Tots2Tweens Blog Awesome Challenge of Change

Change, such a small word that has so many definitions.  Thirty days ago I began the Blog Awesome Challenge sponsored by Tots2Tweens and it inspired me to begin a blog transformation.  When I started blogging in 2008 just after I became pregnant with my first child, I posted infrequent updates about my pregnancy.  Once my baby was born I posted pictures and anecdotes on life as a first time mom.  My return to work after maternity leave broke my heart into a million pieces day after day. I had a hard time transitioning back to full-time working mom mode, all while my baby was in the care of strangers at a daycare center.  I hated missing the milestones my son was making.  I had changed and my passion for my work fizzled.

I rarely blog about my other job outside of being a mom, my job as a Speech-Language Pathologist.  Before I had children I worked countless hours at a pediatric hospital, treating children with various chronic illnesses, brain injuries, and congenital heart defects.  I helped them to develop or recover their speech, language, voice or swallowing abilities.  The first three to four years into my career I was passionate about my work.  My patients taught me about compassion, heartache and perseverance. They are some of the bravest little people I know.  But like I said I lost some of my spunk after I became a mom.  I no longer felt the drive to work 50 + hours and deal with a long commute.  I wanted to be at home, loving on my boy. Unfortunately that just doesn’t pay the bills, so I pushed on.  I would like to say my fierce passion about my job returned after I settled back into things, but that would be a lie.  After having my second child, the sting of coming back to work after maternity leave hurt just as bad.  Now, almost a year into this “mom of two” thing I still find myself searching for something that will recharge my desire to fall back in love with my career.

I would have never guessed it, but this Blog Awesome Challenge has been a huge stepping stone.  The weekly challenge has forced me to re-evaluate my blog and how I use Twitter, Facebook, and even Pinterest to connect with new and old readers. As I was rewriting my “About Our Family” page, I realized that this blog has slowly become my place to write about not only my family but also myself. Most people find self portraits difficult, but have you ever tried to really write about yourself? It’s difficult to explain yourself to others, without sounding too boring or just plain stuck on yourself. I conquered changing the “About Our Family” page head on and decided to take full ownership of my blog. I wrote it only about myself. Now that was a learning experience! In writing my “About Me” page, I discovered that I could and should take this blog in a different direction.

Typically on Mondays, I post my weekly menu. Over the past few months my weekly “Menu Planning Monday” post has been nothing but another chore. The Blog Awesome Challenge forced me to fully realize this and do something about it. Yes, more change. After brainstorming, I decided to experiment with writing about a topic in language development. Many times my mommy friends will ask me various questions about language or speech development and when they do a small spark for my profession returns. My hope is that my new weekly feature, Mommy Minute Monday, will grow a community of parents and caregivers that are excited to build a child’s language, feeding, and memory skills through everyday routines and technology (such as the IPad). It is through this new feature, that I hope to reignite my love of Speech-Language Pathology and grow my blog.

As I transform my blog into something different there will be elements that will remain the same. Just as the birth of a new baby changes the family dynamics, the family unit remains the same. The mom and the dad continue to love their children with all of their heart and soul. The children continue to grow quicker than expected. I will continue to share stories and photos of my daily life as a mom, whose heart still breaks a little every weekday morning at daycare drop off.

I am excited about this new direction my blog is taking me. This excitement is why I feel that I would be a great representative for Tots2Tweens to send to Bloggy Boot Camp. Ever since discovering Tots2Tweens, I have learned so much about the blogging community in my area. I have also discovered new businesses, fun family activities, and events in the local area. Tots2Tweens is a great resource for all families it reaches and I would love to be a contributor through the internship.

Check out this video to learn more about this great resource or visit their website.

**Disclosure: This post was written as part of the Tots2Tweens Blog Awesome Challenge. Should I be selected as the winner I will receive a conference pass to Bloggy Boot Camp Philly as well as other monetary compensation. All opinions are my own.

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