Thursday 17 March 2016

Two Years Of Blogging

Today my blog turns two whole years old! It is crazy to think that I have been blogging for two years, I still feel like such a novice, with so much to still learn. Seriously Google is my best friend at times as I am forever googling how to do blog things or what they mean. 

I started this blog to record my pregnancy with baby number three, who is now an 18 month old little boy! He is like my blog baby, his whole life is on this blog, more or less. My blog has changed so much in the last two years, it looks much better for a start as it was quite horrific in the beginning. This blog is now not only my hobby to keep me occupied whilst I was on maternity leave but it is now also my job, which is amazing.


As I sit to write this the house is silent for once and I have a whole evening to just sit and write, every blogger will tell you that is a dream come true! My little two are tucked up in bed fast asleep and my eldest and my other half are out at a Little Mix concert (yep I'm jealous). I have been wanting to write this post all day, to say thank you to everyone who reads this blog, to say how blogging has changed my life and what I have learnt and experienced over the last two years. However I don't seem to know what to say really, I am just sat there unsure what to type. 

I am not a successful blogger and nor am I ever likely to be, I am ok with that though as I am just happy doing my own thing. I don't have the time nor the energy to blog daily and spend ages on social media. I have a teen and two toddlers who are with me 24/7 as I have no childcare or help with them as my partner works shifts. I have also suffered badly with post natal depression since my son was born. 

One thing I have not been happy with though is my blog, granted it looks a lot better then it did when I first started, trust me it was horrific. I still have loads of little changes I want to make to the look of my blog, I just never have the time. Over the last six months or so I have been really unhappy with the content of my blog, I feel like I lost my way a bit. I don't have a lot of time to blog and what little time I did have was taking up with paid posts and reviews and the personal posts disappeared a bit. That is not what I want my blog to be about, when I see blogs and it is just review after review I stop reading as I don't like those kind of blogs myself. 

Over the last few months, I have been thinking about what direction I want my blog to go in and I have decided that I will still be writing relevant paid work and reviews, however I want a lot more personal stuff. The reason most people start blogging is to record family memory's, it is certainly why I started and I have lost sight of that lately. 

I have decided to bring back my weekly weight loss posts, as they were the only way I stuck to my diet and I want to show people losing weight can be bloody hard work at times. I will also be featuring more Slimming World recipes as I get a huge traffic boost of those on Pinterest, seriously post a Slimming world recipe on Pinterest and it will get re-pinned thousands of time.  I also want to feature more family days out and things we have been up to, so we don't forget special family time. Even though I hate messy play, crafts and all that kind of thing I have decided that I am going to just embrace it while I have two toddlers. I will be starting a weekly toddler activity type post as it will motivate me to actually do messy things with them and Sophia needs me to do this with her as she has suspected sensory issues. I will also feature the odd personal post as I love reading those type posts myself and those are the ones I actually enjoy writing the most too. 

I did lose my way a bit with paid work and reviews this year as my blog became a little bit more established but I also experienced some pretty great times during the last year too. I attended my first Britmums thanks to my sponsor MAM baby. I also reviewed lots of great products, experienced some great events like Gung-Ho and Disney on ice and a hotel stay. Most importantly I met and became friends with some lovely bloggers, although I am rubbish at keeping in touch with everyone. 

I feel like eventually after two years I am starting to find my feet with blogging and I know what direction I now want my blog to go in. I don't have a mam any more as she died in a freak accident when I was 21, their is so much I did not know about her and so much I wish I could ask her. I never want my own children to feel like that if I die, so this blog is going to be a way for them to know everything about me. I want to record all the days out, all the special moments, recipes they love and little bits about life and lots and lots of family photos. 

I hope that you will join me into my third year of blogging and as a thank you to all you lovely people who read this blog starting on Monday I will be running a week of giveaway's. Make sure you check back next week to enter as you never know you might be lucky and win a prize. 

Happy second birthday Newcastle Family Life. 

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30 comments

  1. Happy blog birthday!! I think it's good to take a step back and make sure that you're getting what you want from your blog so it sounds like you'll make some positive changes moving forward xx

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    1. Thank you Hannah, it does not seem like two years since we both started blogging does it ? I totally agree it is good to step back and think about things as I got carried along with all the reviews and sponsored posts and that is not why I started blogging xx

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  2. Happy Birthday Lindsay I have been reading from the beginning as we started a similar time, and you blog is looking great. But do you know I could have written this myself as I felt exactly the same at one point, it is a personal thing but for me now if I cant put of a personal slant on a product then I wont write about it, unless it is a brand i think fits, I think i have got too fussy ha ha I have become so precious about my little blog, I know that wont pay to do it but it makes me happy about my little space yes I do love some blogs that write reviews as they are so useful when researching a product. And omg when I look back at how my blog used to look, I still look fondly but it was very messy ha ha, heres to another 2 years and us still being here cheers x

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    1. Thank you Sarah, you know that I really love your blog, even when your first started I thought it was great. I feel the same I look back and think what was I doing. I can totally relate to feeling a bit precious about my blog too and have found I am getting a lot pickier lately. Thank you for your lovely words, I am glad that others have felt like I have too xxx

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  3. You do lose your mojo once you've been blogging long. Just keep at it and it will come back. I've been blogging on and off for more than a decade now and to be honest, I don't really know where I"m heading either. I'm just enjoying the "ride" and just love the writing bit of blogging. I've only recently started being active in social media ... let's see where that takes me :) x

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    1. Wow that is so impressive that you have been blogging such a long time. I love the writing bit of blogging, when I just sit and type whatever I want. I think I just lost my way a bit with reviews and paid work and lost sight of why I started to blog in the first place xx

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  4. Congrats on 2 years of blogging :-) Im glad I found your blog as I really enjoy reading everything. I hope you have another successful year of blogging with even more opportunities for you and your family. x

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    1. Thank you Sam, likewise to you too as you know I love reading your blog. I hope that you have a truly wonderful blogging year ahead too xx

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  5. Happy blogging birthday! You should be proud of what you have achieved and stick to doing what you love. I'm also jealous of the Little Mix concert :-) x

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    1. Thank you so much Laura, I was so jealous they went to see Little Mix and for a nandos whilst I was stuck at home xx

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  6. Happy Birthday to your blog lovely lady! Congrats!
    I hope your eldest had a fab time at the Little Mix concert...I am so jealous. I love them. hehehe

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    1. Thank you so much Kim. She had an amazing time and said they are better live then on the CD. xx

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  7. Happy blog birthday! I wonder if you ever stop learning when it comes to blogging? But great that you're having a chance to think about what it means to you and what you'd like on there - so lovely to have that creative freedom.

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    1. Thank you, I honestly don't think you ever stop learning when it comes to blogging as things seem to change all of the time. It really is lovely to have creative freedom xx

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  8. Happy blog birthday. You should be very proud of what you've achieved so far. I'm looking forward to reading your weight loss posts as I'm about to embark on that adventure starting next week. I love writing personal stuff as I feel it's a way of release for me. Looking forward to reading more personal posts from you. I always enjoy reading ones like that x

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    1. Thank you Kerry. I am hoping writing my weight loss down will motivate me to stick to it and not cheat like I have been lately. I love reading personal posts too xx

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  9. Wow well done! I have just celebrated my third year in blogging and I know how you feel. I too feel like the personal posts have gone missing from my blog so I'm working on getting more of me back into my posts :)

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    1. Thank you Kat, wow three years is amazing ! That is how I feel like I want more of me in my posts instead of just writing about brands xx

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  10. I think your content is great lovely but I do understand what you mean by losing your way because I have felt that a few times before. So I mix the content up a bit - personal usually once or twice a week, two reviews , one on social issues and a lookbook.

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    1. Thank you Ana, I think your blog is amazing and you have the balance just right. xx

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  11. Happy blog Birthday I can see how the reviews and paid posts take over, I have found myself trying to limit reviews recently (which is a great position to be in and I am so grateful for that). I love your idea of having more personal posts and look forward to reading them :) xx

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    1. Thank you, I am the same I feel so grateful that I get offered reviews and work that I find it hard to say no. I am slowly starting to find more of a balance though and it feels great as I can catch up on the personal posts that I want to write now xx

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  12. Happy blog birthday pet! Two years is amazing and it's great that you turned your hobby in to your job. It really will be something amazing for the kids to look back on in the future!
    Here's to many more blog birthdays xx

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    1. Thank you Lauren, I know I feel very lucky at times. Although it is only a part time job it is nice to earn some money doing something I love. I hope that you have many more years of blogging too as you know I love your blog xx

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  13. Congratulations on two years and here is to many more!

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    1. Thank you Alison, I hope that their is many more years as I honestly think I would be lost without blogging now xx

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  14. Congratulations and happy bloggy birthday! Nice to celebrate with a bit of calm! xx

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  15. Happy belated blog birthday. It is lovely to be able to look back on two years of posts isn't it? I know I'll never be a top blogger and that's just fine. I'm happy to bumble on. Look forward to seeing you in May!

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    1. Thank you Beth, It really is so nice to look back as I have all of my pregnancy with J recorded on here. You are one of my all time favourite bloggers as your blog is brilliant! I can't wait for a catch up in May too, I bet you look all nice and skinny after losing loads of weight at SW xx

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