The upstairs of our apartment is clean!
Truth be told, Ryan and I have more to do today than we initially thought. We left behind a good two car load’s worth of stuff that wouldn’t fit in the Uhaul and it’s the kind of stuff that is hard to box up and organize. Random office things, CD players, craft items… random stuff!
About an hour into cleaning we developed a plan: Tackle each room and then move onto the next. Now our living room is full of stuff that we plan to bring to Ocala on Sunday.
The rest of today will be spent cleaning the downstairs of our apartment (kitchen, bathroom, room of shit), before we pack up Ryan’s car and head to my parents’ house in St. Pete for the weekend to celebrate my mom’s birthday.
I am so over this whole moving thing. Blah!
Lunch
Lunch was assembled on the fly using food we had on hand.
Peanut butter and jelly tortillas. Hey, it works!
Just ask Sadie…
Sneaky little devil.
I also consumed several spoonfuls of peanut butter throughout the morning. I’m really feelin’ the nutty stuff today!
Back to the grind…
I’m seriously going to do flips when I can concentrate fully on blogging again! I feel like I’ve been so frazzled throughout the past few days. I’ve had a million different blog posts pop into my brain that I’ve wanted to write but just haven’t had time to sit down and hammer out. Soon!!!
Blogging Questions Roundup
One of the blog posts I’ve been meaning to write f-o-r-everrr is one about blogging since many of the emails I receive relate to blogging, how to start a blog, promote a blog, reach out to companies, etc. I am thinking an informal post that is more Q&A in nature might be fun!
I would love to do a Q&A post all about blogging to address some of the questions you guys may have out there, so if you have anything you’d like addressed, please post your question in the comments section below. If I see a lot of the same question and think it would make a great post on its own, I may divide up topics and go from there.
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Enjoy your Friday night!!! I’ll see ya after dinner… and after lots of birthday cake. 
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Your PB&J in a tortilla was typical lunch for me when I was little. It’s the Mexican peanut butter and jelly sandwich. My mom had it all the time when she was little, since her mom couldn’t afford to buy bread all the time and she always had ingredients for tortillas.
Pb&j never gets old. I know you’re a 3x a day blogger but do you think it affects your following?. I sometimes only blog a couple times a week or however often I am inspired because i rather quality over quantity but I’m not sure whether the opposite could be more beneficial?
why are you suggesting quality/quantity are mutually exclusive? they don’t have to be!
Not suggesting that in the slightest, sorry if my phrasing was poor! If I considered that the case, I wouldn’t be an avid PBF follower!
I’d love to know more about how to become a part of the community. I’m truly interested in being a part of this great group of women… I’m not just posting comments b/c I want other people to comment on my blog, you know? But I feel like the new kid in town that’s scared to ask, “Please be my friend!” 😉 Any advice on that would be great.
Also, how to set up your website to be self-hosting, so that you can have advertisements and such. Right now with wordpress, I don’t believe I can do that.
And I notice that many of you have foodbuzz ads. Do you contact them for their advertisements, or do they contact you?
Thanks Julie!!!
Hahaha…I can’t believe Sadie snuck in there mid-photo! Did you still eat it? 😉
The “random crap” when you’re moving is the worst part…I tend to just put it all in reusable shopping bags then go through it at the new apartment. Unfortunately, this has left me with several full bags of random crap sitting in my closet after a handful of moves. Important part of this strategy: making sure to actually empty the bags.
Have you had any issues with stalkers? How do you decide how much to share on the blog?
I actually have one I think would be a good topic. 🙂
I know you have been featured in media like old sorority newsletters, local magazines, former school newspapers, etc in addition to online mags like shape and fitness. Do you reach out for these opportunities? Do they contact you? How do you make yourself more visible to other media?
I’ll second that one! 🙂
how timely! i just started my blog within the last few days and my questions are all pretty basic. what are some ways to increase readership, and how did you inititally get companies to sponsor/provide goodies for your blog?
thanks, julie!
hey! pretty much exactly what tina just said above me! ^^^ 😀
I have a question– What did you do as a blogger to connect with the Orlando blogging community?
I was just wondering, did you see todays post on Courtney’s blog (STSL)? She nominated you for 7 links or something like that, along with others. Can’t wait to see yours!
Birthday cake = reward for all the moving hassle! Have a great night!
lskjdflkjskfsdf I VANT THAT TORTILLA!
Hey Julie! These questions may have already been brought up….but I would like to know how to grow your readers/audience. How did yours grow and when didnyou notice a large consistent following?
Also how do you turn a one time reader into a follower?
Enjoy the cake!
Obviously your blog is about your life and day-to-day experiences, but with a focus on healthy living. But you started off more focused on just food and working out. Do you think that it is important to start out as a more focused blog and expand as you gain readership? Or do you feel that the way you blog now would have been as successful in the beginning?
This is a good question! I can be somewhat fickle and find it hard to choose a focus for my blog. So I started a new one that’s just a “life” blog. But I’m concerned that new readers may be turned off by the variety of subjects I write about.
Do you feel it’s best to have a main focus for a blog or is it ok to just write about whatever happens in your life? For instance, do you not include certain things on your blog because they don’t necessarily “fit” into the main subject/focus of your blog?
Question, I noticed you get stuff sent to you from different companies some times to review on your blog. Do you contact these companies and ask to review their products or do they contact you?
I’m wondering this too! And if they somehow just randomly connect with you… how do they have your address (like that post cereal you recently got as a surprise)?!?!? That kind of seem, scary/creepy to me if that’s the way it works… yikes!
I am not a blogger but I have always been concerned for your safety and I see others have asked the question about safety and blogging. I love reading your blog and have learned alot from you. Just want you to be safe . Have a great weekend.
Julie,
How do you get freelance work? How much do they pay?
I’m so glad you decided to do a Q&A Post about blogging…I just started my blog this week and have felt slightly overwhelmed!
What did you do to increase readership?
How did you end up doing the freelance work and transition into blogging full-time?
How did you find other bloggers in your area and decide to get involved with blogger meet ups?
Good luck with the rest of the move!
UGH. Moving. We did that this year and it was so much work…but worth it in the end!
My question: how do you increase readership for your blog? How do you get your blog known?
Maybe when you’re in the grind of moving and not wanting to deal with it, just think of the Jews who were moved without their consent, belongings, family members, etc. I guarantee you your move will be a breeze from then on!You’ll be appreciating your belongings, that you’ll be seeing family, that you know where you’re going… i think it brings a sense of appreciation for our freedom to do what we want to do… good luck with it all!
That birthday cake will be much needed after days of packing and moving – not to mention all the stress of figuring out living arrangements!
No lie, that PB&J tortilla looks pretty tasty. I’m always super excited when I can skip making a salad or a more elaborate meal in favor of PB&J.
We really underestimated how long it would take us to clean/move too. Actually had to stay another night because we were moving across several states and weren’t done with everything. I feel your pain!
Sadie tongue … CUTE!
I LOVE that idea for the blog post!!
Questions:
1. When reaching out to review hotels/restaurants/products, does this land you a “free stay” at a hotel? A “free dinner”, or “free products”? How does this work?
2. Do you like being part of the foodbuzz circle? What do you think of that vs. other food/healthy living ads that aren’t exclusive? (Monetizing your blog in general).
3. Where did you find your original theme for your blog? Any good sites you’d suggest to look through themes, or just through wordpress?
THANK YOUUUU! SO looking forward to the post!
Congrads with a half empty apartment! Good luck wih the other half! I hope it goes smoothly!
This has probably already been asked, but how do you design your website to show off you personality while still making it look professional?
Question: how do you work with a hosting company and get a domain and all that stuff sorted out? I am doing the free wordpress thing now, but would really prefer to have my own domain and use a hosting service to have more options!
Good luck with moving!! its so hard!
The random stuff that is leftover after the large stuff and moved is always the WORST! Just when you think you’re almost done, suprise! You still have a ton of crap to move. And cleaning is pretty awful too. Discovering dust bunnies under the couch is sometimes scary. Question for your blog post: How long did it take you to develop a following? Also, I haven’t noticed any ads. Do you make money from your blog? How?
Just reading through the other poster’s comments, and I wonder too…how much can you share online. I am very private with other networking site such as facebook, but now that I have a blog, I feel like safety can be an issue. Can you address sharing of personal information, having your full name online, town where you live, etc Have you ever had any issues with having your life “out there”?
What kind of peanut butter do you use? Just curious!
Could be a lot worse than PB and J in a tortilla. Best of luck!
-Amanda Russell
http://www.amandarussellworkouts.com/
http://www.facebook.com/arussellfit
Congrats on the big move & good luck getting settled! Thanks for still finding time to blog throughout! I recently discovered a new peanut butter and had to share. You may have already tried it but if not, Peanut Butter & Co. They have Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter that I used to make your overnight oats and it was incredible! If you haven’t tried it I think you will love it.
Good luck with the rest of your move, my hubby and I just moved to Colorado from South Carolina and there is no way around it, moving is a pain!!! But once it’s over, life will go back to normal 🙂
My question is now that you’re committing to blogging as your full-time job (which I think is so great btw!) I’m just curious how you generate revenue from your blog? I know that you have the ads from Food Buzz, but other than that it’s not like you have ads all over the place, so I was just curious how exactly it makes money? I’m also curious about some of the freelance writing opportunities you’ve mentioned, how do you go about finding those opportunities?
As someone who is trying to grow the readership of their blog, I really appreciate you being so open for questions and I really look forward to reading this post! You are one of my favorite bloggers so I really respect your advice! 🙂
Can’t wait for the blogging FAQ post! I just started my blog, and would love tips on how to promote. Also, I was wondering how you get involved in freelance projects. Do companies approach you based on the success of your blog or do you seek out opportunities?
Ugh moving bites! However, on the plus side–you get to live in a new place and I always find that exciting!
Blogging Q’s
How do you organize your photos? Do you delete them after the post or save them on your computer / external hard drive?
Blogging process from taking a pic to writing to publishing
How to attract readers
How to be a better blogger
Ohh this is going to be a GREAT faq post! I can’t wait! Another Q i’d like to see addressed (as well as the others above me!) is how many posts do you typically have saved as drafts that are ready to go whenever you feel the need to save some time?
Do you plan on blogging about your family when you continue to grow it? I know a lot of the Charlotte bloggers have blogged about their struggles with infertility (not that I wish it on ANYONE) but I’ve found that it has really opened my eyes about the issue and has showcased that it is not so uncommon as I thought.
I have just started blogging and have so many questions. Most of mine are technical / just really not sure if I dont understand how to do it, or if i need an html code. Things such as putting posts on different pages, or just little things here and there. Ive gone to the google help website, but cant really seem to find much help. A blog post about blogging would be extremely helpful, of if theres another source out there that you use to answer your own questions.
I’d love to know if you did anything extra or out of the ordinary to gain followers. Did you approach companies? Give out business cards? Contact people?
I’d love to know how bloggers – such as yourself – are able to make the transition into making this a career – that they can support themselves financially with?? And also – if you ever worry about lack of security financially with it. And how do you get paid for it ? – through ads and such?
Or do you supplement it with other work?
Congrats on all your success!
I am curious about web design etc . Did you start off oing it by yourself? I want to learn how to ‘jazz’ up my site! 🙂
Hey Julie! Thank you so much for doing a blogging post! I always love reading those kind of posts. I have a few questions for you.
1. Do you read every comment you receive? Some of the bigger blogs (like yours!) have so many comments that I’m not sure if the blogger is actually going to read my comment.
2. How do you come up with ideas on what to blog about? And about how long does it take you to create a single post, including the time it takes to upload pics from your camera then get them into your post?
3. I’ve read your post on how Ryan deals with your blogging, but I’d be interested to hear any other advice you have on how to pursue blogging without it creating tension with a significant other?
Ok, this is not about blogging, but I’ve been wanting to ask this for awhile now – how do you keep up your motivation to workout? And do you have any tips on getting back into working out regularly after taking a break from it?
yes, i definitely read every comment! 🙂 i love your other questions and willl definitely include them in my post!
Hi Julie, I would like to know how you decide what aspect of your personal life you want to share and which you want to keep private? About your family, abour your relationship with Ryan? How do you decide what to censor out?