Blogging

After 2 years…

Published March 17, 2012 | By Julie Kieras

Today’s the blog’s 2nd birthday!

After two years of writing this blog, I’ve written 720 posts (126 on cloth diapering!), gained 3,155 Facebook fans, and 2,759 Twitter followers! Phew!

${04407071-c62e-461d-a53e-3baf5dbc2d6c}_4$

Here’s our son’s first photo at 2 days old!

Here is he is today at the park at 2 years old!

And now we’re adding to the family with this little guy:

I started blogging in 2005 on a personal blog to focus on creative writing, but since our son was born in 2010, turned most of my attention to this parenting/family life blog. Originally, our blog title was inspired by A Year With Frog and Toad the Musical, because hubby is so like Frog and I am so like Toad… but as I started writing on a variety of family topics, and reviewing products, I’ve been trying to keep the blog more about seasonally appropriate topics, events, tips, and ideas!

I love…

writing personal posts from my son’s perspective (I imagine!),
getting comments from readers – especially on non-giveaway posts!
reviewing food, fashion, and fluff,
talking about motherhood, breastfeeding, toddler education,
coaxing hubby to write a Dad’s Log now and again,
finding great sponsors to share with my readers!

I hope…

I get a blog redesign this year,
Go to a blog conference (soon!),
Write more poetry on the blog,
Create more involved monthly challenges or themes that involve my readers,
Improve my photography skills so I can share more great family photos,
Develop a more local side to the blog (or a subdomain),
Connect even more with my readers! I couldn’t do all this without your help and support – I love hearing from you all and you encourage me to keep going, even on a bad writing day!

If you haven’t already done so, I invite you to follow our blog by signing up for daily emails, liking on Facebook, or following on Twitter (see right sidebar!)! The more readers, the better the conversations we can have together!

You can also support our blog by “liking,” tweeting, pinning or stumbling posts – all of which help spread the word about our blog and help me get more great sponsors so I can bring you more awesome giveaways!

Now it’s your turn… tell me something – what kinds of posts you enjoy, questions you have for me (to help me write more of what you want to read about!), ideas for my blog redesign, or anything else you might have to say! If you’re a new reader and not really sure what topics I cover, just tell me how ya found me, and maybe your first impressions! Love to hear from new and current readers!

Anybody who leaves a {reasonable} comment will be entered to win a $20 Amazon GC!! One entry per person!! Giveaway ends 3/31/12! Generic comments like “Enter me” and “I want to win” will be disqualified.

Posted in about me, blogging

Taking Care of Business … with Tiny Prints

Published February 7, 2012 | By Julie Kieras

I made my wish list on New Year’s Day… so far, I’ve accomplished a few things… like we’ll be having a baby this year (phew, that’s a big one down).

Another major goal of mine is to attend a blog conference… and one thing you definitely need at a blog conference will also fulfill another goal of mine – get business cards! Check out my favorite looks from TinyPrints:

I’m kind of new to this whole, handing-out-my card routine, so I did some research and learned a lot about why having a blog business card is vital:

Easy. Know how everyone says to have an “elevator pitch”? Well, if you don’t have time to get even THAT out, you can just hand out your card.
Portable. Business cards are the best way to get your name out in person because you can carry a good amount in a small space.
Professional. Having a business card says a lot about how you view your blog – that you consider yourself a business, not just a hobby.
Efficient. You’ll be meeting a lot of people in a short time at a conference. Quickly distributing your card is a fast way to spread the word about your brand.
Current. Think business cards are out of date? Guess what, they can still be current if you add a QR code to them so people can store your info on their smartphones and tablets!

Personally, I just LIKE the idea of having a business card, but aren’t those some great reasons to design one for your blog (or business)? I can’t wait to get started creating my cards at TinyPrints!

Now…I could definitely use advice from any of my readers about the best way to store cards I collect from others, or creative ways to use the cards once I get them!

DISCLOSURE: I will be receiving a FREE promo code for 50 Business cards from TinyPrints for writing this post. All opinions are honest and 100% my own.

Posted in blogging, review | Leave a comment

My blog has its own ride…

Published December 14, 2011 | By Julie Kieras

Since I started working with brands, I’ve had a lot of fun, exciting and useful packages delivered to my door. For this stay-at-home mom, the arrival of the delivery truck is pretty much the highlight of the day! You just never know what’s coming. And I love surprises (as long as they are GOOD ones, and don’t involve me thinking my family forgot a major milestone birthday!).

But tonight took the cake!

Earlier this year I did a post about Chiquita bananas… I love bananas! (primarily because they have no bones).

About a month ago, a gigantic box of Chiquita goodies landed on my doorstep. I was overwhelmed by the shopping bags, beach toys, hydration pack, and more they sent me. And then there was a mysterious note attached that said to be looking out for a surprise delivery in the next few weeks. I was waiting and waiting…

You know, Chiquita IS coming out with a new fruit snack soon… so I thought, well, maybe they are sending some… I wondered what they could be up to!

Tonight, I got an email to look for a surprise delivery around 6pm. Sure, enough, around 6:15, a big van pulls into our driveway. My husband went to open the door before the man got up the walk. We were STUNNED to see the guy pushing…

A brand new bicycle!!! Yes, folks, Chiquita Banana sent me a bicycle!!! Ha ha! I love it!

It’s a beautiful, smooth riding beach cruiser bike, with the Chiquita logo, but… it gets better. On the chain guard… is MY Twitter handle @ayearwithmomdad – too funny!!

This delivery made my day! It was absolutely surprising, hilarious, and exciting! I cannot wait to take this bike for a test drive in our neighborhood! Maybe I’ll ride to the grocery store to pick up some… CHIQUITA BANANAS!!!

What’s the best surprise you ever had? (And a huge Thank You to Chiquita for popping that surprise on me!)

Posted in blogging | 8 Comments

What I like most… #nablopomo

Published November 1, 2011 | By Julie Kieras

Last year I said I would do the National Blog Posting Month from BlogHer…and then I forgot…so today I saw other blog posts and remembered! Ah! A tad late to the party but here nonetheless!

NaBloPoMo is a month long event to encourage bloggers to post consistently (every day for a month). Now, you all know that is NOT my problem! I post nearly daily. But I have always struggled with finding my own topics and want more personal content on this blog, so I thought it would be a good challenge! Every day I’ll write to their prompt (or some variation). Feel free to join in!

PROMPT: What is your favorite part about writing?

Let me tell you my favorite part about writing THIS blog. Because there really is so much I love about the process of writing….

I love how writing this blog allows me to focus a “lens” on a particular aspect of my life, parenting, motherhood, and family.

I love how since I started writing this particular blog, I am developing a keener eye for my own life stories. I’ve started to think about how bits of daily life could be a blog post, what I’m learning from my parenting experiences, how I can help others through writing.

I love that writing this blog is a motivating way to record my son’s early development and milestones. I am not the greatest scrapbooker, even though I think they are beautiful! Writing this blog allows me to capture small moments and memories in a way I never would have if I were trying to make a physical album.

I love how A Year With Mom and Dad has become about more than just “me and mine” but is instead often a larger conversation about parenting and life topics important to other moms I have met online!

Are you participating in NaBloPoMo? Do you write better off a writing prompt or by creating your own topics?