Tea & a Chat | My Blogging Journey

Welcome to Tea & a Chat!

This is where I pick random topics to discuss… while I sip on a warm cuppa!

 

I started this book blog ten years ago. At the time I was twenty-eight, I had a four-year-old boy, twin two-year-old girls, and I’d just had my fourth baby—another boy. Suffice it to say, that my decision to start a book blog—and be able to put tons of time into it—were questionable.

However, I wasn’t going to be persuaded to wait. This was a time in my life when I was mostly spending time at home, taking care of said children, and reading was really my only hobby. I found myself perusing these mysterious sites called “book blogs” and I was incredibly intrigued.

People spent time reading books and then reviewing them for people? For fun? On their very own webpage? And what’s more, the fact that independent publishing was hitting its stride and all the amazing connections that book bloggers were making with these authors was inspiring. I wanted nothing more than to take my lifelong hobby and share it with the world.

So, I spent what time I could between diapers, nursing, and starting to homeschool preschool with my four-year-old, to read and write about the books that were nearest and dearest to me. This was an incredible time for me!

I will say, though, that I was never quite able to devote all that much time to my blog. After all, four kids, four and younger are a lot of work. In hindsight, though, I’m glad I didn’t put my blog first. Now that my kids are older (my youngest is 10, my oldest is 15), I’m so thankful for the time I spent with them.

Now, though, my time is much more my own. I’m still homeschooling, and I still have those four kids that keep me busy at times. But they are much more capable of taking care of themselves and I have two sisterwives now that help contribute to all the things that I was doing by myself.

Since I started blogging, I’ve gone from using the Blogger platform to a self-hosted WordPress blog. Which, I always wanted to do but…money. I also try not to take myself as seriously. If I have to go a little while before posting, I try not to stress too hard. After all, at the age of thirty-nine, my perspective has changed.

I also am way pickier and choosier about which books that I choose to review. So, even when I get review requests now, and I struggle with feelings of guilt from saying no—I don’t dwell. Because I only have so much time. This makes me enjoy the blogging process so much more.

I’m not sure if book blogs will still be going in another ten years—or if I’ll still be doing it. But, if I am, I’m excited to see what else has changed in the book blogging community and for myself.

Please tell me: How has your blogging changed since you started? Are you doing anything differently? What have you learned from the process? How long have you been blogging?

 

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