hi to Kimberly in the comments below or by popping over to her blog. 🙂
You can find more Saturday Sit-Down features here. Want your blog to be featured as well? Email me at whimsicalseptember@yahoo.com to get on the schedule for mid-late 2017!
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Hi! I’m Erica, and I absolutely adore sharing my life on this website with you! I come here almost daily to blab about all of the things related to being a regular wife and mother in today’s ever-evolving society. I share about our new home, what’s on our kitchen table, what we’re hanging in our closets, where we’re traveling to next, my crazy 5 a.m. work outs, how I make time for girlfriends, our faith, and much more. We always have a lot of balls in the air and somewhat thrive on the chaos. I believe in the power of story-telling as a form of inspiration and entertainment, so I’m here to do both! I was born and raised in north Alabama and recently re-planted roots here again after my husband transitioned out of the Army (he is now in the Reserve and it’s going so well!) I’m a super proud mom to three little girls (ages 7, 4, and 1) who seem to be the stars of the show around here (for good reason – they’re pretty great!) I’m so glad you found me and are here reading! I hope we can get to know each other here on the blog as well as Facebook and/or Instagram. xoxo