The Spotlight's On: Lisa Morguess of Life As I Know It

Name:  Lisa Morguess

Blog Name and URL:  Life As I Know It; http://lisamorguess.com

Blogger or Wordpress?   

Wordpress (self hosted).  I started out at Blogger, but found it limiting, although in some ways easier to use than Wordpress.  Overall, I’ve been very happy with Wordpress; for some reason, I feel like my blog has more street cred with WP than it did with Blogger.  Which makes no sense, I know.

Favorite widget or plugin?   

That is a difficult question to answer for someone who is technically illiterate.   Umm, I like the Shareaholic plugin, and the Statigram plugin.  I’m sure there are more awesome ones, but there you go.

What’s one thing that people don’t know about you?  

 I pee in the shower?  My boobs are two different sizes?  Sorry, a bunch of things are coming to mind that are probably inappropriate and TMI, so let me think . . . Okay, here’s one: I took painting lessons as a teenager and did a couple of pretty darn good oil paintings.  One of them I gave to my dad, and haven’t seen hide nor hair of it in 30 years, and the other is proudly displayed in my dining room and wows my children on a regular basis.

While we are at it, what’s your theme song?   

“Here I Go Again” by Whitesnake.  Don’t laugh.

Dish you would bring to our community picnic:   

Probably a red velvet cake from the store.  Or Cheetos.

On Blogging:

What got you blogging and what keeps you going?  

 I’ve been a journaler since I was a kid.  When blogging took the nation by storm, it was a natural evolution for me.  Journaling for an audience definitely serves some narcissistic purpose, and it’s a way to feel connected in our rather disconnected culture.  My first blog was a typical “mommy blog” – I wrote about boring day-to-day happenings and thoughts and complaints, and only a handful of friends even knew about it.  I had no interest in growing an audience – it was really just a place to write and get a miniscule amount of feedback.

Then Finn was born.  He was born at home and when he was less than a day old, we had to rush him to the ER because he was spitting up blood.  He ended up having surgery to correct an intestinal atresia he was born with, spent two weeks in the NICU, and it was during that time that we learned he has Down syndrome.   I was shellshocked, exhausted, and just sort of floundering, and I had all these people wanting to know what was going on.  I couldn’t bear all the phone calls and emails, so I impulsively started a blog, Finnian’s Journey (http://finniansjourney.blogspot.com) as a means to have a central place where family and friends could stay up-to-date on what was going on with Finn, how he was doing, etc.  It became my nightly ritual to write there when I came home from the NICU – it was cathartic to pour out my thoughts and feelings.  I had no idea that there was a whole community of parents of kids with Ds out there who also blogged, and that slowly they would stumble across my humble blog and welcome me into the fold.  I made some wonderful connections through that blog, many of which remain strong today.

After about two years of blogging at Finnian’s Journey, I realized that Down syndrome no longer occupied center stage for me or for our family.  So I retired Finnian’s Journey (although it still exists for anyone to see) and started Life As I Know It, where I write not only about Down syndrome, but a plethora of other things that are meaningful to me, as well. 

One post (that you wrote) that makes you laugh?   

Here’s one: Middle Aged & Knocked Up: Pros and Cons (http://www.lisamorguess.com/2011/11/04/middle-aged-knocked-up-pros-and-cons/)  I wrote this shortly after finding myself very unexpectedly pregnant with my seventh baby at the age of 44.

One post you are really proud of, for whatever reason?   

It’s difficult to choose just one!  The posts I am most proud of are the ones in which I said something important that resonated with other people.  Here is one: Selling Down Syndrome (http://www.lisamorguess.com/2012/10/15/down-syndrome-awareness-selling-down-syndrome/)

How have you seen your blog/blogging style change and how would you like to see it develop?  

 I think I’ve just become a better writer over time.  I think the more my readership has grown and the more blogs I’ve been exposed to, the more I’ve been inspired and motivated to be the best writer I can be – not only technically speaking, but writing about things that matter to me, writing from the heart, with authenticity.  How would I like to see it develop?  Well, I’d like for some agent to discover me and offer me a book deal or a columnist gig, of course!

Two blogs you love to read and why?

 Not That You Asked (http://not-that-you-asked.blogspot.com) and The Garden of My Heart (http://gardenofmyheart.wordpress.com) because they are both beautiful writers who don’t get nearly enough attention.

Where else can we find you online?   

Facebook, Twitter (though I don’t use it, but my blog posts feed up to my Twitter account), Instagram, Pinterest . . . you name it.  I get around.  I can be found by my name on all of those sites.