FAQ

Addressing all the most frequently asked questions...

Are you really a 23 year old stay at home mom? How do I know you're not some creepy old dude living in his parents' basement?

No, I'm not 23 anymore. I had a couple birthdays (funny how that happens every year) and now I'm the ripe old age of 25. And as for the creepy dude part, I would love to live in my parents' basement. Home cooked meals EVERY SINGLE DAY?! Sign me up. 

How old is your husband? Does he have a single brother?

Jonathan is 28 and quickly approaching the ominous age of 30. He does have one single brother.

Do you have problems not having a filter when you talk in real life?

Absolutely. I regularly over-share about myself and my family life in more situations than my blog. If you ever talk to me in real life, you will likely notice that I have no problem talking about sex, drugs, and rock n' roll (the latter two being purely speculation because I don't do drugs and I'm not a KISS fan). With all that said, I do my best to stay away from a few particularly sensitive topics because a few things are sacred like my marriage, the toddler's epic poopsplosions, or my poorly-timed sex jokes. I do, however, make the occasional exception.

What happened to all of the meals you stockpiled in your freezer pre-baby? 

Near the end of my first pregnancy, I went on a cooking spree where we ended up with a grand total of over forty frozen meals in our little freezer. I would love to lie and tell you that they were all eaten, but there was just something about that new recipe for stuffed peppers that made me want to vomit in my mouth so there was a serving or two that met a tragic end in our trash can. 

Where did you come up with Nathaniel's name? Did you have a name picked out for him if he was going to be a girl? 

We decided on his name after agonizing over thousands of name lists online (and after choosing a second name since our first was accidentally used by another family member) because it's both classy and Biblical. Had Nathaniel turned out to be a girl, he would have been named Ariana. 

Did you find out the sex of your second baby before her birth?

No. We thought we were having a boy after one of our ultrasound technicians slipped up and said "his" in the middle of a scan while referring to our baby, so we were thrilled to be surprised with our little girl!

Did you share potential names for Evelyn before her delivery? 

Baby names were kept under strict lock and key, even after Evelyn was born until immediate family came to the hospital to see her in-person. We're big suckers for surprises so breaking the news face-to-face was priceless.

Do you co-sleep with your babies?

Occasionally. I've found that I don't sleep nearly as well with the littles in our bed so we try to keep them in their respective rooms at night.

Are you nursing?

Yes. I wrote about our experiences and struggles with that here.

When are the two of you going to make more babies?

When we know, you'll know. Scratch that. If we know, you'll know.

Why do you have What We Believe in your linkbar?

We have that section because our beliefs are very important to us. We live by them and try to teach our kids to do the same. And while I occasionally write about them, we don't believe in shoving our religion down other people's throats so we live it out in our lives and make ourselves open to discussing it with people if they want to know more. Curious? ::Wiggles eyebrows::

Why do some of your pictures have writing on them? 

Before I updated my page with a copyright notice, I chose to watermark my pictures so they could not be copied and used on other websites without my knowledge. There are crazies out there who will copy a picture of a baby, paste it onto their website, and claim that he or she is their child. And yes, I am that paranoid. 

What kind of camera do you use? 

I currently use a Nikon D3000 for the daily photo segment. Most of the photos have been taken with a 35mm lens and many of the indoor shots involve the use of a light scoop. 

What photo editing software do you use?

The early pictures on the blog are painfully plain and were taken with a camera that was straight out of the stone age. When we upgraded our camera and I took a more serious interest in photography, I upgraded my software and began using picnik.com for some basic photo enhancement. I later forked out my credit card number and purchased Photoshop Elements, which is what I currently use to edit all of my photos.

Can I use one of your posts or a picture of your baby on my website? 

No. All of the work on my site (including posts, pictures, and poopy diapers) is copyrighted material. If you would like to reference my work, you are more than welcome to post a link to my site on your blog or webpage.

Why can't I leave comments in the Daily Photo section of Adventures of the Stay At Home Mom? 

The short answer is that I have disabled comments to protect my kiddos. I do, however, welcome comments by email and I love hearing what my readers think about the pictures I post! 

I'm starting a blog. What advice can you give me to be successful?

Find your niche and write about what you love. You won't be successful overnight, but if you stick with it, it's an amazing experience and very worthwhile!

You're insane! Where can I hear more about your craziness? 

If you can't get enough of our craziness, feel free to follow along on Twitter @alyssagamlin for minute-by-minute updates on life with two littles, my undying love for french fries, and reasons not to clean your house. If you have a Facebook page, you can also hear more about the things going on in our lives through our fan page. 

Have a question for the Stay At Home Mom that you would like to see answered? Send an email and the answer will be posted on the FAQ page!