Welcome back dears! A weekly show is hardly enough time to shine a spotlight on all of the awesome bloggers who follow Marlie and Me, but I'm going to try! This week we are joined one classy mama who is proud of her roots. Let's give a warm welcome to...Name: Jana
Blog: Sophisticated Redneck Mommy
- Me: I LOVE creative blog titles! Mine is a play on the movie starring that dog and Jennifer Anniston. You have a very interesting blog title, tell us how you came up with it and what does it mean?
Jana: Well, not long after I got married and we bought our house my husband and I were sitting in our carport drinking beer. Our house (at the time) had a very dilapidated back porch, but it was very nice outside. We wanted to enjoy the weather and relax and that is how we ended up in the carport. As we were chatting my husband started laughing at the fact that we were drinking in the carport instead of going out on a date or just staying inside like most normal people. He then decided we were sophisticated rednecks. Sophisticated because half the time we love to go out to really nice, fancy dinners and we can be fairly high class. Rednecks because the other half of the time we would just rather not make a fuss about anything (I know there are other connotations to the term redneck, but we won't get into that right now). I soon realized that this translated into a large portion of my life. This would be especially true in regards to being a mother. I want my daughter to dress well and be chic, but it won't bother me one bit if one day she is running in the sprinklers in just a diaper and covered in mud either. Another example....my dad is a VP for Tiffany and Company and was raised on a peach farm in rural south Georgia where he almost followed his dream of becoming a star in a southern rock band. I guess the apple doesn't fall far! - Me: I lived in Atlanta for 10 years not far from where you live now. I miss my friends and the DeKalb Farmer's Market, but not the gridlock on the I-75/85 (aka The Connector). If you had to move, what would you miss most about Hotlanta?
Jana: Oh my goodness, that's a tough one because I have lived here my entire life. Atlanta has a whole slew of issues that drive me crazy. You named the worst one. However, this may sound silly, but I think what I would miss most is how well I know this town. I can get anywhere at any time in almost every part of the metro area (and beyond to some degree). If you have ever even just visited here you know that Atlanta is a poorly laid out mess of highways. Therefore, I am pretty proud of my ability to navigate it. There is no greater comfort than knowing that this is my city and if you come here I can show you pretty much anything you would be interested in seeing. - Me: You recently turned 30...Happy Birthday! I remember my big 3-0. I made a big deal about being "grown and sexy." I had a party with my family in my hometown(Miami) and a big bash with friends in Atlanta. How did you celebrate?
Jana: I just did a post on my blog about this! Seriously, I hit gold when I met my husband. To make a long story short, my best friend's 30th is a week after mine. My husband and her husband rented out the top of a bar in Midtown and threw us a huge surprise party. We also stayed at the Georgian Terrace (think Gone With the Wind) after the party was over. It was a wonderful way to step into the next decade of my life. - Me: This weekend I watched the movie 13 Going on 30 on TV. It made me think about who I was at 13 (a nerdy tomboy) and who I thought I'd be at 30 (a rich lawyer living in Miami Beach). What were you like at 13 and how did you see yourself at 30? Is your life at 30 what you imagined?
Jana: At 13 I was incredibly shy, scared of everyone, and just as awkward as most other 13 year old girls. At that time I probably thought that I would be a tennis pro because all I ever did was play tennis. Deep down though I have always seen myself as a mother. I was hoping to have a couple more kids by this time, but I made sure I found the right man first. My life at 30 is exactly what I imagined, if not better. I don't feel 30, but I don't think I will ever feel older than 25. - Me: I also thought I'd be a mother by the time I was 30 years old, but we put it off for a few more years. Did being a mommy change how you felt about turning 30?
Jana: I don't think so. I want a lot of kids and I knew I wanted to at least get started before turning 30. I just barely accomplished that goal! If anything, I feel like being a mommy and turning 30 went hand in hand for me. I feel like my twenties gave me the chance to really find who I am (as much as you can before 30) and find who I wanted to spend my life with. My thirties are now the perfect time to learn how to be a great mommy and enjoy having kids. - Me: I like to think about what my daughter will be like when she is older. I'm hoping she'll be a tomboy like I me, but I might have to learn to like playing dress-up and throwing tea parties! What personality traits do you want your little girl to inherit from you?
Jana: That is incredibly hard to answer because at this point everything about her is my husband. I know she's only eight months old, but it is shocking sometimes how much of him I already see in her. At any rate, if anything about me comes out in her I would hope it's my acceptance and love of others. I have been around many intolerant people in my life and such a quality is an ugly thing to see in a person. I want her to love people for who they are at all times. If I can teach her that, I will be proud of myself. - Me: I also want to teach me daughter certain social skills like the art of making small talk (and some survival skills for navigating high school!). What is a social skill you'd like your daughter to learn?
Jana: I would love for my daughter to learn how to work well in a group. This is the teacher in me talking, but you would be amazed how many kids are so good at working well alone. You put them in a group and they are at a total loss. They become bossy or introverted and before you know it the group is falling apart. Teamwork is so important in all aspects of life. - Me: I do have some bad habits (chewing loudly, cursing) that I hope my daughter doesn't learn from me. I dread one day getting a call from school about Marlie dropping a F-bomb at recess and telling the teacher she learned that word from me. Do you fear your daughter might pick up some undesirable quality from you or is it just me?
Jana: Oh no! My husband and I both have terrible potty mouths. We joke that her first word will either be Molly (our dog's name) or the F word because we haven't tried to control it well enough yet. I can also be a very vice driven person. I smoked for a long time, I love a good drink, and I obsess over things a little too much. Wait, you only asked for one bad habit right? :-) Obviously, it's not just you! - Me: The other day I saw a commercial for The Electric Company, and it made me think of the saying everything that is old is new again. What is one thing you wish would make a comeback?
Jana: Drive-ins. Is that weird? There is only one left in Atlanta and we take every opportunity to go even though it isn't so close to our house. My daughter's first movie going experience was to see The Hangover and she was three months old. You can go with friends and tailgate or take your baby and breastfeed in the privacy of your own car. I am an avid movie lover so I was afraid after having a baby that my two or three times a month movie nights would be over. While it is harder the more mobile she gets, it's still better than taking a baby to a theater. People that do that infuriate me. I don't pay $9 to listen to your child scream while I try to watch a movie I have been dieing to see. If your child screams in your car, no one can hear it but you. - Me: On that note, I don't ever want to see the Aquanet waterfall bangs again (guilty as charged)! What is one fashion trend you hope stays buried in the past?
Jana: Well, it's too late now, but I HATE skinny jeans. It has nothing to do with the fact that I have a large rear end and can't wear them (ok, maybe that factors in a little). It has everything to do with their name. You seriously have to be insanely skinny to even attempt to look good in them. In my opinion, those people that I have seen attempt it look pretty silly even if they are super skinny. Sorry if you love them...I just can't get into it (ha!).
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