Guest Star: Bruna of Bees With Honey

 

When I first started tweeting again (I lapsed, that was pre-blog days), one of the first tweeps who continuously engaged with me and #FF’ed me every single week (encouraging others to follow you on Fridays, for non-Twitter people, was Bruna of Bees With Honey. Her blog posts are always warm and sweet like this one about friends, she generously shares her space with fellow bloggers in her weekly series, Let’s Bee Friends and she gives great tips on educational activities you can do with your children in her Mama Teach Us series.

She truly is one of the sweetest people I’ve had the privilege of knowing online. And I love her posts about her 3 beautiful girls! Say hi to Bruna.

I am beyond honoured to be one of Alison’s Guest Stars today. Thank you, Alison, for allowing me to hang out with you in your corner of the world. Your Guest Star series is one of my favourites.

1. When and why did you start blogging?
I started blogging the summer of 2010. Back then, my blog name was Harmless Girl Talk. I started out on Blogger and when making the switch over to WordPress, I changed my blog name to Bees with Honey. Initially, I started blogging simply to document the life of my growing girls. My blog was mainly read by far away extended family. It was a great way to share photos and keep Grandma and Papa up-to-date on the goings-on in the life of their granddaughters.

Eventually, after finding and reading so many other blogs written by like-minded mothers, I realized that I could write about stuff other than what’s happening in the lives of my children. I wanted to write about myself but felt silly. Reading other blogs helped me to see that writing about me wasn’t so silly after all. So many mothers out there were doing just that. So, I jumped right in and since then, have not turned back or regretted sharing my thoughts and feelings with the rest of the blogosphere.

2. What do you love most about blogging?
There are so many things I love about blogging but if I had to pick just one, it would have to be the friendships I have made and strengthened over the last year. I never imagined I would establish genuine relationships with other bloggers simply by reading and commenting on each other’s’ blogs and via the Twitter. For this, I am grateful.

3. Who is your favorite blogger ever?
How cool would it be to pinpoint one blogger I love and adore above all others? I couldn’t even if I tried. I have found and grown to love reading so many Mommy writers that to even name a few would leave out so many that hold special places in my heart. I recently met a group of fabulous Mommy bloggers locally where I live for a Tweetup. It was my first TweetUp ever and it was an evening I will always remember and cherish. The girls I spent so much time tweeting and reading ended up being just as cool in person as they are on-line. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. I will say; however, that the great Mama Kat and Truthful Mommy are two veteran bloggers I have looked up to since I began blogging myself. Mama Kat inspires all her followers and friends with her weekly Writer’s Workshop and Truthful Mommy took me under her wings on the Twitter and taught me the ropes as well as introduced me to so many of her cool friends. For that, I am grateful. There are many fabulous Mom bloggers out there who do great things and help newbies to feel welcome in the on-line world.

4. Is there a post you regret publishing?
I don’t regret anything I write about except that sometime I think I divulge too much detail about my feelings and life. I know I’m not alone in this because so many other Mom bloggers out there do the same. I have to be a little extra careful with my topics being a Catholic School Teacher. I don’t want to do or say something that could jeopardize my job or my reputation as a teacher. You will not find any swearing, bashing or name calling on my blog. This isn’t difficult for me as I don’t normally do those things in real life. The character of ME on the blog is pretty much the ME you get in real life too. No surprises.

5. What do you love most about being a Mom?
I had to think long and hard about answering this question because, truly, there are so many things I love about being a Mother. I love the simple things the most. Hugs, kisses, cuddles, cute faces, sweet giggles, hand holding and those words, “I love you Mom” are at the top of my list. Nothing beats having little people around who love; rely on and look up to you.

6. What’s your favorite time of the day?
My favourite time of the day is kiddie bedtime. What? Seriously, it’s the only time of the day I can finally sit down and take a break. Okay, besides that time, I’d have to say mornings are my favourite because I love waking up my girls with kisses on their noses and have them open their eyes and smile up at me. I especially love morning time snuggles. It’s the best way to start off any day.

8. What could you eat every single day?
This is a tough question. I have lots of every day favourites but if I had to pick just one thing, it would have to be Nutella Hazelnut Spread on toast with a side of vanilla latte. I can eat it for breakfast or as a snack at any time of the day. Yum!

9. Favorite season and why.
Summer, hands down, is my favourite season of the year. I am and always will be a girl of the sun and if I had to re-live my life from the beginning, Hawaii would be my homeland and I would grow up to be a total surfer chick and hang out at the beach every day. I would meet cute surfer boys and ride the ways. Maybe even become a professional boarder. Who knows? A girl can dream.

10. One word to describe you.
Loveable.

11. You’ve recently committed to getting healthy. Tell us how you stay motivated.
As far back as I can remember, I have never had to worry about what I ate. I was always slim and could pack away food like there was no tomorrow without the slightest worry of putting on a pound. Once I hit 40, my whole world crashed with the discovery of high cholesterol levels in my system. Levels so high, my doctor became concerned about my future. Since that moment, I vowed to take better care of my mind and my body. I committed myself to getting healthy and have tried to stay motivated along the way. How do I stay motivated? Besides the fear of dying young from heart disease, I would have to say my fitness savvy sisters really help to keep me eating better and working out. I look to them for encouragement and support and am grateful for the kicks to the butt I get when I get lazy and stray from my plan. They’re like my own personal trainers. Always checking up on me!

12. You started a wonderful monthly link up, Bee Beautiful You – tell us more!
I came up with the idea of BEE Beautiful You one day when I realized that we Moms spend more time complaining about ourselves than we do anything else. We very rarely celebrate how wonderful we are and how much we do for the people in our lives that we love so much.

I read a lot of blogs and often find that as Moms we are so hard on ourselves. As Moms, we set ourselves up for failure with such unreasonable expectations. It can sometime become depressing.

Bee Beautiful You was born to change how we see ourselves as Mothers. Bee Beautiful You makes every Mom blogger/writer wear their positive glasses and celebrate who they are as wonderful and loving caregivers.

Once a month, I write a post about something positive in my own life or about a person in my life I feel warrants celebrating. I invite fellow bloggers to join in by doing the same and linking up their post on my site for sharing. The linky stays open from Tuesday to Sunday – a week – and I encourage linkers to hop around and read other posts, leaving words of praise and encouragement.

Bee Beautiful You is encouraging and supportive – a venue for positive self-assessment and celebration. Everyone is welcome.

Thank you, Alison, for having me as a guest on your blog today. You are a friend and fellow blogger I admire and adore. Your friendship has meant the world to me over the past year. I feel blessed to have crossed paths with you in the blogosphere.

Thank you Bruna, for being one of the best bloggy friends I’ve met since I started MWT last year.  Do visit Bruna on her blog Bees With Honey, follow here on Twitter, Pinterest and like her on Facebook!

Bees With Honey

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Comments

  1. Bits of Bee says:

    How fun to read a post combining two of my favourite bloggy mommies! Lots of great answers Bruna, and Alison, it’s nice to visit your site again, I hadn’t been by in awhile. I’ll have to stop by more regularly!
    Bits of Bee ‘s last awesome post..Quotable Bits #5My Profile

    • Bruna
      Twitter: beeswithhoney
      says:

      Thanks for coming over and reading me at Alison’s place. Love you for it!
      Bruna ‘s last awesome post..beautiful you: the honey editionMy Profile

  2. tracy@sellabitmum says:

    Oh I loved learning more about Bruna here! xo
    tracy@sellabitmum ‘s last awesome post..I Blame our Ungrateful Society on Baskin RobbinsMy Profile

    • Bruna
      Twitter: beeswithhoney
      says:

      Thanks Tracy :) )) Glad you came on over to read!
      Bruna ‘s last awesome post..beautiful you: the honey editionMy Profile

  3. Jessica says:

    Nice to see Bruna here. She is just as sweet as her blog name implies.

    Summer is the best season for sure.
    Jessica ‘s last awesome post..Wild And Crazy NightsMy Profile

    • Bruna
      Twitter: beeswithhoney
      says:

      Jessica, I envy you because where you live, it’s Summer all the time :) )
      Bruna ‘s last awesome post..beautiful you: the honey editionMy Profile

      • Jess says:

        Sorry to burst your bubble but Reno is nothing like Vegas in terms of weather. We get freezing cold temps and snow.

        • Bruna
          Twitter: beeswithhoney
          says:

          Aww man, seriously? I just figured Reno and Vegas were the same with weather. I betcha it’s still milder temps than where I live! :P P
          Bruna ‘s last awesome post..beautiful you: the honey editionMy Profile

  4. Mirjam says:

    Nice to meet you Bruna!
    Mirjam ‘s last awesome post..WonderMy Profile

    • Bruna
      Twitter: beeswithhoney
      says:

      Nice to meet you too, Miriam :)
      Bruna ‘s last awesome post..beautiful you: the honey editionMy Profile

  5. Galit Breen says:

    Lov seeing the two of you here together today and so much fun learning more about you, Bruna!
    Galit Breen ‘s last awesome post..Together QuietMy Profile

    • Bruna
      Twitter: beeswithhoney
      says:

      Thanks for always being so supportive Galit. Love you too!
      Bruna ‘s last awesome post..beautiful you: the honey editionMy Profile

  6. Natalie says:

    Love seeing Bruna over here! I love reading about her little girls!
    Natalie ‘s last awesome post..Tuesday ThoughtsMy Profile

    • Bruna
      Twitter: beeswithhoney
      says:

      Aw, thanks Natalie. I love writing about my little girls :P
      Bruna ‘s last awesome post..beautiful you: the honey editionMy Profile

  7. RoryBore says:

    I think Bruna summed it up best herself:

    completely loveable!

    And a million times Bravo for the BEE Beautiful You meme. Raising one another up, instead of tearing ourselves and each other down: love that!
    RoryBore ‘s last awesome post..Tuesday Coffee Chat: Laughter is the Best MedicineMy Profile

    • Bruna
      Twitter: beeswithhoney
      says:

      Aw, thank you for all the sweet words and for reading my interview with Alison today. You’re so supportive :)
      Bruna ‘s last awesome post..beautiful you: the honey editionMy Profile

  8. Natalie @MamaTrack says:

    Yay! Hi Bruna! Nice to see you here. Nutella and summer–I agree with both!
    Natalie @MamaTrack ‘s last awesome post..Five Minutes in the CarMy Profile

    • Bruna
      Twitter: beeswithhoney
      says:

      Nutella rocks, doesn’t it? Don’t know how I would ever live without it :P
      Bruna ‘s last awesome post..beautiful you: the honey editionMy Profile

  9. Missy | Literal Mom says:

    I love your favorite time of day answer!
    Missy | Literal Mom ‘s last awesome post..Bring the Clean (Living, that is) in 2012 – Week 6 – It’s All for the Kids!My Profile

    • Bruna
      Twitter: beeswithhoney
      says:

      It’s totally the truth. I count down to their bedtime many an evening, let me tell ya!
      Bruna ‘s last awesome post..beautiful you: the honey editionMy Profile

  10. Leighann says:

    Love Bruna!!
    So nice to read more about her!!
    It can be scary when you think all is well on the outside and a dr. Tells you that’s not the case! Good for you for kicking butt!
    Leighann ‘s last awesome post..A Close Second!My Profile

    • Bruna
      Twitter: beeswithhoney
      says:

      Thanks Leighann. Continuing to kick butt every day. This mama wants to live to 100 in good health like my grandma did :)
      Bruna ‘s last awesome post..beautiful you: the honey editionMy Profile

  11. Kimberly says:

    So nice to see you here, Bruna! I’m a summer girl too! Love it!
    Kimberly ‘s last awesome post..The Toddler TalksMy Profile

    • Bruna
      Twitter: beeswithhoney
      says:

      Summer rocks! Yay for being on the same team :)
      Bruna ‘s last awesome post..beautiful you: the honey editionMy Profile

  12. KirI says:

    Bruna…you’re right..LOVABLE is the word I think about when I think about you!!! I love that you are a summer girl like me and that you’re an amazing mom! I truly like everything about you..thanks for being such an inspiration to me as a mother and woman. Xo
    KirI ‘s last awesome post..Just Be Enough: The Celebration!My Profile

    • Bruna
      Twitter: beeswithhoney
      says:

      Kir, you always say such wonderfully sweet things and make me sound like Super Mom. I’m far from that but I’ll take all your love anytime:)))
      Bruna ‘s last awesome post..beautiful you: the honey editionMy Profile

  13. Jeanie says:

    I can definitely relate with worries about writing “too much” on the internet. It’s always a fine line to balance. But I adored this interview, keep them coming.
    Jeanie ‘s last awesome post..Guide to Finding An Online JobMy Profile

    • Bruna
      Twitter: beeswithhoney
      says:

      Thanks Jeanie:)
      Bruna ‘s last awesome post..beautiful you: the honey editionMy Profile

  14. By Word of Mouth Musings says:

    Bruna’s blog is so aptly named … she always brings something sweet. My fav reads are the one’s where you come away with a smile, a thought and feeling good … Bruna brings that!

    Waving to Alison xxxx
    ps. oh I wish you were heading to Blissdom from your land far far away ….
    By Word of Mouth Musings ‘s last awesome post..Wordy Wordless Wednesday Feb 7th – We Need to Fight CancerMy Profile

    • Bruna
      Twitter: beeswithhoney
      says:

      I wish I were going to Blissdom!

      Thanks for all the kind words :)
      Bruna ‘s last awesome post..camera playMy Profile

  15. JDaniel4's Mom says:

    Bruna truly is a beautiful lady!
    JDaniel4′s Mom ‘s last awesome post..Valentine’s Day Activity- Looking for LoveMy Profile

    • Bruna
      Twitter: beeswithhoney
      says:

      Thank you for the kind words :)
      Bruna ‘s last awesome post..camera playMy Profile

  16. Ado says:

    Bruna is bee-you-ti-full.
    So glad you had her as your guest star. We need more Brunas.
    Ado ‘s last awesome post..The Plan / What Actually HappenedMy Profile

    • Bruna
      Twitter: beeswithhoney
      says:

      Ha ha, Ado – you’re so funny. Betcha I’m the first BRUNA you’ve ever known. (The name isn’t very common)
      Bruna ‘s last awesome post..camera playMy Profile

  17. Stasha Becker says:

    Oh, Nutella and Latte! I knew you were my hero. Lovable is a perfect word to describe Bruna, hands down. Pretty and supportive too. Which I hope Alison sees soon, when she joins us in a tweet up. A girl can dream, right?
    Stasha Becker ‘s last awesome post..Wordless WednesdayMy Profile

    • Bruna
      Twitter: beeswithhoney
      says:

      Oh how fun if Alison could just jet on over to us and meet for a Tweet-up!
      Bruna ‘s last awesome post..camera playMy Profile

  18. Shannon from mynewfavoriteday says:

    Such a great interview Alison and Bruna! Love reading both the questions and answers. You are both lovely and love seeing your friendship respect for one another in this bloggy world and beyond!
    Shannon from mynewfavoriteday ‘s last awesome post..Trying something new…say it with me – Zumba!My Profile

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