Because, Mommy Blogger Meltdowns Happen. Forgive Me.

I recently read an article, Dear Mommy Blogger, by Josie Denise, that bluntly exposed the ugliest, most over-the-top side to being a mommy blogger. It was clear, Josie, had been brought to such a breaking point, that she felt the need to save every single mommy blogger from a similar fate. A fate, I had just recently come to terms with. I totally related to the article. Well, not quite to the degree of rage and ranting, but close.

I too was in the throws of being sick of constantly striving for PR Perfection, getting the most social media followers, taking the best pictures, weeding through hundreds of emails a day from people flogging their "next best parenting product", and worst of all, trying to be the perfect mom.

So. Not. Me.




When I started making money blogging, everything began to change. Starting with, my tone. I wanted to work with the big companies, so I had to take it down a notch. Did you know, the word on the street is if you have the word "fu*k" in any if your blog posts, Disney will not work with you? I struggled hard with that one. I totally wanted a free Disney cruise like the big bloggers got.

However.

I firmly believe an out loud,  fu*ck, here and there is therapeutic, so I failed pretty quickly at that one. I'd rather pay for a Disney cruise then bottle up the fu*ks.


Still, I tried my best to stay in the good girl blogger box on all other accounts. I followed the big bloggers and did what they did. I was more focused on being PR Perfect then why I blog in the first place.

I stopped enjoying the process. I started writing to write, just to keep my traffic numbers up to get jobs. I was on auto pilot, with really bad editing skills. My fire for blogging burned out. I wanted nothing to do with First Time Mom And Dad anymore. I, essentially, quit my job and walked away.




I knew I couldn't quit blogging all together. I've been blogging steadily for over five years, this shit, it's in my blood now. Which, is why I started LoveLifeDIY.com. This was a new place that was my own, where I felt free to say and do what ever I wanted. I was finally out of the mommy box!

It's a bloody miracle the first post wasn't all four letter words and inappropriate memes. 

Over the past six months, since starting LoveLifeDIY, I have been struggling with leaving this place.  it's where I shared the first four years of my parenting journey. This is my mommy world, a place to share my ups and downs with strangers. A space to talk about my child and log his life.

Sure, making money doing what I love is amazing, but it's not worth losing my love for writing.

Nothing is worth that.

Then I read the mommy blogger hate article, and started thinking about the other side of being a mommy blogger, the good side. I found myself sort of defending the mommy blogger world, and thinking of all of the great things it offers both the writer and the reader. The community and camaraderie are second to none. It's the laughs, tears, tales, friendships and learning about true parenting game-changers that keep us coming back! I miss that. So. Much.

It's time to reclaim my space and get back to the basics. No more blogging for brands and PR Perfection. Starting today, I'm back full-time here, telling tales of my wild-child and crazy Aussie husband... Just like old times. The meltdown is over. 

It's time for FTM&D V. 2!


In other related news... LoveLifeDIY.Com it's still on too. I'm working hard to create a great balance between Me and being a Mommy.. My little guy is four, I need to find a life before he starts school, or I'll be a sobbing mess!  

LLD pushes me to explore the things that are important to me, then write about them. Over there I'll be talking about restoring our 1920's home to golden glory, finding the real cure for wrinkles, clean eating, 30/30 challenges, gardening, yoga and meditation, finding fun ways to be active, the latest trends and styles, a celeb rant or two, oh, and an Aussie post or two, COMPLETELY unfiltered... 

To make it easy to navigate between blogs, there's a button at the top of both blogs that will take you directly to the other blog, look for "LLD" or "FTMAD", depending on which site you are already on. Smartphone users, check the drop down menu at the top for the link.

Again, I'm sorry for the hiatus, but I am confident you will see that it was a good thing. 


April is an award-winning writer and blogger. Her work has been published in over ten countries and four languages. From books to newspapers, to print/online magazines and everything in between, you can find her work. For more on April, Visit AprilMcCormick.com