Why I’m Here: My purpose and hope for adding my voice to the vast world of social media.

I started Tommimom at my husband’s prompting and encouragement (recurring theme of my blogging journey!) He said I ‘have a way of communicating’ and others would find it encouraging. So I googled ‘how to write a blog’ while sitting in our dungeony unfinished Philly basement/play area surrounded by my 1, 2 & 3 year olds and 21 bins of kids clothes (and a few mice, I’m sure) and wrote my first entry.

I didn’t know I was pregnant with #4 at the time, nor did I know where this blogging journey would take me. I still don’t.

But with the recent addition of videos on my Facebook page and a growing social media presence (the other day my husband literally uttered the phrase ‘the Philippines love your blog’ as he reviewed the demographics and I sunk into my chair hoping to disappear) I thought it would help me stay focused if I clarified exactly why I’m here in the social media world.

My goal is to offer authentic glimpses into my parenting and personal journey. No embellishing, no minimizing, no staging pictures or circumstances.  Real Life. I’m not a counselor, I’m not a parenting or marriage expert, I’m not a professional. I’m still very much in-process. Or as an 80-year old woman once told me in a memoir writing class, “Oh honey, you’re still marinating.” And while my family dynamic may differ from yours, our struggles are no doubt similar. And though our strategies may differ, our goals are similar. So my hope is to continue to foster a community of likeminded parents where encouragement, authenticity and effort are valued. Where we can express all our feelings and still stay grounded in God’s truths.  Where we can consider what’s working and what’s not and what we can change in our own lives, and where we can find creative, healthy ways to do all of that.

And if the by-product of all of this is healthier, happier parents raising healthier, happier children in a healthier, happier world where God is God, then that would be just fantastic.

You have encouraged me these past 5 years as I find my voice and learn my lessons and share them with you. Thank you for that gift. I hope we continue to marinate together 🙂