Living Life As A Wife Has Been Nominated For The 2017 Liebster Award

I want to start by saying how incredibly thankful I am that I have been nominated for this award! I’ll explain what the Liebster award is in a moment.

First I have to say a huge thanks to Jess at Exceptionally Ordinary for nominating me. We met in a Facebook group for bloggers earlier this year and have messaged back and forth a bit since with a goal of supporting each other. Without going into much detail, moving across the country, my son having open heart surgery, and buying a home, among others things, have kept me very busy. None of these should be looked at as excuses. But she has been much more supportive and better at checking in than I have. Jess has been great and remembered to think of me when she was nominated for this award. And I want to promise to be better at supporting her this coming year.

Thank you, Jess for being awesome, and for the nomination.

The Liebster Award

This award is something that bloggers award to other bloggers. It is a way to connect within our community and support each other. It is for small blogs that are just starting out, with less than 200 readers. The Liebster award is a way to discover new blogs.

The award started in 2011. According to The Global Aussie “Liebster in German means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome.”

The winner is chosen base day on questions asked, presentation,and spirit on December 31, 2017.

If you are nominated and chose to accept, this is what you need to do next:

1. Thank the person who nominated you and link back to their blog. Promoting them a little is kind, and those who you nominate can do the same for you.

2. Display the award on your blog. You can simply include it in the post. Find the image options Here

3. Write a 150-300 word post about your favorite blog. Include links.

4. Provide 10 random facts about yourself.

5. Nominate 5-11 blogs that you feel deserve the award. They MUST have less than 200 readers.

6. List the rules for you nominees to read, or link back to the original page with them so they are easily accessible.

7. After you publish your post, inform the people/blogs you nominated for the Liebster award. Provide them a link to your post so they have all the information they need.

8. Leave a comment with your post on The Global Aussie

My Nominees

So I want to start with the blogs I am nominating

• Tiffany at Lake Life State Of Mind
• Leigh at Wedding Dance On Demand
• Nicole at Greatest Worth
• Colleen at Handmade Hiker
• Kimberly at Love To Frugal
• Maria at Leisurely Does It

My Favorite Blog

I had never been someone who subscribed to blogs. Of course I’d use Pinterest and save recipes, workouts, projects, just like any girl. But when I went to a blog I usually just looked at the post I wanted and then moved on. A bloggers nightmare!

But when I quit my job to stay home with my son, I started to get restless and want to contribute to our income. But sales, telemarketing, and transcribing all seemed to be a lot of work for little pay. So I started reading a lot but but side hustles and saving money.

And the sameness thing kept coming up. Income reports. The largest item on every one was always blogging. But it didn’t seem realistic to me.

Until I found Believe In A Budget by Kristin Larson.

I read her first income report and for some reason she made it seem possible. I read several of her blog posts about side hustles and using Pinterest. Then I read her post about how to start a blog.

And I started a blog. I subscribed to her email list. Shortly after, I was invited to join a new Facebook group for bloggers that she was starting with another blogger. And she is why I started Elite Blog Academy which has gotten me to where I am now.

Kristin is an incredible person. She is very willing to help anyone in whatever way she can. She shares all of her hacks and secrets at Believe In A Budget.

If you look at her site you will see she is more than willing to do an interview, answer questions, or provide feedback. Kristin has also attended conferences and given speeches and workshops to help others with blogging and side hustling.

Inspiring others is my dream and she is actually doing it. Check out Believe In A Budget and let Kristin inspire you too!

10 Random Facts About Me

1. I was a competitive figure skater for over 10 years.
2. I have a lot of different certifications. Including figure skating coach and judge, diamondtologist, entrepreneurship, and wedding and event planning.
3. I absolutely love Harry Potter. Not only do I love the magical world it provides, but also the message that it sends to kids. I already read it to my 16 month old and 3 week old!
4. I am a mom. It is my job. It’s my favorite job I’ve ever had, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.
5. I have 2 tattoos. I got my first on my 18th birthday, it says Live. Laugh. Love. And my second 6 months later. It says hope.
6. I’ve known my childhood best friend for 18 years. (Love you, Jorie!)
7. I love the holiday season. It’s the only time of year that people are giving and selfless without being asked to be.
8. My husband is my best friend. (Sorry, Jorie) I’m not really sure what I would do without him.
9. I love Disney movies. And my wonderful husband is working on making sure that we have all of them on DVD.
10. My family is my life. My husband, son, and daughter are my favorite people in the world. And I love them with everything that I have.

Q&A Section

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live and why?

In the year 2017 alone, I have lived in 3 states. My family moved across the country twice, once in January and again in July. This is part of military life. The experience has made me realize that there is a lot of truth to “home is where the heart is”. And my heart is with my family. So, for me, it’s not so much about a where, but rather, a with whom. As long as my family is there, I’ll make the best out of wherever I live.

What do you like the least about your life?

My least favorite thing about my life is that I can’t just enjoy my family all the time. I have to spend time worrying about things like money and cleaning house. My husband has to go to work. It’s regular everyday things, but it takes time away from what I love most. My family’s time together, enjoying each other.

How does your “dream” of blogging compare to the “reality” of it?

My dream is to have everything setup behind the scenes so that I can just focus on writing and reaching as many people as possible. Because the more people I reach, the more I can help. The reality is that the behind the scenes stuff is really tough for me. I have a hard time figuring out anything tech related and it has been holding me back. When I do figure it out, it is very time consuming. But I love writing and know I can help others with what I have to say, so I’m going to keep working at it!

What do you enjoy most about your business?

I absolutely love that it has given me the ability to do two things that I have always loved to do. Write and help people. I have always written, ever since I can remember. But I never thought I could actually accomplish anything from it so I never pursued it. And I have always wanted people to just be happy. It’s part of the reason that I love the holidays, I love giving gifts and seeing people smile. Everyone deserves to just be happy. We just have to let ourselves be happy when we are able. So now, my writing has a purpose.

What would you say is the biggest challenge you have faced as a small business owner and blogger?

Aside from the tech stuff which I mentioned I struggle with above, I would say that it is talking about it. I am not shy about the fact that I am a blogger. But I don’t like to bother people if I am not sure it will help them. So I always second guess my motives if I don’t know that they would actually benefit from reading without a doubt. Which is silly, but true. I mean I was in labor with my child and not calling the nurse because I didn’t want to inconvenience her if I wasn’t ready to push. 20 minutes later I had a baby. Ask my husband how thrilled he was!

Harry Potter or Twilight?

Harry Potter, no contest.

If you could change one thing about your past, what would it be? (be honest)

This is something I’ve thought about at several times in my life. Of course it is usually when something is wrong or something bad has happened, and I don’t know what to do or why I’m going through it. And, at the time, I wish it hadn’t happened and that I could change it. Or go back and just avoid the situation ever arising. Those “why me?” moments.

But I have always come to the same conclusion. I believe that we are never given more than we can handle. And that we are always given the means and ability to handle whatever happens. So I would change nothing. Because, maybe, if I change that one thing that would have made my life easier now, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Maybe I wouldn’t be married to Stuart. Or maybe I wouldn’t have Tobias and Temperance. And that would be so much worse than anything that I’ve been through so far. Besides, at the end of the day, I got through it all anyway. So why waste my time and energy trying to change it.

Which is your favorite book, and why?

My favorite books are the Harry Potter series. It teaches so many important things about friendship, bravery, heartbreak, asking for help, facing your fears, and different types of true love. A lot of lessons that people forget about today. And at the same time, it is a wonderful, magical world to escape to while you read.

What is your best childhood memory, and why?

I don’t have one that stands out. But what I cherish the most are the simple, fun times I spent with my best friend of nearly 20 years, Jorie. Playing pretend, video games, bonfires, cross country road trips. Just growing up together and always being there for each other. There are far too many amazing moments to pick just one as my favorite.

What is your utmost guilty pleasure?

Binge watching Netflix shows. My guilty pleasure shows include How I Met Your Mother, Pretty Little Liars, Gossip Girl, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Private Practice and Charmed. I’ve seen them all numerous times all the way through. My favorite is HIMYM, I laugh every. single. time. But Netflix has been steadily removing them (only 3 of the ones I mentioned are on there still!) and I am seriously considering writing an angry letter!

Who let the dogs out?

Me!

Questions For My Nominees

1. If you could have a superpower, which one would you choose and why?
2. What is your blogging schedule like?
3. Your house is on fire, what do you save?
4. Where is you favorite place you’ve been?
5. What is your favorite color, and why?
6. Cat or dog?
7. What is your opinion on the use of technology in schools?
8. Is there a subject or skill, not taught currently, that you think should be added?
9. What is your biggest blogging challenge? And your biggest strength?
10. Why did you choose to start blogging?
11. At age 10, what did you want to be when you grew up?