Oink This, Baby!

No, I haven't gone crazy. In fact, I was already crazy waaaaay before this post. I just wanted to make sure the title caught your attention. Looks like it worked :)

Last week, one of the greatest communities, The Secret Is In The Sauce started Tribe Week. The concept is that we form smaller groups to get to know each other better and to help support other bloggers so we can improve. I'm in the Oink Tribe. I know it doesn't sound all that flattering, right? Anyhoo...We are just fellow mom bloggers that love to make people laugh. One of our tribe activities this week was to feature a fellow tribesman in a guest blog.

I decided to interview my guest tribesman. I've read quite a few of these on other blogs and I think it's a great way to give a new audience a quick look at what makes you and your blog "tick".

So without further ado...

I'd like to introduce you to Annie, aka Rational Mind Crazy Woman, and fellow "oinker". She has been blogging since 2008 and is happily married with 2 young boys (so far). One of the things I liked most about Annie's blog was her openness. She doesn't hold back anything and tells you like she sees it, which usually involves a little  ton of cussing. I found it was easy to relate to a lot of her topics as a fellow mom blogger.

Below are the questions I asked Annie in an effort for my readers to get to know her better. Please note: That while I typically refrain from using foul language on my personal blog, I do not feel I would be reflecting the "true" Annie if I censored her answers. If you are offended by foul language, Annie's blog may not be for you. If you aren't then I'm willing to bet you will be amused by her wit and matter-of-factness about life and all that it brings us :)

1. When you started blogging, did you think it would become as addicting as it is? How has your view of the blogosphere changed since you became a part of it?

I definitely did not know blogging would be so addicting! There are days when it is all I can think about! I feel like I have my own little corner of the Internet now, and I just want to be in it all the time. When I started blogging I didn't realize that there were "cliques" but there totally are. Not necessarily in a bad way, but I find that there are a lot of the same people following and commenting on the same blogs as me. I also didn't realize how many moms are out there blogging, there are a ton of us!

2. Name 3 blogs that you never miss reading a post to. Why do you enjoy those particular blogs?

Mama Still Wears Gucci for sure. Her posts are funny and smart, and I am never disappointed. She is also one of the 1st bloggers that I came across, so now it's kind of a habit. Her blogging style is a little more my style; she has kids and talks about them occasionally but she mostly talks about herself and politics and other entertaining things.

Ashley Quite Frankly -- I actually think this was the very 1st mom blog I came across. She is hilarious, and her kids are just like mine so it makes me feel like I'm not the only one dealing with ridiculous shit. And she says "fuck" a lot, and that makes me happy.

I also never miss an episode of Starbucks Break. Cheryl hasn't been blogging as much as she used to and I am going through withdrawals. She is random for sure, but I found myself literally laughing out loud every time I read her blog. She is not a mommy blogger, and it's nice to keep in touch with my non-mommy self every once in a while.

3. Have you ever made any money with your blog? If so, how?

Nah, I blog for myself. If someone approaches me someday and wants me to write for them professionally because I am just so awesome at it, I'll definitely consider it, but for now I'm just doing it for fun. I think I have Google ads or something on my blog, but I don't even know if they've earned me anything.

4. What's your favorite hobby, besides blogging?

I love to sew. I've made a few dresses, and I'm working on a few aprons now. I would actually love to sell some things on Etsy, I just have to get my shit together and actually finish something!

5. What's your favorite thing to eat? Off the wall random, I know :)

Anything that is bad for me! I'm a junk food queen, and I have candy hidden everywhere. Right now I could go for some fried chicken though.

6. What blogging communities do you belong to? (ie Bloggy Moms, BlogFrog, etc..)
Oh there are so many, I didn't even realize that I had joined them all! The SITS girls, Bloggy Moms, BlogFrog, Lady Bloggers Society, 20 Something Bloggers, I know there are a few more too, I just can't find them :)

7. Are you on Twitter? If so, what's your handle?

@annied84

8. I'm always reading that a blog has to have a "niche" to be successful. What do you think is your niche?

Hmmm, I wouldn't say that I am a mommy blogger. I'm a mom and I blog, but for the most part I just write about what I'm thinking. Sometimes that is my kids, sometimes it's politics, sometimes I'm ranting about the stupid things people do. I really don't know what my niche is, if I have one at all. A lot of my readers are other young moms who want to get back to having their sense of self.

9. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

Europe. I have never been there and I've always wanted to go. Anywhere in Europe would be great too, Italy, Spain, Sweden, London -- I'll take any of it!

10. What's one thing you'd like my readers to walk away knowing about you?

What you see is what you get. I'm not a sugar-coater, I say what I want and I'm not worried about what people think of me. You either love me or you hate me!

If you'd like to get to know Annie better, you can visit her blog at: http://www.rationalmindofacrazywoman.blogspot.com/