My content is hard to find and gets lost so easily so I’m dying to revamp this site into a space that’s easier to navigate for all of you. (If you have any suggestions, requests for the “new and improved” blog or know of any website designers you’d highly recommend, please let me know!)
Before I dive headfirst into thinking ahead for the new year, I want to take a moment to look back over 2021. Today I’m sharing a peek into the top 10 blog posts and pages from 2021. (Today’s post does not include my top recipes. Those are coming soon!)
It’s always incredibly interesting to me to see what appeals to you and so often creating these blog posts encourages me to keep sharing a variety of content in this space. Whenever you read content about creating successful blogs and social media channels, one of the top pieces of advice is to stick with a single niche. Well, my friends, that just doesn’t work for me because I have a million interests and want to share all of them with you! We’re 12+ years into this hodgepodge style blog content and it’s trucking along nicely so I’ll take that as a sign that you guys are into seeing a variety of content pop up in this space, too.
Please feel free to drop any blog post content requests below because I always use these posts as a reference point for creating new content in the coming year. Creating content that interests you is incredibly important to me so definitely let me know if there’s anything you’d like to see on PBF in 2022!
Top Blog Posts of 2021
I love that this blog post was my most popular blog post (outside of recipes) this year because it’s a blog post I would’ve love to have read when I found out I was pregnant with our third child. There’s a TON of content out there for first-time moms and even for moms looking for insight into life with two kids but as the number of children in a family increase, the content out there for moms with more kids seems to decrease. (Maybe it’s because we’re all just exhausted and have no time? Haha!) I always enjoy answering your questions about motherhood and had fun typing up this post about our transition into life with a third child. I have a follow-up post to this one coming soon since things have changed a bit now that we’re 16 months into life with three!
Note to self: Do not re-read these posts unless I want to cry the ugly kind of cry. Losing Sadie earlier this year was horrible. There’s no way to sugarcoat it. I knew we’d be a mess when she passed but I still deeply feel the hole in my heart without her here to snuggle with every day. We miss you so much, Sadie girl.
As moms everywhere can attest, a new “must have” baby item seems to pop up every other week. I really need to go back through my baby-related content and make one “master list” of my absolute best baby items I’ve loved from all of my kids but, in the meantime, this blog post highlights some of the newer “must haves” we discovered and loved with Rhett that we didn’t use with Chase and Ryder.
My postpartum updates are nothing short of a super-wordy brain dump but I’m continually glad to see that you guys like them. I love connecting with moms going through similar phases of life and hope that these recaps help some of you feel a little less alone in your postpartum journeys.
2021 really wanted to go out with a bang, huh? This blog post recaps the weekend we unexpectedly found ourselves in the emergency room after Rhett swallowed a button battery. It was a very scary experience and I’m incredibly thankful Rhett is okay.
This was a blog post that had been on my mind and heart for months. When I first began writing PBF, so much of my life centered around fitness. I loved (and still do love!) working out and enjoyed recapping my training runs for half marathons, my journey to becoming a personal trainer, my group fitness teaching experiences and more. As time progressed and motherhood became the most important thing in my life, my passion for fitness fell to the wayside a bit. Priorities shifted as my time became stretched thinner than ever before. In this blog post, I shared a little bit more about this shift and why it’s a shift I’m honestly grateful for and why it’s a shift I’ve fully embraced.
Though only one of my Amazon hauls cracked my top 10 most popular blog posts, the other hauls are all in my top 30 most popular blog posts. People love Amazon and since there’s no denying the fact that it’s one of the most convenient ways to shop these days (especially as a busy mom!), I am planning to continue periodically sharing these hauls in 2022.
I write these blog posts for myself more than anyone else (they serve as an online baby book of sorts) so I love that so many of you love them, too. Looking back on my baby recaps from all the boys is so helpful to me as I enter new phases with Rhett and serve as a reminder that everything is a phase and different struggles are always popping up and fading away.
Gift guides are so, so fun for me to assemble every year but they take a ton of time so it’s wonderful to see that they’re a hit with you guys. My gift guide for women is almost always my most popular of all of gift guides every year and I’m hoping it helped you find some sweet surprises for the loved ones in your life!
If I ever need proof and encouragement that randomness is the heartbeat of this blog that keeps things churning, this blog post is it! It touches on everything from transitioning Chase and Ryder into the same room, Rhett’s tongue tie struggles and our 17 year dating anniversary!
Top Pages of 2021
This one didn’t surprise me at all because it’s only natural that my recipe page would be the most-visited page of 2021 since recipes are the posts that get re-visited most often. I hope you guys found something delicious to make for you and your loved ones on the blog last year!
I created this page as a way for Instagram followers to easily find the content they’re after by clicking on the images from my Instagram posts. By clicking on the photo, you’re redirected to the post on my blog that you’re looking for and I use this most for easily sharing my recipes!
When I was pregnant, I couldn’t get enough of reading pregnancy recaps from other bloggers and I love that my pregnancy pages continue to be highly visited pages on this blog.
If you’re ever interested in reading monthly and yearly updates on the boys, they can be found on this page!
If you’re ever looking for links to recent favorites or my Amazon shop, this is the page to visit. I created it to make it easy to find items I love and I hope it’s proven helpful for you guys!
My workouts are archived on this page and they’re something I still personally reference when I need a little motivation and workout inspiration! I’m glad you guys are utilizing this page and I hope to continue to share workouts in this space for years to come!
This is a little blurb about me and this blog that I think new readers visit when they first stumble upon PBF and what to know what it’s all about!
I love it when any content related to books seems to resonate with you guys because reading is truly an escape for me and something I love so much. Sharing book recommendations with you guys and getting so many book recommendations from you throughout the years is so much fun for me!
This isn’t technically a page on my blog but this category is a top visited category on the blog year after year! If you ever feel like catching up on TILF posts you may have missed, you may find them all here!
Question of the Day
Any blog post requests for me for 2022?
What type of content is your favorite to see on this blog? Recipes? Real life? Motherhood? Parenting? Recent favorite finds? Books? Please let me know!
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I hope you leave the new posts at the top of the page where it is easy to see when you come to the main page. I don’t like when bloggers redesign their pages and put evergreen content at the top forcing me to scroll down to find a new post.
YES!! I feel the exact same way and would definitely make any new content at the forefront of the homepage.
As an older mom……my kids are in college. I still enjoy your blog!! Some things don’t really apply to me at this stage in my life but some still do. I enjoy your random product recommendations and also the book reviews/recommendations. I have incorporated many favorite products into our daily lifestyle. Happy New Year!!!
I follow dozens of blogs, but yours is one of the few that I read (and get excited to read) every single post! I’m not a mom at this point, but I’ve enjoyed following along as your family’s grown throughout the years (I’ve been reading since Chase was your only little guy). I’m curious to know what fitness equipment y’all enjoy using for your at-home workouts – there are so many options out there, so a post about that would be helpful!
Happy new year 🙂
I second the request for a post about what your at-home gym equipment looks like and recommendations for how to best tackle at-home workouts! 🙂
Happy New Year Julie! I am so glad you and your family had a great winter break! (My kindergartener is now on Day 18 of his break b/c it’s snowing where we live!) I wanted to share that I gave you a little shoutout on my blog. My youngest son absolutely loved the Merry & Bright puzzles you recommended – thank you so much for mentioning them! He was diagnosed with autism early last year & just recently started talking & he just loves puzzles.
http://tylermichaelandrew.blogspot.com/2022/01/holiday-puzzles.html
The only reason I didn’t mention the name of your blog is b/c the people who read it are family members & my 7th grade English teacher & that’s it!
Love the recent finds (I find them very helpful as a mom of two small kiddos) and would love to see your workout/ eating habits combined in a week. Helps to give me ideas for myself!
I use your recipes A TON and would love to see more recipes on one page (currently there’s about 6 listed on a page when scrolling through old recipes) so that I don’t have to click “next page” so much. Thank you for sharing such easy, yummy recipes!
Absolutely! This is a must for my overhaul. I’ve tried to install my own plugins to make this happen but it’s such a headache and everything seems to break when I try to implement the coding myself. I hear you and absolutely want this for the new site!
I haven’t read your entire post but I hope you read Dana Perino’s column about opening your love to another pup. Like your family, she lost a vizsla but this column works for any grieving pet family. https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/love-new-pet-loss-2022-dana-perino
Love your recipes- cornbread and icebox desserts are some of our favorite!
I appreciate the book reviews for adults and children
Your kindness will come through in whatever direction you go with your blog! That’s what keeps me coming back.
Thank you so much, Jen! So glad you enjoy those recipes (they’re some of our favs, too) and love that you’re into book reviews/recommendations as well!
I love your book recommendations as well as all things kid related!
Years ago I followed over a dozen blogs, but PBF is the only one that I’ve brought with me into 2022. I started reading back when you lived in Florida, and my life also revolved around fitness. I don’t have children, but I still thoroughly enjoy all of your posts, so thank you!
Just an idea for your blog revamp… Include a page that contains links to all posts chronologically so that old posts can be easily accessed. And an idea for future posts… Organization (similar to your fridge cleanup posts in the past), because who doesn’t love a good before and after? I know you mention doing cleaning/organization projects on the weekends, but I’d love to actually see them. Happy New Year!
Thank you, TC!! I appreciate the requests and ideas for future posts and am so grateful to you for reading for so long!
I enjoy the fitness/lifestyle/fashion posts the most, but LOVE that you don’t have a specific niche and instead post a variety of content.
Thank you, Shelby! I love writing about a million things and think I would get so bored if I had to focus solely on one topic. I’m glad this style works for you!
I love your recipes, gift guides and day in the life posts! I still live in my North Face zip up that you recommended years ago!
Hi Julie & Happy New Year! from MN! I’ve been reading your blog since before you had kids & I love and look forward to reading your posts! Chase adopted my mom Carol’s, little red instant camera years ago : – )
Just keep on doing what your doing because I think you’re doing a fantastic job!!
Have a terrific Tuesday!
Oh gee Julie,,,,, I just love ❤ your blog ,,,,,, period! Very easy to read. Delightful! 😊 One of my all time favorites for sure. All the recommendations you post from Amazon, etc, are so helpful. Not always to me, but I often suggest to my niece items
Or will send her your link. She’s preggers with #5. So, very busy & time is limited for her.
The thing about you is how kind & loving you are Julie. ❤ So much compassion & gentleness is the most inviting for us followers. A real good friend to us all. ❤ Plus, the most awesome mommy 👱♀️ to your gorgeous lil boys!!!
Best of for 2022!!
I’ve been reading your blog for almost a decade, and have been approaching milestones (marriage, kids) a couple of years after you, so I get to read all about what’s coming up. What I love most about PB Fingers is your incredibly positive, yet realistic voice. Like another commenter mentioned, I used to read a LOT of blogs, and yours is the one I always think of and come back to. Sounds like you already have lots of good ideas about a redesign, so I just wanted to ask you to keep on keepin’ on!
This was such a kind comment to read this evening — thank you, Carly! I truly appreciate you reading for so long!
Love that you are still writing here, and still putting up posts that are on any one of a number of topics. It keeps those of us who are not in the same stage of life (or, whose lives look VERY different from yours!) coming back.
One goofy suggestion? I just went digging for your first post ever – and succeeded! – but I do love when a blogger highlights certain milestone posts on their about page (e.g., first post, engagement/wedding, first child, etc.). Basically, I want to know YOUR favorites, not just ours! 🙂
Take care, happy 2022, and I hope you keep blogging for years to come.