Shadra
Shadra Bruce
Hi! I’m Shadra, and I’m mom to five kids ranging in age from 18 to 32. I am also nana to three adorable British babies, Hallie, Leo, and Hugo.
MomsGetReal is my digital baby. Formed on Mother’s Day in 2010, MomsGetReal grew out of my desire to help other moms realize that motherhood is crazy, there’s no real way to do it right, and love is the most important thing you can give your kids.
And wpw, when you have kids, life just skids out of control and all you can do is hold on and go for the ride.
Before MomsGetReal, my husband Dave and I wrote a weekly column for two-and-a-half years called “A More Perfect Union” for the Corning, New York newspaper The Leader. In the column, we explored the joys and challenges of building our newly-formed family. We started writing that column when our youngest was 4 months old, so the kids have grown up their whole lives being fodder for blogs. WIth permission, of course, they’ve all been amazing about letting us share the gory details of their lives.
I write mostly about family relationships, stepparenting and blended families, and travel. I was the featured guest at the World Parent Summit in 2009 and an inaugural member of ClubMom.
I also am passionate about education (gifted and special needs, having had both – once in the same kid) and love more than anything that my own daughter is now writing for MomsGetReal about her own kids. Wow!
In addition to MomsGetReal, I have been a contributing writer to several websites, newspapers, magazines, and journals, including DoItYourself.com, What to Expect, and SocialMoms.com. I am the president of DaSh factor LLC (don’t get excited, I got to choose my title when I formed my LLC, and president was cool) a digital marketing agency that I run with my husband (yep, we work together all day, and still like each other at night). In our “spare” time, we love to travel and go to concerts.
I have a bachelor’s degree in Economics and a master’s degree in English Literature. I’m passionate (ok, sometimes just opinionated, often obstinate, and always outspoken) about helping to improve relations in families, communities, and cultures – and I’m strong advocate for global peace and do believe it’s actually possible.
We maintain our permanent residence in Bath, New York, but these days we spend most of our time traveling. I’m fluent in French and could live just about anywhere. I’m comfortable making my home wherever my travels take me, which is quite often Montreal.