Life before LadyBossBlogger 


When I started my blog I did so much research trying to figure out the best strategies to increase traffic and start growing my blog. It was so overwhelming to find so much information about it. It all seemed like a foreign language to me, which of course meant I spent even more time researching a bunch of words and what they meant. One of them being SEO. 


Thanks to LadyBossBlogger I have been able to understand more about SEO and it’s value in the blogging community!






SEO? What is that?


SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, and you definitely need this if you want to get organic views on your blog. Before starting this course written by Elaine Rau, I had read about SEO and it’s importance but for some reason, it didn’t seem like a big deal to me. 


The course breaks it down so much it literally answers all your questions as you are reading it before you even get to ask the questions yourself. 


  • Why SEO? 

  • How does it work? 

  • Do you have to pay? 

  • What are the benefits?

  • Why is it so important? 

  • How does it lead to organic views? 

  • And so much more!


It’s important to note that just like everything good in life, SEO takes time. I don’t know if any of you are like me, but I can get pretty impatient and want to see results the next morning (kidding, not). Once you start implementing SEO you will start seeing results as time goes by. 


If you aren’t on Pinterest, you are missing out!


If you have a blog and you aren’t using Pinterest to direct pinners to your blog you are definitely missing out ! When we think about Pinterest we automatically think of social media, but in reality, Pinterest is so much more than that. Pinterest is a search engine, and you should be taking advantage of this. 


LadyBossBlogger walks through maximizing your time on Pinterest to help you grow your blog. The course provides all the details to start using your Pinterest as SEO or improve your strategy if you are already very active. Either way, you will learn what’s needed to be successful


But wait... there’s more!


Y’all this course is so complete, I can’t even express how amazed I was with all the information it provides. If Pinterest is not your thing, but you love Instagram this course also has you covered! 


There are so many different approaches you can take when dealing with Instagram. The opportunities are endless, make sure you take advantage of every single opportunity to keep growing your blog


LadyBossBlogger provides so many tips and strategies to maximize your use of Instagram, from hashtags to using your analytics. It all makes sense!


What are you waiting for? 


If you have been looking for a sign to invest in your future as a blogger and are looking for the push you need to go from ordinary to extraordinary, THIS IS IT


You will not regret taking this course and I am sure you will be as amazed as me when finding every single question you have googled all in one place. I can't wait to continue applying everything I have learned and take my blog to the next level!


Additional course :



Thank you @LadyBossBlogger + @ElaineRau for sponsoring this post!

Blog: 


Okay y’all! It has officially been one year since I started blogging! I remember thinking about starting my blog for a while, but I kept putting it off again and again. 


One day I decided “this is it, I need to start now!” And the rest is history! (Make sure to read this entire blog post, surprise GIVEAWAY at the end )





FIRST STEPS


Honestly this blogging journey has not been easy. You would think writing about your life, experiences, recipes, adventures, etc would be so much easier than it actually is. Blogging takes lots of time, determination, consistency, and most of all LOVE. 


One thing I have truly enjoyed about this blogging journey has been the amazing connections I have made! I have met amazing women, who I now call friends, through this platform and Instagram and I am so thankful for that!


A LEAP OF FAITH


Last summer I decided to take a leap of faith and started pushing to monetize my Instagram. I figured if others are doing it, so can I! Just a couple months later I landed my first ever paid collaboration on IG and I have continued to grow since then.  


Now I have decided it’s time to up my game on this blog and start making some MONEY MOVES


I am currently taking LadyBossBlogger’s “Make Money Blogging” course and I cannot wait to learn everything there is to know on how to be successful in this blogging community! 




MONEY MOVES THAT YOU CAN LEARN


The course is broken down into 16 very valuable sections including the ins and outs on how to monetize your blog!


If you aren’t sure where or how to start your blog, this course can help you find your niche and your why!  If you already have those down, this course also teaches you about targeting your audience and designing your brand! 


If you are past that phase and are ready to dive in, the course will teach you about: 


- Email marketing strategies 

- Social media foundations 

- SEO 

- Understanding the legal aspects

- And of course all the tips and tricks to start making money on your blog!!! 


No matter where you are in your blogging journey, this course offers very valuable tools for everyone! They also offer free courses: 



This quarantine has made me realize many, many things. One of them is me realizing my 18 month old son’s toys are not encouraging him to learn.

These past 18 months we have been gifted and we have bought many toys for him. I am so thankful for all the wonderful toys he has received and he has definitely loved them all. 

Spending the majority of my time with Arian these past five weeks, I have realized that on any given day he only plays with about 10% of his toys!!! That means the majority of his toys are just taking up space and creating unnecessary mess throughout the house.

(Showing about half of his toys)

I know the importance of stimulating his brain and senses to encourage proper development. So many toys are constantly advertised as being able to boost a toddler’s brain. Sadly, many of them do not do that and may even lead to some delays. 

I am a big believer that not one size fits all. Some kids may do great with electronic toys and may actually learn a lot from them. Some others may not do so well and may need something different. 

Arian’s attention span is very short, as the majority of toddlers around his age are. Having so many toys to choose from on the daily becomes overwhelming and frustrating I am sure. He sometimes looks at all his toys and the only thing he does is throw them around the living room then moves on to play with something else, like my plant. 

I have decided it’s time to change things up and attempt something new. I have always known about Montessori and it’s benefits. After much research and deliberation I am taking a leap and changing his play area to a Montessori style play area!

Incorporating Montessori styled play involves offering your toddler an opportunity to develop their own capabilities. You give your toddler a chance to focus on one activity at a time, it is recommended that they do not have 6-10 toys/activities to choose from. After a few weeks/months you switch them around and introduce new (or in our case hidden) toys to you child. You do what is best for your little one and can adjust accordingly of course.

You also allow your child to choose their own activities. They are leading their play and do what they find most interesting. It's okay to encourage but never to force. I will go more into detail later on through our journey!

Some great reminders:

"Tell me and I will forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I will understand"
- Chinese Proverb

"Free the child's potential, and you will transform him into the world"
- Maria Montessori

I am excited to see how he will react and the new things he will learn! I am sure this might be hard at the beginning but I definitely think the end result will be well worth it. 

I will keep you posted on our journey and will continue  sharing more as the days go by! Let me know if you are currently doing Montessori or would like to try it out in the comments!

Enjoy your weekend 💕

Alright y’all, I’m officially in my fifth week working from home. I am not going to lie, it has not been easy!

At first when we were told we were going to start working from home, I didn’t think about it too much. I already do some work from home so I’m pretty used to it... or so I thought!

The first couple weeks were pretty rough. Our schedule was completely off. We have (or had) our daily routine and were pretty good about sticking to it. But now, with me being home 24/7 you already know I went off track!!!

You see, this wouldn’t be an issue if it was just me I had to worry about, if I could go to bed late and sleep in, or just readjust my schedule entirely. NOPE! This means my 18 month old Arian also went off schedule. And believe me, it was not pretty! 



As we were staying up late binge watching Netflix, our young one stayed up too. Of course, not thinking about it too much we didn’t think it was a big deal. A few days went by and next thing we know his schedule is completely off! 

Usual schedule: 
9 am - wake up and play
10 am - eat 
11-1:30 pm play 
1:30-3:30 - eat then nap 
3:30 - some more play 
6 pm - eat 
8 pm - bath time 
9 pm - bed time 
9:30 pm - 9 am - sleeping peacefully 

Quarantine schedule 
6 am - wake up and play (with an extra touch of energy)
8 am - eat
9 am - 12 pm - play time 
12:30 - eat 
12:30-2:30 - nap 
3 pm  eat 
3:30-7 - play 
7 pm - eat 
8 pm - bath time 
8 pm - midnight - play 
Midnight - 6 am - sleep and wake up at least 2 times 

This boy went from sleeping 13.5 hours in a day and sleeping through the night, to sleeping only 8 hours in a day and waking up at least twice at night!!!

And yes, yes! I know it’s our fault for not sticking to a schedule (something we’ve always been pretty good at). But come on, I think everyone has been off schedule with this whole situation! 

Finally, we are getting back on track (except today, as I am typing this at 11:37 pm trying to put him down). But it’s okay, it just takes consistency, patience and lots of love! 

I will be incorporating more Montessori style play starting next week and I am so excited ! I will be rearranging his “baby” play area into a toddler Montessori play area, so stay tuned for that! 

Thanks for reading friends! And remember, one day we will look back and hope we had another chance to spend more time with our little ones. So enjoy it while it lasts !!!! 




These pictures were taken almost 1.5 years ago!!! My sweet boy Arian is 2 weeks away from turning 18 months. Woah! Time sure did fly by! 

He was the sweetest little model for this photoshoot! So glad my friend was able to capture these beautiful pictures.