Why I'm still writing my blog

I started writing this blog nearly twelve years ago. Mia was a tiny baby, Harry was a toddler, and my original intention was to use my blog to share photos and updates with friends and family. It wasn't long before I discovered the world of parent blogging and I began to write for a wider audience. As well as blogging about my family I started to share my craft projects and to write about places that we had visited and products that we used.

Since those early days I've been writing the blog pretty consistently. I slowed down a bit during the pandemic, when like most people I was feeling so overwhelmed with daily life that I couldn't concentrate on the blog at all. But overall I've been a regular blogger, and I usually publish at least three or four posts every week. 

Photo credit Lauren Mancke via Unsplash

I'm pretty chuffed that I've managed to keep up the blogging habit for so long! There are a few reasons why I've kept it going:

My blog is a real creative outlet for me. I love to write and I love to share my thoughts and tips. It keeps my mind busy as I plan and write posts, and if I'm writing about a topic that I've been thinking about it helps my brain to get everything written down and ordered. I'm always planning new posts and I love sitting down for a writing session and getting a batch of posts written and scheduled.

It's a small source of income. I'm lucky enough to be able to earn a small amount from my blog, from both advertising and collaborative posts with brands. I try not to publish too many sponsored posts, and I'm picky about the ones that I do, but it's always nice to be able to contribute a small amount to the family finances. I've also received lots of useful products to review over the years, as well as tickets to attractions that we wouldn't otherwise have enjoyed. 

It has provided me with some online company. I've never been particularly good at promoting my blog on social media, but it did introduce me to Twitter and Instagram, and although I'm not very active I have found some lovely people to follow which can really brighten up my day. There are some bloggers that I've been following since the early days, and I enjoy reading their updates and seeing them and their families grow and change.

I don't worry too much about having a big audience. In the early days I wanted as many readers as possible, mainly to help me secure the best review opportunities. But these days I'm much more relaxed and I'm writing more for myself than an audience. I know that I have readers, and some of my posts do well with the Google search algorithm, so that's enough for me. I'm not getting myself stressed over constantly logging my stats and worrying about how I can improve them.

I'm glad that I've recorded so many of our family memories. I'm so glad that I have so many blog posts about our young family to look back on - even review posts have photographs and details which I want to remember. So I want to keep posting, even though recently I'm a bit more wary about the information I share about my growing children.