I honestly cannot tell you what drove me to start this blog. I had already picked a name and half tried once before, gotten frustrated and given up. Then my sister was moving to Georgia and starting a blog, I had just had a baby and was staying home and it just seemed like the perfect time to give it a try. So I dove right in with no clue of what I was doing. I didn’t know what a widget was. In fact, I kept referring to it as a gadget when I was talking to Ross. Anytime I asked him for help, I would kick him off before he could help me, because I had to do it myself. A little bit like a two-year-old.
For some inexplicable reason I felt the overwhelming urge to start this blog and deep down inside I felt like it could be successful. I didn’t have a plan or know what I was doing, but I knew I wanted to share and connect with people. I also knew I loved it and if I was doing something I loved, success had to come from it, right?
Well how do you gauge success? That is tricky. Here in the blogging world there is always a bigger blog. There is someone getting lots of attention for a project just like yours while yours falls through the cracks. At what point is it enough? How many pageviews do you you need? How many likes on Facebook? How many times do you need to be pinned? All these stats mean EVERYTHING and NOTHING at the same time. If you want to work with a company, get sponsorship to a conference, make money advertising, do sponsored posts or just plain want people to know you exist you need the numbers. You do.
I am a young blog, not even a year old yet. I try to cut myself some slack. I guess it is a little like the scale. Your weight doesn’t define you and neither do your blogging stats. This is why these stats mean NOTHING. In fact I stopped looking at Google Analytics. I only look when I have to per a company’s request. Truth be told, I pour my heart and soul and every free (and not so free) minute into this blog. I work hard on projects, pictures, uploading, editing, and promoting everything I do. I do this while being responsible for a now one and three year old. You can imagine how crushing it is to work that hard at something and have zero comments, no pins, and low pageviews. At the end of the day I feel like I have to do this. I don’t know if that makes sense to anyone or if I am just a certain kind of crazy.
Regardless, I have been fortunate. My hard work and love for what I do has paid off. I continue to see growth each and every day and that pushes me. I read EVERY single one of your comments (They go right to my phone.). Truth be told, I obsessively check my email to see if I have any comments. I try to carve out time to sit down on the computer and respond to them all. I just want you to know that every comment is a little nugget of hope, a high five, a “Hey! You have a reader” and it feels good. Really good. So thank you. I love checking my Pinterest source page and seeing my ideas and projects pinned. I love seeing you on my Facebook page and connecting with you. I love seeing the way my projects or printables have inspired you. I love knowing what you all are up to. I love sharing and connecting.
Because of each and every one of you who have visited the blog, liked my Facebook page or have chosen to follow me on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram I now have opportunities I didn’t even know were possible. We live on one income, we have one small car (for a family of four including my 6’7 husband). Money is tight. It is pretty awesome that I now get to contribute (just a wee bit) through my blogging.
This leads me to what I thought you should know. I thought you should know that I have been fortunate enough to be accepted into some communities (check sidebar) that hook me up with companies and opportunities. I get paid in products, cash or both. It isn’t big money, but it is something. It feels pretty good to know that less than a year ago Balancing Home didn’t exist and now it is allowing me to contribute something to my family’s income while staying at home with my children. I want you to know that every sponsored post is something I actually want to use/do/etc. There are a lot of opportunities I don’t apply for, because I want to keep it real. Every review is my own opinion. Would I publish a negative review? Probably not. Just like you wouldn’t tell someone their haircut looks awful (or would you?). If it is bad, I just want blog about it at all.
I wanted you to know it is the same girl sharing her adventures. It is still me, my family, my random musings (as I demonstrated here), life as mom, DIY projects, crafts and home decor. I hope you all enjoy the sponsored posts just as much as the regular ones and that y’all keep on supporting me the way you have.
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