My 100th Blog Post

To keep myself busy, I decided to mark the milestone of my 100 th blog post with the release of an anthology of my top 50 posts written between January 2019 and October 2020. My 100 th blog post is today, Wednesday, November 25 th. For 100 Wednesdays in a row I have posted a piece of writing. My second book, out this week, includes 54 illustrations by my friend, Brenda Rose. It’s titled “I Could Be Wrong: 50+ blog posts, short reads, big laughs, wit & wisdom” and it’s a group effort. To celebrate the 100th blog post and the New Year, I’ve decided to reveal my identity. When I thought of the best format for this identity reveal, I thought it would be fun to interview myself. So here we go: Who are you? Here in the US, we define ourselves by what we do for a living, so I guess I’m a surgeon. Today I reached the milestone of my 100th blog post after almost two years of blogging. Here’s the story of ‘The Blogging Musician’ so far I’ve loved every minute of blogging, it’s allowed me to tap into something I hadn’t explored and exercised since school: The gift of expression through the English language. The first of three parts to my 100th blog post answers readers' and patients' questions about my background - growing up, college, medical school, orthopaedics, and biggest influences.

Posted: 8th March 2018

100.

I can’t believe this is my 100th blog post.

Back when I was in college, I made a promise to myself that I would never take a job I wasn’t passionate about just for money. But six months passed, I was still living with my parents and a good paying job offer came along. It wasn’t in an industry I ever saw myself working in, and to be honest, I was definitely not qualified for it, having a completely different degree in Professional Writing.

But I took the job, and it’s a good thing I did. Putting aside the fact that I learned a lot professionally, without that job, I would have never met my boyfriend. And without meeting him, I would not be living in London right now. You know how they say “everything happens for a reason?” Well it’s true. If I had to go back and do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing.

After two years of continuing in the same technical industry, I found myself needing more out of my life. I needed a place to be creative. Thus, the blog was born. And if nothing else, that’s what the blog was for me at the beginning. But since then, it has become so much more. It’s become a lifeline.

I truly love this blog of mine. And it has taught me so much. I’ve learned that good things take time. I’ve learned that consistency is very important in the world of social media. I’ve learned that I am much more capable than what I have given myself credit for (ie. teaching myself a new industry, teaching myself photography, changing my food habits, etc). It has made me realise who my true friends are. It has shown me how amazing and supportive my boyfriend is. It has taught me that you can have a career you are passionate about and truly love. And last but not least, it has shown me that I was destined to be behind a keyboard.

Looking back on my first blog posts, I can already see how far I have come in only 14 months. I usually have around 30 draft posts at all times as I always have so many ideas for content for this blog. I’m excited to see what the future holds but as long as I can still take some fun photos and produce some content on here, I’m sure I will be very happy.

Before I conclude this post, I’ve decided to go back through and pick out my top 10 favourite blog posts I have written so far. And if you’re new to the blog, you can read through these to get an idea of what I’m all about. And if you’re not new, feel free to reminisce with me 🙂

P.S. All titles are clickable links to the blog posts and it’s in chronological order.

Mmh Turkey Chili – This was my first recipe post. And surprise! It’s an Ambitious Kitchen one. It’s literally the best healthy turkey chili so if you don’t read it for the content, at least click the link to get the recipe.

Ooh La La, Amsterdam! – This post was fun as it was never planned. I was stranded in Amsterdam all by myself for a night but had such a good time. And then I wrote about it, of course.

Being an Adult Ain’t So Bad – I love this post as I came up with a bunch of reasons why I love being an adult and having responsibilities. It’s a good one to read if you’re feeling overwhelmed with life at the moment.

Exploring the English Countryside in the Town of Bath – This blog makes me so happy because I am in love with Bath. It’s such a beautiful town and I can’t wait for the time I get to go back. Read this one to see some truly beautiful pictures.

From One Side of the Pond to the Other – I think this will have to be my all time favourite as this was when I decided to announce my move to the UK. I put all my heart and soul into writing this post and I think it definitely shows throughout my writing.

Feastin’ on Festive Food – I threw this post together before Christmas time for ideas for some holiday foodspiration. But honestly, all of these recipes can be made any time of the year. So if you want some yummy ideas, take a look at this one.

2017: A Year in Review – This is basically a diary entry of my entire 2017 summed up. And it’s special to me because I accomplished so much during 2017. I hope to be able to write a yearly review post every year to reflect on my achievements.

My 2018 Resolutions – And my resolutions post kind of piggybacks off the yearly review post as different things I need to work on to better myself in 2018. I can happily say I am staying true to all of my resolutions. Except I should probably do more yoga….

My Eyelash Extensions – This is my all time favourite beauty post as it was one of the firsts where I really took the time and effort needed to get all the proper pictures and details for an informative and successful post. And also, I love lash extensions.

My 100th Blog Poster

What Valentine’s Day Should Really Be About – My latest heartfelt post where I talk about love and how artificial things don’t mean jack shit when it comes to a real relationship. One of my favourite posts because it makes me feel good that I am in a place in my life where I don’t need my relationship to be validated by possessions and expensive items. Seriously, read this one.

And before I let you all get on with your lives, I want to thank each and every one of you for not only reading this post, but for following along with the blog. I appreciate you all more than you know!

Unless you have your own blog, then you probably know what it’s like…..

Anyway, please don’t ever hesitate to comment on my blog posts, or Instagram posts. Or even if you just wanted to shoot me a message and chat. In fact, I love when you guys do that. And as always, feel free to give me recommendations on anything you’d like me to cover or write about.

Please feel free to let me know what your favourite blog post of mine is if you have one in the comments below! I’d love to hear what you guys are digging 😛

Much Much Much Love

Sam xx

Welcome to my 100th blog post celebration!
Hello all!

I’m so excited about today. Blogging has been a crazy journey for me, and I can hardly believe that as of today I’ve actually written 100 posts. WHAT?!?!? If you figure each post averages roughly 900 words(ish) , that’s around 90,000 words I’ve send out into the Internet void.

To celebrate, I want to share with you a bit of my journey, and some fun facts about me as a person and about my blog.

My Blogging Journey:

I have had a personal blog for years. I’ve always loved writing (there’s a reason I was an English teacher), and back in 2008 I started a little blog to share the happenings of my life with my family and friends, and to have a place to share my random musings about life, the universe and everything. And that’s about how it stayed for the next eight years. I wrote a couple times a month, and that was it. I never planned to make blogging into anything more than that until last fall.

What changed everything

What changed it all for me was that a friend of mine asked me if I would be interested in periodically contributing articles to the parenting website, Smarter Parenting, that she works with. As a stay at home mom who sometimes felt like my world was a little small, I leaped at the opportunity to write for a real audience a few times a month and connect with people (adults even!) outside the walls of my home in a professional manner. Still, I had no intention of launching my OWN blogging endeavor…until Smarter Parenting asked if I would like them to include a link to my blog at the bottom of the articles I wrote for them. I didn’t really want to make my personal blog public, but it got me thinking…it would be nice to have an online presence where people could find me if they happened to like what I wrote. That was the first time I thought…maybe I could start a blog of my own.

I had NO idea the snowball effect that would come from that little decision.

Such a simple, little thought, but it sparked something within me that I didn’t realize was there. It gave me the courage to write, to put myself out there, and to believe that what I would say might make a difference to somebody.

I spent days trying to come up with a name, and I finally settled on The Many Little Joys after my sister pointed out the phrase in one of my own emails to her. As soon as I said the words out loud, I knew it was perfect. My two crazy kids are my biggest little joys, and beyond that, my days are filled with simple and amazing blessings…when I remember to look for them. I wanted my corner of the blogosphere to be a place where moms could come to be reminded of all the good that exists in the day-to-day life of mothering. The crafts, the games, the food, the chores; it’s not all glamorous, and it’s not all fun, but it can be filled with joy and purpose.

Once I had the name and the concept, I put myself through an intense crash course on blogging. I googled things constantly, combed through countless Pinterest boards looking for helpful articles, and read a few books that I found particularly helpful. There was a seriously steep learning curve, and I felt like an idiot much of the time. I can write, I can take pictures that look pretty good, but the technical and marketing side of things? Whoa, Nelly. I had no idea.

Taking the leap

I posted my first ever post on October 21, 2015. It’s not perfect. It didn’t have a vertical, pin-worthy image. It didn’t have links to other relevant content. It didn’t have a lot of things. But it was a start. And that’s all I needed at the time.

Now, ten months later, I know about plugins, gravatars, favicons, SEO, CSS, smart pins, and so much more. I’m still no Ree Drummond or Ruth Soukup, but I’m starting to gain a little traction, and I’m seeing some real progress. I still have an infinite amount to learn, but I’ve come a long way.

The best part

That’s one of the most amazing things to me about looking back on the past 100 posts. I can see that I’m learning, growing, and stretching beyond the bounds of what I once thought was possible.

Blogging has been such a huge challenge, but I love how it makes me constantly learn new skills, keeps me writing, and connects me with a whole world of other women who are championing the cause of motherhood. In so many ways, we are more isolated than our ancestors in our mothering, but blogging has helped me find a virtual village of moms to help me raise my children.

What’s next?

I have way too many ideas, and too little time to write them all (my main focus is still being a mom), but I have some great things in the works. I’m currently working on a spreadsheet with a year’s worth of weekly preschool themes with skills and resources attached. I’m also working on a “journaling for preschoolers” kit, which I can’t wait to try out with my own kiddos and eventually share with you all.

On the nuts and bolts side of things, I’m researching blog themes and working to redesign the site with a more professional-looking design that has some improved functionality (if you have recommendations for a great WordPress theme…please…save me from the vast sea of WAY too many choices).

The Best of the Best

Now, just for kicks and giggles, here are some of the best posts that have come out of The Many Little Joys so far. Enjoy!

My Personal Top 5 Favorite Posts

#1 How I Won the Mom Guilt Battle
#2 Practical Guide: How to Do Preschool at home with your child

#3 The Best Toy I Ever Gave My Kids

#4 Save the world and get your kids to clean…a win-win scenario

#5 It’s Okay to Be a Tortoise

And a bit ‘o randomness…

To finish things off today, here are 5 random things you may not know about me after 100 posts:

#1. I have about 70 pages of a novel written, but I don’t really have any idea how to finish it.

#2. I love the color red…I even wore bright red heels under my wedding dress.

#3. The smell of a campfire is one of my favorite smells in the world (it may have something to do with all the memories associated with this recipe)

#4. I’ve had the same best friend since I was 4 years old. (Love ya, Steph!)

#5. I have a serious love of Skittles, and I eat them in reverse rainbow order (yep…purple, green, yellow, orange, red…every time).

That’s a wrap!

Thank you to all of you who have supported me along this crazy journey. Your comments, your ideas, your “shares”, your “likes”, and all your love (especially that of my husband who has seriously been the best cheerleader a wife could EVER ask for) means the world to me. I look forward to sharing many more little joys from my home to yours!

What would you like to see in the future here on The Many Little Joys? More recipes, preschool activities, random musings on motherhood, crazy stories about my boys’ antics, or something else altogether?

Please tell me in the comments!

My 100th Blog Posts

I regularly link up here.

Searchload