How long have you been blogging and making videos? 

I began consistently writing my blogs in October of 2018 and published my first YouTube video in February of 2019. 

​

​

When did you get married?

We got married in July of 2017. We met in January of 2016. 

​

​

What does your husband do for a living?

He is a law enforcement officer. 

​

​

What kind of dog is Harley? 

She is a German Shepherd!

​

​

Did you go to university? 

Yes, I completed my 4-year bachelor of arts in Strategic Communication. 

​

​

Did you ever have a real job? 

Yes, I worked for six months after getting married, and during college, I had various paid and unpaid jobs and internships working in communications. I worked for a wedding video company doing their blog and website, I sold wedding dresses for a time, I did contract work doing fundraising for the Children's Miracle Network, and I spend some time working for Zondervan within their children's book marketing team on various projects. I got enough experience in a variety of industries, that I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything. 

​

​

Where do you live? 

We live in West Michigan, USA. However, after being born in Michigan, my parents immigrated back to my father's hometown in Ontario, where I spent the first 18 years of my life before attending college in Michigan.

​

​

 How did you meet your husband? 

We attended the same university, but I did not meet him until we both ended up on the same study abroad trip where we lived in Jerusalem for a month. 

​

​

 What denomination do you belong to?  

I grew up in the Christian Reformed Church, but I currently attend a non-denominational reformed church. 

​

​

Why did you start your blog? 

I felt like I wanted to share my thoughts with the world, and honestly didn't care if anyone read them or not. I just needed a creative outlet. 

​

​

Do you earn money from your blog? 

I get ad money from YouTube from my videos, and when I do a sponsorship, I will negotiate to get paid. I also get a little money from any links that I offer to y'all from Amazon! I do not make any money off of my written blog, and will occasionally do a sponsored Instagram post. However, I've set things up so that my audience doesn't have to pay anything for my content. I want my content to be accessible to anyone, and I feel that paid-programs really inhibit that exchange of information. 

​

​

Do you still consider yourself a homemaker even though you earn side-money? 

Yes I am still a homemaker! First of all, I could never survive off of my little blog income alone, and I really don't do enough work to call it a full-time or even a part-time job! I consider my blog to be a passion project, meant to inspire and help women around the world, as well as to bless my own life. Homemaking is my primary role at home, and because my content fits around that homemaking, it doesn't feel like work. 

​

​

What platform do you use to blog? 

This website and blog were created using Wix! I love their stuff. When I used to do freelance web design for companies, I always chose Wix because it was so easy and functional. 

​

​

Why don't you enable comments on your blog? 

I get a lot of sweet and insightful comments, but I also have to monitor things closely to catch people with ill-intentions. In general, on YouTube and Instagram I don't allow cruel comments because they tend to turn the environment sour and make it uncomfortable for others to join the conversation. And with all the monitoring I have to undertake, I just don't feel like adding another platform to the list, ie. my blog.  

​

​

Do you follow a special diet? 

No. I am not vegan, vegetarian, keto, or any special diet. I try to avoid processed foods, fast food, and too much sugar. I like to do calorie counting if I'm in the mood to drop some weight, but that's about it. 

​

​

What do you ask for when you get your hair done? 

I do not go to the hair salon! I trim the ends of my own hair, cut my own bangs, and have been growing out my natural hair color since my 2017 wedding. 

​

​

How do you edit your photos? 

I use Lightroom. I increase the contrast, adjust the color tones, and usually add more shadow or even a grain. It's fun! 

​

​

How do you edit your videos?

I use Final Cut or iMovie on my laptop. I used to do it all on my phone! 

​

​

How do you record your videos? 

I record all of them on my phone (iPhone 13) 

​

​

Do you ever miss working? 

Not a day in my life! 

​

​

Do you think all women need to stay home too?

Nope! I think it should be a personal decision for each person. 

​

​

How old are you? 

I was born in 1995! 

​

​

Why is your blog called Mrs. Midwest?

I named my blog Mrs. Midwest for a few reasons! Firstly, I wanted a name that I could be known for in place of my real name, and something more memorable to a potential audience than just another random first and last name out in the blogosphere. I also wanted to have the freedom to separate my public brand from my personal name to prioritize the privacy of my family and husband. I chose Mrs. Midwest specifically because it indicates that I am a married woman living in small-town America, which reflects my online mission to discuss relationships, femininity, and traditional values. And finally, I think the two "M's" in a row sound really nice and make for good branding! 

​

​

Will you give up blogging and YouTube when you're a mom? 

Who knows! Probably not though. I love it too much. Maybe when I'm postpartum and healing I'll take a nice hiatus, but I can't see leaving it all behind any time soon. 

​

​

Why do you stay at home?

It was a personal decision between me and my husband. We decided it was getting tough to balance the home responsibilities AND work. My husband also has a rotating night-shift schedule, so when I worked full-time, it was difficult to see each other. We both love that I stay home and wouldn't have it any other way. 

​

​

Are you on a budget?

Yes! We love to save money. We love to save, invest, and be frugal.  

​

​

Why don't you do interviews or collabs with other creators?

I might do a few someday, but right now, I'm trying to just keep stress to a minimum. Interviews and collabs can be really stressful, and right now my focus is on my personal blog, my homemaking, and my IRL family and friends. I'm not looking to get involved in the "larger conversation" or debates on these topics; I'd rather just live my life, share it with my fans, and enjoy a slower pace. 

​

​

When did you realize you wanted to be a homemaker?

I think I always knew deep down. But it's difficult to voice that dream, so I would instead emphasize my desire to "work from home." The funny thing is that now I get to do a bit of both! Work on this blog AND homemake!

​

​

How do you choose sponsors?

Sponsors will come to me mostly. They pop into my inbox and I discuss with my husband if it would be a good fit! I'm extremely picky about sponsors though, and never accept sponsorships from people or brands that I feel are a bad match for my audience. 

​

​

Will your husband ever stay home if you get super successful? 

Absolutely not! Too much pressure to provide and not traditional enough for me. I also doubt that I will ever reach those levels of finances... I'm just not interested in going crazy with monetizing or sponsoring everything. I don't even put ads on my blog. 

​

​

How do you afford to stay at home?

We keep a budget as I said, but mostly, I think it comes down to the cost of living for our area and lifestyle choices. We only do one or two big trips a year and try to eat at home as much as possible. We keep our utilities and purchases low as well, (hello thrifting!) and mainly focus on our investments and spreading out our assets and wealth. We like to live an anti-consumerism lifestyle, and I think that helps us pinch our pennies! 

​

​

Do you use birth control? 

No. I did when I first got married, and I think it's the biggest regret of my life. The pill was really hard on my hormonal system and it's taken a while to get all systems back online if you know what I mean... 

​

​

Do you work out? 

Just walks for now! But every so often I find myself craving a workout, and that's when I'll do Pilates or jumping jacks lol! 

​

​

How tall are you? 

I am 5'8! I wish I was shorter...

​

​

Does your husband take your Instagram photos? 

Nope. I'm too embarrassed to have him do that. Self-timer all the way!

​

​

What would you do if you couldn't be a blogger or a homemaker?

I think I would work in hospitality or concierge, or maybe be a hairstylist or event planner. Something creative or communications-oriented.

​

​

So are you American or Canadian? 

I am American, as I was born in the US. I don't have any Canadian citizenship. 

​

​

How old is your husband? 

He is 1 year older than me.

​

​

Why do you leave typos in your blog posts?

I treat my blog like an amateur journal, not an official publication of articles. I like to be casual with my readers, but I also don't want to second-guess my writing too much or spend an excessive amount of time in an editing vortex. I think it's a personal expression of defiance against my natural perfectionist tendencies, but I also like to free up more of my time for homemaking, so little typos tend to slip under my faulty radar. I apologize if they are distracting!

​

​

Why don't you respond to DM's on Instagram? 

I get too many DM's to even count on a daily basis. It is too overwhelming, and while I love my fans and supporters, I don't view it as part of my job or responsibility to answer everyone. I would rather spend my time writing blog posts, sharing stories, or making videos so that I can reach a wider group of people, rather than try to interact with everyone one on one. 

​

​

Do you respond to emails? 

Sometimes! I also get more emails than you could count, and sometimes I just like to read them for encouragement without responding. They do mean a lot to me, and sometimes I like to take an afternoon and email people back. 

​