Alison Interviews Jessica

 

Welcome Readers! It's officially Launch Day here at Chasing Cousins! Jessica and I wrote some questions to ask each other for an interview. We thought it would be a great way to introduce ourselves and give you a little peak into our lives. We recorded the interview on audio and then I transcribed it for the blog. I know it's hard to get a sense of our personality through text, but I hope it gives you an idea of the kind of women we are, what our families are like and what kind of relationship Jessica and I share. Enjoy!

Alison interviews Jessica:

A: How are you today?

J: I’m good how are you?

A:Good. Soooooo, What’d you eat for breakfast?

J:I actually had this really yummy thing...

A: I’m just kidding! No one cares *laughs* Alright. The real questions… Okay. What’s your name? Including your maiden name.

J: My full name is Jessica Rios Fanelli. My maiden name is Jessica Rios. My parents weren’t imaginative and I never had a middle name.So, now I have one and I’m kind of proud of it.

A: Alright, tell me about your family.

J: I’ll talk about them, all day long. I am married to a wonderful, wonderful man. His name is Charles, and I call him Char but you people can call him Chuck. That’s because Char is my nickname for him. I have a beautiful son and his name is also Chuck but I call him Char and again you people can call him Chucky. Then I have a dog named Belle who likes to eat my food.

*laughs*

A: Bad Belle Belle! Okay, How old are you?

J: I’m 26 years old. I’ll be 27 in May.

A:Alright, How does it feel to have the perfect baby? *laughs*

J: Kind of amazing. People say their baby doesn’t eat or sleep and it’s loud and cries and I’m like “My baby doesn’t do any of those things.”

A: It’s so not fair.

J: It’s soooooo fair.

A:Oh my god. Baby Chucky does nothing. It’s just awesome.

J:I really wanted to name the blog “ Baby Chucky Does Nothing” *laughs* but people wouldn’t have gotten it.
 

A: *laughs* And .. it’s also not just you.

J: Oh right right right!

A: So, Why did you suggest we start a blog? What makes our voice different than thousands of other moms out there in the blogosphere?

J: Okay, well I wanted to start a blog because I like blogs now. When I got pregnant I wasn’t really surrounded by people who were in the same situation as I was. So, you look to the internet and I found lots of really great, fun blogs that kind of changed my perspective on motherhood and life as a stay at home mom. The best part about it was that there was this great community of people that got together and understood each other and there weren’t these petty misunderstandings that happen when you’re young and dumb and don’t think. So, finally I was like “ I want to start a blog!” and I did attempt halfheartedly to start one by myself but it didn’t work. I didn’t put too much effort into it and I wrote three posts and it’s just been sitting there ever since. I started thinking about it and you know whenever I want to complete a project I just bring you into it.*laughs* That tends to work out well for me. I say “ Alie, I have this idea and I have no idea what I’m going to do so why don’t you help me” and it works. So that’s what we did and I didn’t give you an option. That also works very well, not giving you options.

A: You didn’t answer the second part of my question.

J: What was the second part?

A: What makes our voice different from thousands of other moms?

J: Oh! Our voice is different because we’re sisters-in-law and we’re best friends and beyond that we also are on very different places on certain subjects and on some subjects we’re just right there. But like on breast feeding and co-sleeping we’re kind of on opposite ends of the spectrum.

So I feel like we can talk about these things and talk about motherhood and life in general and not be judgmental of each other because we know that we have to answer to each other at the end of the day. So I think it’s going to be a really unique voice for our readers.

A: What was the name of your other blog that you started by yourself?

J: Ehh.. we don’t have to talk about that. *laughs*

A: Can we talk about that for a moment

J: No no no

A: Whhhhhhy? *laughs*

J: Because it was dumb. It was like Happy Wife or something. It was not well thought out or anything like that so we don’t have to talk about it.

A: Okay, So can you explain for our non-existent readers how the name Chasing Cousins emerged?

J: Wow, that's a negative spin. Non-existent readers,huh.

A: Well, we don’t have anybody yet

J: No not yet. Well Chasing Cousins came about because we were sitting down trying to to narrow it down. And you asked “ What do you want to talk/write about” and I’m like “No, you don’t understand, I want to talk about everything.” I want this to be like one of those late night conversations over a cup of coffee where you talk about anything and everything and it’s ridiculous. Funny stuff happens like you invent a game where you bounce balloons off your head, I don’t know if you remember that. *laughs*

A: You are the best at inventing that stuff!

J: I am the best at inventing dumb stuff. But that’s what I want it to be, weird and off topic all the time. So, we couldn’t center on anything and you said “What makes us unique?” and then you answered your own question and said we’re like sisters and then said Chasing Cousins. I’m not quite sure where your synapses clicked to go in that direction but it sounded really good. We went with that.

A: I know you love to read, but do you like to write?

J: I like to write. I am not good at writing, at least not to me because I think I like to read a lot and I have a very high expectation of what literature should sound like. When I hear my own words back to myself they sound awful. So, I like to read. I like to write, but I don't like to read what I write. *laughs*

A: What do you think people can learn from us?

J: Not much *laughs* No,no. Ummmm. I think people can learn something about being ridiculous from me and something about dealing with ridiculousness from you. *laughs* Well, I think we have a lot to offer. I think we're both pretty strangely situated for the time and place that we live in. People will either see things the way we see them or they'll think we're crazy. Either way, I think it'll be a fun ride.

A: I think that's a nice answer. I like that. I like that a lot. Um, Where do you get most of your parenting advice from?

J: Honestly? *laughs* Not doing what I've seen done. Dr. Phil. I love Dr. Phil. He's great. He's a little southern for some people but really really great. I don't know. I kind of just look around me, especially from books. If I were to name a book that told me what to do with my life, it was "Little Women." I just loved the mom character, I can't remember her name. That's not a good sign. *laughs*

A: Wow, what a role model.

J: I know right? She was great. I think her name was Mrs. Dear. I forget. Well, She had such an interesting approach to each of her kids and I think that taught me that each kid is a completely different unique individual. You can't just say " I'm gonna do this with all my kids" because it's probably not going to work out that way. So, I think I just go with her and she just did what ever her kids needed her to do and that's kind of how I do.

A: Alright, I think that's a good role model.

J: I'm not giving politician answers,am I ?

A: Noooooo! I think books are definitely a great way to learn stuff like that. Have you always wanted to be a mom?

J: NO! 

A: Really!?

J: No, really. I never wanted to have kids.

A: No way! Get out. I never knew that.

J: See, I told you this was a good idea!

A: I thought you wanted to have like six kids and have a huge family

J: No, me and my friends from high school had this plan that my one friend, who was a great singer, was gonna hit it big and make a ton of money and buy us a big tract of land and we were going to live on it. This one couple in the group was going to have all the kids and I was going to teach them. Beyond that I was going to have dogs and I was never going to have kids. I was never even going to get married. I thought men were the bane of everything and I'm right. I stand by that *laughs*

A:Uh, good thing this is written.

J: Just letting you guys know, Chuck just flipped me off. *laughs* But I found a man that made me change my mind. It took him 2 or 3 years to change my mind on having kids. I realized that it wasn't so much that I didn't want to have kids but that I didn't want to have kids with the wrong person. That's probably what also made me such a prude about sex before I met chuck. Before.
*laughs* But now I want to have lots and lots of kids and a big family and it's all because I met the best father possible for those kids who don't quite exist yet, except for Chucky. He exists.

A: So is being a mother everything you thought it would be? Now that he's here.

J: No, it's way different because I will admit I thought "Hey I have a dog!" But that's not quite it. *laughs* I find that I am like completely obsessed with my son. I don't know why. Everything he does is super interesting to me even when it's really really dumb.

A: Oh he pooped today! Look at the color, it's so cool!

J: Exactly, Yeah. *laughs* Color and consistency, I could write a chart and tell you all about it. But I think the level of love I feel for him and just how much I worry about him and the future and the unknowns and who he's going to marry. I swear to God, I look at some people today and I'm like " I am so sorry for my son." He's going to have to become a priest because there is no one good enough for him. And I might still stand by that.

A: You are going to be a crazy mother-in-law.

J: I am. No, actually I don't think that's true. Everyday I say a little prayer for my future daughters-in-law, whoever they may be. I'm like "I hope that you have great parents, I hope you're having a wonderful life, I hope you're learning all the right lessons, I hope that one day you can look past the whole stigma that you have to hate your mother-in-law and love me because if you're good enough for my son I'm gonna love you right back." I think about her a lot actually.

A: Awwwww

J: When I think about my sons future. So I hope she's doing well where ever she is, if she exists. I hope she has a great life and I'll meet her when the time comes. So HA! I'm not going to be a terrible mother-in-law.

A: Awwww, that's sweet.

J: See you don't know these things about me. I can be really sweet when I want to be.

A: Except you scare me. I fear for her just a little bit.

J: I think I'm nice!

A: I think you are too but you're a little obsessed over Chucky and he's only six months old. How about when he's grown.

J: Well, if I have five other kids then my obsession will be split up.

A: That's true.

J: So I may not be AS obsessed with him. *laughs*

A: Well, We will see what happens. Can you give me a brief summary of your hobbies and interests?

J: Brief? No. *laughs* What do I like to do with my life? I like to read, if that hasn't become apparent. I like to crochet. I go through phases where I want to do stuff. I like to be crafty and I like to come up with ideas and let you do them. *laughs* That seems to be my number one interest. I hate dishes. That is not on my list of things that I like to do. I like to play with my son. I love to hang out with my husband. Some of our best times together is when Chucky goes to bed and we eat pizza and sit around and play video games and watch science documentaries. I like to cook and bake. I like to not be bothered by people. I also like to shop but I'm really cheap about it.

A: I did say brief.

J: See, I warned you. *laughs*

A: Okay, That's my last question. I just wanted to say, I feel like this has been a great way for us to share our views. This project has given us a great opportunity to sit down and really point out each others strengths and I think it's great for our relationship.

J: Aww, Thank you. I told you this was a great idea.