Interview by Wendy Jackson Slaton
Details:
Age: 40 • From: Born in Karachi, Pakistan and raised in Chicago, Illinois • Lives In: Sugar Land, TX
Education: M.A. in Mass Communication; B.B.A. in Marketing from the University of Houston (Go Coogs!) • Favorite Destination: Tokyo, Japan
Hobbies: Cooking, Writing, Binge-watching Netflix shows • Favorite Restaurants: Xochi, Pondicheri Bake Lab and Aga’s
Recently HFM caught up with Sugar Land Moms’ founder Sara Ahmed to get the dish on her balancing act between being a mom, a writer and an entrepreneur. Here’s what she had to say.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I grew up in Chicago and then moved quite a bit during my teen years. All that moving around really had an impact on the importance of community for me. I was writing for Disney’s Babble, Scary Mommy and Popsugar last year when I took a huge leap of faith and started the Sugar Land Moms. I love my adopted hometown and wanted to cultivate a strong sense of community for those of us raising little humans here.
Tell us a little about your family.
My husband and I met as college freshmen at UH & were best friends for 4 years before we fell in love. We just celebrated our 15th anniversary and love raising our two rambunctious boys amongst family and friends in Sugar Land. I’m so lucky to be surrounded by a large network of friends and family that live close enough to be part of our daily chaos.
How do you balance your writing projects and running a blog, while managing a family, and finding time to spend with friends, self-care, etc.?
I think there’s a huge myth that we can have it all and it’s simply not possible. The balance comes in with fostering a little forgiveness towards ourselves. Some days I am killing it as an entrepreneur while other days I earn gold stars for being a mindful mom who cooks dinner with the kiddos. But it doesn’t happen on the daily and being deliberate about the small wins helps overcome the big hurdles.
If you had a day to yourself, how would you spend it?
I would stay in bed all day reading books that I’ve been neglecting this year. As any reader knows, there’s something magical and therapeutic about losing yourself in a well-crafted story where the characters linger long after the book has finished.
Where are your favorite places around the Houston area to take your kids/family?
We enjoy Levy Park in the mornings (less crowded) and grabbing a bite to eat at Little Matt’s afterwards. The kids also love the Hobbit Café and the Fort Bend Discovery Center is a great spot for banishing boredom on especially hot summer days.
Any advice for other mothers who share a passion for writing?
There’s no right or wrong way to be a qualified writer. Simply the act of writing on the regular makes you one. It took me many years to call myself a writer b/c it sounded so ambitious – like saying I’m a popstar! Be your own cheerleader and write lofty, grand pages to further your craft. Don’t worry about publications or agents –if you stick to the writing, inevitably you will get better at it and success will find you.
Check out the blog and Sugar Land happenings for yourself at thesugarlandmoms.com.
