Today marks the fourth anniversary of Our Little Smarties – a blog I started on 5 Jan 2009, which I’m still working to get at least two posts up per week despite my crazy work schedule. In fact, this post is my 687th post! That’s already a very good number, in my point of view.
So, come on! Let’s toast for my blog’s 4th anniversary! *Cheers*
With each passing year, my blog’s readership continues to grow, and 2012 is the best year in terms of traffic as well as new opportunities. Most importantly, it’s been a great year for content, make-over, being selected as the finalist for the Singapore Blog Awards 2012 Best Family Blog category, and opportunities to work with big brands like Lifebuoy, Sharp, LEGO and HK Disneyland.
It has been a wonderful and fruitful year! Yay!
I’d like to thank my readers first and foremost, but I’d also like to thank my husband, V, and my son, Edison, for their support and inspirations over the last four years. I’m always open to suggestions, so your comments are always appreciated too.
For the rest of this entry, I’ll talk about why I blog and what motivates me, which is also one of the most popular questions that I get from my friends.
In fact, I started blogging since 2007 – the year when Edison was born. I wrote on a Blogger blogspot to document my journey as a first-time mom, and to capture my son’s precious childhood as well as his development milestones.
It was pretty easy and stress-free at that time. I took lots of pictures, and I blogged mostly about what’s going on in our family. My readers are mainly my family members and close friends, where they get regular updates about us through my blog.
Interestingly enough, that simple blog has brought me so much joy. Until today, I still enjoy clicking on my old Blogger blog and read those baby stories that I wrote years ago. So much has happened, so much has passed, but they are not forgotten. Simply because I’ve captured them all on my blog!
Two years later in 2009, I noticed that my blog readership has started to increase. I bought my own domain and migrated to a self-hosted WordPress blog. Gradually, I re-positioned my blog’s theme to parenting and lifestyle of a working mother, and expand my writing to topics like food, health, holidays, education, etc.
Blogging also makes me part of this ‘mommy bloggers’ community from which I share my experiences, knowledge and encouragement. It helps me connect to the help and support that I need to be a better mom. I lost count of the number of encouraging comments from my readers when I’m faced with problems. And I also get useful advices to help me through a tough parenting spot.
Well, that basically explains why I blog. Now, I’ll tell you what motivates me to maintain this blog. That’s the perks of blogging that come in many forms! There, I’ve admitted it. Getting a chance to review some really cool products, meeting new people, attending interesting events, going on sponsored trips, generating extra income, and so on. I won’t beat around the bush.
To be honest, I had my share of difficult moments too, where I felt competitive and envious when I didn’t get what other bloggers have. There were those gloomy days when I felt that my blog wasn’t growing the way I want it to be. There were times when I had so much inspiration, but no time to blog about it. They can be quite depressing.
Many times, I recalibrate myself by returning to the basics – the main purpose of this blog is to document my journey as mom, and to capture my son’s childhood. Simple and clear. There shouldn’t be any stress factor. With this in mind, I’ll not neglect the main objective and core values of this blog.
One last thing. Ever since I’ve been diagnosed with Wegener’s Granulomatosis (a rare medical condition that could potentially be life-threatening), I realized just how important this blog is. If I had to leave this world in a sudden, I cringe at the thought that my son might forget about me. *pass me a tissue paper, please!*
I want to maintain this blog as an important diary for him. When he grows up and read it, it will bring him all his precious childhood memories, as well as memories of us together. He will always remember how I look like, how much I love him, and how much I want to be with him.
New Blogging Goals for 2013
This year, I’ve set some new blogging goals for myself, not in terms of readership numbers or $$$, but something meaningful to myself, to readers, as well as to the society:
1. Spread the joy of parenting
2. Inspire others to live a happy and fulfilled life as a mom
3. Build strong relationships with our families
New year, new goals and new directions. I’m ready to be in this tank for at least five more years.
