Blogger Interview: Cullom Corner

The blogger that I interviewed was April and her blog is called Cullom Corner, which you can go check out here. She is a high school social studies teacher from Alabama. She has great teacher posts.

Q:What is the meaning behind your blog name?

 A:My blog name is Cullom Corner, which is my last name. I liked this idea because it encompassed both myself and my husband. I thought it well exemplified the idea of it being our “little corner of the world” and expressing our ideas on things. 

Q:   What made you decide to start blogging?

A: I have dealt with a tremendous amount of health problems in recent years. As a result of this, I spent lots of time on the Internet looking for time-saving tips and ideas for the classroom. I found some that helped me but overall, I noticed that no one was really focusing on the things I wanted them to focus on. Luckily my health has improved and is under control now so I thought after starting my Teacher Pay Teacher store that blogging was the next step. 

Q: What do you blog about?

A: I blog about education issues. Right now with the summer time, I’m focusing more on summer tips to help teachers and students. However, I plan to start focusing more specifically on time-saving techniques and ways to make a teacher’s life easier. This will include everything from classroom décor to making grading faster. There is a lot out there for elementary teachers but I teach high school so I would like to offer suggestions for other secondary teachers.    

Q:  How long have you been blogging?

A: I actually started blogging in 2009 when my husband and I got engaged. I originally used this blog to chronicle my engagement, wedding, & early married life for my friends and family. However, I recently (in April 2016) decided to change the focus to education.    

Q: What do you like to do beside blogging? Any hobbies?

A: I love to spend time with my husband watching our favorite television shows, like Castle, Brooklyn 99, and Angie Tribeca. I am kind of obsessed with working on my Teacher Pay Teacher store. It has become my “baby” and I just love creating new products. I also enjoy doing activities like Zumba and walking at the park with friends.  

Q:   Have you had writer’s block? What did you do? 

A: Since I haven’t been blogging long, I haven’t experienced this. I have SO many ideas in my head right now so that is the bigger problem for me. I’m trying to prioritize and sort all the ideas that pop into my head for blog posts! 

Q: What’s one thing you want your subscribers to know?

A:  As I move into doing more of a focus on time-saving tips & making life easier for teachers, I want them to know that I am a full-time classroom teacher that knows exactly what they are going through. I teach 10th & 12th grade Social Studies from 7:30-3:00 every day and I know how valuable time is for teachers. I have dealt with chronic illness that has inhibited my ability to do my job so I realize that sometimes life just doesn’t work the way it is supposed to work. We can all use a little help to make our life easier whether you are dealing with chronic illness, a divorce, moving houses, problems with your children, or just trying to have a life outside the classroom. Teaching is not easy and taking tips and ideas from someone doesn’t mean you are weak or a bad teacher. It actually means just the opposite! You are smart enough to realize your limits and allow someone to help you, which will ultimately improve your teaching.  

Q:  How do you balance being a teacher, wife and blogger?

A: It is definitely hard but I am very blessed to have a supportive husband and family. My husband is actually planning to go back to school in the fall to get his master’s degree so I figure we will spend a lot of time “together” while working on our laptops. 

Q: What made you decide to become a teacher?

A: I have to admit that I really don’t know how to answer this question because I have ALWAYS wanted to be a teacher. From an early age, I would teach my stuffed animals and my younger sister. I would come home from school and teach my sister what I had done that day, which is why I still take credit for her being the Valedictorian of her senior class. She was the only Kindergartner learning multiplication tables and cursive writing!

I originally wanted to teach choir but my parents tried to make me realize that schools usually only have one choir teacher so I might want to find myself something else to do on top of music. They never told me NOT to be a music teacher but they suggested I get an additional certification. Ultimately, I didn’t end up doing anything with choir. I was blessed to have several great social studies teachers in middle school and during that time, a librarian at my local library suggested that I read a historical fiction book entitled, The Last Silk Dress, by Ann Rinaldi. My dad is a HUGE history buff and I started to realize that I absolutely LOVED history. As a result, I decided to go into Social Studies. 

Q:  What advice would you give to someone who is just starting their blog?

A: Since I am new myself, I think the biggest thing is to learn everything you can. Get in a Facebook Blog Support Groups and read the advice others are giving. Ask questions. Read other people’s blogs as well. Obviously as an educator, I recognize the need for education in all aspects of life, blogging included. 

Q:   Do you have any other social media sites?

 A: Here are my sites: 

•  My TpT Store
•   Facebook page
• Facebook Group, Teacher Time – for Christian public school teachers that want to support one another.
•  Pinterest
• Twitter
• Instagram

Again, you should check out April's blog by clicking here. Thanks again April for letting me interview you!

<3 Amanda 

What's On My Tablet?

The tablet I have is the Samsung Galaxy Tab3. I have a variety of different apps. If you have an app that you love and enjoy,please leave it below in the comments. For starters, I have the regular apps like alarm, calculator, calendar, camera and so on. I rarely use the alarm or calendar as I use my phone for those.

The games I have are:

• PapiWall
• Bouncing Balls
• Words (which I don't use anymore so I don't know why I still have it)
• Speed Card
• Shoot Bubbles
• Basketball
• What's The Word? 4
• Word Search
• Unicorn Dash
• Fruit Ninja Free
• Temple Run 1 &2
• Match Up
• Flow Free
• Magic Piano
• Jigsaw Puzzle
• Subway Surfer
• Guess What?
• Best Fiends

Some other apps that are not games are:

• YouTube
• IMDB
• Amazon
• Zedge
• UPS Mobile
• Final Countdown
• Yahoo Mail (needed)
• LMCU for banking
• Pandora
• Pinterest
• Facebook and Messenger (duh!)
• My college's app
• Sound Hound
• Target
• Skype
• Mandala Coloring 

<3 Amanda 

Favorite Educational YouTubers

Like most people, I like watching YouTube and it's fun and educational for me to watch teachers who have channels. My Associate's degree is in early childhood development and I'm in the process (with the exception of a summer leave of absence) of getting my bachelor's degree in early childhood development. I have been liking two YouTubers for a while now who are teachers. Now my degree is for early childhood but the teachers I watch and learn from teach middle school and late elementary school but I still learn a lot from them and they both seem like great teachers to have,be co-workers with and look up to as role models.

The first teacher is Bridget and her channel is called The Lettered Classroom. She used to teach kindergarten but she's going to be teaching 4th grade this upcoming school year. I think she's a great teacher and she has so many videos to help other teachers or those who are going into the field. She has plan with me videos, organization videos and much more.If you want to check her channel out, click here. She also has a blog, Instagram,Facebook, Pinterest, a TPT store and much more. You should really check her channel and other accounts out, you won't regret it. 

My second channel that I want to give a shout-out to is toocoolformiddleschool blog. Megan is a middle school teacher and like I mentioned above, my degree is in early childhood development but she's still a great teacher to look up to. She has variety of videos beside teaching videos. She has favorites videos, hauls and more. You should check out her channel located here. She too has other accounts such as Instagram, Facebook,a TPT Store and more.

Do you have any teachers that you watch on YouTube? If so, please leave their channel down below.

<3 Amanda 

10 Weird Things About Me

(Pre-written on Friday: I wasn't sure what to post for tomorrow as I'll be at my boyfriend's house for the weekend and I don't want to bring my laptop with me so I decided to just do a simple post for today and have it scheduled to go up tomorrow).

Everyone has their own list of weird things about themselves. Here are 10 weird things about myself: 

1. I don't like apples or apple juice but I like apple sauce.
2. I like putting cheese between 2 pieces of bread, putting it in the microwave then dipping it in ketchup and mustard
3. When I have ketchup and mustard,I have to add them together
4. I sometimes put syrup on my eggs
5. If I'm writing something in pencil and I don't like how I wrote a word, I'll erase it and rewrite it.
6. I cannot take medicine if someone is watching me. 
7. I can rarely brush my teeth if someone is watching me.
8. I dislike leaving voice mails
9.  I cannot lick envelopes. I think they taste gross so I use tape to seal them.
10. When I get nervous, my foot moves back and fourth; like my legs will be crossed while sitting and the foot of the leg that's on top will move back and fourth.(No idea if that make sense).

Let me know down below if you can relate to any of these things.

<3 Amanda 

Ninja Turtle Cake

I "sometimes" think of myself as a baker and a cook. I thought of an idea that I could make ninja turtle cupcakes but then realized that we don't have a cupcake pan so I had to go with a 8"round cake pans. In my opinion, I don't like how it turned out but hey,I tried and you don't know how something is going to turn out if you don't at least try.

The things you'll need are:

• Cake mix( it doesn't matter what flavor because the frosting will cover it)
• The amount of water,eggs and oil that it calls for on the cake mix.
• Measuring Cup (to add the water to the cake mix)
• White frosting (You can use green,obviously but can always just use white and add some food coloring)
• Green Food Coloring 
• Air Heads
• Chocolate Chips
• Cake pan 

Not Pictured: Pam (cooking spray),mixing bowl and spoon.

Directions(Pictures below):

1. Follow the steps provided for you on the cake mix
2. While the cake is baking, if you don't have green food coloring spoon out the white frosting into a bowl and add drops of the food coloring and mix together. 
3. Take the cake out and wait for it to cool.
4. After it is cooled, spread the frosting on it.
5. Take the color airhead you want to use and stretch it a little without ripping it apart and place it near the top of your cake.
6. Take 2 chocolate chips (you could use a larger candy, like M&M's for the eyes).
7. Also, take a chocolate chip and place it for the nose and also to form a mouth .

In my opinion, I think it turned out ugly as I was expecting something else in my head but like I said above, you never know until you try,even though I'm a little embarrassed to show it.

<3 Amanda

Day In The Life In Pictures (DITL)

I thought it would be fun to do a day in the life but in my own way.  I wanted to get an earlier start but unfortunately I didn't so the first picture is from around noon.

My brunch was scrambled eggs with cheese on toast. You might be asking if that's coffee and the answer would be..nope. It's coke.

While I eat breakfast,I like to watch YouTube videos and this morning(well...not really),I decided to watch JHouse Vlogs. You can check their channel out here. They are a great family to watch and Jeremy and Kendra are a great example of how parents should be.

Then it was dishes time..We do have a dishwasher but for some reason I wanted to wash them by hand. This was the before picture.

After picture! All done!

Later on, I got my tablet and played Best Fiends. I think I'm on like level 13. If you play, what level are you on?

Beef Ravioli is what for dinner tonight.You could call me picky because I don't really like hamburger because of the grease afterwards but I will eat these.

Time to hit the shower! These are the items I used in the shower tonight. Not pictured-soap. If you want to see other items I use in my shower routine, click here.

                                 

Dessert; Chocolate lactose free ice cream with sprinkle of course  (I'm lactose intolerance-fun fact).

That was my Wednesday. I also worked on my blog, chatted with my boyfriend on Facebook, played Best Fiends again and ate popcorn. My seminars for this term are over so if I had my Wednesday class, it would have been from 9-10 pm. I did find out my final grade for this class and I'm happy to report that my final grade is 99.20%!   :) 

I hope you all had a good Wednesday. Now it's time for me to go to sleep...Well, play Best Fiends and watch YouTube videos before I fall asleep. Goodnight all!

<3 Amanda 

Movie Review #1: "Letters To God"

(https://www.visionvideo.com/dvd/602766D/letters-to-god)

I watched this movie a few months ago and this is a movie that has actually stayed in my mind. I don't think anyone could get through this movie without losing a few tears. This movie is based on a boy, named Tyler, who has cancer.  The movie is titled "Letters To God" because he writes letters to God. This movie is based on a true story, which you can read here. I would definitely give this movie a 10/10 stars.

I have been inspired to write a letter to God for awhile now so I am going to write one right now:

Dear God,

I first just wants to start off by saying thank you for putting happiness and also struggles in my life. I might sound crazy because I'm thanking you for putting struggles into my life but honestly all of the struggles just makes me a stronger person. I have had some struggles that I thought I couldn't make it through(for example, break-ups, my parents' divorcing, my mom being diagnosed with Parkinson's, etc.).Having you, family and friends, I made it through those times.

I know you can see everything that is happening down here and you are the one who places two people together. Thank you for placing my boyfriend in my life. I know it has only been a month that we have been together but I haven't been this happy in a long time and I needed to be happy again after everything that has happened these past few months. I really hope and pray that you don't separate us because I really hope that he's the one that I'm supposed to be with. 

I know wherever you place me in this world that it is the place I'm supposed to be at. You are the one who has a plan for me. I hope you are proud of me. God, please tell my family and friends who are up there with you that I love them and I hope I'm making them proud as well. You have someone up there who has impacted my life in a big way. Her name is Abbey and she was a former teacher of mine. I had her in seventh grade for science She was such an amazing teacher. I'm having a hard time tonight. I wished I could update her on so much but I know she is looking down on me and already know what I'm going to update her on. I hope she is proud of me.She was one of the people who influenced me to go into the educational field and become a teacher. I want to give back to the next generations what my teachers;especially her; gave me and that was support, encouragement, and patience. I hope to be a great teacher like she was and I hope I can impact as many students as she did.

Love,

Amanda 

I would definitely recommend "Letters To God". If you wrote a letter to God, what would you say?

References :

http://www.bpnews.net/32473/letters-to-god-film-has-moving-true-story

<3 Amanda 

My Perspective on Labels

(http://quotesgram.com/labeling-people-quotes/)

This is a post that I have been wanting to write for awhile now. Like bullying,there need to be an end to labels as well.

Stupid, fat, loser, b****,ugly, freak,weird were just a few labels I have been called in my life, especially in middle school and high school.  Hearing my own classmates call me those names made me feel more conscious about myself and had less self-confidence in myself. I remember my self-esteem going down because I was thinking what if they are right and I am all of the things that they call me. I think,now,that really made my self confidence go way down throughout high school. Yes, I was involved with track and field my junior year and helped with the musical in my freshmen year but I feel like if my self-confidence was higher, then I would have been involved in more activities,clubs and maybe sports(who knows?). 

I want to tell all of the young teens out there;males and females; and even adults out there that you shouldn't even pay attention to what people think about you negatively. If they call you nice,sweet,caring,kind, pretty, handsome, etc., those are compliments and you should be happy to receive those. But when people call you names like ugly, stupid, freak,loser,etc. you should just ignore them because the only person who really knows you is..YOU! Labeling is a component of bullying and it too needs to end! Labeling negatively doesn't do the world any good, it just makes the world more negative and we need to spread more positively throughout the world.  If people call you a negative label, I know it's hard but try to ignore it and just focus on yourself because like I mentioned above, YOU are the only one who really knows you-inside and out. 

I have been in your shoes plenty of times, so if you need someone to talk to,I'm always available. Just send me a message through the "contact form" on the right side of my blog.

<3 Amanda 

Happy Father's Day

(http://www.mmdesigncorp.com/2016/04/happy-fathers-day-quotes-images.html)

I just wanted to say Happy Father's Day to all of the dads out there and also to all of the moms who has to take on both roles. Hope you all have a good day!

<3 Amanda

Q and A

(http://www.aiche.org/chenected/2014/09/qa-meet-2014-candidates-part-2)

Hey guys,

I have decided to do a Q and A as I thought it would be fun to do. If you would like to leave me a question, please comment down below. I'm planning on doing it sometime in the next week or so, or just when I get enough questions for a post. 

Thanks!


<3 Amanda 

Dad Tag (In Honor Of Father's Day)

Since Father's Day is this weekend I thought it would be fun to do this tag with my dad.  You should ask your dad these questions and see what he says.

1. What was I like as a child? 
Quiet and shy (Still kind of am) 

2. What do you think of me having a blog? It’s creative


3. What's something funny I did when I was younger? Rode a bike into a fence (Back story to that).

4. Have you learned anything about makeup/beauty from me? Nope

5. What's a weird habit of mine? Cracking my knuckles (True)


6. If you had to rename your daughter, what would you name her? Tiffany Lindsey (Well, Tiffany is less common than Amanda)

7. When you guys go out to eat what does she order? Chicken tenders and fries (True)

8. What is one thing you wish she would do? Wear make-up more

9. What’s something I do that annoys you? My mood

10. What’s something I obsess over?  My belongings

11. Where would you like to see me in 10 years? Married with 2 kids

12. When were you most proud of me? When I graduated high school (Awe!)

13. What's the worst thing I've ever done? Having intercourse before marriage

14. What's your favorite moment of us together? The Father Daughter Dance when I was younger

15. How was I in school? Very smart and a teacher pet

16. What would you change if you could raise me again? More involved in school (more clubs).

17. Describe my perfect type of guy. Great personality and honestly.

<3 Amanda 

Blogger Interview: Simply Just Noel

My next blogger interview is with Noel,who lives and go to school in North Carolina. She is a dietetic college student. You can check out her blog at  http://simplyjustnoel.com/.  If you're looking for a great nutrition/health blog, I recommend her blog.

Q: What is the meaning behind your blog name?
A: Well, my blog name actually has followed me throughout my entire life – therefore it only seemed fitting! Starting back in high school I liked how “Simply Just Noel” sounded. I can remember being 16 and using it as my username on all of my social media outlets. So when it came time to launch my blog, I couldn’t get behind anything else, so I decided to stick with what I’ve always known!

Q: What made you decide to start blogging? A: Being in the field of nutrition, I often see and hear a ton of false information being thrown around. Since I have the educational background to fully understand what our body needs in terms of fuel, I felt that I could be a harbor for correct information in a world of myths, trends, and all around bad advice. I want to be one of the “go-to” gals who you can trust is giving you the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Q: What do you blog about? A: I blog about nutrition, health, fitness, wellness, and lifestyle – a little bit of everything. However, my main focus is proper nutrition through the selection of healthy lifestyle choices and whole, real foods.

Q: How long have you been blogging? A: One month! I have a lot of learning to do still, but I’ve enjoyed every day thus far. This has always been a dream of mine that I only ever casually joked about to my classmates. One day while I was driving to campus I decided, “why not now?”

Q: What do you like to do beside blogging? Any hobbies? A: Since I’m a full time student, I don’t have a lot of free time after taking care of coursework (and blogging of course!). But when I do have free time, I enjoy playing Frisbee with my two dogs, hanging out with my boyfriend, going to local restaurants and breweries in town, and binge watching Netflix.

Q:Have you had writer’s block? What did you do? A: Unfortunately, I seem to have writers block ALL the time. I think its because I have so many ideas that when I go to sit down and write, I don’t know where to start! Usually I take a deep breath or take a break, and talk it over with my friends or boyfriend. I find that conversing about relevant topics for my blog stimulates enough brainpower to crank out a solid post!

Q: What’s one thing you want your subscribers to know? A: Basically what I said in my introductory post. That this blog is not about eating grass 3 times a day, and doing overpriced juice cleanses on the weekend. This blog is not about doing cardio for four hours a day and running on 1,200 calorie diets to fit into a summer swimsuit. This blog is not about eating 100% organic and following the newest fad diets. And this blog is definitely NOT about being perfect (in any aspect of your life) 24/7, because being "perfect" is simply overrated. I repeat, being "perfect" is simply overrated.

Rather, this blog is about how good you can feel in your own skin. How amazing it can be to eat whole foods and take care of yourself - and yes, this includes taking care of your soul too (and butter is definitely good for the soul no matter what anyone says). This blog is about sharing tips, tricks, and creating a community of support. This blog is to empower all of us to get into the kitchen, sweat a little, and enjoy life to the fullest.

Q: What made you decide on your college major? A: Oh gosh, I could write a whole post on this alone! I started out as a nursing major and decided that I didn’t like the direction that the field was going towards. While I commend nurses on all of their hard work, wit, and ability to take on such a thankless job; I wanted to push for preventative health methods instead.

Q: What advice would you give to someone who is just starting their blog? A: Be consistent and keep going. Even if only your Mom and your friend in your hometown is reading…keep going. It is hard to write when you think no one is listening. But you have to remember that even the most successful bloggers out there started from scratch. Everyone has day one.

Q:Do you have any other social media sites? A: I do! Facebook: www.facebook.com/simplyjustnoel , Instagram: simplyjustnoel, and Pinterest: simplyjustnoel

Q: Where do you see your blog in 5 years? A: In 5 years I will have obtained my Masters Degree and Registered Dietitian (RD) credentials and will be practicing! Therefore, I will be able to provide more services in terms of nutrition consultations for online clients on my blog! I also hope to continuing to be writing quality content for Simply Just Noel, and walking each and everyone through the next step(s) of my life!

Q:What do you want your readers to take from your blog? A: That we are all human and that no one is perfect when it comes to being healthy – not even a RD in training! So often we try to achieve this unrealistic picture of health and wellness that we forget to live a little. I think the key is to realize that life is a balance. If we spend so much time stressing out about being healthy, we might just find we are only killing ourselves quicker.

Oh, and that good healthy whole foods CAN taste good, be fun, and not break the bank! Q:How did you balance blogging and being a college student? A: Lots and lots of coffee!

Again,you should definitely check out her blog located at http://simplyjustnoel.com/. Noel, thanks again for allowing me to interview you!


<3 Amanda 
 

Favorite Quotes

I have always liked quotes and I have many favorite quotes. I thought it would be interesting to share a few of  them with you. If you have any favorite quotes, please feel free to leave below as I would love to read them.

"You have to dream big, wish hard, and chase after your goals, because no one is going to do it for you."-Cee Lo Green

"Tomorrow is promised to no one." Clint Eastwood

"Getting an idea should be like siting down on a pin. It should make you jump up and do something."- E.L Simpson

"Though, no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending".- Carl Brand

"Do not go where the path may lead. Go instead where there's no path and leave a trail;". - Unknown

"I believe that everything happens for a reason.People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you can appreciate them when they are right,you believe lies, so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself,and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together".- Marilyn Monroe

"I'm the type of girl that can be so hurt but can still look at you and smile. The type of girl who is willingly to brighten your day even if she can't brighten her own."-Unknown

"You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have".-Unknown

"Be strong now because things will get better. It might be stormy now but it can't rain forever."- Unknown

"Don't worry about the people in your past. There's reason they didn't make it to the future."-Unknown

"The best things in life are never rationed. Friendship, loyalty and love. They do not require coupons."- George T. Hewitt


<3 Amanda

There Need To Be Peace

The past couple of days, I've been reflecting on the tragedies that has happened recently. The only thing I can ask myself is "Why?" Why do people have to be so mean and take innocent lives away? It's not up to them to decide that those lives weren't needed on this earth anymore.

Christina Grimmie was only 22 years old.She was very talented and impacted so many people lives. She was in Orlando just signing autographs for her fans. She had her whole life ahead of her and one person decided that she shouldn't have the chance to live along life. Thinking about myself, I'm 25 years old. She will never get to be 25. She'll never get the chance to get married, have children, become a grandma and etc.  But I know she's singing and looking down on her family, friends and fans. Adam Levine is such an amazing human being because he offered to pay for her funeral and etc. We should all look at him for how to be a great American.

Then there was another shooting this weekend at a nightclub again in Orlando. This time one man decided to shoot many innocent people, killing 49 and injuring 53. I heard that there were 50 killed but one was the shooter, which I agree we should only say the 49 innocent lives were taken because we shouldn't even talk about the shooter and give him more publicity. It is said that the shooter decided to go to that nightclub because he didn't agree with being gay. Who cares what he thinks or anybody else who doesn't agree with being gay? It's not their choice to tell people how they should be. I support same-sex couples because they are just like everyone. I have friends and a brother who is gay but I see them like everyone. I see their qualities and how they treat people. I don't see them as "Oh,he's gay, no I see them as an human being and an American. Being in American, you can decide who you are. Nobody should bullying you, kill you because they disagree with you, etc.

I've been seeing clips and videos of celebrities and You Tubers talk about the recent tragedies and I just want to cry along with them because is this how the next generation and the generations to come will see American and think that this is right? We need to put an end to this. Everyone's life is worthy and everyone should be allowed to live a long and happy life and not be afraid or fear that wherever they go, something is going to happen.

If you would like to help Christina's family or the families of those who lost their lives, you can go to these GoFund Accounts. Even if it's just $5 or even less, I promised you that it will still be greatly appreciated. Also, there is a need for blood donations. Though there is not a guarantee that your donation will go to Orlando, your donation will still help someone in need.

.Christina Grimmie
Orlando Victims


Today, I seen on Facebook that there was an armed man in a Wal-Mart in Texas who kept hostages. The police killed the man and the hostages were all safe.This needs to stop! It's like every time I check my Facebook, I see reports of another shooting.

I wanted to close this post by saying be nice to everyone you meet. Give them a smile or ask how their day is going. You may change someone's day. You never know what someone is going through.I want to say if you need someone to talk to, you are always welcomed to send me message through here using the contact form.


<3 Amanda

Confessions Of A Blogger Tag

Hey guys, I wasn't sure what to post for today so I decided to look on google for a tag to do and I found this one. I really liked this one as I felt like it was really unique and personal. Hope you like it   :)

1) When did you start your blog?

I started my blog on April 30th, 2016.

2) Why did you start your blog?

At that time, I felt like everything was going wrong in my life and I needed an outlet. I thought about it and since I like writing, I thought starting a blog was a good idea.

3) Have you had any past presence online?

Not a lot of people know this but I did have a YouTube channel where I did a few videos but I don't like public talking. I know that when you make videos you're not really talking to anyone and that you're basically talking to yourself but I have always hated my voice. For instance, I dislike leaving voice mails because I don't like my voice. Also, this might sound like a normal woman comment but I don't like how I look, Yes, I'll be honest and say that I compare myself to others but try not to do it as much these days. I decided to delete my channel earlier this year.  I also had another blog called Living life as an ordinary girl before but I didn't really pay much attention to it. I ended up deleting it. I don't know why I stopped posting on it because I really love blogging and writing.

4) When did you become serious about your blog?

I would say that I got pretty serious about my blog very quickly. I know that it might sound crazy but I try to write a post for each day. Now, I am human so I've missed some days and not all of my posts were amazing in my eyes and that some posts have just been short and tags but I wanted to have a post up for those who read my blog.

5) What was your first post?

My first post was titled "Reason For Starting This Blog", which you can read at Reason For Starting Blog. I will say when you read it if you're new to my blog that a lot of things have changed since then. I need to make an update post soon.

6) What is the biggest challenge you have faced whilst blogging?

I haven't had anything that I would consider a challenge except maybe writer's block when I don't know what to write for the day or the next day. A great tip to overcome writer's block is to just google blog posts ideas and write down any topics you would like to write a post about. For me, I created a calendar for each month and wrote down the post I want to write on each day. Yes, there are blank days but I can fill those days in at a later time or just have a few of those days "empty days" I would, call it. Now, my calendar isn't extreme at all. I just took white computer paper, a ruler, a black pen and different colored Paper Mate Flair M pens. I took the ruler and made a calendar template for each month, the wrote the month, the year on the top and the days of the week in the black pen. I then used a different colored pen for the dates. You can see here my calendar from May and get an idea of how to create your own calendar or/and get ideas for post about. You can see that my calendar isn't perfect as there are a few scribbles but that's part of the process of figuring out what to write about.

7) Where do you see your blog in one year?

Wow, a year is a long time to think about. I really hope I'm still blogging and doing a hobby that I love doing. In a year, I hope to be a better blogger and maybe be freelancing. If anyone has any tips on that, please leave them below.

8) What is the most rewarding thing to you about blogging?

To me, the most rewarding thing about blogging is that people actually read my blog posts. I have always liked writing but never really realize how good of a writer I am until people tell me. When I see my page views, I think to myself that I am a good writer and that people actually take the time out of their day to read what I write.

9) What's the most discouraging thing that happens to you?

Nothing has really discouraged me while blogging. I sometimes write a post that gets only a few number of page views and feel like not a lot of people are liking what I write but then I write my next post and get a lot more page views. Every blog post and reader are different and some topics might not sound interesting to some people.

10) What's your lasting inspiration or motivation?

My inspiration for blogging is my love for blogging and writing.  Even when I'm having a bad day and need to write a post to vent, I can. Bloggers form a community of online friends. When you don't think anyone is there for you, there are actually many people around the world who reads your blog. It's like having friendships connected by the love of blogging and writing.

<3 Amanda