PARENT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Lindsay Ponta
Marketing Professional and DIY Blogger
BY PJ FEINSTEIN
How do you find time to
nurture your own creativity?
I f you’ve enjoyed any of the DIY projects
we’ve published over the past year, you
have Washington FAMILY contributor
Lindsay Ponta to thank. For more than 10
years, Ponta has been inspiring busy people
to explore their creativity on her curiously
named DIY and craft website, Shrimp Salad
Circus. These days, however, she’s spending
less time blogging and more time attending to
family—husband Andrei and their 3-year-old
daughter—and her day job at a nonprofit.

Here, the Silver Spring mom tells us about
her “perfectly imperfect” life.

What’s the hardest part about
juggling motherhood and
your career?
I’ve struggled with severe anxiety for much
I started writing Shrimp Salad Circus in 2010,
and it has been a constant in my life through
a lot of change over those years. I find that
having a network of friends—even virtual
ones—pushes me to keep creating.

Lately, I find that I’m making for the
memories rather than just for the heck of
it. I sewed up matching shirts for our last
pre-pandemic trip, and I adore those photos
because my daughter thought that matching
with mommy was the coolest. I’m sure that
when the teenage years hit, and matching
with mom is cringeworthy, I’ll treasure them
all the more!
What do you love about
being a mom?
I barely remember my first few weeks of
parenthood because breastfeeding had us
awake for a feed every three hours. One night
I zombie-shuffled over for a diaper change,
and as soon as I got the diaper off, my
8-pound little person shot poop 5 feet across
the room, taking out a couple teddy bears
along the way. I started laughing so hard that
I woke up my husband, who ran off to get
scissors to cut off the onesie.

I can’t stand it when people tell stressed-out,
sleep-deprived new parents to treasure every
moment. Sometimes there’s a blowout or a
10 Washington FAMILY FEBRUARY 2021
grocery store tantrum when you have nothing
left to give that day. But the unshiny moments
sometimes end up being treasures that you can
still laugh about until your stomach hurts years
later, and I love the daily accumulation of those
perfect little surprise moments.

What’s your biggest
parenting fail?
I like to think that we’re all doing the best we
can with the circumstances we’re given, so
I try not to think of anything as a parenting
fail. But the area where I feel like I most often
let myself down is modeling that it’s more
important to do the right thing than to do
the easy or comfortable thing. I feel a huge
responsibility to guide my daughter toward
becoming an empathetic, caring adult who
stands up for others and is vocal against
injustice but also treats her own time and
mental health as the precious things they
are. That’s a hard thing to navigate when you
haven’t mastered it yourself.

What’s your favorite way
to spend a weekend with
your family?
We love to hike and are lucky to have so
many wonderful places for it in the region,
so we started calling our weekend hikes
“adventures.” We have an adventure song
that we chant as we meander. We find
treasures (sticks and leaves) along the way
and try to spot animals like baby frogs,
not-so-baby snakes, deer, squirrels and
hedgiecorns. They’re hedgehog unicorns, and
they’re exceptionally rare.

How will you be celebrating
Valentine’s Day this year?
Valentine’s Day, like all recent holidays in our
home, will be a very handmade affair. Every
few months, we put together craft kits for
some of our little friends, and then we drive
around for a day dropping them on doorsteps.

It helps us feel connected to the friends who
feel like family and who we miss terribly. My
self-proclaimed “little present elf” is always
worn out by the end of the day, and my craft
supply stash is a little bit more manageable. n
PROVIDED PHOTOS
of life, and I put a lot of pressure on myself
to always just “make it work.” When my
daughter was born, I realized I have to take
care of myself so that she’s growing up with a
strong, balanced mother instead of a harried,
defeated one. For me, that meant prioritizing:
My family comes first and then my job. My
side business happens if I have the time,
instead of between midnight and 3 a.m.

I’m constantly battling the urge to do it
all—and to do it all perfectly, no less. I want
to teach my daughter the concept of “good
enough” so that she isn’t in my shoes 30 years
from now trying to cram an extra eight hours
into the day. Because as hard a time as I have
practicing what I preach, I truly believe that in
many situations, done is better than perfect.




Creative Ways to Tell Your Child
‘I Love You’
Heart-warming ideas for
Valentine’s Day
and any day
of the year
By Kimberly Blaker
V Edible Ideas
A HEART A DAY Add a heart-shaped candy to
your child’s lunch box every day of the school
year. Be sure to stock up during clearances after
Valentine’s Day so that you don’t run out.

HEART-SHAPED LUNCH Use a large, heart-
shaped cookie cutter to make heart-shaped
sandwiches, toast and other treats. Your kids
will love the shape once you’ve eliminated
the crust.

A CUPFUL OF LOVE Give your child a “World’s
Greatest Son,” “World’s Greatest Daughter”
or “I Love You” cup. Use it when you serve hot
cocoa or graham crackers and milk.

DO LUNCH Pick up your child from school for
a surprise lunch date. Order carryout from
your kid’s favorite restaurant or go on a picnic
if the weather is pleasant.

The Written Word
A POET AND DIDN’T KNOW IT You don’t have
to be a poet to write a poem for your child.

If poetry isn’t your strength, look up simple
children’s rhymes. Then make revisions,
entertaining websites and free
e-greetings, you can send your
child something new every day
of the year.

SCRABBLE GREETINGS Wish your child a
“Happy Valentine’s Day,” congratulate him
or her on a great report card, or show how
much you appreciate your child’s help with a
Scrabble message. For younger readers, spell
out a simple phrase leaving a space between
especially for your child. Poems can be serious words. For older kids, make them figure out
or fun, but either way, your child will love them. your greeting. Intersect the words as you
would in playing Scrabble and see if they can
A VALENTINE WELCOME Welcome your child solve the message.

home from school with a Valentine banner
across your front porch or entryway. Add cute C IS FOR… Make a poster portraying your
sayings that remind your child why he or she child’s characteristics. Put your child’s name
is special. Create fun sentences by clipping at the top. List as many positive descriptive
words from magazine ads and add some words as you can that begin with your child’s
Valentine doodles.

initial. Use a thesaurus to find oodles of
words. For example, for Cassandra, you could
SNAIL MAIL SURPRISE Kids love to get mail. have cute, caring, creative, crafty and curious.

Why not send your child a card, letter or When you finish, laminate or frame it and
postcard? Don’t forget to let your child check hang it in your child’s room.

the mail to discover the greeting.

POETRY PRAISE Give your child a poetry
SAY IT WITH EMAIL Send your child an book written especially for sons or daughters
email with a link to a fun website or a funny such as “To My Son with Love” or “To My
animated e-greeting. With the abundance of Daughter with Love on the Important Things
WashingtonFAMILY.com 11
SIBERIANART/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS
alentine’s Day is a perfect
holiday to show your child
how much he or she is loved. Try
these creative ideas to show how
much you care on Valentine’s Day
and any day throughout the year.