Mom Blogs - SPLURGE! OKC Magazine

Moms have always depended on one another for advice. Shop here, buy this, don’t buy that. What’s the best diaper on the market? Are generic formulas just as good as the name brands? Is anyone cloth-diapering anymore? And as much as you’d love to depend on your own mother for sage advice, sometimes her advice can be a little dated.

So whom do you call for current advice on all things mommy related? Well, your other mom friends, of course. Sure, it’d be great to have one day a week, scratch that, even an hour a week to sit by the pool with your girls, umbrella drink firmly in hand, and glean from them the best tips, tricks, recipes, activities, etc., to make your life a little easier. But sadly, just like you, your mom friends are also wading through mounds of dirty diapers, laundry, feeding schedules, music lessons, soccer practice, school activities and doctor visits. And who can forget the pressure to prepare a decent dinner (at the end of an already long day, no less) that everyone likes (or at least eats) that doesn’t begin with word pizza and end with rolls?

Even if you could squeeze in, say, a five-minute phone call, that’s when the kids find the permanent markers and freshen up the bathroom décor or have a complete meltdown right at your feet, or even worse, go into blood-drawing battles over the one toy NO ONE cared about two seconds before you picked up your phone.

You give up. There’s no going out with the girls and no getting on the telephone. But what you might have time for, if you’re really good at surfing the web one-handed, while stirring spaghetti sauce or changing a dirty diaper with the other is the next best thing, or perhaps, the new best thing: you can visit a mom blog.

With the rise in social media over the past decade, so has grown the collective mavens of all things mommy. Think Good Housekeeping, but cooler, and usually fine-tuned to your own hometown, your stomping grounds and your peeps. It’s an advice column, it’s a forum, it’s a guide to your city, it’s parental advice, local events, book clubs, giveaways, product reviews, diy/crafting, food, fashion and the list goes on and on. It’s Martha Stewart meets Ann Landers meets Oprah and everything in between. My friend, in case you haven’t already, surf on over to the nearest mom blog and see what’s all the rage.

SPLURGE! recently sat down with one of the top and trendiest mom bloggers in the metro (and beyond), Amy Bellgardt, owner and founder of Mom Spark and Mom Spark Media, to find out just what mom blogs have to offer readers as well as fellow bloggers.

SPLURGE!: What exactly is Mom Spark? What kind of content can I expect to find there?

Amy Bellgardt: Mom Spark is a trendy blog for moms that includes unique articles on food, travel, fashion, parenting, diy, natural living and more.

S!: How long has Mom Spark been around and how has it changed over the years?

AB: Mom Spark has been around for nearly seven years now! Though the topics featured on the site have remained relatively the same over the years, the quality has certainly increased. Bringing on more creative writers, enhancing images and hiring a website designer have really enhanced the Mom Spark experience.

S!: Would a grandparent, someone without kids or a dad find the site useful and why?

AB: Absolutely! Everyone loves food and travel, so at very least, those pieces would connect with a non-parent or dad.

S!: What is indie parenting, and what kind of content/support do you offer for indie parents?

AB: Indie Parents are moms and dads who are self-employed, entrepreneurs, followers of passions and require a flexible lifestyle. Our goal is to support and inspire parents to follow their passions, while having the flexibility to spend more time with their families.

S!: What kinds of services do you offer for women or men who are interested in getting into blogging?

AB: Mom Spark Media is a network for parenting bloggers who are available to work with brands, grow their blogging businesses and connect with like-minded people. Mom Spark Media offers many articles on getting started with a blog, as well as how to grow one successfully. Mom Spark (the blog) also has a fabulous post on “How to Create a Blog” in one hour!

S!: What content do you offer that you wish would have been available to you when you first started blogging?

AB: I was fortunate when I first started blogging in that there were communities like Mom Spark Media available as resources, so I certainly can’t say I am the first of its kind. I do hope that we offer a very positive space for up and coming bloggers, as some blogging networks can be overwhelming, discouraging and negative.

S!: What’s the best piece of advice you can offer to someone trying to break into the blogging business?

AB: I would offer this advice—stay true yourself always. The best thing you can sell is you and your own unique content. If you produce a product (content) that is tailored to what you think people want, you lose your authenticity and voice. Stand out because you are YOU and not because you seek attention.

S!: What is your favorite part of your job?

AB: My favorite part of my job is the flexibility it offers for my family. Though I travel from time to time, I am mostly at home with my family carting kids off to music lessons, doctor appointments and playdates. Being my own boss means that I decide how much and how often I work, which makes me a whole lot more available to what matters most in my life—my family.

You can check out Mom Spark at momspark.net and Mom Spark Media at momsparkmedia.com.