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Some thoughts from me…

Kylie

I’ve been blogging here for 2 months now. I am actually amazed that things are going as well as they are. Thanks to a share on my favorite parenting expert’s FB page on this post, my readership has grown from my supportive friends and family, to thousands and thousands of people. My heart is full, just thinking about the thousands of children that will be getting a little extra love from their parents because of my little post. I work two days a week at an urgent care clinic as a receptionist, and spend a lot of my 12 hour shifts observing families while they’re waiting to see the doctor. My heart just breaks for the children that I see getting yelled at, or called names, or ignored. My eyes literally well up with tears thinking about a handful of painful encounters I remember observing.

I feel, in some small way, that I’m helping those kids. And that feels so good. Its hard to articulate just how much it means to me.

In the last two months, I’ve jumped into the blogging world with both feet. I’m posting as often as I can, trying to network and figure out blog etiquette, and how to best handle the social media stuff, googling technical terms. Putting myself out there. I’ve been added to a few blogging groups that have been both helpful and a bit overwhelming. I’ve followed and then un-followed dozens of people and blogs. Its so hard to find people that are real. So much of the blogging world is just plain superficial. Its about whats trendy, and having perfect homes, cute outfits, getting invited to events, getting free swag and doing tv spots. And frankly, I feel worse about myself after I visit blogs like that or see their pics on Instagram.

I feel inadequate. Insignificant. And I know that I shouldn’t. But its hard to shove those feelings away.

I have to frequently remind myself that its not a competition. Its not my blog vs their blog. Its not me vs them. Its just me vs myself. Either I’m a better version of myself or I’m a worse version of myself. I don’t need to compare my stats to their stats. I just need to compare my stats from the beginning to my stats now to see where I’m at, and where I’m going. It takes a constant effort for me. And its not just with blogging, its every day life. Its hard to be constantly surrounded by social media, hearing and seeing so many things that could make me feel jealous or inadequate. I find myself repeating a few mantras in my head to silence those nagging thoughts, my favorite being:

I’ve grown so much, as a person. As a parent. As a spouse. I’ve got a lot to be thankful for. A lot to be proud of. No one can take that away from me. Unless I let them. So I won’t!

I am so happy with my success here. Proud of it. Thankful for it. I love the positive feedback and interaction from you. I hope this blog will always be a positive and helpful place. I honestly just want to help make life easier for moms (well, everyone really), because there are plenty of voices out there that want us to make life more complicated. Telling us to have cuter houses, cuter outfits, cuter kids, cuter meals, cuter parties, cuter crafts, cuter decorations and on and on. My mindset for evaluating what to post is “What would be helpful?” Helpful might not be enough to take me to the really big leagues, but if I’m making life a little easier for my friends, that’s good enough for me.

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Lindsey Johnson

Thursday 26th of September 2013

I'm so happy for your success, Kylie! That's so awesome. And I LOVE that quote! I need to remind myself of that every single day. But it's still not easy to do! You're doing great!

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Thursday 26th of September 2013

Thanks Lindsey :)

Mollie

Thursday 26th of September 2013

Dear Kylie, congrats on your blog! I think it is great that you are focused on being real. I think that we (in our state especially) live in a society that gets tied up in competition & perfection. That being said, I think it's important to realize that people have different talents and all talents are a blessing. It's important to be true to yourself, but I don't understand why you're so negative in regard to blogs that you feel overwhelmed by (?). I just want to play devil's advocate & say that because each of us are unique in the talents we have, it's important that all our voices are heard (or at least available) and I'd also venture to say that most of the voices out there aren't trying to make someone's life more complicated they're probably just sharing what they love. I personally am driven to create. That's my outlet. I love designing in pretty much all forms & having a home that I feel is lovely is part of how I express what I think is a talent I've been given. I couldn't help but feel like some of your posts (including your blogifesto) were belittling to people with talents different than yours-- it made it seem like people who have certain talents (such as party planning, interior design, crafting or fashion, etc) that weren't "practical" enough are somehow distracting others from the more essential things in life and almost like they are "bad" because reading their blogs made you feel bad (which wouldn't be their fault). I understand that there are people that may be trying to be something they're not, but for me, creating a detailed & fun party, or designing a room in my house isn't fluff, it's what makes me feel like I'm expressing myself, not to mention the fact that my family enjoys these things too. I just felt it was important to state this because I don't like having what I'm good at treated like it's not worthwhile. You likely weren't referring to me or my blog in these posts, but because what I do falls into those categories you mention negatively, I felt I should express thoughts from the other side of the fence. I think your skills & talents are very valuable and it's great that you've found a way to share them with everyone. I am glad that I, too, can share my talents to help inspire others in different ways.

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Thursday 26th of September 2013

Hi Mollie, I wrote up a nice long articulate response to your comment, and then lost it when the page refreshed. Grrrr. I’m having a hard time getting motivated to write it again! But thank you for helping me see things from the other side. You’re right, I think its good and important to find and create beauty, and it definitely is a talent. I’m glad there are people out there that are doing decor, party, fashion, beauty, etc blogs, because they are a great resource. I just can’t surround myself with them without feeling overwhelmed and inadequate. I know its my own issue, and I am working to get over it. I’m just trying to get my bearings in the blogging world. And I am going to focus on being helpful and being real, because that’s what I personally would appreciate reading about. That’s all I’m trying to say.

Macleesy

Wednesday 25th of September 2013

Kylie, you have been a real inspiration for me! I struggled a bit with finding a bit of the old me in this SAHM & wife, and seeing what are you doing with your blog made me want to jump in too. I found my little bit of passion and gave it a go. And I am going by the enjoyment factor. While I'm still enjoying it, I'll keep doing it. Thanks for all your hard work. I look forward to each new post. And I especially like posts like these that remind me to keep it real and helpful too :)

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Thursday 26th of September 2013

Lisa, I love your blog! You have a real talent for writing, and I always appreciate your perspective on motherhood. Your blog is a treasure.

Natalie

Wednesday 25th of September 2013

I loved this post and I love your purpose. Stick with it!Oh, and using ACV instead of conditioner has made a world of difference on my hair. Thank you!!

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Thursday 26th of September 2013

Thank you Nat! I'm glad you're liking the ACV, who would have thought it would be so great? I love my hair with it, but I have to wash it when Dean isn't home bc he hates the smell so much! haha

Monica

Wednesday 25th of September 2013

I just encountered your blog this week after reading the "How to Fix Your Child's Attitude" post. I LOVED it! And I'm impressed that you have been able to have such a successful blog after only 2 months! I noticed your posts didn't go that far back when I was looking for more fun stuff to read. Congrats!

[email protected]

Wednesday 25th of September 2013

Thanks Monica! I was totally prepared to plug away at it anonymously for at least 6 months before seeing any kind of real traffic and/or interaction. A blessing and a confirmation that it is what I should be doing with my time right now! :) Thanks for commenting, have a great day!

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