Canadian Expat Mom

What’s in My Name?

The other day I was wondering, If I had to chose a name for my blog today, would the name still be the same?

I’ve been a lot of things over my life-time.

A daughter, sister, friend, neighbour, dancer, student, waitress, traveller, runner, girlfriend, ex-girlfriend, teacher, student(again), an administrator, a fiance, a wife, a writer.

A Mom. That was a huge one!

That’s where I met you guys.

Not long after having my kids is when I started my blog. I don’t want to change the blog name(that seems like a lot of work), and not the point of this ramble. But I recently found myself wondering how I ended up at the name.

Like I said, I’ve been a lot of things. Yet, I never thought I’d label myself as a Canadian Expat Mom ….and when I did choose the title, I didn’t realize I’d be identified with it for so long.

The followers I’ve had from the grassroots of my writing will remember that the first month I had a blog it was called “The World Wide Webbs.” Why? Because my last name is Webb and we travelled the world.

Seemed legit.

My husband, being the private person that he is, didn’t really want his/our name online, especially if I was going to be sharing personal stories…and trust me, some of them were personal! (Again, if you’ve been with me from the beginning, you’ll know what I mean by that.)

He joked and said that when I started writing for The Huffington Post he’d be okay with me using my real name. The joke was on him though, because it didn’t take long before my words made it to HuffPo and I started going by my name, Lisa Webb, online. But I wasn’t about to change my name back to The World Wide Webbs; I had already become Canadian Expat Mom.

So, back to the same question: Why the name?

At that point in my life, being a mom was who I was. I had two kids under two years old and I was in the mom-zone from sun up to sun down and all hours in between. It was my primary role and it came before wife, daughter, sister, or friend. Keeping my kids alive and well was the foremost part of who I was in those baby-making years when I was surrounded by diapers and was lucky if I could sneak a few minutes to have a shower and wash my hair.

And the next largest identifier in my life at that point?

I was a foreigner.

We had moved to small-town France where people usually knew I was an “étranger” before I even uttered my, then, horrific French. And where was I from? Canada, of course. (They knew by the head-to-toe Lululemon I was wearing.)

Et voila, Canadian Expat Mom was born.

So the question remains; if I were to name my blog now, would I chose the same name?

I’m not sure.

It’s not that I don’t like the name; I’m just in a different place in my life now. My kids are still my top priority, but they no longer consume ever single second of my day like they did a few years ago. I’m still a foreigner, and I’m still Canadian.

Where does that leave me….Awesome Canadian Chick Who Loves to Travel the World with her Family and has Lived All Over the Place dot com ??

I guess I’ll stick to Canadian Expat Mom.

 

This is Part 1 of a two part reflection on my blog. More to come soon.

One thought on “What’s in My Name?

  1. Claude

    ‘The WorldWide Webbs’ very witty!

    However, it doesn’t convey your brand and identity intuitively. Anyone reading the ‘Canadian ExPatMom’ title knows immediately, in a general sense, who you are, who you were, and what likely the subject matter of your blog posts will deal with.

    Maybe ‘TWWW’ is a more appropriate title for the other blog you’re planning to start having to do with, perhaps, a more monetized aspect of ‘CxM’ devoted to your current following?

    The Subject matter of CxM is perfect for an onlineBiz, perhaps again, something like a membership site, podcasts, travel affiliate programs, etc.

    I’m planning on exiting America in the next couple years due to the swamp it has become. I don’t want 2b here when the proverbial ‘SHTF’! I’m taking my business (Fitness) to the internet, it’s the only way to enjoy true freedom from any place in this beautiful world!

    I’ve got my eyes set on Belize, but I’d sure like to avail myself of the vast knowledge you’ve acquired over your many travels. That’s a commodity that can be incentivized, aka: monetized!

    Anyways, my take on your reflection. Maybe it’s that you’re contemplating reinventing yourself and blog now that you have a bit more time and situations have evolved?

    Au revoir,
    Claude

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