Who runs this site?

SaneMoms.com is the 3rd child of Bethany Rule Vedder, a web designer, former life and parenting coach, and mom of 2 flesh-and-blood boys.  In the 8 years since the birth of her first son, she’s felt every extreme emotion that parenting can trigger in the sanest of humans, and often packs all of them into the same 5-minute period.  She never felt like a ‘natural’ parent, and has had to rely on friends and family to keep her in the boat, pointed in the right direction, and occasionally convince her that she is, indeed, both a mom, and a sane one.  

This site was born from Bethany’s realization of three things.

1. The only thing that saved her sanity after her first child was born was her fanatical and necessary addiction to getting regular Alone Time.  She had to have it to remain sane.  She was freelancing as a graphic designer at the time, her husband worked insane hours, she had no family close by, and only a few footloose single friends in the area.  She worked out an arrangement with her husband that they each got one night a week off from all responsibilities, free to spend wherever/however they wished. 
2. In the 5 years she spent coaching, Bethany didn’t have a parent as a client that didn’t have the need for Alone Time.  All parents need Alone Time.  It became a Thing … something that she wouldn’t shut up about to all her mom friends.  She dragged them out for movies and drinks and pedicures, and supplied arguments and pressure in the case of reluctant spouses.  She wanted to share the idea with more than just her clients, and while reflecting on the other sanity-saving elements in her life to round out the concept, she realized another critical piece of her sanity-puzzle was the Me Too factor.  Finding fellowship in your parenting.  Which led her to …
   
   
3. All parents have stories.  All shapes, sizes, colors, volumes, odors, and emotions.  Sharing them is an incredibly rich, freeing, and bonding experience.  Just remember what happened to you when you were pregnant the first time … didn’t everyone you met want to tell you their birth story?! 

This site came from those realizations, and the belief that talking about what keeps us sane, and sharing our stories, is a wonderful way to validate and strengthen who we are as moms, and what it is that makes us strong.  You can read about our regular contributors here, check out the blog, and browse the forum for more.

To motherhood and beyond!

Cheers,

Bethany Rule Vedder
Editor in Chief, Sanemoms.com

Designer, wife, sometimes sane mom to Douglas (2002) and Fynn (2006), entrepreneur, friend, listener, barefooter, brooklyn-ite, runner, traveller, and dreamer.