While she provides advice and tips on being a parent, her posts gravitate toward what’s on her mind. She’s not afraid to think out loud, nor express her feelings and voice her opinions. Make sure you stop by her site for her “Wordless Wednesdays” and “Best Shot Mondays” on these days you will find the best topics worth pondering over. Her attitude, and view towards life is definitely one to be emulated. Read her interview to find out why.

[interview]

The Interview

[twitter::Vered]

Name: Vered DeLeeuw
Location: Silicon Valley, California
Occupation: Blogger of Momgrind.com, Community Director for www.uptous.com

What items do you always carry with you?::

A notepad and a pen to jot down ideas before they escape me. I have one in my car, one on my bedside table and one in every room in the house.

What challenges do you face in your line of work, and have you ever felt like giving up?::

I am Community Director with a silicon valley startup, www.uptous.com, where we created a social network for parents. My main challenge right now is to get people to join our beta. It’s a challenge, because people are always reluctant at first when you ask them to change old habits and try something new. I whine endlessly about it, but it never occurred to me to give up. I like a good challenge, and I wholeheartedly believe in our product.

What does your work environment look like?::

I work from my home office. My home is airy, filled with natural light, and clutter-free. Clutter makes me miserable so I avoid it at all costs.

What do you consider greatest failure and why?::

I don’t enjoy life as much as I could. Life blessed me with so much, yet I don’t always remember to count my blessings. I am working on it, and trying to become more appreciative of what I’ve got.

What do you consider your greatest achievement and why?::

My children, because raising them has been the hardest work I’ve ever done, but the results are phenomenal. My children are intelligent and interesting. They think independently and challenge me every single day with their questions. I learn so much from them.

Who (and or what) inspires, motivates you?::

My children do. My oldest is gentle, caring and kind. My youngest is vibrant, full of life and absolutely fearless. I want to be more like them!

What have you learned in your life so far?::

Let go of perfectionism. Don’t focus on the goal so much because it’s unimportant. Relax and enjoy the ride.

Do you have any favorite quotes, pictures, internet links that you would like to share?::

I have many, but today I listened to Tears for Fears’ “Mad World” and this struck me as very, very true:

“All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere”.

I like this message because it reminds me of my resolution to SLOW DOWN, relax and enjoy life.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?::

Strengths: I am a very loyal friend. I like to laugh and do not take myself too seriously.
Weaknesses: I am incredibly hard on myself. I am too impatient with others.

What are you goals for the future?::

I want to learn to relax, take it easy and stop being so demanding of myself and of others. I want to remember to count my blessings and enjoy every single day.

[/interview]

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