Say Hello to Andrea, Our New Sassy Mama Editor

This week, we welcome our new Sassy Mama editor, Andrea Wada Davies, a seasoned parenting blogger, a vlogger, a former lawyer and a prankster who has pulled some on-air hidden camera stunts for NickMom (Nickelodeon) and for Mediacorp in Singapore. She is a contributor at mom.me and Bustle, and her writing has appeared on Babble, Babyzone, and Yahoo Shine. Andrea is also mum to two kids, Evan (13) and Stella (2). She and her family moved to Hong Kong from sunny L.A., but she’ll tell you that’s not where she picked up her tomboy ways. On her first day at Sassy HQ, we sat down with Andrea, and she told us about her big-rig driving skills, why she loves the MTR, and how one game of beer pong changed her life.

Who are you and where are you from?

I was raised on a potato farm in Idaho, the daughter of Japanese-American potato farmers. I grew up riding dirt bikes, driving 10-wheeler potato trucks, competing in clogging competitions and traveling with my family to state fairs all over the Northwest to watch my father compete in tractor-pull competitions.

Pretty common story, really.

I received my B.A. in English Literature from Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, and my law degree from Suffolk University Law School in Boston with dreams of becoming a badass litigator. I eventually found it more badass to ditch the whole law thing and pursue what I love most, writing and entertainment.

I met my husband the way any girl would dream of — across a wobbly beer pong table, amidst smells of beef nachos and cologne, in Las Vegas. A real-life fairy tale. We were married eight months later and gave my son Evan (from a previous marriage) a little sister, Stella in 2012. She’s now 2, and Evan is now 13.

At the end of 2014, we officially became expats as we moved from LA to Hong Kong for my husband’s job.

Pros and Cons about parenting in Hong Kong?

Pro: Public transportation, specifically the MTR, buses and trams, which means not having to have a car which means not having a car seat which means not having to wrestle my 2-year old every time into that damn car seat! What I meant to say was public transportation in this city is good.

Con: Not having a car, which means no surefire way to get my daughter to fall asleep mid-day.

Pro: All the kid-friendly trails and nature walks!

Con: The stroller-hating stairs

Tell us one surprising thing about yourself.

I once ate a pound of beef and a pound of fries in one sitting because I can never pass up a dare.

What do you like to do for fun?

Having lived thirteen years in LA, I’ve become quite a beach bum. I love to take my kids to the beach whenever possible. We love Shek-O, even though sometimes battling weekend traffic with an impatient 2-year old can be a trek-O. We live in Happy Valley so we end up going to Repulse Bay often. We love to pop over there, build sandcastles, and then grab a bite up at The Pulse while the kids monkey around on the playground. I also love a good dance party. In fact, most days at our house end with a dance party.

What do you plan to bring to Sassy Mama?

In my first week here in Hong Kong, I had nearly five people tell me that I needed to check out Sassy Mama. I checked it out and have been reading it ever since. Sassy Mama really is the best go-to guide for moms in Hong Kong. It’s an amazing site run by an amazing team of women who work hard to give thorough and well-researched information and advice on an extensive list of parenting topics that every mom here in Hong Kong would find useful. And it couldn’t be laid out more beautifully.

I’m hoping to maintain this high level of quality that Sassy Mama has established. We will remain committed to keeping moms tapped in to everything parenting in Hong Kong. We will continue to produce interesting articles and advice. But, we also want to work hard on engaging our audience, inviting discussion and participation — to make you Sassy Mamas feel a part of an online community where you can not only find tips on topics such as flying internationally with a baby, but also laugh and identify with other moms about all the challenges and triumphs that we face every day in this journey called parenting. I just hope to be able to build on the awesome momentum that Sassy Mama has so far established.

I’m really excited to be a part of Sassy Mama, and I’d love to hear from you! Let me know if there’s anything you’d like to see on the site. You can email me at [email protected]. I love feedback and talking to other moms. And if you’re interested in becoming a contributor, hit me up! We are always looking for good writers with unique takes on parenting.