I am happy to introduce you to Mom Shellie; one half of the musical couple; We Are the Monks. She's still somewhat new to the Mom scene; she has a 5 1/2 month old son, Oliver - which makes her perspective fresh and wonderful. Shellie's voice is positive, sweet, and full of gratitude. As a traveling Mom, she has learned quick that sometimes, especially on the road, you just have to roll with it; which I greatly admire and am still trying to learn how to do four years later.
Please grab a cup of coffee and take a minute to let Shellie's cheerful outlook and Oliver's sweet smile bring some sunlight to your morning.
--------------------------------------------
Who are you? My name is Shellie Monk and I am 34 years young. I'm originally from Texas but now live in Nashville, TN with my little fam. I blog at www.justanothermanicmonkday.
Who is in your family? I live in a cozy (i.e. tiny) one bedroom apartment with my husband Trent and our 5 1/2 month old, Oliver. No pets yet =)
What do you do for work? My husband and I travel full time as musicians: We Are The Monks, hence the move to Nashville and we travel with our little guy. We hit the road when he was 7 weeks old and he's been to 14 states so far! We are all together 24/7. When we're not on the road, we work from home, so we're a little bit of both…paycheck and SAHPs (stay at home parents).
What would your pre-mom self be surprised to know about motherhood? My pre-mom self would be surprised to know that I've driven with our boy a total of only 3 times by myself and 2 of those times were less than 5 miles. What can I say? My husband's the driver.
What would your pre-mom self be proud to know about you in motherhood? I'm not going to say that my pre-mom self was selfish but she would be proud to know just how selfless I've become and how easily it happened.
What has become (at least for now) your parenting mantra or guiding principle? I try to not flood my brain with lots of Google searches and tips and advice on mothering. I do some, but I've found that trusting my gut and my heart leaves us all happier.
What big projects, worries, or events have you busy right now? My husband and I recently released our debut record and we are touring in support of it. The booking process is non-stop and sometimes there's dry spells. Dry spells are scary and that leads to worry. But we trust the Lord has us right where we're supposed to be.
How do you unwind or re-charge? I like to dabble in crafts when I have time and painting my nails. Listening to music, reading, a glass of wine, getting caught up on our favorite shows (binge watching our favorite shows!). One day we will have a fancy bathtub and then that will happen. And my husband gives great back rubs! =)
Which chore is your least favorite? Other than toilets and kitchen sinks (Oh, and putting laundry away. Hate it.), booking our shows is not my favorite. It's not my husband's either but we have to do it in order to eat! And working from home is proving to be quite challenging with a little one, but we knew that going in.
What do you feel like you wish you were better at being a mom? Even though Oliver isn't eating "real" food right now, I wish I was a better cook. His daddy is the cook and that's great! I just wish my children will grow up with a mommy whose a good cook. Who knows, maybe it can still happen.
What do you feel like you are really good at as a mom? I feel like I am really good at being flexible on the road. Sometimes, we just have to roll with it and I hope we are teaching our son that as well.
Who are the moms you look up to? My mom and my two older sisters.
What are the small joys of being a Mom that you treasure most right now? I absolutely love rocking my boy. I know I probably shouldn't and he should go to sleep by himself and one day we'll have to train him in that, and blah, blah, blah...but right now I adore it. And his laugh can heal, I swear.
No Comments Yet, Leave Yours!