You can’t remember the last time you finished a blogpost and your child didn't tap a random button on your keyboard, can you? My daughter, who is a little over a year old, has mastered how to close a page in a flash.
Are there days you are trying to create an article and the kids won’t stop screaming? Next thing you know, utensils start clanging and you must go and find out if the world is coming to an end.
How about when you spent all day in the kitchen trying to fix a special meal? It didn’t come out quite right and that article you were working on didn’t get completed, either. And when you finally decided to complete it, your eyes refused stay open.
Have you ever realized you had dozed off on your keyboard because you spent all day caring for a sick child?
It’s has been a while since you sent content to your email list. You haven't even commented on any of your social media platforms for days. You have a backlog of feedback to catch up with.
Did You Know?
- Prevalence: Approximately 1 in 5 bloggers are estimated to be mothers.
- Primary Topics: Around 60% of mom bloggers primarily focus on parenting and family-related content.
- Income Generation: About 50% of mom bloggers report earning money from their blogs.
- Average Monthly Income: Among those who earn an income, the average monthly revenue is around $500.
- Social Media Usage: Over 90% of mom bloggers use social media to promote their blogs, with Facebook and Instagram being the most popular platforms.
Any day you concentrate on being there for your kids or your spouse, your blog suffers. Any other day you decide to give your blog the time it needs, your children can’t cope.
The last time I decided to ignore the kids and blog, I found all my utensils and cake piping nozzles in the trash. I am yet to understand how they managed to reach the tabletop.
You are beginning to think that you can’t run a blog and be a great mum to your kids.
Don’t entertain such thoughts yet. There are some steps I took and you should try them, too.
What Could Make a Mum Start a Blog?
I started blogging for some reasons.
It was a way to share my thoughts with the world and build an online family. I also had a product that needed to reach a wide audience who could become customers.
Additionally, I wanted a stay-at-home job to enable me to take care of my kids. After several searches online, I discovered that blogging was quite a fit for me.
But I thought all I had to do was create content and engage with my audience, and that is it.
I had no idea how hectic it is to boost posts on social media. I didn't know how time-consuming it is to engage with readers. I didn't also know how tasking it is to create relevant and fresh articles on a regular basis.
And I did not realize that these things I mentioned above are not all I even needed to do to be a successful blogger.
Did You Know?
- Blogging Frequency: Roughly 70% of mom bloggers publish new content at least once a week.
- Readership: The average mom blog receives about 1,000 to 5,000 page views per month.
- Sponsored Content: Approximately 40% of mom bloggers have written sponsored posts.
- Blog Longevity: About 30% of mom bloggers have been blogging for more than 5 years.
- Professional Background: Around 60% of mom bloggers have a college degree or higher education.
Who Is a Successful Blogger?
There are millions of bloggers today and many more blogs will be created even as you are reading this. It is no longer about how long you have been running a blog; it’s all about results.
Success is also measured by the reason you started the blog in the first place.
Blogging is all about bringing people to your online space. Whether it is for business or for pleasure, you must give them reasons to keep coming back.
How do you make that happen?
You consistently provide content that solves the problems in their lives or shows them how to get solutions.
You should also show that you appreciate their presence. You can do this by engaging in the conversations.
If you are selling a product, it is important you answer questions even if you have done that a million times on the post already.
There are so much more to do besides these.
Play With Your Kid While Working From Home - 2
- Puzzle Time: Set up a puzzle station near the work area. Puzzles can keep kids engaged and can be worked on independently. Mom can join in during short breaks.
- Treasure Hunt: Create a simple treasure hunt around the house with clues. The child can search for the 'treasure' while the mom works, and she can help with clues if needed.
- Building Blocks Challenge: Give the child building blocks (like LEGO) and set a challenge to build something specific, like a house or a vehicle. This can be a quiet activity that the child does independently.
- Educational Apps or Games: Set up educational games or apps on a tablet or computer. These can be both entertaining and instructive, allowing the child to learn while the mom works.
- Art Station: Create an art corner with paper, crayons, markers, and stickers. The child can draw or make crafts. Mom can occasionally participate by giving ideas or praise.
Who Is a Successful Mom?
Motherhood is a beautiful experience. Its beauty is not only when the baby arrives. It’s also in the caring, nurturing and providing for the children.
There is always a stage where a mother will have one or more toddlers to care for. Toddlers are sometimes too active and quite emotional.
They are not aware of who they are (even though they claim they do). They don’t also know what it means to maintain boundaries.
The younger a child is, the more curious they are about their surroundings. They are bound to explore and get themselves involved in activities.
They need your love and attention. In fact, they crave it and can go an extra mile to get it. They are also dependent on an adult for guidance and support. No matter how much a kid claims to have it under control, they don’t.
Thus, a successful mom is one who is always in charge of raising her kids. She is also able to understand the uniqueness of each child and handle them accordingly.
Did You Know?
- Age Range: The majority of mom bloggers are between 25 and 44 years old.
- Time Spent Blogging: On average, mom bloggers spend 15 to 20 hours per week working on their blogs.
- Networking: Over 50% participate in blogger networks or communities.
- Product Reviews: About 70% of mom bloggers do product reviews, often receiving free products from companies.
- Email Marketing: Around 65% use email newsletters to engage with their audience.
How to Be a Successful Mom and Blogger
Create a Schedule
Planning must be the most important step to take if you expect great results from blogging.
Map out time for the home and time for the blog. Both are important but you cannot work them out at the same time.
Create a schedule for the blog. Set dates and times for content upload, interaction with readers and social media promotions.
Create time for your family. Your blogging time is not supposed to interfere with your family time.
When it is time to be a mom, you need to give it your best. When it is time to be a blogger, you need to give it your utmost attention and concentration.
Introduce and Enforce Routines
Children are amazing to be with. Amid the chaos, you can discover the patterns and routines they live on. As a mum, you can take advantage of that and create routines to suit your schedule.
I have made sure that my kids retire for the night between 7 and 8 pm. This is to enable me carry out the activities on my schedule which begin by 9 pm.
It was not easy to establish this routine, but consistency is key. It is necessary not to create the impression that you can compromise when they refuse.
You could introduce nap time, quiet time, or whatever you feel would give you time to carry out some tasks.
Collaborate and Socialize
“No man is an island”.
Let me rephrase that: no blogger is an island.
There are millions of bloggers already and many more are coming on board. You could link up with fellow bloggers to share ideas and strategies.
You could reach out to fellow bloggers with massive audiences and collaborate. It could be link exchanges, social media shares or you could even offer help.
Relationships are important in the blogging world. It is a great tool for success in blogging. It is advisable to build a network with other bloggers.
You could also accept guest posts from other bloggers from sites that are not harmful to your page.
Play With Your Kid While Working From Home - 2
- Storytelling Game: Start a story and ask the child to continue it. This can be a back-and-forth game where each adds a sentence or two, which can be done while the mom is working.
- Quiet Time with Books: Create a cozy reading nook with a variety of books. Encourage independent reading or use audiobooks for younger kids.
- ‘Simon Says’ with a Twist: Play a version of 'Simon Says' where the child has to quietly do certain actions. This can be played with minimal attention from the mom.
- Play Dough Fun: Give the child play dough to create different shapes and objects. It's a quiet activity that can keep the child occupied for long periods.
- Pretend Play: Set up a mini office for the child with a desk, pretend computer, or notepad. They can mimic working alongside mom, which can be both fun and engaging for them.
Create Content Regularly
Even if it is not in your schedule to write and upload, creating fresh content regularly is important.
No matter how much of a superhuman you appear to be as a mom, you still have your down days. There are some days that things don’t go as planned. It could be that you have decided to spend the whole day with the family.
It is also normal to run out of ideas and find it difficult to finish an article. The content you have already created will help keep your blog running.
In all of these, though, remember it is the relevance of your blog that keeps the readers coming. Once they find nothing new, they will look elsewhere.
Did You Know?
- SEO Knowledge: Approximately 80% of mom bloggers have basic to advanced knowledge of Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
- Blogging Platforms: WordPress is the most popular blogging platform among mom bloggers, used by about 75%.
- Mobile Optimization: Around 85% have mobile-optimized blogs, recognizing the importance of mobile traffic.
- Advertising Revenue: About 45% generate revenue through banner ads or affiliate marketing.
- Growth Strategies: 60% of mom bloggers actively work on growing their audience through collaborations and guest posting.
Treat Your Kids Good
You can get the kids involved in activities you can check. That way, you keep them engaged and reduce the chances of squabbles.
It is most effective if they stay far away from each other as possible. It could range from a fun activity like watching TV to a tedious one like sorting laundry by color.
The whole idea is to keep them busy while you take a breather or put finishing touches to an article. Whatever you can achieve before they get cranky again, will likely not happen if you don’t engage them.
Ask for Help Sometimes
No matter how much you think you have it all covered, an extra hand can do a lot of good. Even if it’s a nap, a spa day or a minute of tranquil, you deserve it, mom.
Talk to relatives and friends who can come and spend time with the kids. You can even hire a nanny to come around at certain hours of the day.
If there are good neighbours with admirable values and/or kids, don’t hesitate to ask them for help.
Take Care of Yourself
Taking care of the family is a full-time job. Blogging is a full-time job, too.
You are handling two full-time jobs and it’s a wonder how you pull through. Being a mom is a lifetime project, so you need to be healthy enough to pull through.
Take time to rest, eat healthy, hang out with friends and do things that make you happy. There is a need for you to care for yourself so that you can care for others.
Delegate
Learn to delegate some duties, be it on the home front or on the blog.
If you find your schedule getting too tight, look out for those duties that don’t need your touch to make it perfect.
It could be laundry, picking the kids from school, watering the plants, replying mails or whatever.
Blogging is an engaging job. Take a moment off and the world leaves you and your page behind. Traffic to your site depends on the amount of work put in over time.
Being a successful mum and blogger requires a lot of planning and collaboration. You also need to get creative in order to successfully combine both jobs.
You are successful when you meet your goals.
For years, I've had a passion for writing, sharing stories with the world. Parallel to that, I've spent a good part of my life in stock investing, learning the ropes and making wise decisions. Now, as I enjoy my semi-retired life, I find joy in blending these two worlds. By combining my financial experience with my writing skills, I aim to create content, hoping to inspire others.
