So, have you heard of the website, Simple Mom?
It’s fabulous. My friend Tsh is the awesome sauce behind it.
And as part of Simple Mom she hosts a podcast called Home Fries. Tomorrow she’s interviewing me. And she said we should see if there’s anything in particular folks would like to know, about, well, me.
It’s feels weird to ask. But, hey, I’m game.
So go ahead, leave any curiosity in the comments and Tsh and I will be sure to answer ’em. All of ’em. I pinky promise. And I’ll let you know when it airs, so you can enjoy me rambling on about my Cheerio-encrusted, always-behind-on-the-dishes, love-my-kids-more-than-carnival-food, crazy-chaotic-upside down life.
Love
Lisa-MyDaugherTurnsOneTodayAndMyHeartIsExploding-Jo
PS: Subscribers, just click here to come over and leave your questions in the comments.
Hi Lisa! Looking forward to your podcast with Tsh!! I’ve loved each ‘episode’ she’s recorded and look forward to learning a little more about you! … I’d like to know where you get all the energy you seem to have, to be able to do all the things you have going on? … Also, how do you find time to fit an exercise program in? … You always seem to be so incredibly active and energetic … Something I’d like to ‘be’, lol!
I just found your blog so I’m sure many of my questions will be answered just from looking around. By the way, I grew up in Michigan just 45 minutes away from South Bend. We haven’t made our way around the globe as much as you but we have also lived in Chicago, on the north shore of Boston, and now we’re living in the Deep South.
How much tv do your kids ‘really” watch?! I’m feeling bad about how much my nearly 3 year old-exhausted – cos- she- won’t -sleep- at-night , and mum-is-knackered-as-she -has-a-4-month old too, is watching. Please make me feel better by telling me yours watch too much too?!
Ros, when my daughter was born, I remember thinking that I didn’t want her to really watch TV until she was about three – she’s 8 now, by the way. Well, I was 19 when I had her and I can remember at the age of one, her sitting in front of the TV and watching “Finding Nemo” over and over and over or . . shhh. . “Shall We Dance.” We lived with my parents’ and they had satellite at the time . . it was easy . . the electronic-babysitter. I started back to school when she was one and a half and sometimes it was just easy to plop her down in front of the TV (she was a weird one, that would basically sit through the entire thing). I was also depressed and living with my family at the time was quite difficult. I have felt many, MANY pangs of guilt over things I’ve done or haven’t done throughout the years, as a parent . . but I’m learning that guilt and shame don’t help, they hurt. So take a deep breath. You’re not alone.
Lisa-Jo,
I want to know what you LOVE about yourself. What uniquely you or even not so uniquely you characteristics about YOU. Go on. Don’t be shy. This will help us embrace our own uniqueness.
Love me some Lisa-Jo,
Rena
Oh Rena, you’re too fun. I’m smiling at you right now!
Lisa Jo, my question is . . when do we get to do coffee? Live next door? Be bestfriends?
I L.O.V.E. your sincerety and I even love your chaos. I especially love your chaos, that you share, because I get it! Love, your friend, Nancy <3
Oh Nancy, wouldn’t that be fun? I wish we could all beam over to each others’ houses for coffee any time we felt like it – you could come over right now in fact and help me eat cup cakes celebrating Zoe’s birthday!
Yes!!! I want to live next door, too!!! Lisa-Jo, thanks for your light, encouragement, HONESTY, chaos, and all of your joy. Happy birthday to your sweet little munchkin! <3
This is a random question. Do you and your hubby ever get a “date night”? It seems you live away from family…as do my hubby and I live far away from any family. Getting a date night is difficult, and finding quality, fun time to spend alone is difficult (after the kiddos are in bed, we are too exhausted for anything more than a TV show on the couch). How do you and your hubby make it work? I never knew how much having these wonderful little ones could put a strain on a marriage. They are such blessings and oh, so exhausting!
How do you handle the emotion/guilt/aspdventure of the ex-pat, nomadic lifestyle. Our family is without a doubt where we are Meant to be, but it doesn’t make it any easier living half a world away from blood-family, creature comforts, and being able say vitamin with a long-I sound and where aluminum only has 4 syllables. ;)
Big, Huge Congratulations on your daughter’s birthday. Hope it’s a special day.
I’ve said it before a few times, and I’ll say it again. I love it when you write about your little girl. Your words always express so well the same feelings I have for our little girl. My Chloe is just a little younger and she is turning one on May 14. She is our fourth and will likely be the last baby so I have emotions a little different this time around, knowing that this is the last time for everything. It makes want to savor every moment of her baby-ness and that baby time now feels like its starting to trickle away through my fingers.
Anyway, thanks for your beautiful words that you share. It is like you take the words that are in my heart and write them down for me in a way that I never could do myself.
Margaret
This is fun! I love reading your exquisite writing and your realness that seeps through every story… you have been such an encouragement!
My question would be, what is one piece of advice for a new wife that you either did or wished you would do in order to be a better spouse for your husband early on and start a really good foundation???… I am so excited for kids and for the next steps in our life, and most of the advice for wives I see are for people who regret things and are trying to change them after 5 or 10 years of marriage… I just wondered if there was something you would say to proactively do or say, so that I don’t regret not doing it later???
Much love and gratitude for you! Lynnea
Lynnea, I don’t know what Lisa-Jo will say but I want you to know, from someone still happy in her marraige of nearly 17 years and we’ve been together for almost 20 years, that regardless of what you do, there will be things you’ll wish you had done differently. That’s how life works. We always have regrets. I like to try to remember that making yourself and your husband your priority is the best way to have a long and happy marriage. Ofcourse you need to remember that it isn’t always going to be perfect. There are always ups and downs and a lot of sideways! Kids will add a whole new perspective to your relationship. We have four in two seperate groups. I was afraid to have the second set because the first ones had made things rocky in our relationship. Kids are a blessing but they are hard. Remember that life comes in stages. If you and your husband always remember that in the hard times and remember that you love each other, even on those days that you don’t :), you will be able to weather your storms.
Happy Birthday, big girl!
This is a little random, but are you still nursing Zoe? If you are, how long do you plan to keep on?
I am curious about how much writing you have done in your life. You are an amazing writer! Were you in formal classes or did it just come naturally? You obviously have a gift!
Zoe is 1, how is this possible????!!!! What a wonderful day to celebrate.
As a writer-mama who splits her time living in California and Haiti I have always resonated with your writing-gypsy heart. How so you fit in so much blogging and social media with your kids?
Happy birthday, precious Zoe! I’m not sure why that gets me all teary-eyed…
Looking forward to your podcast!
If we were to meet in real life, I would ask you this (after hugging your neck and squealing over your shoes of course):
So, if I asked Jesus to describe you, what do you think He’d say?
Because the experience of seeing ourselves through His eyes is…life changing
I’m not sure that’s something you want to tackle in a podcast, so I would like to know what recharges you most. : )
Wow. Too many to know where to begin – but first, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ZOE. You have hundreds of adoring 2nd mamas and grandmamas out here, honey. Love watching you grow up.
What brought you to the US in the first place? What brought you back here after you started your family?
And I am absolutely on board with that early question: what do you like/love about yourself? And don’t be shy – maybe it will encourage everyone to really think about the good stuff instead of focusing only on the hard stuff. So to borrow a phrase from your friend, Holley – how are you already amazing??
I would really love to know more details of how you left your corporate job and started working full time for Day Spring doing social media {one of my many dream jobs — social media manager}.
AND more about what you did in each place that you lived and what took you there and on to the next place….etc.
Cannot wait to “tune” in!
yeah!!! I love the simple mom podcast!
Here’s my question: What do you do on a daily basis that’s in line with your long range goals – like, who you want to be when you’re 40 or 50 – what did you do today that brings you a little closer?
You have done such an amazing job at building community here with your transparency, 5 minute Fridays, and over at InCourage, especially with the inRL meetings. Do you have suggestions for building an online community with a small blog, that doesn’t get as much traffic?
I know the interview already happened with Tsh, but I still have a question. And I’m a little nervous to ask, as I don’t want to step on your toes, especially as you DO love others so well in this beautiful online community. Thank you for helping to create and nurture all of these relationship!!
Alright, on to my question: How do you turn off all of the connections, so you can really focus on your kids and husband? Sometimes it can be too easy to check email, check facebook, text a friend, comment on a post, etc, all with the good intentions of building those relationships that I end up neglecting my boys and husband. Are you able to limit being online and reachable to certain periods of time? Are there times you are unreachable, and do you honor this time by really putting those devices aside? Do you struggle with getting sucked in to these devices? How do you keep your children your first priority, so you give them your best, even and especially when you’re drained?
Hey Sarah-Anne,
good, hard question. very important one too. and since Tsh and I had technical issues we haven’t actually recorded this yet. so now I’m gonna add it to the list and be sure and answer it for you. and for me. because it’s can be a moving target, can’t it?
Thank you, Lisa-Jo. Indeed, it is definitely a daily moving target for me. Some days I do so much better than other days. I am grateful for grace on the days I get sucked in. I struggle and question what do my kids see when they watch me, what will they remember about their mother, and how will *I* feel if when they are teens (2 & 4 now), they are on their phones and social networks to the extent that I am. What am I modeling, and if they do what I do, will I be pleased with that? Yikes, that’s pretty convicting for me. :/ I’m striving for my answer to be yes, I am pleased; but where I wouldn’t be pleased, those are areas that I especially seek to change.
I went to the website but I dont see the interview??
I know! Tsh and I are bummed because we had technical issues and will have to record next week. So sorry – but I’ll let you know as soon as it’s up – promise!