Friday Featured Blog: Mom Most Traveled

Here it is again, another Friday Featured Blog! This time I've asked Candice, of Mom Most Traveled and My Greening: Going Green to share a little about her blogs and her life as a blogger. I've enjoyed getting to know Candice a little through our blogs and have found out that we have a lot in common. Although she's on the other side of the world, she blogs about things that all moms can relate to, and has awesome stories and tips about traveling with kids. Her latest travel experience blows my mind! 4 flights (one of which was 16 hours), 2 kids, and lots of luggage!

What is your blog about?
Mom Most Traveled is about my experiences traveling internationally with my children; I put in personal stories and tips, as well as product reviews and giveaways.

When, how, and or why did you start your blog?

I started blogging in 2000; at the time I wasn't familiar with the word "blog" and I called it an online journal (at diaryland.com). I really enjoyed the little community that it created for me; there were about 6 other ladies who all read each other's journals and commented. We all had kids the same age and we felt like we "knew" each other; I mean we were reading about each other's lives all the time!

Eventually everyone started using different hosts, so I started the blogger blog in 2007 so I could post pictures and things like that more easily. I started http://winnermama.blogspot.com just as a way to stay in touch with my old blog friends and people I knew "in real life".

What would you like to add to your blog in the next year?
I'm working on a "Winners Gallery" of photos from people who won a giveaway. I also want to do more posts about different destinations in Asia. This year we are planning to travel in Thailand, Vietnam, and Japan.

I want to tell parents what they can expect at each place, as well as what kinds of familiar products are available in the way of brands of diapers, baby food, formula, snacks, etc.
I also need to go back and write about trips we have already taken: Singapore, China, and Malaysia. I don't think I will be writing about Cambodia. The parts we visited were not very kid friendly.

What are some of your favorite blogs?

Blogs on which I lurk:

I like to read Thingamababy ...one of the few "parenting" blogs written from a Dad's perspective.
Joy Unexpected is laugh-out-loud funny; I think it is because of her stream-of-consciousness style of writing. Check out her posts about Aerobic dancing.
We Are THAT Family: This is one of those blogs that people actually READ the CONTENT. She is a great writer and good and engaging her readers in fun little activities, like sharing embarassing photos of yourself in the 1980's.
Green and Clean Mom: hard working green mama

Blogs I read but don't lurk, because I'm brave enough to comment:
Superdumb Supervillian because our kids are the same age and Naomi is a funny lady.
Fried Okra: a great writer, and one of my Original Diaryland Pals
Crunchy Green Mom: I'm watching her blog grow as she turns into a SERIOUS blogger, ya'll! A sweet mom of 6!
And, last but not least, I enjoy the sincerity, green tips, and ponderings at Katydid and Kid.

What is one of your pet peeves about blogs or bloggers?

I am bothered by run on sentences or lack of punctuation. I also don't like when people use "your and you're" interchangeably.Ditto for "there, their and they're". Also "quite" and "quiet" ("I have been tired for quiet a while." ARGH!) Other typos don't really bother me.

I don't like being put on a mass email list when I didn't sign up for it (that happened a lot in the last Bloggy Carnival).

I don't like when someone comments on one of my posts only to say something like, "Come read my blog!", when it is obvious that they didn't read MY entry. I think that is kind of tacky.

What advice would you have for any new bloggers?

I guess the hardest thing about getting started is finding your focus. If you want your blog to be more than just an online diary, you need to pick a "niche". My advice is to figure out what you want to do with your blog, and then be single minded in all of your posts for a while. And post often.

If you want to get more readers, you need to be reading other blogs and commenting intelligently. I think this is more effective than having a banner ad or something impersonal.
If you need a traffic spike, be ready to participate in the Bloggy Giveaways Carnival! I found a lot of great new blogs this last quarter.

What is something that people might not know about you?

I feel like there is a lot that people don't know about me; I always struggle with how personal to make things on my blog, or how deep into my life's history I should be revealing!
Here are a few random facts:

• I grew up in the American south
• I've been vegetarian for 13 years
  
• I have made leaded stained-glass windows. Three of them. I enjoyed it but it isn't an activity you can do with kids around.
• I love crafty-stuff, but I haven't had the time or resources to make anything in quite a while. So I get excited about hand made giveaways.
• I don't actually like the act of traveling, but I do like seeing new places.
  
• Here in Laos, I have an old, blue Vespa. The first few weeks I drove it, I prayed continuously while on the road. it. is. terrifying.
  
• I'm a very cautious person for the most part and I tend to be a rule follower, but I do analyze things quite a bit and end up finding reasons why "the rules" are not valid. Then I just feel guilty.
  
• I would like to go to BlogHer 2009 but I'm not sure that will be possible this time...

Thanks so much Candice! Be sure to stop by Mom Most Traveled and introduce yourself if you haven't already.