1,000.

This post is the 1,000th one I have published.

1,000!

Four years ago, I had no idea what a part of my this little space of the internet would become. 

What started as an idea to share my home decor inspiration, 

eventually turned into a 'Mom Blog' about Cullen and our life in Winston-Salem,

then onto life about two boys,

and a move to Monterey,

then all the fun things we did while stationed there.

There was the arrival of our third boy,

adventures of living in DC,

the past five months dealing with Kev's deployment,

and so many simple daily thoughts in between. 

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Learning to use my camera and posting pictures of the boys led to people asking me to take their family pictures and has now turned into a side business that allows me to help our mostly single- income family to have some extra money for tuition payments, traveling and gifts.
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I love that I can go back and reminisce on any exact moment in time over the past several years and enjoy stories I might have otherwise forgotten in the busyness of of lives. Plus, the boys love it when I tell them a story and can find the post to go along with it. They are fascinated by their little selves.
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I've had blog friends turn to In Real Life Friends and have blog friends whom I have never met but often text and email and feel like a true part of their lives.
And of course, I have Real Life Friends who I have reconnected with via the blog and so many people who love of family because they read daily and feel connected to us.
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Best of all, I've been able to document our family in way that is special, sweet, frustrating, loving, funny and very, very real. It is no secret that I really love this life that I am living, so being able to tell its story whenever I am moved to is really something I am grateful for.

Thanks to all of you for being part of the journey.
I truly appreciate every one of you who takes a few minutes of your day to read and pass along your encouragement.

And because of that, we will have a little giveaway action now: Leave a comment here and/or on the link on facebook and I will pick two winners at random and send you something fun!

Cheers to 1,000 more!

What I've Learned From Blogging

So I just realized that I have been blogging for 4 years. Four Years! That is crazy, right? When I started this blog on March 13, 2010, I had no idea where it, or where life was going to take me. My friend Laura had introduced me to blogging via the decorating world of Little Green Notebook and isuwannee and I immediately knew I wanted to join in the fun. Of course, at the time, I also thought I would buy old furniture, refurbish and sell it, but hey, we all have to start somewhere.

But after 4 years and 908 posts, I feel like I have a few things to share about what I have gained and learned from blogging.

1. Be yourself. I know, seems cliche, but seriously, I started out thinking I wanted to be just like LGN, but that wasn't me. 'Me' was the mother of Cullen, who loved spring blooms and doing fun things on the weekends. So when I stared writing about that, people began reading about that (and when I say 'people' that covers everyone from strangers to my dad)

the first picture of Cullen on the blog.

toddler Cullen playing at the shop

2. Do be cautious. My blog is public and I like it that way. But I also take precautions that make me more comfortable with the decision to keep it public: I never share our last name, I have never shown a picture of the front of our house. I have never the name of  our neighborhood or where the boys go to school. I always ask friends permission before posting a picture of them or their children. I have never said where Kev works. I know these aren't the same for everyone, but overtime, these are safety concerns that became important to me as my blog grew to an audience outside of people I knew in real life.

3. Blog friends are awesome. Truly, a wonderful group of people. I am so lucky that I have never received an ugly comment on my blog. Thank you, everyone, for that. This space has been nothing but an uplifter and I am proud of that. I love all of you who take the time to read and comment, email or text about a post. You know I have met Jenn and Lauren in real life and that I have become good friends with Jess since moving to DC, but there are so many women who I consider friends even though we have never met. We send each other notes of encouragement, have been there for marriages, births, deaths and milestones and even though we don't 'know' each other, our blogs allow us to feel connected.

that time I swore to Kev that there weren't serial killers coming to our house for 3 days...even though I wasn't positive about that myself (thankfully, they weren't, and turned out to be even more amazing in real life)

4. People who don't blog, but read my blog, are especially awesome. It is no secret that I put a lot of time and effort into this space, so when anyone 'likes' a post, comments or sends me a message, it means the world to me. Of course, I write this because it is my family's daily journal, but it is public because I am happy to share it. So when someone takes time out of their day to let me know that they appreciated or resonated with a post, I am glad for it.

 Just a few days ago, a former student of mine messaged me that she loved reading my blog because it gave her 'hope' and I thanked her for using that word because that is exactly the type of place I wanted this to be. In fact, the title of my first post was "There is always something to hope for"

seems like a good time to re-share Bennett's baby mullet

5.When you start a blog, pick an easy URL, and then spell it correctly. Yep, Daffodils is spelled wrong in my domain name and I didn't realize it for like a year. Classic. 

whyyyyyy mess that up Mother? whyyyyyyy?
(Baby Bennett, basking in the sun after some Monterey fog)

6. There is something really special about documenting your daily life in pictures and stories. I've said it over and over again, but blogging has made me a better person. It has helped me find the good and note worthy of each and every day. It has helped me remember the finer moments of my boys' babyhoods. It has let me release emotions that I didn't otherwise know what to do with. It has empowered me to share hard days that I know others are having too. 

My boys love to look at my blog and see pictures of themselves as little ones and all our different houses. I hope that one day they will be able to read it as a whole and really understand how much I love them. If anything, this blog is the 'home movie' of their childhood- the piece by piece narrative their future wives will want to read all about. (At least that it what I tell myself.)

Note to self: update family of 5 photo

So there you have it. 

Four years ago, I was a 26 year old mother one baby boy, living in North Carolina, working at a Catholic elementary school, and married 3 years to a man I thought was getting out of the Army that August. 

And today, I am a 30 year old mother of 3 boys, living in DC (by way of California), debating about sending our now almost Kindergartner to a Catholic elementary school, and married 7 years to a man who is making a career out of the Army. 

Who knew that is where we would end up? 

But thankfully, the blog has captured it each step of the way. 

Thank you all for making the journey that much more worthwhile. 

Blogging Do's and Don't Part II

After all the response I got from Blogging Do's and Don'ts, I decided to compile all your suggestions into another post. Your thoughts are in black (with purple links back to the person who suggested it) and my additions are in blue. Feel free to comment away on any other blog topics!

EAS: DO: Tell people if they are a no-reply blogger or have word verification. They just might not realize it.

If you want to know if you are one or if you have word verification, I would be happy to let you know, just ask!

A lot of people: DON'T: Have too many sponsored or advertiser spot posts/or giveaways (especially not ones that are yours personally). 

I do think a giveaway/review here and there is alright, but agree that if it is all you do, it gets tiring for the readers. 

 I realize that some people make money off of blogging and are very successful with it, but I can see where an advertiser at the end of every post gets a little annoying. I am an advocate for guest posting or just linking friends within posts. I think we can all help each other network without being overwhelmed with ads.

Jenny and EAS: DO: Be honest. 

There is definitely a middle ground between happy all the time and complaining all the time. Keep it real. My posts are real life and are mostly happy because I am mostly happy. When I gripe, it usually comes out humorous, because in retrospect, most of my problems are. A great example is my Things I Never Expected To Say Series. 

Kristin: DO proofread. 

Guilty of not doing this. Do you know how many times I publish my post at night and then the next morning find typos everywhere? And to think I used to be an English teacher...for shame.

Sue and Mama Tully: DO: Turn off word verification, but then what about the Spam? 

Two ways to avoid this: Don't allow anonymous comments or chose the option to approve all comments before posting. I don't allow anonymous and haven't had a problem with spam since.

Shauna and Marie: DON'T: forget why you blog and make sure it is something you want to go back and look on.

ginastorm: DON'T: vague blog or overrun your page with ads

Kerry: DO: Acknowledge new comments and followers. 

On the same note, be sure to leave a comment to let someone know if you are a new follower. 

Amanda: DON'T: Reply within a post.

Take the time to comment back or email someone who takes the time to do so on your blog. I know I personally have never returned to a post to look for a response, and I would guess a lot of people would say the same.

Tiara: DO: Make following easy. 

Email, Bloglovin', GFC. Whatever you choose, make sure you have easy following options for readers.

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A lot of people like to throw out the 'it's just for me, not about the numbers' but let's be honest, if you didn't want internet friends your blog would be private. I think all the tips in last week's post, plus today's will help grow your blog and acquire meaningful followers. While I do write for me and my family's memories, I also write because I like you people. I blogged for about a year before anyone started reading and I will tell you, it is a lot more fun with an audience. 

So thank you for making this experience even better and allowing me to share our story!

A Few Things

1. Kev's birthday is on Sunday! Give him lots of internet friend love for me, won't you?

2. Thank you for all the feedback on yesterday's Do's and Don'ts post. I loved hearing what you have to say and have already drafted a Part II post for next week. 

3. I've been booking more photography jobs now that my energy is back. You can see some of my recent work by liking my photography facebook page. 

4. The last bit of our San Diego trip was spent touring the retired aircraft carrier The Midway. The boys absolutely loved it (although we kept reminding them Army is clearly better than Navy).

 C was all about the thumbs up this day. It was pretty hilarious.

Scarf, bump, maxi, flip flops. Told you it was my favorite maternity wear.

 More thumbs up.

Wonder where he gets it from?

 Kev showing C where he lived in Iraq.

Go Army.

 Bennett started to get really tired toward the end of this trip and stopped being impressed, as seen here.

 We try to keep the boys away from violence as much as we can, so when C asked what these were, we told him they were to protect us from bad guys and he looked into it and said "Hey Bad Guys! Stay in there so you can't get us!" Works for now, right?

If you are ever in San Diego, I would really recommend doing this. It is pretty amazing and I don't think we even saw everything!

5. I have zero ideas for Baby Boy's nursery. C's was green/yellow/baby blue, B's is primary colors/sailboats. When we move the boys will share and I am leaning toward navy blue and lime green for them. I can't for the life of me come up with something new for Baby. Ideas please! Obviously we won't be setting anything up for a while because of the move, but I would love to at least feel inspired. 

 Have a wonderful weekend!

Blogging Do's and Don'ts

The other morning at playgroup, we had a mini blogging conference as well. Myself, Jenny and Traci all currently blog and our friend Gina is thinking about starting so we decided to take the opportunity to chat a bit about why we blog, what we get out of blogging and comment, layout, email and security preferences. I thought I would share a little of our conversations here too. 

Do: Write what you know. 
I was telling the girls that when I first started blogging, I drew my inspirations from interior design blogs and thought that was what I wanted to do too. It wasn't until I start writing motherhood, taking pictures and recaping this life that I am so in love with that people really became interested in what I say and led to a much more enjoyable blogging experience for me, more importantly.

Don't: Be a no-reply commenter
 Basically, this means that if you leave a comment, I can not reply back to you via email. I don't respond to every comment this way, but I will if you ask a question or just want to check in. Emailing is a big way to foster relationships in the blogging world, so go HERE for a great tutorial on how to fix it.

Do: Establish a posting pattern.
Every Wednesday, everyday at lunch, five times a week around 9:30pm...whatever works for you, have a posting plan and try to stick with it. It helps blogging become part of your routine and not seem overwhelming.

Do leave quality comments.
The best way to get comments is to leave comments. I alternate between commenting back to people and going through my reader catching up on blogs and leaving comments. The best way to grow your blog is to comment on others.

Don't: Ever say "Great post! Follow me! :) xoxox"
That's annoying.

Don't: Give too much away. Be a smart blogger.
This could range from not sharing your last name to not sharing your kid's face. Do whatever you are comfortable with, but definitely take precautions. And don't forget to include your spouse in that conversation. Kev and I talked a lot about how I could conduct the content here and made it work for both of us. I also always ask permission before posting a picture of someone else or their children.

Do: Polish your layout.
Everyone likes a pretty page.

Do: Interrupt a lot of words with a cute picture.

Do: Turn off word verification.
Do you know many times I go to leave a comment and can't figure out what the word verification says (because I am getting old and need glasses and am also a little lazy)?  HERE is a tutorial on how to turn it off.  Please do.

Do: Leave a comment below sharing your Do's and Don'ts! 
I would love to hear what else you love/hate when it comes to blogging.

Button Pushing

Nope, not a post about how the boys know how to push my buttons (although it would be an easy one to write: waking up too early, throwing food on the floor, arguing about taking a nap, crying and hanging on my legs...wait, where was I?), but I have decided I need a button for the blog.

Who wants to make one for me teach me how to make one?

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In other news, the my mom is coming in a week! Apparently the crying baby who is pushing his Momma's buttons was enough to convince her to book a flight. I can't wait.