In a perfect storm of blogging community epicness, I plan to submit this post not only to the the usual This Ain’t the Lyceum‘s Seven Quick Takes Friday Link-Up, but also to Blogelina‘s Comment-a-thon event. So if you stumbled unto this post through either one of those and this is your first time here – WELCOME! Thanks for stopping my humble little blog! (And if you already know me and read all my blog posts already, well, as always, I’m super thrilled that you’re here too!)
One of the interesting things about having a small blog like this one is that I never really know who’s reading. I have three different site stats plugins and they all give me completely different numbers…so I don’t really know how many people are reading either.
So I pretty much type just to type and then sometimes people tell me that they’ve read what I posted. I guess that’s what a blogger does?
But not today! Today this silence will stop being silent! TODAY it is YOUR turn to say hello! Introduce yourself! Who are you? Why are you here? What do you think about things?
Don’t know what to say? Why, here are 7 excellent question suggestions I’d love to learn about you. Pick one. Pick seven. (Just don’t be lame and pick none; come’on this is fun! :)) Answer anonymously if you really have to. Just answer! I’ll even comment back!
1) Do you use Instagram? If so, what do you mainly use it for? Any suggestions for how I should use Instagram as part of this blog? Or should I keep it strictly personal for family/close friends only?
I have an Instagram account, but I hardly post to it and when I do it’s just pictures of my kids. I originally signed up solely to share pics of my kids with aunts/uncles/grandparents. But somehow I’ve ended up with 97 followers and this makes me wonder if I should be doing something else with it – how do other people use Instagram? I guess I don’t completely get it as a “social media” platform, but maybe I’m missing something? Can I just keep posting cute pictures of my kids?
2) For those of you who’ve been married for a significant amount of time – what is your best piece of marriage advice (I’m ideally interested in general marriage advice that can apply to a wide range of couples, old or young, religious or non, with or without kids, etc.)? How long have you been married and what’s been the hardest thing in your marriage so far?
When I first began this blog, one of the things I wanted to regularly touch on was the realities of marriage, especially marriage against the backdrop of this strange world of Hollywood. Marriage is hard in general, but Los Angeles/Hollywood certainly carries its’ own unique challenges; stability in either career or marriage is not easy to come by here. Last week, a writer named Todd Farmer posted an article titled From Hollywood to Homeless that got a lot of attention around town; I thought it was a great example of the feast-or-famine reality of this place. Also notice that the author and his wife separated; marriage is not easy in this world! In this blog, I’ve sought to be very honest about marriage in hopes that it might somehow help others and I am always interested in hearing others’ wise advice about marriage too.
3) Of all the “Mommy Wars” topics, what do you think is the most silly and ridiculous for people to care about? And if you don’t know what topics are considered “Mommy Wars” topics, please just skip over this question – you’re better off for not knowing anything about this. 🙂
Oh Mommy Wars. Everyone hates them, but I think a lot of people secretly love them. Why else would they still be going on? For the most part, I really, really, really do not care about them. I’m smack dab in the middle of most “mommy wars” topics (seriously. I’m a half mainstream/half crunchy kind of mom) and I always find a bit of humor in some of the things modern moms get all up in arms over. A couple in particular I find ridiculous. One is the topic of crib bumpers. If you have a baby who continually gets their arms/legs stuck in the rails, or smack their head on the rails, then by all means, put up bumpers, mesh or regular, or whatever you think is best. I will not judge you. I promise. Common sense is a great thing. Let’s use it. And for what it’s worth, one of my kids needed bumpers, one didn’t. See, I’m totally in the middle of this, and most every other, mommy war topic. Why do we fight over nothing? I just don’t understand…
4) Do you have any experience with subscription box services for kids (Kiwi Box, Little Passports, etc)? If so, can you recommend anything?
Something I’ve really come to embrace in the past year is the idea that all we can do in life is make the best of any situation we’re placed in and take what we can from the experiences. One of the things that I most took away from my previous job is the exposure to some really great services and products for kids; I found myself especially interested in this new idea of subscription boxes. There are a few subscription box companies in particular that I’ve been eyeballing and thinking of signing up my preschooler for. But I’m also notorious for being a bit of a spendthrift and so I’m hesitant to pull the trigger and order. The services I’m most looking at are Little Passports (Early Explorers) and Kiwi Crate (Koala Crate). I also LOVE Groovy Lab in a Box, but it’s aimed at ages 8+ so unless/until they create a line for younger kids, it’ll be awhile til I get to try them out. In the meantime, can anyone out there in internetland give me a review or suggestion for Little Passports vs. Kiwi Crate? Or another subscription box service for preschoolers?
5) Do you work with a direct marketing company? If so, which company, for how long, and why did you choose that company to work with? You’re welcome to leave a link in your comment to your facebook or ordering page if you’d like.
In recent months, I’ve joined a local ‘Momtreprenauer’ group. While I don’t have a business of my own (yet…), I continue being a part of the group because I appreciate connecting with other local moms who juggle creating and motherhood. Now that I am no longer employed, I’m throwing myself into work on my invention and I am energized by being around other moms building their businesses as well. One thing I’ve noticed both within this group and within my online facebook community is that direct marketing businesses are becoming quite popular. I seem to know people who represent many different brands/companies. Currently, I think the only direct marketing brand that I’ve ever gotten into is for Usborne books. An old college friend, Kristi, has recently begun selling these books (here’s her facebook page; she’s awesome at hosting virtual facebook parties!) and I both attended a facebook party and hosted a facebook party. I think I’m kind of in love with Usborne books. 🙂 I’m not currently considering getting into any of these direct marketing companies, but if I ever did, it’d probably be for Usborne.
6) Are you an avid blog reader? If so, are there any blogs in particular that you consider favorites and keep up with everyday? Any recommendations for new blogs I should check out? (other than your own if you have have your own blog)
Maybe 2 years ago or so I first started browsing the mom blog-o-sphere. I’d heard about “mommy blogs” before, but didn’t think they’d be something of interest to me. Well, then we went into the ‘famine’ stage of feast-or-famine mode, ha ha, and I discovered this whole network of money saver mom blogs and that they were filled with extremely useful knowledge on how to cut down expenses. So I started following mom blogs. And then, on 2/14/14, I started this very blog and became a mom blogger myself. Whatever. I like it and I’m going to keep this blog up. 🙂 However, to this day, the blog I probably most frequently read and is still one of my very favorites, is Money Saving Mom.
7) In this day and age, do you think it’s possible to have a voice in this world without being a part of social media?
This is a question that I’ve been pondering for awhile, and yes, it’s a bit more serious in tone than my other questions. I often find myself overwhelmed with social media and “trending” topics. On one hand, I feel an overwhelming sense of obligation to keep up-to-date in order to remain relevant. On the other hand, the vast majority of these “trending” topics are not really all that important to my daily life. But I still find myself emotionally involved in them, as though I must have an opinion on each and every topic. I both love social media for my connection to the world through it, and loathe social media for its’ distraction away from the things that actually truly matter instead. So I’m torn. I want to be heard. I don’t want to be invisible. I want to feel as though I can make some sort of difference, as though I matter. And I feel as though, in this modern world, that a social media presence is necessary in order to have a voice. Am I contingent on social media in order to ‘be someone’ and make a difference?
YOUR TURN! Please leave me a comment and answer a question or two!
Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links above may be affiliate links and if you click and buy something, I get a very tiny percentage. I hope that’s ok. You don’t have to click on anything if you don’t want to, though if you do, I certainly appreciate it. I only add links for things I think might be of value to my readers.
79 Comments on SQT 3/6/15: Seven Questions & My Most Epic Blog Post Yet
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I am SO glad that as a general rule I click on the link directly before mine and found out about the link up at Blogelina’s!! Are you doing the 50 comment event? I am!!! Good luck!
Hi Cristina – I’m glad you clicked on my link too and thanks for leaving a comment! 🙂 I am going to be doing the Blogelina 50 comment event. It should be fun. So nice to meet you!
Hi! I’m here for the first time from the 7 Quick Takes link up. My name is Casey. 🙂
2.) Best piece of marriage advice: find out what makes your spouse feel loved and make a conscious effort to do/say that for them, as often as possible, even if it makes you feel weird and uncomfortable. Also, make sure you tell them what makes you feel loved; don’t leave them guessing in the dark.
7.) You have a voice, and it speaks words of love to your family and friends. You make a difference in the world every time you love the people around; every little act, every sacrifice, makes a difference to the world. None of that requires social media, so I guess my answer to this question would be no, I don’t think social media is necessary to being heard or being someone. 🙂
Hi Casey, thanks so much for leaving a comment! I tried to leave a comment over at your blog, but for some reason, every time I hit publish, it kept bringing me back to the preview comment screen. grr. I don’t know if it’ll show up on your end, if so, I tried it like 4-5 times, ha ha!
Also, thank you for your lovely answers! KP and I were kind of late in our marriage to discover the idea of “love languages”, but it made a huge difference in our relationship. There were some difficult years in there where we both thought we were doing nice things for the other, yet the other still didn’t feel loved. And thank you for #7. That’s what I try to tell myself a lot, but it’s often hard to completely believe. Then again, I do live in “media capitol of the world”, so my perspective might be a bit skewed…
That’s really bizarre that blogger wouldn’t let you leave a comment. I’m sure that was frustrating, but thanks for trying!! 🙂
Yeah, I was a little late to the love languages thing too, but it made some things make so much sense when I found that little knowledge gem out. HA!
3) stay at home mom vs working mom. My personal opinion on this topic: if any mom has the energy or time to bash another type of mom, they’re doing something wrong.
5) I often buy from direct marketing. Usborne books are my new favorite right now. I love books, and I want my kids to love them too. I have secretly wish YOU sold them since the last party you hosted:):).
Thanks for the blog. I’ve especially benefitted from your honest marriage posts:).
I knew of all people YOU wold love the Questions Game, heh heh. Thanks for leaving a comment! 🙂 Hmm…if you’ll buy Usborne books from me, maybe I’ll have to actually consider it now…
I recently retired from a Direct Sales/Marketing Company corporate after 22 years. They are great companies to support small business and independent Representatives.
I love your blog posts.
Debbie – what company, if you don’t mind sharing? I’m really curious about these things now!
Hi! Well, I like reading your blog. I always thought you were “super cool” in college and I love seeing where your crazy life leads you.
Marriage advice. Well, I’ll be married 10 years in September. We just went to a marriage conference in February. The guy there said to talk to your spouse as if your father-in-law was there, listening. If you are a Christian, you can take that a step further because God is the father of your spouse and He is watching.
I am a Young Living member. I got into essential oils because my baby would not sleep. I would try anything. Then, I got their toothpaste and I watched a cavity of mine fill in over time. It was simply amazing! I’ve used them nearly everyday for a year now! Love them!
Oh, I do Instagram. I feel that one can overdo kid pictures on facebook. Some people actually want to see pictures and they are usually on Instagram. That’s where I put most of my pictures now. I don’t feel like I’m bugging anyone that way.
Hey Brooke, thanks so much for your comment! And for what it’s worth, I thought you were so cool in college too – I still remember when we met while painting at that Habitat for Humanity house my freshman year. You were the one who pretty much convinced me to attend a GATA rush. I honestly may not have ever pledged had it not been for you; I don’t know if you ever knew that. 🙂
Also, did you post that picture of your cavity on facebook or a blog post somewhere? I feel like I remember you saying this about the oils. That’s really amazing.
I’m one of the few bloggers not on Instagram. I feel like keeping up with Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter are all I can handle right now. I’m sure a lot of folks do use it successfully, but it’s not my thing right now.
Hi Beth, nice to meet you (and I’m glad you still found my blog post even though the link submitted to the Comment-A-Thon was incorrect. And I’m also glad that I’m not the only one not Instagram-hip. 🙂 Thanks for the comment and I look forward to checking out your blog too!
In response to question 2) I have been married for almost 17 years. I was 19 yrs old when I got married which was very young, but I was and still am very much in love. We have had hard times, but neither of us has ever wanted to give up on each other or on us. We have 2 children. I have made a conscious effort to tell him everyday how much I appreciate him and what he does for our family. I have found that feeling appreciated is a great way to make your significant other feel good about themself.
I actually love hearing happy and successful marriage stories from those who married young. It seems to be a pervading belief that young marriages can’t last or be real, and though I think that young marriages might suffer from different challenges than those who marry older, I think that if a couple is seriously committed to making their marriage work that it doesn’t necessarily matter how young they are.
My mom was 21 when she married my dad. My sisters got married at 21, 21, and 23. My husband and I got married at 24 and 25 and friends out here in L.A. thought we were totally bonkers I’m sure! 🙂
Wow, What great questions! I’m going to answer your marriage question as today is our 43rd anniversary. My best pieces of advice are: 1 – talk quickly with a goal to understand not win and 2 – never stop flirting. Remember all the little things you did at first to be playful, fun and get each others attention. Having a happy marriage an incredible blessing.
Happy Anniversary! I really like your suggestion for #2, to never stop flirting with other. That’s something that seems somewhat difficult at times, but even for myself I know that I don’t just want to be loved by my husband, I want to be liked by him too! 🙂
This is a great post! My marriage advice starts before marriage. I was not going to settle, and I was willing to be single for my whole life. I married my husband because I believed in him and felt that he had a lot of wisdom. I respect him deeply and it makes such a difference.
When it comes to mommy wars, I jumped into that world with two feet. I am a homeschool mom. I never thought I would ever find myself here, but now that I have been homeschooling for 7 years, I can’t imagine educating my children any other way.
Thanks for the comment Laura! Do you get a lot of backlash for homeschooling? This is my 6th year in the online charter school world and homeschooling just seems so normal to me; I forget that this is even a mommy war issue! Homeschool if it’s best for your family, put your kids in school if that’s best instead! 🙂
#2 – My husband and I will be celebrating our 24th anniversary this summer. The best advice I can give is make sure you are actually communicating, out loud, and not just assuming what the other thinks. It’s an easy habit to fall into. #7 If we’re speaking from a blogger standpoint, I think it’s almost impossible to make a mark without social media anymore. You have to go where the people are. What I’m trying to figure out is how to budget all that time for it!
Hi Staci, thank you for the comment! #7 – see that’s the thing I always go back and forth about. I don’t necessarily know if I want to be an all out “blogger” (at this point I’m mostly blogging because I enjoy sharing) and don’t completely feel obligated to be on social media for he marketing aspect. For me it’s wondering if it’s worth it to stay up-to-date with every trending topic and make comments with my opinions. If I see a side of an issue that’s not being well-represented on social media, is is my obligation to share my differing perspective? Because otherwise, I feel like the quieter side always “loses”. But I also don’t have the time or energy to spend so much time on social media either…but that doesn’t mean that I don’t care as much as those who do have the time to post and be active and spread the word about issues. So yeah, it’s the new age-old question: how much social media is too much? 🙂
I can’t imagine how hard it must be to be married in Hollywood with your husband doing the business he is in. Good for you staying faithful and committing to work it out.
I love Money Saving Mom too. She has been a lifesaver for me during famine periods. 🙂
Thanks Keelie. Money Saving Mom has also been a lifesaver to me during some of the tight times. I also like how she writes some about her personal life too; I feel like I know her as a real person.
What a great idea for a post for the commentathon! I wish I had done something like this to let people get to know me right away! 1) I LOVE instagram! It is my favorite social media! I have a private personal account for friends and family, and then a blog account (which is still mostly pictures of my baby haha!) 5) oh and I’m clicking over to your friends Usborne books page! Children’s literature is the core of my blog and I’ve been really interested in learning more about Usborne! Thanks for the tip!
Hey Cami, thanks for the comment; I thought the 7 questions could be fun and also make it easy for people to have something to comment on. 🙂 That’s awesome to hear that you love Instagram! I’m really liking the idea of making a ‘personal Ronni pictures of her kids’ account, and then a ‘Screenwriter’s Wife/Etsy store/business-y type stuff’ account.
Ooh, tell Kristi that I sent you to her Usborne page; she’ll love it (I don’t think she even knows I posted it in this blog, ha ha, but I don’t think she’ll care :)). I hope you like the Usborne books; so far, I LOVE everyone of them I’ve gotten for my kids.
I have two separate instagram accounts. One is my personal account that I only have friends and family on and the other is for my hair care business. I don’t use instagram for my blog, but I have increased sales from my business from instagram so I think it could be beneficial for your blog. Maybe screenshot part of your post and post a picture of it on instagram and send them to your blog to read the entire post.
Great ideas Katisha! I like the idea of having two Instrgram accounts. I already have two twitter accounts, ha ha (one for the giveaways I enter and then one for personal/this blog). I may be starting up an etsy store here soon and I could see how maybe I could use Instagram for that. Thanks for the suggestions…
I have been married for 19 1/2 years. Clear, open and honest communication is so important. 🙂 Also, don’t talk badly about your spouse to others. If you wouldn’t say it to their face, don’t say it!
Hi Jennifer, thanks for commenting! You know, I’ve heard the advice not to talk badly about your spouse and while I agree with that on the whole…I think it might be ok to have only one or two close friends (or sisters) who are also married and understand marriage that you are allowed to occasionally “vent” to about your spouse. I know for myself, when my marriage was going through the really hard times, feeling like I had to keep things in and not tell anyone about it, made it so much worse for me. I desperately wanted to be honest with someone outside my marriage about how things were and to hear someone else tell me that it was ok and that all marriages had hard times and that my marriage wasn’t doomed. But I can absolutely understand how it can be a fine line. You don’t want to get in the habit of only focusing on the negative things about your spouse. Or only discussing the difficulties of your marriage with other people – instead of the person who needs to know how you’re feeling and work it out together, your spouse.
My husband and I have been together for 15 years and have 4 girls. (2 teens and 2 toddlers) The key to our marriage is to never hold anything in. “Always chose us” and “divorce is not an option” are the mottos we have always used so we know that no matter what we have to work it out. Good luck to you!
Hi Amy, thanks for commenting and visiting! I totally agree that a huge key to success in marriage is to never consider divorce an option. I actually wrote a whole blog post on this, as there was a time where I believe that that commitment to never consider divorce was the only real thing that kept our marriage afloat.
Great post. Loved reading it. Thanks for sharing.
Hello. This is my first time at your blog and I have to say I love the Q&A. 1)I am band new to the blogosphere so I don’t use instagram professionally, yet. 6) I love blogs for the bit of personality you get from the writers. There is more of a personal touch. I love Money Saving Mom, The Humbled Homemaker, and of course, my own 🙂
Hi Ashley, thanks for commenting and thanks for visiting! I’m glad you liked my Q&A. I wanted it make it easy for people to find something to comment on. Ooh, The Humbled Homemaker – that name sounds familiar…I think I used to read it or maybe had a lot of pinterest pins to it or something? Either way, thanks for the suggestion and I will go and look that blog up again. 🙂
1- Is it bad that at almost 32 I feel like I’m too old for Instagram??
2- We’ve been married for 9 years and I feel like the best thing I could tell someone is to keep finding reasons to fall in love with your spouse over and over again… it makes those times when you just want to wring his neck a little bit easier to resist 😉
3- The mommy war that I hate the most is about birthing preference… I mean seriously, just get the kid out safely.
4- We tried Raddish Kids and loved it so much we gave it to all of our friends.. Its a cooking/craft one that’s a lot of fun if you like cooking with kids.
5- Direct Marketing isn’t really for me.
6- Not super avid, but I do like to follow Saucy’s Sprinkles. She doesn’t post as often as she used to but they are some of my favorite all time posts… especially her award show recaps.
7- Absolutely! But I think it takes social media to spread the word faster and farther a lot of times.
Jaime, um, I LOVE LOVE LOVE that you answered all seven questions! Thank you! 🙂
1) um, I’m 34! You can’t be too old for Instagram at 32 or otherwise I must be waaaay too old, ha ha ha.
4) Raddish Kids? hmm, never heard of that one; I will go look it up. thanks!
6) I will also have to check out Saucy’s Sprinkles.
Thank you again for all your comments!
Wow, that was a lot of questions. The one I will talk about is Instagram. I don’t use it much. Most pics are of my kids also but I have been using it a lot more recently since I had a Disney Side @Home Celebration and they did an instagram “roll” and got a lot of Disney Mom followers so I have been trying to use it more and post interesting pictures.
The Instagram thing confuses me too. I use it for the same thing as you do to post cute kid pics lol. Not really a social media platform in my opinion.
I am an avid blog reader and dont have a favorite. I love reading craft posts and about other peoples mommy adventures.
My husband and I have been married almost 10 years. My advice would be to look for a way to serve your spouse each day, even if it’s just something small.
Hi Lisa, thanks for commenting! MY husband and I have been married for almost 10 years too? When is your anniversary? Ours is Oct. 1.
I love your questions-very thought provoking. As for subscription boxes, I think they’re the greatest thing on the planet! My favorite is a local one that offers local products called the Mercobox, but for kids my boys love the Space Explorers kit.
Good to know! I am quite seriously considering getting either Kiwi Box or Little Passports. I keep hoping an amazing deal for one or the other will pop up and I’ll jump at it! Thank for commenting. 🙂
We’ve been reviewing a few subscription boxes lately! My little guy is about 4 years old, and he LOVED Surprise Ride. He also really enjoyed Animal Trackers Club!
Ooh, I’ll have to go check out your blog for subscription box reviews then! Surprise Ride – what that one on Shark Tank once?
Wow, so many questions! 🙂 No, I don’t Instagram. I’ve been married 8 years and don’t have much marriage advice, though I’ve blogged occasionally about marriage. I’m passionate about it. It’s hard. 🙂 I think the Mommy Wars are very silly and I try to stay out of them, though I’m an attachment parenting co-sleeping long-breastfeeding non-vaccinating (yet) etc mom. I’ve used Bayo Bundles subscription boxes and really liked them – great for preschool and elementary aged kids. I think it’s a great idea. I did Norwex for a little bit and then realized I love the products but I’m no good at selling things. I’d rather blog. 🙂 And I’ve started reading more blogs now… I used to read a lot and then I didn’t and now I’m back to it. My favourites are Growing Marriage and Babystylista and 5 Minutes for Mom and some of my friends’ blogs. 🙂 And if I wasn’t a blogger, I wouldn’t be on social media. I think you can have a voice… and maybe a louder one, among the people who aren’t on social media. It’s a good question! 🙂
Hi Bonnie, thanks for answering ALL my questions- you’re awesome! (and also thanks for re-tweeting my tweet about #7; that made me feel cool. :))Hmm…Bayo Bundles? Im learning about all these new subscription boxes just from this post’s comments – I love it! I’m going to go look up Bayo Bundles. I have not heard of Growing Marriage or Babystylista, so I will check both those out as well!
Hi, I’m Whitney, one of the Commentathon participants!
1)I like to use Instagram for everything. Lately I’ve been posting images of my cross stitch projects. They’re mainly quotes from books and movies. I use my Instagram for my personal and blogger life. It just lets people know that I’m a real person with interests. I follow other writers on Insta, too.
2) I’ve only been married for 11 months, but one thing that helps is just to stay positive. We realize how stinkin lucky we are even though we’re students and live paycheck to paycheck. I realize that I wouldn’t be this happy without my husband.
7) I feel like I’m not really heard on social media. Too much talking and not enough listening or fact-checking. If I feel passionate about a current event, I write about it in my journal or talk to my husband/close friends. If something frustrates me, I don’t turn to social media because it’s just arguing and trolling.
Hi Whitney, thanks for commenting, congrats on your recent marriage, and happy early 1st anniversary! I TOTALLY agree with you on this: “Too much talking and not enough listening or fact-checking”. I’d sometimes like to get into actual conversations or discussions about certain topics, but so many people are more set on devaluing another poster than trying to understand where they might be coming from and kindly educating.
So many great questions! Want to sit back with my coffee and chat with you!! 🙂 Regarding the marriage one: My tip is to DANCE together… In the kitchen, in the car and whenever the music moves you!! 🙂 It keeps the “sparks” going! :)?
I love that Pam, such a fun marriage tip – I will have to make it a point to try it with my husband whenever I can. Oh, and virtual coffee would be fun. 🙂
And I’m back! What’s up 7QT! I know you can have a voice in social media. So long as it’s YOU behind the handle. Following you all over the place now 🙂
Aw, thanks Cristina! Excited to get to you know in blog land too! 🙂
1) I use instagram for my blog and personal account. I lump it all in there because I run a lifestyle blog and have a small handmade business. I share personal photos and photos of books I am currently reading. I’m new to your blog, so I am not sure what genre you’re aiming for but I’m guesing from some of your statements it is mommy blog, if so it is totally fitting to share personal updates. For me having personal photos is a great way to connect to my readers, family, and friends, while let ting them see another side of who I am. For my family and friends, they get to see what my blog is all about and for my readers they get a peek further into my life.
7) Yes, I think it is possible to have a voice in this world outside of social media. To me social media is simply an extension of what I am doing and how I am making a difference, not the beginning and end. So social media extends my reach, but overall it is about relating to people and connecting with others. Social media makes it easier to connect but it totally is not the only sure fire way to do it however it is becoming the most common method to connect.
Hi Felecia, thanks for commenting! It’s true, it really is all about connecting. I think I need to be better about connecting to people in real life more, to be honest. It’s something I’ve sort of started working on recently, but I need to be more intentional about it.
Hello! I’m here for the first time from the blogelina comment event. I really enjoyed reading this post! Here’s my 2 cents (or 5):
1. I have an instagram account, I never use it, so I am not much help here, but I plan to use it in the future as I’m trying to bring my blog to the next level, so it may be useful for that.
2. Date! make it a regular occurrence. You need alone time together without the kids. If $ is an issue there are so many things you can do inexpensively. We do go out once or twice a month, but every week, on sunday nights we have an in-date. 4 kids are tucked in their rooms by 7 and it’s chinese take out and hang out time for us.
4. Love Little Passports. My kids were 7 and 9 when we did it, the world version. They are homeschooled and we were studying the world, so it was a great match.
5. I sold Mary Kay. I did well, I earned a car. Great company. I worked with them for 2 years and even when I stopped working it, I was still getting commission checks. My advice for a direct marketing company is this: sell something disposable, so you have ppl coming back for refills. Also check around for commissions. MK is 50%. Lot’s of other companies are only 25%.
6. One of my favorite blogs: http://www.cindybultema.com
Hi Shellie, thank for commenting on all the questions – you’re awesome! 🙂
Good thought about selling some disposable so people keep coming back for more! And thank you for the blog link; I will check it out!
Best piece of marriage advice? Make sure you communicate about everything. The best way to end up divorced is by not speaking up, voicing what you need, and then LISTENING to your spouse without being defensive. Good communication isn’t easy, but it is necessary.
Totally agree about listening too. And not just listening to the actual words being said, but also listening to what your spouse is not saying and knowing what questions to ask. Or maybe other couples are better about saying exactly what they are feeling? Maybe we’re just one of the weird couples that doesn’t even always know what we’re arguing about, ha ha! Oh, and not getting defensive is anther huge thing. You’re on a team together, you’re not fighting against each other. It’s a partnership, not a power struggle.
My husband and I have been married 21 years. At the beginning we both decided that we would always put our marriage first and and that we would always part with a kiss. We have every day!
Congrats on 21 years! That’s awesome! And thank you for commenting. 🙂
I’m an avid blog reader, but I wasn’t one until I started my own blog. I never knew there were soooo many blogs on the web.
I want to try more subscription box programs.
I do get involved in some of the “Mommy Wars”, but not that many.
No kidding – there are a kabillion blogs out there! I subscribe to a lot on feedly, but I’m trying to get better about narrowing them down to the ones that I actually read on a regular basis.
I’m glad to have found your blog. I do use social media. I’m on pretty much all the big ones and really enjoying it. I wanted to comment on the Mommy wars. We have someone in our ‘group’ of Moms that loves to start crap. Then blames others and it drives me nuts! It’s like worse then in high school. Then, she’ll post a poor pitiful me comment on facebook and get lots of people on her side. It’s a mess! What Mommy wars do you see?
Ha, yeah, I think there are generally some people in life who only feel validated if others pity them or publicly claim to be “on their side”. Mommy wars just crack me up. Even for the big stuff that people get all up in arms about, like vaccines, circumcision, discipline, etc., I’m very middle-of-the-road and think parents should be able to chose what they believe is best for their child. So all these mommy wars don’t bother me. I’m gonna do what I do and make my own choices for my kids no matter what the latest debate on a mom facebook group is about! 🙂
Hi there. I love your blog. What a great idea. I often wonder about who stops by my page too. I’m here as part of the comment event and discovering lots of lovely blogs along the way. As for your questions, I’ve only recently joined instagram and I’m using it to post some of my low-fodmap recipes or images from my blog. I really have no idea if it’s increased my readership yet, but i’m enjoying connecting with folks there too. Cute pictures of kids are always good. 🙂
Thanks so much for your comment! Yeah, I wanted to make it easy for people to have something to comment on. I too am discovering lot of great blogs through this – it was a good idea!
Good questions! I’ll just tackle one though 🙂 I’ve been married almost 5 years and the best/worst thing has been communication. Being honest with myself about what I want or need, expressing that need constructively, and compromising so we are both happy (whenever possible). And, always remembering that we are on the same team, no matter what
Oh, so very true. Communication is key – and it’s also EXTREMELY hard at times when emotions come into play! It’s not just communicating your desires, but also being able to truly understand your spouse’s. We unfortunately don’t always say what we mean, or don’t know the words to explain what we mean, or get too sidetracked by other things going on to even know what’s really bothering us in order to communicate it.
And YES to being on the same team. I feel like this is something that KP and I have only recently really come to understand. There’s no use fighting against each other; we’re going the same direction.
I’ve been married almost 31 years – to the same man! Best advice – kiss him like you mean it at least once a day.
Congrats on 31 years!! And good advice…can’t say I always do that to be honest. 🙁
I’ll comment on the mommy wars…I think the hottest debate that gets ugly really quickly is breastfeeding. I personally have both formula fed and breastfed, and guess what…they all turned out okay. (I think!)
Yep, me too – I’ve breastfed both my kids for 6 months, and formula fed for 6 months. I myself was formula fed as a baby but all my siblings were breastfed. No huge noticeable differences between any of us. I’m all for mothers feeding their babies however they’d like to. There are benefits to both breastfeeding and formula feeding.
Do you work with a direct marketing company? If so, which company, for how long, and why did you choose that company to work with?
I’ve worked with a few direct sales companies, but honestly it’s more for the discount than the sales. It’s hard for me to get up the nerve to go out and sell, yet I can pour out my thoughts on my blog. LOL.
http://jewelryincandles.com/store/amothersdesign
Hi Kelly, yeah, I know what you mean – if I ever did direct sales, I think I’d do it largely for the discount, ha ha! Oh, and it’s also funny how I too
I am an avid blog reader and there are many that I keep up with on a daily basis. They are all art related. I enjoy reading new and interesting blogs and am always open to finding new subject matter to read.
Hello! Nice to meet you! I love reading blogs. Among my favorites are Crafty Curly Mom and Just a Girl and Her Blog. Both are home decor and craft blogs — what I like to read the most!
I want to use instagram more, but I’ve been relying on pinterest for image sharing so far.
I am an avid blog reader but one of the blogs that is a must read for me is Everything and Nothing from Essex. Awesome blogger.
So many interesting topics in your list. I am not a blogger but I do enjoy reading certain blogs. Money Saving Mom has been one of my favorites since I started reading blogs however for the last several months to a year I find that it isn’t what it use to be. But I still read it.
I do believe you can make a name for your voice without social media, but I believe it will be easier with social media. I also enjoy social media at times and do not like it at times, especially Instagram.
I am glad I was able to learn more about you through reading these questions and look forward to your continued inspiration.