Exposed, the Watkins Lady’s secret life!

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I recently started following Neil Kramer on twitter and discovered his blog Citizen of the Month. The post that caught my attention was the Great Interview Experiment Neil believes as do I, that everyone is somebody special! He states, “We instantly find people even MORE interesting because someone took the time to interview them.” So I decided to join in the experiment to help sabotage the idea of an interview only being for “somebody.” I was delighted to interview Marci who writes a personal blog called Lv Gurl. I’m sure you’ll agree she is somebody special!

Why did you start your blog?

I had been reading some good stuff online, namely Dooce, and I was inspired to write myself. I’m an English major, I worked as a PR gal for a number of years… so writing is my thing. I have a lot of stuff swirling around in my head; mainly just my weird little twist on life and kooky observations. Unfortunately, my blog hasn’t really captured that. I have so much going on that my blog really takes a back seat.

What do you enjoy most about blogging?

The people I have “met.” I really enjoy that aspect of blogging, it’s something that I didn’t even expect when I started.

I’m not terribly concerned with traffic, although I feel honored when a blog writer I admire finds my blog without me going over there and kissing blog booty.

Would it be safe to say, your family is the most important thing in your life?

OH YEAH!! In ways I never quite imagined. Even though I knew my children would always come first, I never quite realized how much so! Somedays, I am concerned so little for myself that I have to shake myself. Like, “Get your butt to the doctor and treat that bronchitis!” I am so focused on my girls that I often forget that I need to look after myself, too.

Seeing my girls grow and turn into sweet and loving little creatures is so amazing, I don’t quite know how to express it.

I absolutely do not take having a family of my own for granted. My mom, her sister, and my grammy all had a very difficult time bearing children. Both my mom and my aunt could only have one child. So as I grew up, I carried around a strong fear/belief that I would never be able to have children. I lost an ovary at 21, and it only deepened my fears. “Oh God, it’s happening to me too…”

But obviously, I was able to break the cycle. One of the happiest days of my life is when Makenna’s (my oldest) pink bar appeared on a pregnancy test. I was able to have children.

I was a stay at home Mom and raised four children. I am thankful I could always be available for my children. I have a wonderful and special relationship with each of them now that they are adults. Why did you decide to be a stay at home mom?

I don’t know, it was just something I wanted to do. Simply because if I had a choice, I wanted to be home with my children. Some families don’t have a choice. I like knowing everything about them and knowing every nuance of their day. I babysat for two little boys during college, and I loved those little guys like they were my own. Their mom initially worked part time from home, then stayed home full time later on. I guess I enjoyed seeing how her life worked, and I wanted that too.

One of the huge reasons we decided to move to Vegas from the San Francisco Bay Area was because we wanted more financial freedom, to own a home, AND because I had a better chance to stay at home with our future children. Children grow up so fast. I want to be home with them, while they are little, as much as possible.

What is your favorite thing about being home with your children? And what don’t you like about it?

I like that I don’t feel split in half. I would feel that way if I left for work each day. Although it would probably give me some extra sanity to dwell in the working world, I personally would feel like I wasn’t a great mother OR a great professional. I know many women who strike that balance well. I’m better suited to focus on my girls all day while they are so young. I’ll go back out there in a couple years when they are older. Aside from all that, I love the random hugs and snuggles throughout the day. I love that they know I’m home.

There isn’t much I don’t like about staying home. When Makenna was a newborn, it was hard for me to not just go do whatever I wanted. (I’m an only child with a high need for personal space!) And then my husband would have work dinners, or would go out with clients. I felt like my life changed, but his didn’t. That was a fleeting feeling, I was over that within a few months. He still pisses me off sometimes when he goes away for a weekend here and there But really, Andrew (my husband) is very supportive, he gives me a lot of freedom. I wouldn’t have been able to finish my masters or balance freelance work or triathlon training without him. He keeps me balanced, encourages me to keep doing things to improve myself. Plus, Makenna and Paige ADORE him!

Sometimes I miss going to an office and doing completely grown up things. But I compensate by doing freelance work. It keeps me in touch with big people, in a venue that has nothing to do with children or mothering. I can dip my toe in, for just a moment.

Oh, and I detest the acronym SAHM.

I noticed you have your Master’s degree and do some free lancing. Do you plan to pursue your teaching career in the future or perhaps some other career path?

Even though I feel like I don’t have enough hours in the day at times, I enjoy doing freelance work. But I do plan to secure a teaching job. Maybe for the 2009-2010 school year, when Makenna is in kindergarten and Paige is in preschool. If I went to work now, the cost of two in preschool would equal my teaching salary! I look forward to starting — I enjoy the energy in the classroom and being a part of other peoples’ lives.

What do you feel is the best and the worst thing about living in Las Vegas?

There are many great things about living here. The quality of life is really good, actually. We bought our house at a great time. We have access to great restaurants, shopping, spas. And because it’s a major international attraction, the airport is great and there are flights to almost any place you want to go. We are really close to Los Angeles and San Diego, for when we need a beach fix; and San Francisco, which both Andrew and I consider our favorite place. OH, and my parents live here too, so that’s a great perk!

The worst thing is the vice. Gaming and sex permeate the culture. We stay far away from The Strip, so we keep a buffer around it. But still, my girls can’t watch a football game with their dad (which they actually DO!) without some strip club ad running. I just don’t want to have that conversation with them as they get older. “Mom, what’s a dollar lap dance at half time?”

Thank you Marci for being so candid with us. Drop by to visit the Lv Gurl read her blather (her word not mine) and meet her adorable chicks. You can visit Neil’s blog to find more Interviews: The Great Interview Experiment.

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