Cate Cale-Thompson spent some time talking to and e-mailing the members of rock band The Skirts. Some of the Skirts are mamas, while others aren't. Cate asked them all to think about the role motherhood plays in their lives, their bandmates' lives, and in the band as a whole. The Skirts are Lynn Mayugba, (vocals), Wendy Powell (drums), Gerri Ranta (guitar), Gitti Lindner (bass) and Cory Tozer (guitar). Cate and Lynn are co-owners of an art gallery/yoga studio, deep, so Cate started by asking Lynn some questions about combining work and motherhood, and then moved on to ask Wendy, Gerri, and Gitti about mamas and non-mamas working together in the band.

mamazine.com: What did you think motherhood would be like before you had your first child?

Lynn Mayugba: I actually never envisioned it. I was not the girl who grew up preplanning her life, marriage, children. It was actually my husband who decided he wanted kids first. We knew we wanted them, but we just didn't know when, and we never really planned it. He went on a trip to Spain and saw the amazing sense of family there and came back with kids on his mind.

mamazine.com: How does the reality of motherhood compare to your expectations?

Lynn Mayugba: Much better. I don't have younger siblings, cousins, etc. My view of kids came from t.v. (not always the most positive image) or being in restaurants with them for a half hour. I never babysat either. My motherhood experience has been very organic. I learned as I went along. I am still learning. I have brought these little people into the world, and it has just been so amazing. Every day I see something new, as all moms do. I have watched my daughter Violet grow from a baby to a toddler to a kindergartener to a big sister. She blows me away with her intelligence and innate sweetness. My son has been a gift as well. Phoenix and Violet are polar opposites. I have learned a lot from him as well. I couldn't even imagine what number two would be like. Actually, you [Cate] told me and promised me I would adore Phoenix like I do Violet, and you were right!

mamazine.com: How has motherhood affected your career?

Lynn Mayugba: Well, I know I will do what it takes to always have a home office. That is a must for me. I refuse to have my kids in other care from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. It's just not something I am personally comfortable with. I try to incorporate my kids into my personal life as well as my professional life. I want them to realize they have a nice lifestyle because my husband and I work for them to have that. I want them to appreciate their lives and opportunities they have been given. I want to be a strong role model for them, be it work-wise or just teaching them to be creative and follow their dreams. I basically want to raise good people! My husband and I are both in the music business, so we've been able to massively expose our kids to music. We are also both in bands, so I have to think that has had a major impression on both our kids. I like that. My career has really helped the kids appreciate music.

mamazine.com: Who are some of the mamas you look up to? Why?

Lynn Mayugba: I learned long ago that I look up to all moms. We all know this isn't an easy job 100% of the time. Fulfilling, amazing, wouldn't trade it for the world, of course, but we do give a lot of ourselves. I could name a bunch of cool, famous moms, but I'm sorry, every mom who cares properly for their kids deserves acknowledgement—they just do!

mamazine.com: What advice would you gave a pregnant friends?

Lynn Mayugba: Sleep when your baby sleeps. That advice never works, but I like to say it. Get a doula—they're amazing! Please don't drink; it's only nine months out of your life. Enjoy, pain your nails, glitter your belly, and be fancy! That is, of course, if it's your first child! We all know none of that applies to round two and on.

mamazine.com: What are you working on these days?

Lynn Mayugba: I work for a great record label based in Holland. I have worked in the music business for the last sixteen years. (Don't I sound really old when I say that!) I'm going to start a new music project with my husband (at some point), I'm taking Spanish this summer with my daughter Violet, Cate, and her daughter Gwen. I'm so excited! We're going to learn Spanish as a group so that Cate and I can practice while the girls practice together. I'm sure the girls will be fluent in about two lessons. My fabulous project right now is deep. It's an art gallery and yoga studio, as well as where Cate designs her bags. It has been a labor of love. We can be so creative out of this one space. It basically fulfills one's dream in one fell swoop. Art/music/design/fashion and so on! We have art and yoga for kids, belly dancing, chanting, tons of yoga classes, pilates, etc. It's just a great place, and I feel really lucky to be part of it.

mamazine.com: What music are you into right now?

Lynn Mayugba: Block Party, Queens of the Stone Age, the new Green Day, PJ Harvey (always), Coldplay, Daycare (really). That is just for this week. Music is my passion, so I listen to a lot of it. Sonny, my husband, is always bringing home new music so this family is exposed to a huge variety of music constantly.

Here's what Lynn's bandmates had to say.

mamazine.com: What are some of the positives you see in your mama bandmates' lives?

Wendy Powell: Obviously their children. The fact that they could be great parents & do the things they love to do (music, art, etc.) is inspiring.

Gitti Linder: [The other mamas] would be Lynn and Cory (a stepmom)—the obvious things are that they get to enjoy raising a child and seeing him/her grow into a thinking human being who we hope will go off into the world to give something back.

Gerri Ranta: For the positives in the lives of the members who are mothers, I see the joy of childhood revisited and the pleasure of discovering and learning about the world with their children, and through their children's eyes.

mamazine.com: What about in your non-mama bandmates' lives?

Wendy Powell: I'm not sure what you mean by this. I guess it is easier for the gals without kids because they only had their work/personal life to juggle with being in a band.

Gitti Linder: Freedom to do whatever they want whenever they want it—not having to worry about saving money for college or other big expenses but getting to spend it all on themselves!

Gerri Ranta: The positives in the lives of the childless members, and speaking for myself, I see the ability to be whimsical and spontaneous about the future, in essence getting to be kids forever, without the responsibility of dependents.

mamazine.com: What one thing do you wish you could steal out of their lives?

Wendy Powell: Weird question—nothing—I like that my friends have happy lives. Wait - maybe Lynn's closet.

Gitti Linder: I'm really happy with my life as it is, so I wouldn't steal anything.

Gerri Ranta: I don't think I'd want to steal anything. There are always pluses and deltas in life, and there is nothing that I regret or feel lacking in my life or that I covet in my friends' lives.

mamazine.com: Mama Skirts, what do you get from your non-mama girlfriends that you don't get from other mamas?

mamazine.com: Non-mama Skirts, what do you get from your mama girlfriends that you don't get from other non-mamas?

Wendy Powell: A good ear—mothers seem to be good listeners and seem to be a bit more grounded than us non-moms.

Gitti Linder: There's no difference between the Skirts' mamas and non-mamas in terms of what I get out of it—when we're together, we just have fun as a bunch of girls, friends, bandmates…we share laughs and troubles all the same.

Gerri Ranta: I can't really differentiate—I get everything from all of them! It's more due to the different strengths and personalities of each individual's character, more than motherhood, in my eyes. Motherhood may accentuate the inherent traits of an individual, but I think it's highly dependent on the person themselves.