Pam @ It's Time for More Coffee

Our Mom Central VIP: Pam Thompson
Kids: Four sons (15,12,9, 7) and twin 22 month old girls
Your Blog URL: http://dakotapam.com/
Twitter: @dakotapam
What year did you start blogging? 2007

In addition to blogging and being a mother, what other jobs do you have?
I don't have a paid job outside of motherhood. Before I got pregnant with the twins I worked as a clerk in a very busy hospital pre-op department. I loved it. It was never boring, and I was needed. The downside was 12 hour shifts and the fact that I was not available for my family when they needed me. A twin pregnancy was just the wake up call that I needed. I have plenty on my plate without an outside job though. With kids in three different schools and two still at home I do a lot of schedule juggling and running around. I also lead a very lively women's Bible study and teach Sunday School.

Why did you start your blog?
When I started my blog I was a homeschooling stay at home Mom. I thought the blog would be a fun way to chronicle some of our studies and projects. A month after I started the blog, my husband received a call to plant a new Lutheran church in Bismarck, North Dakota. So we moved, put the kids into private school and I blogged about some of the adventures in church planting. My readership has grown and broadened and I find myself writing more about motherhood in general, and of course about my surprise adventures in twindom!

What advice do you have for those starting out?
Make a plan. (I never did). Decide early on how much you want to share or not. It is hard to un-share things. With the nature of my husband's vocation, we are already fairly public people, and yet, there has to be boundaries. This is a really tough challenge for most bloggers that I know. Also, if you can afford it, buy your own domain and start from that. I had a successful move from Blogger to self hosted WordPress, but I also lost my Google Page Rank for about a year. If that kind of thing is important to you, you need to plan ahead. For me, the move was the best thing when it came to working with brands, and it made ME take my blogging more seriously.

Name a few challenges you see or have experienced in the blogosphere
As a blogger I needed to develop a thicker skin. Once I came to terms with the fact that not everyone was going to agree with me all the time, things got easier. I'm not a highly controversial person, but when I have an opinion it tends to be a strong one.

Jealousy is also a problem. It is hard to not feel jealous of other bloggers who seem to have a prettier site design or more Google followers or more subscribers or whatever. I'd love to say that I have this all under control, but that would be a lie. I'm getting better though.

What are your favorite and least favorite part(s) about blogging?
I love giving things away. Everyone loves free stuff and on days when I draw winners for giveaways I feel a little like Oprah, and that is fun! I also like connecting with other bloggers and brands. These have been some really fun relationships that I would not have outside of blogging. I think it is pretty cool.

My least favorite part of blogging is weeding through spammy comments and mail. But really, I love what I do, most days.

What is the wackiest opportunity you have gotten since you started your blog?
I don't know about wacky, but one of the most fun things lately was participating in the HP Printer Ink Challenge. I got to work with a bunch of people who are way more techie than me to evaluate printer ink of all things! I thought it would be hard to write about ink, but the HP posts I've done have been some of my favorites to write.

What are your top three blogging tips?

1. Be genuine. Readers can spot a fake a mile away.
2. If someone leaves a comment on your blog, take the time to visit theirs. You might be surprised to find a new Bloggy BFF!
3. Do your best to have a quick loading page. You may have the prettiest blog around, but if it takes more than 30 seconds to load, I'm already on to the next thing. Sometimes with blogging, less really is more!

What are you hoping will happen for you and your blog within the next year?
I'm not going to lie, I'd love to make some money off of this thing, but that is not my number one hope. I'm really hoping to grow my readership and community so that we Moms can stick together, mentor each other and be an encouragement! I want to be a positive little corner of the internet.

We love link back love! Please tell us 2 or 3 blogs you love, their URLs, and Twitter names.
I'd be remiss if I left out my real life BFF, our blogs keep us up to date across state lines! She's my biggest blogging cheerleader, and she is the person I can call on the phone and vent with when I come up on roadblocks! The Mommy Diaries / @EssieBurns

I also love http://www.pinkepost.com. She does not live TOO far from me, and I just know we'll get together for dinner or a playdate next time she makes it to the "Big City".  I love her tales of rural life, so different from anything I am used to! @katpinke on Twitter.

And I love the Rookie Moms. Even though I'm far from being a Rookie Mom, we all have our moments! @rookiemoms

Thanks, Pam! We love working with you!