Have you ever wondered who our Sister Site Owners are or what being part of our Sisterhood means?
Join us for #WeAreCMBN and discover that our Sister Site Owners are just like you – Moms! Our Sisterhood is united with a passion for connecting moms and making this adventure of motherhood easier.
We all come together with diverse backgrounds, life experience and motherhood journeys to support each other in creating online communities and resources unique to the cities in which we live.
Meet Sarah Meehan, Co-Owner & Co-Founder of
How many children do you have? Please include their ages.
We have 3 littles and one on the way. Sam is 6 (almost 7), Cooper just turned 5, and Nora will be 3 in August. Baby #4 is due on New Years Eve!
Do you have another job besides your Sister Site? If so, is it outside the home? Is it full-time or part-time?
I also run Just Duckie Blankies with my aunt (from my home) and I do private Spanish tutoring and classes.
Are you an early bird or a night owl? (A.K.A. When do you get most of your work done?)
I’m a night owl. My husband goes to bed at 8am with the kids (he leaves for work at 3am), so I get my work done when they are all asleep.
In 5 words, what does a typical day in your life as a Site Owner AND a mommy look like?
Carpool. Caffeine. Email. Chaos. Snuggles.
What would your tagline be?
Attempting to do it all. One day at a time.
What made you decide to join City Moms Blog Network as a Sister Site Owner?
I began as a contributing writer for the Quad City sister site, and that was the first time I found my group of “mommy friends”. I loved it so much that I asked my childhood friend if she wanted to start a site in Iowa City with me.
In your opinion what is the biggest benefit to being part of City Moms Blog Network?
The biggest benefit is the network as a whole-from the tech support to the national branding potential to (perhaps most importantly) the friendships and connections between site owners. It is so nice to know that there’s a group of women who KNOW what I’m going through.
How do you maintain or try to maintain a work-life balance?
I’ll admit, the balance is hard. My best advice is to just evaluate at the end of the day. Did I spend enough time with my kids? Did I work enough on the blog? What area was I lacking in today? And then try to be better tomorrow. That’s all we can do, take it day by day.
What is the greatest lesson you have learned as a Sister Site Owner?
The greatest lesson I have learned (or am still learning) is to give myself grace. Some days, I feel like a failure as a mom. Some days, I feel like a failure as a business owner. But, like I said, all we can do is get up in the morning and try harder.
What is the most rewarding thing about being a Sister Site Owner?
The absolute most rewarding thing for me is to be home with my kids. Before starting ICMB, I was struggling with being away from home and having to shuffle the kids from one sitter to the next while I was at work. All I wanted was to be the one driving them to school and picking them up, and now I get to do that AND own a business. It’s perfect!
What piece of advice would you give someone thinking about becoming a Sister Site Owner with CMBN?
My advice is to give yourself that grace. Don’t jump in too deep, and be wary of the comparison bug. As a new site, the focus should be merely on potential and amazing goals, not putting your site side by side with another. Oh, and to prepare yourself for the ride of a lifetime! It’s amazing!
Finish this sentence :: I have never…
I have never gotten to the bottom of my email inbox. Never ever. This keeps me up at night.
What is your biggest guilty pleasure?
Netflix. Which I blame for #12.
Meet Kaitlyn Swaim, Co-Owner & Co-Founder of
How many children do you have? Please include their ages.
2 girls ages 7 and 3, 2 boys ages 2 and 9 months
Do you have another job besides your Sister Site? If so, is it outside the home? Is it full-time or part-time?
SAHM
Are you an early bird or a night owl? (A.K.A. When do you get most of your work done?)
Depends upon how much my infant is sleeping (which lately is not much). I prefer to get up early and work, but a lot is done via my iPhone in the middle of the night when I’m up with him! 😉
In 5 words, what does a typical day in your life as a Site Owner AND a mommy look like?
Work. Play. Housework. Coffee. Repeat.
What would your tagline be?
Love God, Love Family, Love Others.
What made you decide to join City Moms Blog Network as a Sister Site Owner?
When I moved back to the Iowa City area I was craving community. And didn’t see a lot of places to find it. My friend Camye had started Quad City Moms Blog and I thought Iowa City could use one too. My friend, Sara, was a writer for QCMB at the time, and when she told me she was thinking the same thing, we started ICMB together!
In your opinion what is the biggest benefit to being part of City Moms Blog Network?
The biggest benefit of being part of CMBN is the supportive nature of all the site owners. Being called “sister sites” is truly fitting, as once you join CMBN you join a family of women who support you and want to see you succeed.
How do you maintain or try to maintain a work-life balance?
It’s extremely challenging with 3 kids at home who are 3 and under! I’ve begun to set “office hours” and am striving NOT to be online outside of that time so that I can truly focus on them during their time and on work during work time.
What is the greatest lesson you have learned as a Sister Site Owner?
To be patient, persistent, and give yourself grace. There is ALWAYS more that you can do. That is the nature of this business. But setting goals, persisting to reach them, realizing that you can only do so much, and that your worth is found in more than what you DO, is key to being successful and keeping your sanity while owning your own business!
What is the most rewarding thing about being a Sister Site Owner?
The most rewarding thing is being able to provide a way for moms in my community to connect to one another while simultaneously being able to make an income for my family and spend time with them.
What piece of advice would you give someone thinking about becoming a Sister Site Owner with CMBN?
Being a Sister Site owner is extremely rewarding, but it’s also very challenging. Before you begin, make sure you have a solid support system in place and your goals in mind. This is the key to making the business aspect successful. But at the end of the day, the value of your business is not in how many sponsors you’ve signed on or how many ads you’ve sold. It’s in that mom who messaged or emailed you and said she isn’t feeling alone anymore on the motherhood journey. And that it’s because of YOU and what you’re doing!
Finish this sentence :: I have never…
ridden in a hot air balloon.
What is your biggest guilty pleasure?
Binge watching Netflix/Amazon Prime once the kids go to bed!
Meet more of our extraordinary Sister Site Owners here. >>
Are you interested in joining our Sisterhood?
Get started today and receive a $400 Business Start-up Package!
If you officially become part of our Network anytime between now and November 25th, 2015 you will receive a $400 Business Start-up Package that includes:
- $250 Apple Gift Card
- $50 Starbucks Gift Card
- MomAgenda Planner
- 1,000 Custom Business Cards from MPIX
Now is the time to get started on your journey to becoming part of #WeAreCMBN! Please fill out our Start A Sister Site Form below as the first step in what will truly be a life-changing opportunity! Be sure to check out our Sister Site map to see if there is a site near you!
Photo Credit :: Dream Photography Studio
