Blog Spotlight: Exclusive Associated Content Interview with "CityMama"

Stefania Pomponi Butler is "City Mama" and, although I could introduce her, I think I will let her do the honors herself (from her "About Me" page):

Stefania Pomponi Butler aka CityMama is proud mother to "Bunny" and "Wallie" and wife to "J." She is a professional blogger/ writer/editor who covers beauty and style, food, arts and entertainment, and (of course) parenting with a cheeky twist. Stefania is on the "Blogebrity B-list" and CityMama is a Bloglines Parenting "QuickPick." Stefania was born in Honolulu, HI and has lived in Rome, Italy; Atherton, CA; Menlo Park, CA; Los Angeles, CA; Belmont, CA; San Francisco, CA; and Portland, OR. She currently resides in San Francisco where she blogs from the comfort of her kitchen.

Besides CityMama and her work as Contributing Editor on BlogHer, Stefania also has three other blogs: FamilyFood (her food blog), Kimchi Mamas (her blog about being a parent and being Korean), and Mama's Got It (her Beauty and Style Blog on ParentsConnect.)

BC: Stefania, thank you very much for agreeing to do this interview!

Stefania: You're very welcome!

BC: Anyone who reads CityMama will find out what your life has been like for the past three years, but could you tell us a little about Stefania before CityMama?

Stefania: I was certainly more well-rested! I started CityMama when my eldest was just a baby. Before that I taught elementary school in a low-income school for three years, and prior to that I was a Co-Marketing manager for an audio company, an industry I had worked in for about five years. In the 90's my husband and I were typical dot com boomers. (I'm sure we fulfilled every stereotype about that time…) We rode it until it crashed. Then we had kids.

BC: What was your motivation to begin writing CityMama, and what is it about writing a blog that keeps you doing it day after day? Do you ever say, "I'm tired of doing this"? Do you see this as a stepping stone to something else, or is writing a blog what you see yourself doing for the foreseeable future?

Stefania: I started writing CityMama to share my adventures in urban parenting. I was living in a very sketchy part of San Francisco and everyday it seemed I was having experiences that maybe suburban parents weren't having, like checking the play structures at our local park for used condoms before letting my kid play on it or walking past our neighborhood crack ho on the way to the store every day. Fun times!

It was also a place to write down all the interesting observations and cute anecdotes that I didn't want to bore my friends with. I also wrote down all my fears and frustrations and was amazed to find out that other people felt the same. I write day after day because I truly love writing. I write CityMama for me and for my children, but I don't mind sharing a peek into our lives.

I do sometimes say "I'm tired of doing this," but I try not to put pressure on myself to blog. Because I write for myself I don't worry about things like straying from parenting topics or if people will find what I'm writing about boring or treacly. I don't ever want to feel like blogging is a chore. It has to be enjoyable or else why do it? Mostly I blog to park my thoughts somewhere. I process by writing. If I didn't have CityMama, I'd still be writing.

The experience of blogging CityMama has led to some wonderful opportunities, but I definitely have the most fun writing CityMama where I can be myself.

BC: Would you like to tell us a little bit about your other blogs?

Stefania: Sure, I have a food blog called Family Food which is all about cooking delicious and mostly healthful meals for your family even if you don't have lots of time . I am a founding editor of Kimchi Mamas , a blog about parenting and being Korean. I also am a contributing editor for BlogHer.org where I write about movies.

BC: For the past few weeks leading up to the 2006 election, your blog has focused on California Proposition 85, and in particular, on the "No on 85" movement. Tell us a little about this proposition and why you were so passionate about doing your part to assure its defeat?

Stefania: Prop. 85 would have prohibited abortions for California teens until 48 hours after their parents have been notified. California teens already inform their parents when they get pregnant (at least 70% of teens do) and those that don't have good reasons not to tell. Prop. 85 would have put our most vulnerable teens at risk.

I feel strongly that the anti-choice zealots who keep trying to place these propositions on the ballot are trying to use these initiatives as stepping stones to try to overturn Roe v. Wade. When I heard that opposition to this proposition was running slightly behind, I was galvanized into action. In the days leading up to the election I blogged the issue relentlessly and encouraged other pro-choice bloggers to do the same. In the end, the voters saw through this deceptive initiative and said NO to placing our teens in danger. This vote guarantees that all teens, even those from abusive homes, will be able to access qualified doctors, nurses and counselors when they need them.

BC: Are there other issues about which you are also passionate, and that you have discussed, or plan to discuss, on CityMama or one of your other blogs?

Stefania: I am concerned about diversity issues and Kimchi Mamas allows me to "workshop" those. I'm half-Korean and half-Italian which obviously means that my kids are mixed. I am so proud of my heritage and want my kids to be proud, too. I see Kimchi Mamas as a way to connect with other mothers of Asian or hapa (half-Asian/mixed) descent, but also to raise awareness about our particular issues. I'm also passionate about reality tv so, you know, I talk a lot about that, too, every chance I get.

BC: I have seen you referred to as a "mommy blogger". What does that term mean to you, and do you see yourself that way?
Stefania: I don't mind the term "mommybloggers" at all. I definitely consider myself a mommyblogger, but I am also a cultural blogger, a food blogger, an entertainment blogger, a beauty and style blogger, a parenting blogger...Mommyblogger is just one of the hats I wear, and I wear it proudly.

BC: Who are your heroes, and why?

Stefania: Wow, this is a tough question. Hmmm. My mother is definitely one of my heroes. She is a strong woman who taught me to be proud of who I am and where I come from. For much of my childhood, she was a single mother who worked to support four kids. She made education a priority in our family and has seen all four of us graduate from college, 3 with advanced degrees. She's also quite an activist in her own right and (in her own words), "fights to make the world a better place for her children and grandchildren."

Elizabeth Edwards, whom I recently had the pleasure of meeting, is also one of my heroes. She has faced incredible adversity in her life (the loss of a child, breast cancer), and yet has emerged with strength, dignity, and kindness. Her book Saving Graces had a profound impact on me. Everyone should read it. It's partly a tribute to the people that have helped her in her life, but it's also a handbook on how to be a good, decent person.

BC: Stefania, again, I really appreciate you agreeing to do this interview

Stefania: Thank you! You asked some tough questions. I'm sure I'll read this interview later and think of much better answers.

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If you love San Francisco, if you're a mom (or a dad), if you have little girls (or if you miss having little girls now that they are all grown up) … and even if you are none of the above but enjoy reading about those who are … you are going to love reading CityMama. Her "cheeky twist," as she calls it, will have you crying at her letters to her children (see her "Remembering" column on September 10, 2006); laughing at her stories about being a mom, potty training and those adorable "kids say the darnedest things" moments. And, when she's not talking about her daughters, she is a quick-witted and well-connected writer who will tell you her views about current events, movies, books, tv stars, San Francisco, and her daily life in general. Her posts are complete with a multitude of links thrown in for good measure, so you find yourself wandering off to other websites and back again as you follow her discussion on a topic. CityMama is a daily must-read!