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I am so honored to have been nominated for the Liebster Award! This award is given to bloggers by bloggers as a way of recognizing them for the great things they are doing in the blogging world. It helps bloggers build connections with other bloggers, expand their audience and provides a way for their readers to learn more about the person behind the blog.

You can read more about the Liebster Award here!

Thank you so much to Kelly from Corner of Happy for nominating me! Kelly is a mom of a 1-year old son and is pregnant with baby #2. Her goal is to help moms enjoy the every day and not get bogged down by the demands of this world! She wants you to be a happy mama, not a stressed out one! On her blog, you will find the topics of parenting, healthy living, home decor, and home organization. From packing your diaper bag to feeding a toddler, she discusses all those mom things 🙂 Her writing is easy to relate to and she shares a lot of valuable information in each blog post she publishes! I admire her dedication to the blogging world and her passion for inspiring moms around the world! As a fellow blogger, I’m excited to see where her blog takes her 🙂

Liebster Award Rules

1. Acknowledge the blog that gave you the award – send them love!
2. Answer 11 questions that the blogger gives you
3. Give 11 random facts about yourself
4. Nominate 11 blogs and notify them that you dig them
5. Give them 11 questions to answer – Be creative!

My Answers

Here are my responses to the questions asked by Kelly from Corner of Happy: 

What led you to blogging and how did you decide on your niche?

When I was pregnant with my daughter, I knew I wanted to take a break from teaching and stay at home with her. I became interested in reading about ways to make money as a stay at home mom through blog posts I stumbled upon on Pinterest. Several, if not all of these blog posts, talked about blogging as something that could potentially bring in extra money. I talked to my husband about it and he said blogging sounded right up my alley (he even found an article or two that discussed blogging as a source of income) because there are many things that I do that I could write about and share with others. I continued to read about blogging and finally decided to purchase my domain in February 2017. Deciding on my domain name was tough, but I ultimately decided on Nurturing Family & Self. In my eyes, the topics I wanted to blog about (a mixed pot of many things — running/exercise, photobooking, cooking/baking, being a mom, home decorating, house cleaning, home organization, etc.) centered around taking care of my husband, my family, my daughter (being a mom) and myself. I’ve always been a nurturing person who cared for others and am passionate about doing things that show how much I care so Nurturing Family & Self seemed like the appropriate name for my blog, which I would generally classify as a lifestyle/mommy blog.

 

Would you rather read others’ minds or see into the future? Why?

This is a tough question because there are benefits to both, but I think I would rather read others’ minds. I will admit that I am one of those people who enjoys people watching and have always been more of an observer and listener than talker. I am curious about what people are really thinking in a particular situation. I always want others to be happy, especially my family and close friends. Currently, the power to read others’ minds would be helpful with my 17 month old daughter because I would know exactly what she wants and why she is all of a sudden screaming at the top of her lungs or throwing her food onto the floor! It would save my husband and I a lot of time going through all the possible wants or needs.

 

Would you rather live in the mountains or on the beach?

Definitely in the mountains! While I enjoy visiting the beach during our annual family vacation, I would much rather live in the mountains. The mountains are quiet, peaceful and scenic. My aunt and uncle live in Bozeman, Montana and I always enjoy visiting them. We go on various hikes through the mountains and I love the scenery. In the winter, I picture curling up in front of a warm fireplace with a good book and a blanket. It just sounds so heavenly and relaxing to me!

 

What is your absolute favorite family tradition?

I love family traditions and have enjoyed starting our own as a family of three now. When I think about the family traditions growing up, the ones that make me the happiest are Sunday morning breakfast and weekend family meals. Every Sunday morning, my mom would make pancakes or french toast and bacon for breakfast. I would help her with the cooking and always wanted to be in charge of flipping the pancakes. I looked forward to this and enjoyed the slow pace of Sunday mornings. I continue to prepare breakfast in this way every week and I know my husband enjoys it because he LOVES breakfast. He is a butter and syrup guy, that’s for sure.

Similar to Sunday morning breakfast is getting together for family meals on Sunday evenings. There’s just something so special and relaxing about sitting around the table with your close family and taking time to eat a nice home cooked meal together before the hustle and bustle of another week pulls us in a million different directions. I love setting aside Sundays for dedicated family time!

 

Let’s flashback to elementary school and acrostic poems! Describe yourself using each letter in your first name.

I loved writing acrostic poems in elementary school and it was a writing activity I did MANY times with my students when I was teaching!

 

If you could go back to when you first started blogging, what would you tell yourself about what you know now?

I’ve learned a lot through my interactions with other bloggers and through LOTS of reading about blogging and other bloggers’ experiences. I think I would tell myself to create a road map for your blog. Each stop (short term/mini goals) along the way will bring you closer to your destination (or ultimate goal). Focusing on one specific goal at a time will eliminate the overwhelm. When I first started, I became overwhelmed by the amount of things there was to learn about blogging and this caused me to take no action for a few months. Also, progress is better than perfection! I am a perfectionist and realized if I strive for perfect, I will never get anything done! The thing I’ve learned about blogging is that it will move at the pace you want it to move and it takes a long time for you to build up your blog. And there’s nothing wrong with that! One of the bloggers I admire, Tara Woodard Mitchell of Travel Plus Family, told me, “Blogging is not a sprint, it is a marathon. And the pace you set, is only mandated by yourself.” This has stuck with me and I would tell myself that slow growth is better than no growth. Going slow is much better than giving up!

 

You can only have either your laptop OR your cell phone for the rest of your life. Which do you choose and why?

This is a great question! I probably spend more time each day on my cell phone than I do on my laptop. Many of the things I do on my laptop can also be done on my cell phone. My cell phone keeps me connected to my family and friends. I can check my email, make phone calls, go on social media, search for something on the Internet, make notes, keep track of events, and work on writing blog posts through Google Docs. Also, my cell phone is my camera and I LOVE taking pictures of my daughter and everything we do. This is how I document everyday moments, the places we visit and time we spend with family. Therefore, I would choose to keep my cell phone!  

 

Name the top three things on your bucket list.

The top three things on my bucket list are travel to Europe, run in the Boston Marathon, and write a book.

I would love to visit Germany or Italy. My family is from Germany and being a part of Oktoberfest would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

Italian food is my favorite cuisine so spending time touring Italy would make me happy. Plus, I love wine!

Running in the Boston Marathon is a dream of mine as a distance runner. As the oldest annual marathon and one of the world’s best-known road racing events, it would be an honor and privilege to participate in the Boston Marathon.

As for writing a book, I’m not sure just yet what my book would be about, but I have this deep desire to write one. I guess blogging is a good place to start and see where my writing takes me!

 

Someone has been hired to follow you around with a speaker for the rest of your life and can only play your “theme song”. What’s your theme song?

The first song that comes to mind is “Days Go By” by Keith Urban, my favorite male singer. The song talks about how we are moving so fast through our days and that the days fly by, “flyin’ like a hand out the window in the wind”. But, we need to stop and “start livin’ right now” because these are the only days we have. When we rush around, we lose ourselves and don’t fully enjoy each day as the gift it is. Now that I’m a mom, it is even more important to me to make the most of every day because my daughter won’t be this young forever. I am trying really hard to live each day to the fullest and make the most of the time I have with my daughter and my husband. My husband works as a computer programmer during the day and coaches swimming in the evening. He works long days (14 hours) so I can be at home with our daughter so I want to make the most of the time we get together when he is home.  

 

What’s one thing that you absolutely love about yourself?

The one thing that I absolutely love about myself is my ability to take something ordinary and turn it into something special or unique. This is most noticeable in my seasonal home decorations. You can read about how I used shredded paper and simple items found at the Dollar Tree to create unique (and inexpensive) Valentine’s Decorations for my home here. I’m all about homemade creativity!

 

What last made you laugh? Like, genuine belly laugh we’re talking here!

My 17 month old daughter is always doing things that make me laugh. We’ve been learning animal sounds and reading books about animals for a long time now. She recently started saying the sounds when you ask, “What does the ___ say?”. The one that makes me laugh every time is the chicken sound she makes. It sounds so sweet and she says it with such authority. Another thing that makes me laugh almost every day is when she calls the cat by going “psst psst psst”. My father-in-law taught her this!

 

11 Random Facts about Yours Truly 

 

1. I’ve been to 17 out of the 30 Major League Baseball stadiums. The first 15 were before children. My goal is to visit all 30 in my lifetime. We are planning a big family trip to Missouri this summer and will be going to two more baseball stadiums during that time.
2. I participated in the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend Dopey Challenge in January 2016. This event involves running a total of 48.6 miles over a period of four days. It is a 5K (3.1 miles), 10K (6.2 miles), Half Marathon (13.1 miles) and Marathon (26.2 miles) on four consecutive days. This is by far the best, and most memorable, running race event I’ve participated in!
3. I have my Masters Degree in Reading Education and was a reading/ESL teacher in an inner city school district for 10 years.
4. I have an orange tabby cat named Griffon who loves to play fetch and tolerates the random tail pulling from my daughter.
5. My husband proposed to me during a weekend spent in Hershey, PA, one of our favorite places to visit.
6. I love baking birthday cakes and treats for friends and family.
7. Chase Utley is my favorite baseball player. My husband caught (well it came into stands and rolled his way) a homerun ball hit by Chase at a Phillies Game. It was autographed for us!
8. I love putting together jigsaw puzzles, especially the Thomas Kinkade ones! I recently finished putting together 12 different Disney Thomas Kinkade puzzles, glued them and will be hanging them up as wall art in our basement playroom. We love Disney and are planning to theme the playroom to reflect this interest.
9. Watching sports is relaxing to me! I enjoy watching football, baseball, hockey, tennis, and Nascar racing. My husband and I like to watch games on TV and in person. We look forward to watching a game and eating “munchies”. I talk about our favorite snacks and munchies to make while watching sports here.   
10. Hallmark Channel is my FAVORITE channel to watch, especially on the weekends 🙂 
11. Peanut Butter is my FAVORITE food! I eat it in my oatmeal, with graham crackers, on waffles, and on toast. My current obsession is Greek yogurt mixed with peanut butter and chocolate chips. Oh my, it is a nice sweet treat!

 

My Blog Nominees

Now that you know a little bit more about me, it is time for me to nominate some of my favorite bloggers so you can learn more about them 🙂

1. Ashley’s Attic – Ashley loves organization and being creative! On her blog, you will find posts about motherhood, decluttering your home and stress-free family vacations. You can also join her FREE 7-Day Kitchen Organization Challenge!
2. According to Ashley – According to Ashley is a mom and lifestyle blog. Ashley shares about her experiences being a mom to her beautiful daughter. I love the pictures she shares on Instagram. Her daughter is such a cutie 🙂
3. Lemon Blessings by Sarah Brumley – Lemon Blessings is all about family and helping family-oriented individuals navigate the many day-to-day situations with which they are faced. You can find tips for starting a new budget, maintaining a clean house, and about relationships.
4. Laugh A Little Louder – I love the name of Katie’s blog! She is a Florida resident and enjoys writing about her travels, DIY projects and cooking. She recently shared about painting a chevron accent wall that turned out AMAZING!
5. Travel Plus Family – Tara at Travel Plus Family loves soaking up every minute with her husband and daughter. She enjoys sharing about her travels and all things family. The pictures she takes are amazing and I enjoy reading about her recent trip to the JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa and Philip S. Miller Park in Castle Rock, CO. The information she shares inspires me to visit Colorado and the western region of the United States 🙂
6. Ordinary Joy Blog – Brooke is the face behind this blog. She gets excited about the small things and strives to help her readers spark joy from those ordinary, everyday moments. I love the style of her blog and am excited to read more about her experiences planning her wedding!
7. Thoughts in Full Bloom – This lifestyle blog shares about DIY, recipes and health & fitness. I enjoyed reading about the DIY cupcake cake. The cupcake cake looked too pretty to eat!
8. Wicked Frugal Wife – Nikki from Wicked Frugal Wife has a goal of helping others live a debt-free life. She shares about ways to stay on budget, live a debt-free life and how to save money every month (be frugal!). Her blog also documents her “frugal day-to-day life with a spunky toddler”.
9. Usbourne for Kids – Jamie is all about children’s literacy and making it possible for all kids to have access to the amazing titles from Usbourne Books & More. Her blog content really resonates with me as a former reading teacher. Her passion for children’s literacy and excitement about sharing Usbourne Books & More shines through every post she writes.
10. Rise & Yum – Breakfast is one of my favorite meals of the day and Mary shares many delicious (and fast) breakfast recipes on her blog. The recipes are easy to follow and use ingredients you probably already keep on hand in your kitchen. Her blog is easy to navigate and find the recipe that fits your time frame.
11. Operation Momma on a Mission – Michelle is a wine loving momma of three who enjoys spending time with her family. She shares about her life, her family, fashion & beauty, and her wine business. My favorite part of her blog is the video page! She posts silly videos of her kiddos 🙂

 

Questions for my Nominees 

1. If you were given a free ticket, which country would you choose to visit and why?
2. What is your favorite time of day?
3. Who inspires you the most?
4. What has been your biggest blogging blessing?
5. Where do you see yourself (and your blog) in 5 years?
6. What is your most prized possession?
7. If money was no object, what would you do all day?
8. What is your favorite memory?
9. If you could go back in time, what year would you travel to and why?
10. Which animal best defines you and why?
11. What is one piece of advice you would give to a new blogger?

Thank you!

I really appreciate you taking the time to read through my nomination and getting to know the writer behind this blog a little more! I love how supportive the blogging world is and am excited to be a part of it. I can’t wait to see what the future brings Nurturing Family & Self 🙂 Congratulations to all the nominees and I look forward to seeing where your blogs take you!

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