A Q & A with Elle. Double U. Pepper. Today’s interview is with Lindsey Whiting-Schnepper who is the inspirational author & creator of the insightful mommy blog called Mommylogue.
by Kimberly Pangaro
This post contains affiliate links. To learn more about affiliate links and how they work, please read our Affiliate Disclaimer HERE.
Hello, Hello, Hello! Thank you for joining us on this glorious day as we host a special Q & A conversation with one of the most respected and well-known New York Mommy Bloggers!
Her name is Lindsey Whiting-Schnepper but we all know her as “Elle Double U Pepper” and she is the inspirational author and creator of the incredible and insightful mommy blog called Mommylogue.
Please join me in welcoming our very special guest for a very personal Q & A… Welcome Elle Double U Pepper. It is my absolute pleasure to introduce you to our readers and followers.
Before we jump in, here are 3 Fun Facts about Elle. Double U. Pepper:
#1 “There are 50 shades of Red-heads in my ‘hood but I’m the secret 🌶 in our special sauce.”
#2 “I’m an early childhood, special educator, but my greatest accomplishments are my two sons— they are my reflection, my résumé, my letters of recommendations, and my renaissance. “
#3 “I love my library card almost as much as I love my her credit card— almost. Both my sons have their own— library cards.”
This image was provided by Lindsey Whiting-Schnepper, creator and founder of the popular New York City blog Mommylogue.
Without further adieu, let us begin our Q & A with Elle. Double U. Pepper…
Share with us your journey from mommyhood to becoming a mommy blogger.
“Before I became a mommy, both times, I had the most sincere intentions to scrapbook the milestones in my children’s lives. Once I became a mommy— twice, and the kind of mommy I strived to be— got in my way of creating these fancy books. Luckily for me, I have always been someone who kept a physical and mental diary of my day or a milestone in my life, even more so when I first entered the coveted community of “mommyhood”. When my children would fall sleep, aka nap in the car in between the millions of things we would do in the first 12 hours of the day, I began skimming through the filtered versions of someone else’s mommyhood on social media and questioned my own unfiltered version. So, I stopped scrolling and began journaling in the notes app of my phone… to myself. Even after my boys got old enough to stop falling asleep in the car, I found I was still writing to myself in the same notes section of my phone but in between all the millions of things I was doing, 24 hours of the day. It went from a scrapbook to a diary. That snap shot of time is like a written photograph of a memory I never wanted to forget. It is my safe space, too. Where I could be the most authentic and honest. “
What was the defining moment that inspired you to create Mommylogue?
“I am very candid about mommyhood. The ups and downs. The joys and growing pains and everything else in between. I write like I speak and I learned quickly you can either cry over the spilled milk or laugh in the puddles — unless you have naturally curly hair like me that you get professionally blown out weekly— you grab your umbrella and hope for a rainbow. I have been urged to share the heart of the sleeve I wear with everyone and rip out the pages of my diary for everyone to read. So I did! I jumped in head first and got those curls wet and the rest is history! Mommylogue became a reality of my reality. “
How did you come up with your name on Instagram, Elle. Double U. Pepper?
“Originally I felt it was safer to use a nom de plume “Elle DoubleU. – Pepper” it’s a play on my real name, but as my followers grew and people started to realize and love that it was me, I decided to embrace this reveal. So, now you can follow me on IG @elledoubleupepper and follow my mommy diary at Mommylogue.”
What did you feel was most important to include in your blog?
“I believe it’s important to be honest. To tell the story as it happened because there is beauty in truth. That’s what makes other people, other mommies connect with your message or memory. Plus, when you are a mommy you really and rarely can make this shit up! “
How do you typically come up with ideas for blog posts?
“Since I spend the lion share of time with my children and love to talk with them the ideas come from those moments— real life. It’s my diary of our milestones and memories. “
Who are your role models in life?
“I am unbelievably lucky to say I was raised by the most incredibly loving and supportive parents. My childhood foundation and inspirations became the foundation and aspirations when I became a wife and a mommy myself. My children are my greatest accomplishments, they are my rèsumè, reflections and my renaissance. I couldn’t love them more — lightning struck me twice. My husband is a hustler and a hard worker— he’s also the OG redhead who hued our household with 50 shades of redheads to put the color into my heart and my life with our amazing boys. But lately… I have been looking up to myself.“
Blogging can be stressful and overwhelming. How do you cope?
“Writing about what you know and love, should write itself. That is what makes it authentic. I think about my week, what moment stood out the most that it deserves the spotlight to share. Then I write it as it happened, let it marinate, and reread it. Edit it. Find an image. Tease it to my followers on IG that a new one is coming. I find the image and put a spicy excerpt on IG @elledoubleupepper and the full post on Mommylogue.”
What are your favorite tools and apps that help you blog?
“My website is through the platform Squarespace. It’s so user friendly! I write my first draft in the notes app and edit in MS word. I also put Spotify on in the background for mood— it’s amazing!“
What is some advice you have for other moms who want to start blogging?
“Stay true to yourself. Don’t always give the best story or picture— give the real one.“
If you had one message to share with other mommy bloggers, what would it be?
“If you worry about being a good mommy, that means you already are.”
In case you’re wondering what Mommylogue is all about… check out her amazing reviews, below!
This image was provided by Lindsey Whiting-Schnepper, creator and founder of the popular New York City blog Mommylogue.
“Online Diary Chronicles the Daily Adventures of Parenting Two Sweet and Spicy Kids“
“Revealing. Refreshing. Raw. Mommylogue.blog is the newest voice in parenting, an online diary where Lindsey Whiting-Schnepper under the nom de plume “Elle DoubleU-Pepper” writes about the hardest career a woman can have: mommying. With unusual candor, a razor-sharp wit and an abiding love for her little ones, “Elle” shares with readers her daily life raising two precious kids. “
“It’s my inner dialogue (my mommy voice) unedited, unfiltered and undeniably relatable,” says Lindsey. “It’s my real-life documentation of the coveted community called mommyhood. My scrapbook of stories.”
“This just launched blog includes stories by Lindsey aka “Elle DoubleU- Pepper” about how her life sometimes resembles the 80s comedy Adventures in Babysitting, mommying in the time of Final Four and going crib-less for the first time in seven plus years. “
“I remember when I first got this crib. My older lovie was still in my belly and I was on the cusp of this journey,” she writes. “By the time he turned 2-years-old, I was sure I was one and done. But a year later, with a pap smear and a pep talk from my OBGYN, I got knocked up again. It’s was actually classier than that but it’s a story for another time. By year three, we used that crib for the second little redhead in my life, and I have to admit it reminded me not only of my kids’ youth, but my own. Now, after seven plus years, my house is crib-less. Which has taken on a different meaning for me. No, I don’t want more babies — I love my children beyond, but two sometimes feels like 10, even on the best days — and I feel like I’ve entered a new stage. A new milestone in mommyhood.”
“Lindsey Whiting-Schnepper is a New York area mother living with two little red heads and her ginger-hued husband. Over a decade ago, Lindsey began writing her daily thoughts in the notes section of her phone whenever she had a moment to spare, but just recently she decided to jump into social media pool. She worried less about getting her professional blow dry wet— exposing her natural curls and more about sharing these memories and milestones with the world— she writes like she is wearing her heart on her sleeve, which steadily built a growing audience. Now, with Mommylogue.blog, she is sharing her stories with a whole new audience.“
“I think moms will appreciate my perspective because it’s real. I don’t sugarcoat the daily challenges we face raising children,” she says. “Every day is an adventure. Some days are better than others. Some days we feel like total failures others are epic. But each day belongs to us. This is my way of sharing those stories.”
Check out her 🌶 excerpts on Instagram @elledoubleupepper to become a follower and go to http://www.mommylogue.blog to become a reader.
Final Thoughts
There it is… Straight from one of the realest moms I have ever had the pleasure of meeting! You can follow Elle. Double U. Pepper‘s story and diaries by following her on Instagram @elledoubleupepper. Be sure to become a reader of her mommy blog at Mommylogue, I promise you will not regret it!
