Meet Our MOMumental Mom of the Week (October 16, 2008)

Name: Rebekah

City: Plano

Marital Status: Married to a wonderful man, great dad, and my best friend, Jim.

Mom to: Jack (3 yrs), Luke (15 months), and pregnant with baby due in April

Occupation: Founder and Chief Executive Mom of Moms Out Loud….plus little boy cuddler, boo-boo kisser, meal assembler, pre-school volunteer, house cleaner, laundry washer, and family calendar manager.

What was the last movie you saw and what did you think about it?
The Women with other Moms Out Loud Moms.  Movie definitely had some good moments, and some not so good moments.  I remember just wanting to kick everyone back into their senses for the most part during it.

What is sitting on your bedside table right now?
Lamp and my first alarm clock (second one is in the bathroom….the only way I actually get up is to have to get out of bed to turn it off).  I don’t keep anything on the table that’s not strapped down because they have a tendency to “walk off” into various play areas with the help of chubby little boy fingers.

What is the last thing you told your children that your own mother told you when you were a kid?
“Close the refrigerator door because the cold air is getting out.”

What was the last meal you cooked from scratch and when?
Thanksgiving, 1993 for my first husband and me.  He was not as appreciative as I thought he should be (that’s not the reason I divorced him, by the way).  Since then I have become an expert meal assembler and microwaver.

What was the best piece of parenting advice you got?  Who gave it to you?
My mother-in-law told me when Jack was young:  “Don’t make a happy baby happier”, meaning that if the baby’s not fussing, just leave him be.  It helped me (as a very neurotic new mom) relax and not feel like I needed to entertain the kids all the time…a good lesson to which I attribute both my boys’ ability to preoccupy themselves.

What are three products that you could not live without (e.g., your journal, your Blackberry, your facial moisturizer – anything you use constantly!)
My computer (of course), my lip balm (Burt’s Bees), and my Zebra pens which I buy in bulk wherever I can find them.  They are the BEST.

If you could put one product on the market that doesn’t exist today, what would it be?
MomsOutLoud.com!!

What do you do in your “me”-time?  How do you protect it?
I haven’t had me-time in so long, I forget what I used to do with it.  I guess I might consider my periodic pedicures as “me-time” and I do enjoy reading trashy magazines while I have them (until I inevitably fall asleep).

How are you different today than you thought you’d be at this point in your life?
I am actually where I thought I’d be…maybe a few years ahead.  I always knew I wanted to have a family, have a corporate career and then start my own business.  I think I always assumed I would already be 40 by the time I struck out on my own, so I beat that by almost 4 years.

If an expectant mother asked you “what it’s like to be a Mom”, what would you tell her?
I had baby blues when I first had Jack, so I was very conflicted early on about being a mother.  I knew I loved this little baby, but I also mourned my former life of no responsibility.  So I think one of the most important things that I could share with a new mom is to not be too hard on herself if it doesn’t come naturally immediately.  It WILL come.  When that baby smiles at you (really smiles…not the passing gas kind of smile), you’ll be instantly hooked.  And when you give yourself over to loving that little baby with all your heart, you’ll figure out the kind of mom you were meant to be.  It’s the best experience any woman can ever have.