In our mummy blogger series, we find out what keeps these tech- and social-media savvy mummies talking, or blogging!

Alicia, 36, Head of Marketing and Communications

Also known as: Mama Sue

Child: Dumpling

Blog: beanienus.blogspot.sg

Blog was started in: 2008. But I only started blogging actively 2 years back in 2012.

Hi Alicia! Tell us your blog in a nutshell.

Caffeine addict, homeschooling mum of 1 preschooler who is trying to battle the mad-yell monster in me. Gifted in the art of nagging and in being able to spot a book sale a mile away, I get cheap thrills from stealing kisses and smelling my preschooler’s toes when she sleeps. It is where I share the “low-down” on (my) parenting woes and my 2 other loves – recipes of my favorite food and homeschooling activities with my child.

What’s the story behind the blog?

I started the blog with the grand plan of capturing the glorious moments of motherhood where I’d imagine myself basking in the love and fun of a newborn. The blog took a long hiatus when I suffered from severe post natal depression instead. It took me a while to find my footing and eventually when I did, I decided on homeschooling my kiddo (except for Chinese). The blog then started as a means to share resources and the homeschooling activities we do. It evolved along the way as Dumpling grew, and it is now more of a parenting blog.

What gets you writing?

I review children’s books frequently (both Chinese and English titles) as being phonics trained and working in the Early Childhood Education sector, literacy is an area close to my heart. I also share posts on fun craft that I do with the kiddo as well as other family fun activities – theatrical productions, children’s workshop, outdoor play time and field trips (as part of our homeschool themes).

I blog about my thoughts raising an ‘only’, a girl as well as parenting woes and challenges of raising an ‘intense’ kid.

How much time do you spend online each day/week?

This varies – it can be from anything as little as 3 hours in a week (just one longer post) to about 4 – 5 hours (over 2 posts). When we get invited for reviews or we attended a launch event, more time will be spent.

Share with us your favorite post and what it means to you.

It would be ‘12 rules for mums of girls‘ where I wrote it as a Mother’s Day post where I shared 12 ‘tips’ with other mums in raising a girl. The post was one of heartfelt sharing on the funny situations I found myself in, having a daughter.

Your most viral blog post to date?

Some of food posts have been pretty popular. Amongst the 3 more popular recipes are ‘Vietnamese Beef Pho’, ‘Seafood Korean Pancake‘ and 2 recipes on Cooking and Grilling with the Air Fryer. On the home school front, a post on our thematic study on Ancient Egypt was very popular too especially when the exhibition was held here in Singapore last year.

What does your daughter have to say about being the star of your blog?

Dumpling reads some of my blog posts and she knows what I blog and share about. If there are certain things which are more sensitive to her, I do respect that and I do not blog about it. Having said that, the blog is not so much about her rather, it is more of my thoughts and experience as a parent – be it trying to cook healthier meals for the family, the fun stuff that Dumpling and I do together or my parenting challenges.

If she decides to follow your footsteps and blog for a living, or blog to earn that extra income in the future, what would you to her?

Beanie N Us is actually a platform for sharing and for reaching out to like-minded parents – parents who are involved and who also have similar parenting challenges. Monetizing, while certainly nice, is not a key focus for me.

For Dumpling, I actually am quite certain that she will end up being passionate about writing. It is entirely up to her to decide how she would like to use her writing skills for – if she finds joy in blogging, then I can say the ‘good writing genes’ came from me.

Do you read your past posts? How often do you do so? Any regrets or do you find yourself re-editing some of the posts?

I rarely read through old posts unless I am looking for perhaps an old recipe. The focus of my blog has always been to be ‘real’ and how I am in the blog is pretty much how I am in person. So, no. So far no regrets on any old posts and I have also not edited any old sharing unless the initial information shared is outdated.

Future plans. What will happen to the blog when the kid(s) grow up?

This will not be a concern because I believe that as parents, we will definitely have different challenges and different thoughts as our child(ren) grow (someone pass me tissue!) so there will definitely be other topics to share on. But more than that (as shared above) the blog is also a platform for me in sharing other things such as fun stuff happening in Singapore, book reviews which (hopefully) benefit parents of young children and recipes which I love.

Tips for budding mommy bloggers out there?

Blog what you are passionate about so that you will not run out of ideas. Also, be true to yourself. Being a blogger, you can somewhat subjected to open criticisms so it can be challenging. If you are true to yourself and what your blog stands for what you believe in, then this will not be an issue.

Stay tuned for more interviews with mummy bloggers in Singapore!

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