This month marks my first year blogging with Live Well Play Together!  So, happy birthday, blog, if you will.

Last January, I had the idea to start a motherhood blog.  I knew a little about blogging, having blogged for a couple of year back when Hubs and I were engaged and newly married.

After not blogging for several years, I watched a webinar on creating a successful blog and that was it.  I was itching to  get back into blogging and share some of the things I was learning about myself and motherhood since becoming a mom.  It’s like I had a whole new sense of direction and just like that, Live Well Play Together was born.

It has always been my goal for this blog to be a place of community, transparency, and honesty.  A place to share my own journey through motherhood in hopes that it encourages you in your journey.

First Year Blogging: Highlights and Challenges

This year has been quite the adventure – it’s definitely had it’s ups and downs, but at the end of the day I have learned so much and today I want to take a minute to celebrate some of the highlights, be honest about some of the challenges, and share a little bit of what I’ve learned in my first year blogging.

First Year Blogging: the Highlights

Developing a stronger understanding of my WHY

The most important part of creating a successful blog, no matter what your niche, is understanding your “why”.  I talked a little bit about this in another post on tips for new bloggers.  Essentially, your why is the reason that you are blogging in the first place.  What is your goal?  Who are you writing for?  What’s in it for them?  For you?  What problem are you trying to solve?

For me, my goal is to document and share my journey through motherhood.  I want to be intentional about seeking out all that is lovely in this often chaotic season of motherhood.  Every day is a different around here and it’s too easy to get caught up in the mundane, overwhelmed by our to-do lists, and ultimately minimize our roles as moms.  It’s my goal to not do that.  To remember that presence is better than perfection and that memories are made in the process (especially when it comes to any arts & crafts projects with kids).

And I want to encourage my readers to do the same.  Over the past year, I’ve developed an even deeper understanding of this and try to keep it in mind with every post I write.

Networking with Other Bloggers

The tagline of my blog is that “life is better when we do it together”.  When I started this blog, I knew that I really only wanted to do it in community.  I’m a part of several Facebook groups with bloggers in my niche and others – with bloggers who are just starting out and who blog as a full-time job.  I’ve joined a local bloggers group and often attend events with bloggers in my area and I’ve made some really great friends.

To be honest, I used to think it was crazy to think about actually making friends all across the country blogging, but it really is possible.   Some of my sweet blogging friends even sent pizza delivery to our family after Hug was born.

I have learned so much from connecting with others and I guess it’s true – even blogging is better when we do it in community.

Getting to Work with Brands

Another highlight of the past year has been the opportunity to do some sponsored work with brands.  I always enjoy sharing things I love with you all and the opportunity to work with brands that I enjoy is definitely one of the highlights of blogging for me.  It’s always a treat to get to learn more about what kinds of marketing brands need and thinking of creative ways to share products with you all.  Anytime I share products though, you can know that they are products that I actually use and enjoy.  I’m still wearing this watch everyday, for example.  And these toys are still a main-stay in our play.

Having a Post go Viral

This was a huge win for me and it just happened in the last month.  I mentioned in my March Wrap-Up that my Leprechaun Sand post took off.  I cannot even tell you how motivating and encouraging that was.

Creating a Creative Work Space for Myself

Finally, running this blog has been a really fun way for me to challenge myself and allow myself to be creative at home.  It is definitely not easy balancing it all the time, but it has been a good way for me to be creative and to spend time writing, and thinking critically.  To do something that challenges me.  I’m always working to grow and get better and the blog is a great exercise in that.

First Year Blogging: the Challenges

And as many highlights as the past year has had, it has certainly not been without its challenges.  It’s not easy to take something from scratch and grow it into something successful.  These are some of the hardest parts of the past year for me.

Learning to Manage Time Required for the Blog

Hands down this is the toughest part of blogging.  There is quite literally always something that could be done.  It can be difficult to find that time always.  It’s always a balancing act finding time to be active on the blog and social media while also being present at home with my family.  What that means on a practical level is that there are times when I might not get all the blog posts done that I’d like on a given day (or week).  It also means that I have to find ways to maximize my time and create systems that allow me to get things done with the boys are napping or on weekend mornings when Hubs is home.

All that to say, it is still not always (or even most of the time) easy.  Every single time I say “yes” to the blog, I by definition say “no” to other things and it can be a challenge to know when the right time to just put the work to the side is.  (And I assume I’m not alone in this…)

Staying Consistent Across Social Media

And while we’re talking about balancing time, let’s talk about social media.  I try to stay as active as possible and I’ve been using other programs to help schedule things, but at the end of the day, there are times when I just don’t have anything new scheduled to post, or I’m working on a post and have to put the phone down because someone wakes up.

To be honest, I’ve recently just decided to give myself a little grace in this area.  The truth is, this is a busy season over here.  I’m at home all day taking care of the boys and the house, and that is my favorite job.  It’s not glamorous, but it’s hands down my favorite.  I don’t want to miss this time and I don’t want to view it only from behind the phone.

So, as badly as I want to see the blog continue to grow, and I’m sure it will, sometimes I have to say “yes” to the more important things.

The Post-Holiday Slump

Remember when I said that the Leprechaun Sand post really took off?  Well, you might be able to guess what happened after St. Patrick’s Day – the same thing that happened after Christmas.  And Valentine’s Day.  The post-holiday slump.  I was actually pretty bummed the first time this happened.  Basically, people don’t click on blogs as much following holidays so as traffic builds leading up to holidays, it sometimes tapers off immediately following.

It can be discouraging, but also challenging in a really healthy way as it spurs me on to create better content on a regular basis.

Explaining the Blog to Others

And finally, one of the biggest challenges I’ve had this year is explaining blogging to others.  I cannot tell you the number of times friends have said to me, “Oh, so you just got that for free because you’re a blogger?”  Or made other similar comments with no idea about what really goes into blogging.  And I don’t actually expect anyone to completely understand all the things that go into blogging – writing, editing, photographing, promoting, pitching, deadlines, etc.  unless you blog yourself.

I also don’t mind explaining it to people, because it is something that I enjoy and I’m glad that friends and family take the time to read and follow along.  (And if you’ve ever wondered how you can support a blogger, Sierra over at Beautifully Candid wrote the best explanation out there.)

And to set the record clear, no, I didn’t get that thing for free.  I worked really hard for it and I’m sharing it because I think you’ll like it, too.

If you are a blogger, I’d love to know some of your tips for success or highlights from your first year blogging?