No, this Monday Mom is NOT from Green Bay. (And, of all places, she lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota!) I didn’t have any submissions from Green Bay area moms this week, so I had to go looking elsewhere. And since Lisa is a good friend of mine and I just happened to be hanging out with her this weekend, I convinced her to let me feature her today. Don’t hold it against her that she lives in Viking territory. She’s actually a Michigander (born & raised) like me. Our paths crossed when we worked together in Chicago and we’ve been fast friends ever since. She married a Minnesotan, which is how she ended up there…just like I married a Sconie and is how I ended up here. You can’t help who you fall in love with! 😉 So without further ado…Meet Lisa Smith!

Q: What town/city do you live in?
A:  Eden Prairie, Minnesota

Q: How many kids do you have?
A:  Two–a son & a daughter.

Q: What are their ages?
A:  Jagger is 7 and Kareena is 5.

Q: Do you work outside the home? If so, where & what do you do?
A:  Yes. I recently started a new job in Marketing at BiPro USA.

Q: What is your favorite at-home activity to do with your kids?
A:  Swimming…and when we can’t do that, baking!

Q: Where is your favorite place to take your kids?
A:  We love going to the local Farmer’s Market on Saturdays.

Q: If you had one parenting tip to share that has worked for you/helped you, what would it be?
A:  Bribery isn’t always a bad thing. 😉 Figure out what motivates your kids and use it to encourage certain things. With the help of Skittles I was able to potty train my daughter and my son loves saving money, so we use that to motivate him to do well in school.

Q: What do you like to do when you have time for yourself?
A:  Get a mani/pedi, go for walks/exercise and make time for the occasional girls’ weekend. (In fact, Lindy and I just met this weekend at a Lakehouse in New Auburn for some R&R and “girl” time to catch up. I think it’s important to make time for yourself sometimes and not feel guilty about doing so!)

Q: Are you a night owl or an early bird (despite what you have to be as a mom)?
A:  I’m not a “morning person”, but I have to get up pretty early these days. If I had my choice I would be a night owl.

Q: What is something not many people know about you? 
A:  When I was in my late 20’s I took a year off of work and traveled/backpacked internationally solo. (Keep in mind this is before cell phones were very prominent.) I visited about 12 different countries total including England, Ireland, Switzerland, Czech Republic and Australia to name a few. It was an unforgettable experience and I’m so glad I did it!

Thanks for sharing with us, Lisa! Please check back next week to meet another mom.

(P.S. Let’s go mommy is always in need of more submissions from moms or dads, so please contact me if you are interested and willing to be featured at lindy@letsgomommy.com. It’s super easy!)