The best feeling in the world is doing what you love and being recognized for it. Recently, a fellow blogger nominated me for The Dazzling Blogger award. Shelly of Growing with Spawn is an international lifestyle blogger. She’s been a wonderful source of guidance and support for me in my blogging journey (on and offline). If you have a free moment, please check out her site. She always has unique content and her writing style is so diverse which makes for interesting conversations. Thanks again Shelly!
The Official Rules:
1. Thank the person who nominated you for The Dazzling Blogger award.
2. Link back to the original post.
3. Answer the seven questions that they asked on their blog post.
4. Make up seven new questions.
5. Nominate seven more people for The Dazzling Blogger award, who you think exemplifies excellent blogging skills.
Shelly’s questions for the nominees were:
1. What is the first thing you do each morning?
I am guilty of checking my phone as soon as I wake up. After that, I take my vitamin D with a sip of water.
2. How long does it take for you to write a blog post, edit, and post it?
I always have a running list of ideas and writing prompts. These come to me at any time in the day or night. I try to have a few posts scheduled ahead of time so that I’m never in a panic the day before (but this isn’t always the case). It’s always great when I have scheduled posts and sudden inspiration hits for another post that needs to go up right away because then it adds to my list of advance posts. I allow myself a full week to write, edit, and schedule a post.
3. What is the thing you fear the most in the blogging world?
Rejection and being misunderstood.
4. If your blog had an expiration date, what would it be? And why?
I put myself on a weekly schedule a while back. Secretly, I feel like if I ever allowed myself to skip a week that it may be the start of a downward slope. I hope there’s no expiration date because I intend to stick with this for a long, long time! After many years and numerous attempts at breaking down this wall of insecurity with my writing, I’m now like a broken dam that’s just burst open and I can no longer contain it or go back. It’s a good thing!
5. How has your blog transitioned over its lifetime?
I’m becoming more honest and open with my storytelling. I used to sit at my desk wondering how to start a post (seriously). “Do I just go right into it? Do I explain why I am writing this? What’s a good segue?” It sounds very elementary but I used to sit there and wonder how I could transition into a storyline, then I’d ask myself why this post is relevant to my “readers.” It would be such a process even before I had any words written down. I constantly second-guessed myself to the point where I let fear win.
6. Who is your blogging bestie? And why?
I don’t have one but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a long list of bloggers I admire. Life does get busy most days so it’s not always easy to keep up with all the blogs on my blogroll but when I can catch up, it’s so nice to see how everyone is keeping sane.
7. If you were featured on the news, what would it be for?
“Local woman caught on dashcam speeding down a major road. Her excuse: she needed bread, the bakery was closing soon!”
I was previously nominated by Crystal Byers for The Golden Blogger award. Crystal said it best in her post about these recognitions (I am paraphrasing here): the intention behind these types of awards is to help recognize new and strong voices, and spark conversation. I tried to think of relevant and thought-provoking questions because those are the questions that I think really tell us about a person.
I would be happy if each of the nominees decided to participate but please don’t feel any pressure to if you don’t have the time. I picked these candidates based on varying factors but mostly, I’m interested in seeing what their answers will be. I only had seven slots but this is open to everyone- feel free to participate in the comments section or via your own blog linking back to mine.
And the nominees for The Dazzling Blogger award are:
Where Good Advice Happens
Pete Springer
Crystal Byers
Happy Panda
Nuts and Crackers
Motherhood Beyond Survival
The Spinstress
Here are the questions for my nominees:
1. Do you have any regrets in your life and if so, what would you say is your biggest regret?
2. What did you believe as a young kid that was totally silly/wrong/untrue?
3. If you had a life motto, what would it be?
4. What is one thing you still hope to accomplish at some point in your life?
5. What is one thing you worked so hard for or dreamed of that you were able to finally achieve or acquire? Was it as good as you thought it would be?
6. If you could have one superpower, what would your power be and why?
7. Can money really buy happiness? Why or why not?
At the start of the pandemic, I started a Whatsapp group where I corralled all my friends and each day I would pose one question (anything from simple curiosities to compelling subjects) to the group and we would all share our answers. I’ve missed a day here and there but for the most part we’ve all been doing it consistently for over a year now (still going). I personally enjoy doing it for so many reasons: it expands our mind, gives us something to think about, allows us to appreciate other perspectives we never considered before, we each have safe space to share a piece of ourselves, and it’s another way to stay connected in a lighthearted way. I highly recommend it!
I appreciate this community so much because everyone is so generous with their time (reading and commenting) and unconditional support. I love that we can gather as like-minded folks and share life stories and musings. It has been a fulfilling journey so far and I hope it never ends. Finally, to you– whoever you are (whether you’re a regular or a new reader who stumbled upon my blog), I just want to thank you for stopping by. I hope you stay a while but if you can’t, I hope my words have made a small, positive impact on your life in some way.
Liked this post? Check out other popular posts on my blog:
😊 ❤️
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So lovely to be recognised! Well done you!!
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Thanks Julie 😁❤️
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Deserved!!!! xoxoxo
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Thanks Libby 💖💖💖
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Awww, thanks so much for the nomination! I’m looking forward to answering your questions later. I suspect number 2 could prompt a book. 🤣
I totally understand the second-guessing you mention. I put off starting a blog for years because I thought I had to write something massively profound and well-researched. That and the fear of rejection is a terrible combination! I’m glad to hear your blog has no expiration date, because I for one would definitely miss you!
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Aw such kind words, thank you :).
Can’t wait to read your answers! ❤️🙌
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I would also be featured for a grocery-trip run. 😀
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Haha, I feel like I’m always in a rush to get something or somewhere!! Is it poor planning or just too many things on my to-do list??? Lol hopefully the latter!
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Congratulations!! Well deserved!!! 👏👏
“Local woman caught on dashcam speeding down a major road. Her excuse: she needed bread, the bakery was closing soon!” 🤣🤣🤣 It would probably be the same for me just replace bread with cheesecake. When I need cheesecake, I NEED cheesecake.
Being misunderstood – I have such a constant fear of this. I literally explain my jokes and sarcastic comments in my posts to make sure no one takes offense. I even add disclaimers to my funny posts to make sure people don’t take anything I write the wrong way. 🙈
Thank you for nominating me. I probably should have put this in the lazy post – but I keep putting off responding to these award posts thinking I’ll collect xxx and then reply together and now I’m at a number where it’s not doable in one or even two posts (collected over 4-5 months – not bragging). 😓 Why am I like thisss? But I love your questions, they’re thought provoking – so I’m going to try and respond to them. ❤️
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Haha thanks for keeping up despite your schedule and all your feels at the moment – totally get it. If you get to it, great.. If not then they’re good writing prompts for future posts 💖😜😁
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From this comment alone, I had to start following your blog because I am forever trapped in that same cycle of explaining everything I do to strangers who probably don’t give a damn. 🤣
I also love the cheesecake reference. I had a flashback of an appearance I made on Halloween to traffic court to dispute some violation. Half of the people in the courtroom were dressed up, which added to the hilarity. It’s hard to take Bozo the Clown too seriously when he’s maintaining his innocence to a disgruntled judge.
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Traffic court with bozo the clown lol trying to envision that right now LOL wonder if the judge was especially lenient that day 😱🤣😜
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Hahaha sounds like the perfect day (if there is any) to be in court 🤣
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Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh boy! Thanks!! I’m all over it!!
Congrats on winning an award!! YAY!! I love your answers, too, and can relate to the writing aspects of blogging! There’s no better writing prompt than blogging about your life!! Like, yeah, how to narrate this sad tale of woe that is my day-to-day life, right? And yeah, I can totally see you getting arrested for pastries! Me too! Totally glad it’s not just me! 😀
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Haha my husband thinks my bread habits is singlehandedly supporting our local bakery!
Can’t wait to read your answers!
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That made me laugh out loud, but of course we’re duty-bound to support small business!! 😀 Surely your husband understands this! 😀
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He better/will! 🤣
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I appreciate the sentiment, especially from a blogger whose writing I respect. Still, I’m that guy who worries (I’m a professional worrier😎) about— 1. hurting someone’s feelings by not nominating him/her. 2. annoying some fellow blogger with wrestling over who to nominate while trying to create interesting questions.
I will take a crack at your awesome questions, though, and try to retrain myself (“Quick call the yard—inmate on the loose”) from my usual extended responses. Yeah, right, like we know that’s going to happen. 🤣
1. My biggest regret is not taking more risks when I was younger. Playing it safe is great for avoiding stupid things but not terrific when exploring new boundaries.
2. I believed too often that others deserved a third or fourth chance to do the right thing. I’ve come to accept that people are telling you who they are the first time.
3. My motto now (what took me so long to get here?) is “no regrets.”
4. My dream is to have my grandchildren read one of my books and think, “My grandpa is/was a pretty smart dude for an old codger.”
5. I appreciate and no longer take my fitness for granted. It’s hard work to maintain, but I’m never going back to an unhealthy diet. I have a love/hate relationship with exercise.
6. I wish I could make decisions quicker without overanalyzing each potential downside. I take forever to decide, but I don’t second-guess my decisions when making an informed decision.
7. Having lived with and without money, I’m going to say it doesn’t buy happiness by itself. On the other hand, it’s far more relaxing to live a life without having to worry about it. We did an excellent job of planning for retirement. That has allowed us to retire young while we’re still young enough to have many rich experiences.
Thanks again for the nomination, BB. It’s not that I need any more blogs to follow, but I’m always on the lookout for other interesting ones. Heading over to Growing With Spawn (I love the handle) right now.
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Thanks so much for taking the time and sharing! I loved reading your answers (I appreciate the long, thoughtful comments)!
My husband and I are also (I like to think) super savvy and conservative with our money. On the one hand we want to enjoy the good life and the fruits of our labour and on the other hand, we want to be able to enjoy an early retirement. The former takes some level of restraint and the latter takes some level of determination.. It’s a good balance! And surely we balance each other out (he’s the “we need to save for a rainy day” and I’m the “we need to enjoy the sun while it’s out, WE ONLY LIVE ONCE”)!
🤣
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It really is a delicate balance. Go for the gusto once in a while. My wife and I are good that way. She makes split-second decisions and I’m the long-winded one. I’m better at math than her, but she gets s*** done (One of her many wonderful qualities), while I can be a procrastinator. Hence, like it or not, she has earned the privilege of paying the bills. What fun!
I reread your article (yes, it was that good) and loved your excuse for speeding.🤣
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Haha 😂😂😂😂 loved your answer on the news one 😄 😉
Well I also face same problem, like how to start the post??
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Thanks for reading Vani! 🙂 feels good to know I’m not alone on that!
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Thank you so much for the nomination! I will be answering these questions and participating in my blog post on Motherhood Beyond Survival next Monday!
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Yay! Sounds good, can’t wait to read it! 💖
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Oh, and how did I forget to say congratulations on your nomination!! (Mommy brain is real!)
I loved your explanation of how your blog has transitioned over the years. As a very new blogger, I appreciate wisdom from those farther on the journey. Your honesty and candor is refreshing to read!
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Aw thanks for the kind words and continued support! Love this community! ❤️🙌
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Congrats!
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Thank you Beth!, 💖🙌😊
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Congratulations!
yeah I agree that misunderstandings can be a common trope in the blogging world, or on social media in general
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Thanks for reading and creating the awards 🙂 ❤️ it was fun to do!
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I’m so glad!
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congrats – and I get the thing about the bread… 🙂
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Hehe thanks 😊☺️🙌🥐🥖🍞
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Congrats, Bosssy Babe!! And thank you for the shoutout and nomination!! I’m struggling to keep up with my blog these days and so answering here:
1. I regret when I don’t speak my mind. 😂 See above.
2. I believed I was adopted.
3. My motto courtesy of Rilke: “Let everything happen to you. Beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final.”
4. I still hope to publish my memoir. Thanks to #5 below.
5. I’m finishing my masters—May 29. Good and bad are matters of perspective. I wouldn’t trade my experience for anything.
6. With a superpower, I would heal others—body, mind, and spirit.
7. Happiness blooms and grows in your heart and mind. It ends with comparisons.
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I love that motto! May 29 – you’re almost there!! Must be such a great feeling of accomplishment! Thanks for participating, I loved reading your answers! (I feel like all children at some point or another- thanks to their siblings- think they’re adopted LOL)
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Yes, thanks to the siblings, and I’m the baby.
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OMG OMG a feature! Just kidding 😂
Loved the post so much 😊 you would probably be put in a cell with me for speeding~ but it must be done sometimes (or always 😅)
And you are way too organized to ever stop blogging! I’m on that downward spiral you spoke of ~ after taking a week away from WP. Don’t do it! Lol
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Haha thanks for the nom! I would almost do anything for bread lol so speeding is certainly one of them 😭😂
Breaks are good though! But I just gotta go hard one week and push out a few advance posts and take a long break lol 👌👌👌
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Hi again. I want to thank you so much for the nomination!! I was surprised and a bit overwhelmed. That’s no reflection on you, just my nature. I started this blog less than a year ago, so it caught me by surprise.
The part that became difficult for me was choosing 7 other bloggers to nominate. There’s a lot that I follow, but only a few that I’ve made any real connection with, even though I do leave likes and comments. Maybe I worry too much about what other people think, but I’m thinking in another year I’ll have more friendships, instead of feeling like I’m stalking them. 😆
And now on to the question and answer portion:
1. I prefer the word ‘lesson’, regret sounds like something a person would dwell on, where as a lesson is something you can turn into a positive. So I guess the one lesson I keep going back to is from college. I was such a workaholic that I didn’t spend a lot of time nurturing friendships. So I felt pretty alone after I graduated.
2. My bed used to be up against a wall that had a window. On Christmas Eve, I stayed up as late as I could to see if I could spot Santa flying by. I’ll let you decide if that belief in Santa was silly, wrong or untrue. 😉
3. Life is short, don’t judge me for eating chocolate at breakfast time.
4. More traveling. I love going to new places and meet different people.
5. My bachelor’s degree. As stated before, I worked very hard and it was worth it. Having it opened a lot of doors, and it still does while I’m trying to get certified as an Interactive Health Coach.
6. My superpower is to be fluent in all languages. I live in a very diverse community and it frustrates me when I have a language barrier.
7. Yes money can buy happiness, if you find happiness in a new car, nice house, designer clothes. Money will absolutely make you happy! But I think I’m the most happy when I hear my daughter laugh. That was true when she was a baby, and it’s still true today.
I should also mention that you made me happy when you were the FIRST person to leave a comment on my blog. I still have a screen shot of it. Thanks for all of the positive things you do for this community. ❤️
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Wow, Deb, your comment really made me smile and touched me so much! I didn’t realize I was your first commenter! It also really made me rethink this whole blogging thing from a different perspective. This whole time I’ve been focused on what other people get from me when they read my blog but I never thought about the way I’d be making someone feel when I take the time to read theirs.
You’re right, I like “lessons” more too- thanks for pointing that out. I myself don’t have much in the way of regret- I like making a decision and just living with it (turning any situation around as a positive somehow).
Loved your answer for #7! ❤ Lately, when I feel myself reaching the end of my rope (of frustration), I will take a couple minutes to watch old videos of my daughter doing the cutest things- it really helps me put things into perspective and how little time I have with her at this age! 🙂
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Congratulations! I’m really enjoying you blog
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Thank you so much for taking the time to explore it! 🙂
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Of course! ♥️
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