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A personal post

I remember a while ago, when personal blogging was at it’s peak. It wasn’t about promoting products or getting followers; it was about sharing stuff. Your thoughts, ideas, recipes, pictures and all that good content that let you get to know a person. A bunch of bloggers I followed would post regular “taking stock” updates. I’m not sure whose idea it was, but I think it was Pip Lincolne’s blog, Meet Me At Mike’s, where I saw it first. I always felt kinda shy about these posts; why would anyone care what I was reading or thinking about?

But really, every post on this blog has been the result of something I’ve read, watched, thought about or experienced. And I always liked reading other people’s lists, so I figured, why not? I haven’t written much for a while, so it’s kind of a nice, soft way to get back to it.

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I don’t really know how I’m going at this blogging gig. Some people are measuring success as bloggers in dollar amounts and fame (and there’s nothing wrong with that!) but I’m pretty happy here in my own little world. I might be actually kind of terrible at “successful” blogging. Some examples:

My blog has made almost no money and I’ve tried just about nothing to combat that.
Lots of bloggers monetise by hosting ads, having affiliate programs and collaborating with brands. I’ve never had ads and likely won’t because my website is pretty and full of white space, which I love.
As for collaborating with brands? I’m just not gonna do it anymore. I might review stuff here and there if I love it, like period pants or menstrual cups, but that’s it. Some people can write sponsored posts that are marvelous. They are captivating, interesting and funny. I am not that person. Sponsored content is a dry and boring read when I’ve written it. I’m just not going to do that to myself or the lovely people that visit here any more.
Affiliate links- I have dabbled, on book review posts. Know how much money that made me? I’ll tell you. Lean in.

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There’s a growing trend that sees me cringing sporadically as I scroll through my social media feeds. A culture of oversharing. I’ve been trying to wrap my head around what motivates parenting bloggers to write this stuff, not to mention the readers that seems to adore it. We are at an interesting place in the parenting blogging world. A place where nothing is sacred.

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Have you ever done a Myers-Briggs personality test? A friend of mine told me about them so I gave it a go, for a bit of fun. The result was a type called ENFP. To cut a long story short, my type is the most introverted of the extrovert types. It makes a fair bit of sense to me.
My personality, who I am, is why I write here about absolutely anything I want to. I rarely shy away from any topic. Deleting and blocking trolls is not a problem. I don’t hesitate in publishing anything unless I don’t feel up to arguing with detractors. I’ve written things that lost me Facebook fans or Twitter followers with honestly zero fucks given. Those people aren’t who I write my stuff for, anyway.
My personality is also why I can walk into a room full of people, even people I know, and head straight for a quiet corner. I love talking to people and socialising but it can be overwhelming at first. I’m the person at the edge of the swimming pool, easing my toes in slowly and dreading getting to hip level because it will be so cold. I know, though, that once I dive in, it will be amazing. Continue Reading

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Taking Stock, mid 2020ish: A bunch of things I’ve been doing/thinking/feeling/eating etc.

A personal post

2016: The Most-Read Things I Wrote This Year

The Culture of Oversharing

Inspiration, Validation & For Fun!