Why I Started Blogging: Two Year Blog Anniversary

This week marks the two year anniversary of this blog, Mommy Diary. Last year I wrote a blog post about the events that led up to my first post, and this year I want to recap why I began blogging in the first place.

So why did I begin blogging?

When I first began my blog two years ago, the only desire I had was to share my story with others. As a stay-at-home-mom for over five years, my identity had become blurred with my children’s and I often felt overwhelmed and burdened by the mundane tasks of house work and motherhood. I kept it up because my children needed me, and due to my daughter’s special needs, putting her in daycare or under the supervision of a nanny and returning to the workforce was not an option.

Well, I guess if I REALLY wanted to do that and return to work I could’ve, but I couldn’t trust anyone else to watch my daughter. I just knew in my heart she needed me– all of me. It was a difficult decision, but the right one.

Quitting my beloved teaching job and putting aside my ambitions were difficult, and waking up early every morning to tend to the growing demands of my two daughters felt suffocating at times. I went from teaching and writing (my goal was to continue my graduate studies in English and become a literature professor. I was naive to think teaching writing and actually writing a book would be synonymous.) — to cooking three meals a day, doing the laundry at least every other day, tidying up and disinfecting numerous times a day (because babies and toddlers make that much mess) and trying to squeeze in “me time” as much as I can when husband was home from work, which was rare during those days. I went through two sets of pregnancies, labor and postpartum in three years and every waking moment of my life was consumed in motherhood.

I loved my children but sometimes needed a break to step away for a few hours, but this break was difficult to attain because I didn’t have help and couldn’t afford to hire anyone. My husband and I were in our 20’s, still in middle of trying to build up our financial security, buy our first home and establish a better future for our children and ourselves.

So desperately in need of a creative outlet and personal space, I began blogging. If I couldn’t “break away” physically, I needed to do it mentally and creatively.

So desperately in need of a creative outlet and personal space, I began blogging. If I couldn’t “break away” physically, I needed to do it mentally and creatively.

At first I began blogging privately because I couldn’t bear the thought of others reading about my private life. I was a prolific diarist since I was a young girl, and had volumes and volumes of diary I had written over the course of my life.

At first I began blogging privately because I couldn’t bear the thought of others reading about my private life. I was a prolific diarist since I was a young girl, and had volumes and volumes of diary I had written over the course of my life.

Some I still have and some I destroyed in my teen years when I found out my mom was reading through them (I still regret doing this until this day, but I really didn’t know any better at the time. Moms, don’t ever read your child or teen’s diary! It’s transgression of personal space.) Looking back, I guess writing down my thoughts, feelings and day-to-day happenings was something that just came naturally for me.

My diary was also something that kept me sane through those challenging years of teenage angst, college drama and early motherhood. It was my lifeline, still is- and to this day, writing comes more naturally to me than speaking.

Thus Mommy Diary was created. In essence, Mommy Diary is my creative space, my haven, my playground, my sanctuary and I genuinely enjoy every aspect of maintaining this blog whether it’d be taking photos, constructing a story or showcasing a DIY project that others may find useful.

Mommy Diary is my creative space; my haven, my playground and my sanctuary and I genuinely enjoy every aspect of maintaining this blog whether it’d be taking photos, constructing a story or showcasing a DIY project that others may find useful.

Over the course of the last two years, my personal blog became more of a communal space where I share with readers parenting tips, DIY projects, travel guides as well as personal stories and reflections. I like to share snippets from my life that can hopefully add value to my readers whether it’d be a new DIY project or new lessons I’ve learned in parenting. I also like to share personal stories that others may find useful and relatable because as we all know, motherhood can be incredibly challenging without our village of other women.

Facing fear of vulnerability

I know many people have fears about “sharing too much” and I was once in this camp too. Opening up pages from my personal life to the online world made me feel vulnerable and I sometimes wondered if this is harmful to my children in any way.

After much thought, discussion and trepidation, I decided I’m not going to not do something out of fear and worry. Sure there are pro’s and con’s to blogging and like everything, having a personal blog is not entirely free from risks. However, its pro’s far outweigh the con’s and the most important thing is that I genuinely love blogging and all that it entails.

At the end of the day, I’m a writer– and writers must overcome her fear of vulnerability or she will never be able to write anything worthy, period. I finally learned this, after years of hiding away in my safe little corner and battling bouts of postpartum depression by having too many words trapped inside me like dead weight.

At the end of the day, I’m a writer– and writers must overcome her fear of vulnerability or she will never be able to write anything worthy, period. I finally learned this, after years of hiding away in my safe little corner and battling bouts of postpartum depression by having too many words trapped inside me like dead weight.

Today I’m slowly starting to work with brands that align with my interest and that of my readers but I will never use my blog simply as an outlet to make money. This, I can assure you because starting this blog was never a business decision in the first place although material compensation for my time and work will always be an added benefit to blogging. If you meet me in real life, you’ll know that I’m less of a businesswoman, more of a writer– and material compensation is not as important as my pursuit of writing as art and self-expression.

If you meet me in real life, you’ll know that I’m less of a businesswoman, more of a writer– and material compensation is not as important as my pursuit of writing as art and self-expression.

Thank you to all my readers for following my journey and for making it possible for me to continue blogging. Without an audience, maintaining this blog would be such a lonely and isolating experience. Thank you to everyone who leaves comments and interacts with me on social media because it’s these interactions that make it possible for me to continue to blog from home. And if we haven’t connected already, I’d love to connect with you! To find me, click on the social media icons on the top right hand corner.

Are you interested in starting a blog?

I recently transferred my blog from Squarespace to WordPress, which was one of the best decisions I made since starting my blog two years ago. I always knew WordPress was a more comprehensive platform but wasn’t sure if I wanted to pay money for design and set-up. I had enough knowledge to design and start my own blog only on Squarespace so I signed up to see where my blog would take me.

Two years later as a more experienced blogger, I found so many limitations with Squarespace that I found annoying.  I finally decided it was time to spend some money and find a professional to create a new design and perform the blog transfer. Luckily for me, White Oak Creatives came to the rescue and it’s owner Lindsay has been a lifesaver making the entire process hassle-free.

If you’re interested in starting a new blog or updating your existing one, check her out at White Oak Creative. She has so many resources and tips for bloggers, both new and experienced alike. Also please check out these other blogs in my Grow To Design Link-Up.

Burke Does
Mommy Diary
New Client Magnet
Not Very Obsessed
Shining on Design
Something Good
The Haute Notes
White Oak Creative

Thanks for reading and I hope you continue to enjoy my blog!