- Where did you come up with the name for your blog?
My parents immigrated from Poland before I was born, so my heritage is a huge part of my memories of childhood and the legacy that I want to pass on to my family. Not sure what a "pierogie" is? It can best be described as a dumpling that is similar to ravioli, but the filling options are endless. You can do potato and cheese (I love sauteeing them with a little bit of onion, bacon and topping with a scoop of sour cream!), meat, cabbage and mushroom, or go on the totally other end of the spectrum and fill them with fruits like strawberries, blueberries or plums! Pierogies are not only my absolutely favorite food in the world but it's also the nickname I give my babies before we learn about their gender. Some people call their babies "bean," "sweet pea," or "gummy bear," and I just call mine "Pierogie." When I was thinking about what to call my new blog that covered this huge change in my life, it felt natural to be "The Pierogie Mama." - Why did you start blogging (fun, business, etc.) and what is your message for your followers?
Blogging started out, and continues to be, my mom-outlet. Although I wouldn't ever trade this interesting world of being a stay-at-home-mom, a person also needs a community. I've been so blessed to be born in an age where even though I'm not interacting with other adults face-to-face on a daily basis, I've been able to link up with others who are in a similar situation and expand my horizons in learning new perspectives. Even a generation ago women didn't have access to this kind of interaction and information. I'm proud to have the opportunity to take this and craft my own community where I share my thoughts and learn from others too. It's a really special feeling! - What did you do prior to starting your blog?
I worked for a business that manufactures radio triggers for off-camera flash equipment. Clear as mud? It is to most people! I started out as a customer service representative, moved my way up to being the manager of that department and eventually transitioned to being the purchasing/inventory/manufacturing implementation guru. It was a fun, challenging and interesting part of my life and when we became pregnant with our first child I was very blessed with the opportunity to choose to stay home and raise our kids at home. - What do you like best about blogging, and what is your greatest challenge?
I love the interaction and meeting other people and getting to know companies. My blog started out as a small, personal outlet where I shared baby updates with friends and family and quickly grew to more and more people clicking on my posts and asking questions, introducing interesting topics or opening up opportunities for me.
One of my latest challenges that I've put up for myself is getting more interactive with my local readers. I live in Monroe and it's sort of been easy to be this anonymous Pacific Northwest mama who sometimes writes about "the Seattle area," as ambiguous as that is. Recently I took it upon myself to become a voice to moms in our area too. Having a community of local-ish moms is fun because I can share about local events (like Just Between Friends Consignment Sales or great businesses) and even though it's an online community it begins to feel more tangible, physical and less anonymous.
Read more about Bianca, The Pierogie Mama, and her little “pierogies:" Penelope (20 months) and little Ruby (due in March 2014). Pacific Northwest raised and a Monroe local, in the twilight of her 20's and married to the handsomest and handiest engineer around. Follow along as she shares her two cents on natural and attachment parenting, cooks up fine meals, goes green, works on her renovation obsession, writes reviews on natural products, and attempts to chase down her two dogs. Check her out on BlogLovin', Facebook and Twitter!
