Alice Bradley, aka Finslippy, is a mom and a blogger, yet she falls far outside the realm of the typical mommy blogger. With a new book coming out called Let's Panic About Babies!, a monthly column in Redbookmagazine, and a regular video series on Momversations, its easy to see that she's a mom who marches to the beat of her own drum.Finslippy.com, her home online, has been hailed as "the greatest of the mommy blogs" by National Review Online, but she still claims she's figuring it all out as she goes along.
How did you get started as a blogger?
One day my sister said, "you should write one of those 'blogs' everyone's been talking about," and I was all, "Huh." And then I did. That is the greatest Blog Creation story ever told. I'm sending it to the New Yorker!
You seem to take a humorous, non-traditional approach to both blogging and motherhood...where does that come from?
I think I'm actually pretty traditional in both respects. I don't think I'm pushing any serious boundaries when it comes to either blogging or parenting. As for the humorous part, I have no idea how else to be. It's terribly sad. I try to be serious, and people laugh at me. Stop laughing! (p.s. Don't stop laughing.)
Why does Squarespace work for you?
Squarespace allowed me, someone who doesn't know Javascript from shinola, to create the exact site I wanted, one that I could maintain and adapt to suit my needs.
Favorite Squarespace feature?
Don't make me choose! I love the whole package, really. It's just such an elegant platform.
You've been blogging for a lot longer than most, what are some of the best lessons you've learned throughout the years?
Two things: don't be a jerk, and keep going. When people criticize or get nasty, it's tempting to lash out. But trust me, you will always be glad in the end that you took the high road. Always. And about not giving up: forces will conspire to drive you away from your blog, and I've almost abandoned mine more times than I can count, but I'm really glad I stuck with it. And I plan to continue sticking with it, in whatever forms it takes, well into the future.
What's next for you?
I wrote a book! Let's Panic About Babies!, written with Eden Kennedy of www.fussy.org, is coming out March 2011. Everyone should own a copy. Even if they hate babies. Especially if they hate babies.