Blogging Baby Talks introduces you to the movers and shakers in the parenting world. Every week Blogging Baby will interview another blogger, writer, entrepreneur, artist, or other fascinating person in a fun, five-question format. If there's someone you'd like to see interviewed, let us know!

For all of its faults, blogging is a meritocracy. Over time, the most articulate, witty, energetic writers rise to the top. That's evident when one reads Mir, the single mom whose personality fuels Woulda Coulda Shoulda. Mir came onto the parent blogger scene in May 2004. Mired in the middle of a divorce and struggling to re-enter the marketplace after working as a stay at home mom, she nevertheless managed to make a legion of readers laugh with her wit and her stories about her kids, whom she calls "Chickadee" and "Monkey" in the blogosphere.

One year, one job and 20 years off of her life expectancy later, she's still going strong. We asked Mir five questions about why she blogs, how she raises her kids, and what the hell she's going to do for humor once everyone leaves.

1. The simplest question: As a recently single mom with a full-time job, where do you find the time and energy to blog?

Heh. I blog late at night, now, or sometimes quickly in the early morning.  It’s a part of my routine, as much as anything else.  Some days I really don’t feel like it; then I either do it anyway (resulting alternately in my lamest or most brilliant posts) or skip it.  But when I miss a day or two I miss it.  It’s one of the few things that’s JUST MINE, not for the kids, not for work, etc.  I don’t think I could give it up entirely, no matter how busy I am.  Plus it takes way less time and energy (not to mention money) than therapy.

2. You were looking for employment for a while after your marriage collapsed. Did blogging the job search experience help you through the rough patches?

Blogging my interview mishaps and job near-misses was the only way I could make myself laugh instead of cry.  All those jobs I thought I was going to get… all the identity crises and ego blows that go along with trying to re-enter the workforce after years away… it’s horrible.  Demoralizing in a way I didn’t know was possible. Realizing I threw away my career for a life that didn’t work out and now I may never find a way to regain my footing?  Ack!  Realizing I’m about to walk out the door for an important interview in pants that are falling off my ass?  Hey, that’s kinda funny.  And the support I received from strangers was sometimes more meaningful than the umpteenth repetition of “Don’t worry, you’ll find something!” from my dearest friends.  (Side note: I blogged about the outrageous cover letter I sent in response to a job ad, and received multiple comments and emails assuring me that this was the job I would land, and it would be great.  It was and it is!)

3. How would you describe your philosophy as a parent?

Beat them early, beat them often!  Oh, wait.  That’s not it.  Let’s see.  I believe in giving kids lots of love but also holding them to (age-appropriate) expectations.  I believe in earning privileges through meeting responsibilities and losing them when failing to do so; it’s never too early to start learning the consequences of one’s choices (both good and bad).  I am trying to teach my kids to trust their instincts, listen to their hearts, know that I am here for them NO MATTER WHAT, and try to treat others the way they’d like to be treated.  They’re equally likely to get in trouble for teasing each other as they are for tattling.  My job is to protect them, sure. Part of that protection is teaching them how to become people who know both compassion and self-preservation.  (Gosh, I’m glad it’s so straightforward, aren’t you??)

4. You’ve talked about your Christian faith numerous times in your blog. How does you faith impact your parenting?

Well, anyone who’s a parent and religious will tell you that parenting involves a lot of prayer.  It is a comfort and source of strength to me to feel that I am not alone in my struggle to raise these kids. I’m being guided all the time.  (Sometimes I don’t listen as well as others….)  This situation I find myself in—being a single parent, for one, and with a child who has some high-maintenance issues, for another—isn’t one I would’ve picked, you know?  My faith is such that I believe there’s a reason I’m here… RIGHT here, right now.  And as Mother Teresa said, “I know God won’t give me more than I can handle, I just wish he didn’t trust me so much.”  I’m no saint, but I think that’s pretty much true for all of us.  I get frustrated; I agonize; I don’t always handle things the way I wish I could.  But I get through it (and apologize when necessary).  And the faith that buoys me here also grows while the kids do: If there is a better way to glimpse God than to raise a child, I don’t know what it is.

5. What on earth will you blog about once your children grow up and leave?

Hey!  I blog about more than my kids!  I blog about plenty of other things!  I… I… I resemble that remark.  Hmph.  In all seriousness, though, what I blog about most is my angst.  It’s most often child-related, right now, but I will ALWAYS have angst about SOMETHING.  Also—although the girl child is currently trying to torment me by claiming she plans to live with her father—the boy has oft-declared he plans to live with me forever.  I’ve got YEARS of blog fodder ahead of me.