Meet this Jersey Shore Mama, Sheila Hill from Pieces of a Mom!

This week’s Featured Mama of the week is Sheila Hill of the blog Pieces of a Mom. Sheila is the mom of two daughters, ages 9 and 5. Sheila and her family live near the Jersey shore, so their favorite place to go in their neighborhood is the beach, of course! Her girls enjoy riding bikes when they aren’t at the beach, as well as shopping, spending time with friends and playing. As a family, they also enjoy reading, visiting museums and going to zoos. Sheila mentioned that she loves “the satisfaction of seeing them grow and progress and apply the principles that my husband and I have taught them.” Since Sheila is the mother of two girls, she has to deal with A LOT of drama. She said that even at her daughters’ young ages she deals with hair and clothing dilemmas, as well as squabbles with friends. One of Sheila’s parenting challenges is dealing with the peer pressure from friends, especially with her 9 year old daughter. Her daughter often wants everything that her friends have and Sheila deals with deciding what is both necessary and apropriate for her daughter. This is probably a common dilemma for parents of preteen children.

Instilling healthy values in children is a high priority for parents and Sheila has focused upon teaching her children empathy, kindness and independence, qualities that are the core of her parenting philosophy. “My husband and I have led by example. When I volunteer at my daughter’s school or for a charity, I am quick to explain to her how my simple act of selflessness benefits the charity. By teaching our children simple acts of independence such as tidying up after themselves, we are instilling in them the importance of knowing how to do something for themselves and by themselves. It is our job as parents to give our children the necessary skills to live a life independent of us.” When asked how she teaches her children about responsibility, Sheila replied, “It’s quite simple really…just give them responsibility and don’t cave by doing things for them that they are old enough to do themselves.”

Sheila is a freelance writer who works from home, however she considers herself to be a SAHM, first and foremost. She said, “I love the flexibility of freelance writing because I can be home with my children and schedule my work while the children are at school or later in the evenings once they’re sleeping. Prior to making the decision to stay home, I was a software consultant and traveled extensively throughout the US and Europe. Although I work from home, I struggle with childcare occasionally when I am invited to attend a daytime event. Since babysitters are rarely available mid-day, I ask a friend or my husband will leave work early to be home.” You can find links to the other sites Sheila writes for online on her blog. She most recently began writing for Jersey Bites an food website for New Jersey.   Being a mom means also being a chef. Sheila shared this pasta recipe with Mama’s Little Helper readers as a family favorite.  It sounds delicious!

Sheila is active on various social media outlets, including Facebook and Twitter. She mentioned that she prefers Twitter as she finds an abundance of information on there, from recipes, news, fashion tips and catching up with friends, all in one place. She said, “I definitely feel that my use of Twitter is more effective than Facebook. Twitter is just easier than Facebook..easier to post updates, pictures, and links.”

Every mom seems to receive a bit of advice from others when first becoming a parent. Sheila mentioned that after receiving a “milestone timeline” from a family memeber, which included ages when to take away pacifiers, potty train, and stop nursing/using a bottle, she quickly realized that there is no timeline for reaching milestones, as each child is different. She believes rushing a milestone can backfire on a well-meaning parent. Her advice to a new parent is to follow your instincts, accept that parents are not perfect, it’s not easy and do the best you can! She also said to “kiss and hug for as long as you can…there will come a time when they think they are “too old” for it. ”

Sheila likes to relax by spending time with her girlfriends or going out on date nights with her husband!

Thank you Sheila for being Mama’s Little Helper‘s Featured Mama this week! Happy Summer at the Jersey shore!