I recently wrote a post about Silencing the Internal Pressure to Be the Blogger I’m Not, and that wasn’t even the article I set out to write that day. I planned to sit down and write this slightly self-deprecating list of all of the things I do instead of work on my blog, create new videos, or post to Instagram:
1. Drink coffee. Lots and lots of coffee. That way, I definitely cannot write about/film videos/take pictures of tea.
2. Borrow a bunch of books from the library, and then I proceed to binge-watch the Office again because, you know, it’s been a few months since I watched it.
3. Change my layout.
4. Stare at my phone with a finger hovering over the Instagram icon, debating internally whether to open the app before ultimately setting it down and walking away to rummage around in the fridge, because nothing is more distracting than eating food when you’re not really hungry.
5. Open the Youtube Creators app and then quickly close it before it finishes loading because I don’t want to see how many subscribers I’ve lost.
6. Brainstorm my way through a blog branding workbook before realizing everything I wrote down is exactly the same as the last three times I brainstormed my way through a blog branding workbook. (My ideal audience is always “me”).
7. Change my layout.
8. Try to do Twitter again. Like, why am I so bad at it?
9. Have a sudden bolt of inspiration to launch a new blog, as if that were the answer to my inability to sit in a chair and write.
10. Proceed to brainstorm my way through another blog branding workbook for the new blog only to realize it’s still the exact same as the blog branding workbook for Books & Tea By Golly, Ollie!, just with different fonts. (Also, my ideal reader is still “me”).
11. Give up on the new blog and finally sit down and hand-write a long list of blog post ideas.
12. Type up a hand-written list of blog post ideas onto Trello cards.
13. Change my layout.
14. Move all of my bloglovin’ subscriptions to a Feedr account.
15. Decide I don’t like Feedr that much either, and move all of my subscriptions to my Feedly about.
16. Binge read blog posts but don’t comment because I don’t want someone to click through and see that I haven’t posted in two months.
17. Type up a blog post and let it sit in drafts for a month before ultimately scrapping it because it’s not as good as I thought it was the day I wrote it.
18. Change my layout.
19. Begrudgingly type up another blog post just to get something out into the world even though it’s definitely worse than the blog post that was sitting in my drafts for over a month.
20. Write a second blog post, hope for the best, and pray for continued writing momentum.
Do you experience anything like this?Tell me I’m not the only one who suffers from blogger’s block!
Right now, Oliver is in love with farm animals and his new John Deere farm tractor toy that plays Old McDonald Had a Farm. It’s been fun to watch him play with it ever since he learned how to “drive” toy vehicles by pushing them around on the ground. I swear he didn’t know how to do that two weeks ago. To embrace his newfound interest in farms, we checked out a bunch of books about farm animals from the library. Here are five picture books about farm animals causing a ruckus (plus a bonus book to whip those silly farm animals into shape!) that we are reading this week:
Blue Chicken by Deborah Freedman
An illustrated chicken springs to life in this meta-story to help finish painting her barnyard scene but instead wreaks havoc when she accidentally knocks over a jar of blue paint! The story text is simple, but the watercolor artwork is breathtaking. (Goodreads | Indiebound)
Cock-a-Doodle Doo-Bop by Michael Ian Black, illustrated by Matt Myers
Mel, the rooster, is one cool cat bird. He tries to change up his morning wakeup call to the Cock-a-Doodle Doo-Bop, but when the sun doesn’t rise to start a new day, the other farm animals band together to try to get Mel to change his tune. Oliver loves anything remotely sing-song, so he really enjoyed this one! (Goodreads | Indiebound)
Moo! by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka
When a cow discovers her farmer is putting his shiny, red car up for sale, she cannot resist taking it for a joyride. Even when there might be a bump in the road…literally! With silly illustrations and simple text using only the word “moo” to tell the story, Moo! is a riot. Oliver makes me reread this multiple times in a single sitting. Multiple times a day. (Goodreads | Indiebound)
The Cow Said Neigh!: A Farm Story by Rory Feek, illustrated by Bruno Robert
Okay, okay. So we didn’t check this one out from the library. This one came from our personal library because it is an absolute favorite! This is a silly story about farm animals wishing they were other farm animals, and it’s filled with clever rhyme and fun animal sounds. (Goodreads | Indiebound)
This Little Piggy: a Counting Book by Jarvis
Little ones learn to count to ten in this adaptation of This Little Piggy. When one little piggy goes to the market, the rest of their piggy friends follows. Soon little piggies all over the place are dancing for hours, eating all the potatoes, and diving into mud pools. (Goodreads | Indiebound)
Bonus Book!
Spinster Goose: Twisted Rhymes for Naughty Children by Lisa Wheeler, illustrated by Sophie Blackall
You have heard of Mother Goose, I’m sure. But, have you heard of her curmudgeonly sister, Spinster Goose? She teaches at a school filled with naughty children who snap their bubble gum and chew on chalk, but Spinster Goose has a method for dealing with these trouble-makers. I recommend for older children. Oliver wasn’t quite a fan of this one, but I certainly enjoyed the darker, alternative twist on traditional nursery rhymes. (Goodreads | Indiebound)
What are some of your favorite picture books featuring farm animals up to no good?
Blogging has been my hobby for two decades now. I mean that quite literally. And during these past twenty years, blogging evolved from inane ramblings on personal websites built on Geocities to polished content creation with the unstated intent to sell something to the readers. It could be a lifestyle. It could be a self-published book. It could be an online course on how to make money from blogging. Heck, it could even be Books & Tea (the former title of this blog for new readers).
I can admit that sometimes I get caught up in the appeal of influencer culture. My heart skipped beats the day I was approved to read an Advance Reader Copy of The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson. And then again when I was invited to participate in book tours. And I’m sure I damn near hyperventilated the day Adagio Teas offered me some of their teas in exchange for reviews on my site. So, it was inevitable that I tried to evolve with the medium; it was like I was chasing a high. I choked down article after article about SEO Optimization, branding, how to use social media to drive traffic, and building e-mail lists. Then, this blog, this outlet for creativity, became a job. A chore. A burden.
It’s cyclical and it usually goes like this:
I write and publish with a fervor.
I think to myself, I could make something of myself and this little blog, so I spend countless hours working my way through branding workbooks or researching blog monetization.
I devise weekly content calendars, but the moment I sit down to start writing posts, I freeze. The flame fueling the desire to write fizzles out.
I realize I’ve been procrastinating all along. The branding workbooks, the content calendars– all distractions.
I disappear from the blog, the youtube channel, and social media because seeing other peoples’ posts makes me feel guilty for avoiding writing. It makes me feel insecure that anything I have created or will go on to create will never be as good as what they create, so why bother?
I most recently had been stuck in phase five, but as frustrating as it is, step five is not inherently bad. I mean, the negative internal speak is terrible, but the break from creating and consuming content isn’t bad. It’s refreshing to step back from the undeclared competition of blogging, and it’s refreshing to stop reading about how other people define success in the blogosphere. It’s also during this time that I re-evaluate what I love about blogging, and why it’s been my hobby for more than half my life. It’s never been about popularity or money, so I don’t know why I keep putting pressure on myself to achieve that kind of success. It’s always been about writing, creativity, and community, and once that realization settles in, I can throw myself back into my hobby.
Lately, I’ve been focusing on creating a daily writing habit. That way, if I ever fall into a rut again, I have routine to fall back on. I am also trying to find my online community again. It used to be easy to define back when I considered myself a book blogger, but as you must have noticed by now, I’m not reading much these days (unless it’s a picture book!). Finally, I am rediscovering content I enjoy writing and content that serves a purpose here at By Golly, Ollie! Like, how do I write about tea without writing a “review”? Will readers be interested in what I have to write about “Silencing the Pressure to be the Blogger I’m Not?” How do I write about motherhood but assure readers this isn’t just another mommy blog? I suppose I will figure all of that out soon enough. Right now, I’m just happy to experiment with writing again.
Do you ever feel pressure to blog a certain way or do you find yourself ever trying to achieve other peoples’ definitions of blogging success, and how do you deal with it?
I know we are three days into the New Year already, but you know how it is with these wrap-up posts… I like to take a minute (or more realistically an hour that gets edited down to about 12 minutes) and reflect on the month and really focus on some of the more positive experiences because I’m obnoxious like that.
Really there was so much more than just these five favorites though. There always is, like:
++ The random 50-degree weather we experienced during the week of Christmas. Ollie and I stretched our legs outside, had lunch on the front porch, and played basketball with the little basketball hoop/soccer net he received for Christmas.
++ Trying to get caught up on Tea with Jann YouTube videos. (I mean, Jann, in general, is the kind of content creator and community builder I admire, so there is that, too).
++ Getting Oliver down for the night by 9:30, sometimes even sooner, so I can take some time to decompress before I go to sleep. Some parents are awesome at the whole bedtime routine and manage to get their child into bed before 8, and their kids sleep through the night, and that is just not us (sadly). I aspire to be one of those parents!
++ My mom bought me a handheld game of the Oregon Trail, which is pretty rad.
++ Getting to spend time with family during the holidays, but even more important, Oliver getting to spend time playing with his cousins.
And, now I think I can finally be done with 2019. What were some of your December favorites? Also, I hope you had a swell December and a Happy New Year, too!
Right about now, my Twitter feed is filling up with snarky tweets that #SumsUp2019. Was this year really so bad, or is it easy for people to focus on the things that didn’t go right at the year’s end? This year wasn’t always easy or enjoyable for me, but I think it is easier for me to find and reflect on all of the amazing things that happened this year as opposed to all of the bad things.
A New Start
2019 started with a new job– an accounting assistant position, which allows me to work remotely from home so I can raise my son. In 2018, when my maternity leave was coming to an end, I still hadn’t made any attempt to find childcare for Oliver. I didn’t realize it at the moment, but I was avoiding the task because the thought of leaving Oliver in the care of someone else terrified me. This anxiety was not unique to me; I think most mothers, especially first-time mothers, are scared to leave their child in the care of someone else. But, also floating around my subconscious was the knowledge that I would be returning to hour-long commutes (each way), and a job that would require me to work upwards of 60 hours a week, leaving little time to raise my son. The moment I said out loud I wanted to stay home and raise my son, I had two potential job offers on the table. It was the best position I could be in– one made possible with all of the incredible experience I received at my previous job and my husband’s support because this meant taking a drastic pay cut since I would only be working part-time hours.
Oliver
Because this new job lets me work from home, I had front row tickets to watching Oliver grow up this past year:
He tried solid foods for the first time, and now he loves spaghetti, avocados, watermelon, chicken and rice, grilled cheese and tomato soup, and yogurt.
I watched him roll over for the first time, and I watched him crawl for the first time.
I watched him take his first steps!
I heard him say his first words, which was “dada”, although now all he wants to say is “mama”.
He turned ONE.
Not everything has been easy on the child-rearing front though. We had some obstacles to overcome this year too, but again, the privilege of being able to work from home and raise him helped ease the anxiety.
Oliver was diagnosed with torticollis and plagiocephaly, so every Wednesday for three months, we spent an hour at physical therapy.
When physical therapy wasn’t enough to correct the plagiocephaly, we had to get an orthopedic helmet to correct his head shape. It was a commitment both in terms of time and finance, but the results were worth it.
Oliver was diagnosed with an egg allergy, and now we always have to have epi-pens nearby just in case.
Travel
Considering Jon and I are new parents, the fact that we were able to travel so often this year blows my mind! Sometimes we were even able to drop Oliver off with grandparents and steal away for much needed alone time!
Cleveland, Ohio
First, we took a long weekend and explored Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland probably isn’t on the top of anyone’s list for travel destinations, but it’s actually a cool city. We admired the view of Lake Erie. We watched a stand-up comedy show at Hilarities. We wandered through the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And coincidentally, the MLB All-Star games were taking place that week, so there was a baseball convention going on that had a lot of free and family-friendly activities.
Motor City Comic-Con
Jon, Oliver, and I spent a day exploring the Motor City Comic Con, and we left determined to make this an annual family event going forward. We spent most of the time exploring Artist Alley, and we purchased so much art that we have yet to display in the house. But, highlights also include seeing the top, left portion of David Tennant’s face, fangirling over Felica Day from afar, and this photo opportunity featuring baby Hulk meeting the real Hulk!
The Renaissance Festival
Jon unknowingly made my 5th-grade dream come true. Back in fifth grade, my class was supposed to go to the Renaissance Festival; however, my family moved away right before the trip was supposed to happen (this was actually a recurring theme in my youth– missing out on field trips because my family moved. I also missed out on the 6th-grade field trip to Washington DC as well as the senior field trip to Washington DC). But, I digress.
Jon, Oliver, and I found ourselves up in Holly, Michigan, and transported back in time. The Renaissance Festival was somehow better than I imagined. We feasted on smoked turkey legs, watched a Scottish Strongman Competition, saw a knight in shining armor preparing for a joust, and sipped a bloody mary from a little eatery called Bloody Mary Queen of Scots, haha.
Munich, Germany
We also jet-set across the Atlantic and spent a week in Bavaria. We spent most of our time wandering around in Munich, Germany, drinking beer, participating in and recovering from Oktoberfest, and tasting foods at the outdoor, weekend markets.
Salzburg, Austria
We also rode the train down and spent a day in Salzburg, Austria, which is quite possibly the most beautiful city I have ever visited. The elaborate, Baroque architecture was exquisite, and the buildings were so tall that I literally felt dizzy looking up at them. I even admired the sprawling Alps from a castle that was constructed back in the 1100s!
New York City
Most recently, I spent a day in New York City exploring Manhattan and doing all of the touristy things I never thought I would have the opportunity to do, like walk around in Central Park, see the Statue of Liberty in person, eat a slice of New York pizza, and experience the sensory overload that is Time Square. I also connected with one of my longtime pals, Bianca; she’s one of the only friends from high school I keep in contact with.
Books & Tea (and other things)
This year was terrible in terms of reading. I started a bunch of chapter books, but I only ever finished reading three (that’s one more than when I posted the other day). And, since once upon a time I considered myself a book blogger, it’s embarrassing to admit that! A lot of the time, I claimed I didn’t have the time to read, but even when I did find the time to read, I just wanted to decompress in front of the TV. You guys, I watched like eight seasons of Grey’s Anatomy this year. I’m almost current with the series.I did read a LOT of children’s picture books though.
My tea consumption increased drastically though! So did my tea collection even though I was on a tea buying ban. Weird how that works, right? And because I was drinking so much tea, I took the leap and started a youtube channel focusing on tea this year! I realize though I’m still pretty slow at posting content to my channel; the filming and editing process is very time-consuming. I might spend an hour filming, and then several hours more editing all of the material down to a coherent video that’s only 12 minutes long. It’s still a very satisfying and very rewarding process, and I love the small community I’m involved with on Youtube as well.
But, as much as I love Books & Tea, I realized the identity no longer suited me, so I took the leap and upgraded to a dot com. I also started working toward a writing routine at the end of the year, and this has improved my productivity and interestingly, my creativity too. I’m really hoping I can keep up this new routine so that my blog flourishes in 2020!
How was your 2019? Share with me some of the highlights of your year in the comments!
Winter is officially here! Although, the weekly forecast might have you wondering if Jack Frost is taking a vacation this year. I can’t believe it was in the 50s on Christmas day here in Michigan! Normally, I love freezing temperatures and plush snowbanks, especially now that I don’t have to drive in inclement weather. It used to give me a purpose for embracing my inner hermit, but now that Oliver is a rambunctious toddler, I find we are going stir crazy from staying cooped up in the house. So, when thermometers rose into the 50s, Oliver and I made our great escape and walked to the library to read about winter instead. Here are five picture books about winter we are reading this week:
Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter by Kenard Pak
Follow a brother and sister as they walk to town, conversing with nature and greeting the signs of the approaching winter. Pak’s illustrations are dreamy and somehow capture the quiet muffled sounds snow makes. I adore this story!
Little brother, Sam, experiences his first snowstorm, and older sister, Stella, delights in answering his many questions about the transformed landscape while showing him how to best enjoy a snowy day. Whimsical watercolor illustrations capture the wonder and imagination of the two siblings.
I couldn’t resist sharing this favorite from my own childhood. An adaptation of a Ukranian folktale, the Mitten tells the story of white mitten lost in the snow, and all the woodland animals that burrow inside to make it their new home. The illustrations are rich in detail, and I remember poring over them when I was younger.
Could any wintertime picture book list be complete without this Caldecott Medal-winning classic? The Snowy Day follows Peter, full of wonder, as he explores his city, which has been transformed by a blanket of snow.
The Twelve Days of Winter by Deborah Lee Rose, Illustrated by Carey F. Armstrong-Ellis
My son, Oliver, hasn’t started school yet, nor am I a good singer, but that doesn’t interfere with his LOVE of this book. Following the format of the song, the Twelve Days of Christmas, the Twelve Days of Winter captures the passion for learning (and the chaos too) of an elementary classroom as students participate in wintertime activities. The illustrations are rich in detail and personality and beg to be explored by young readers!
Fact: Motherhood has ruined me, and I started listening to Christmas songs on November 1st. I think our Christmas tree went up the following week. In lieu of homemade Christmas cookies, because Oliver has an egg allergy, I stirred up a batch of rice crispy treats in which I dyed the marshmallow fluff green and red. And, I think I have watched a Christmas movie every other day since the beginning of December. So, of course, I couldn’t resist borrowing picture books from the library to keep Oliver and me in the Christmas Spirit. Here are five picture books about Christmas we are reading this week:
The Knights Before Christmas by Joan Holub, illustrated by Scott Magoon
The Knights Before Christmas is a parody of the Christmas poem, The Night Before Christmas, in which three knights, one brave, one polite, and one silent, protect their keep from one jolly intruder.
The Christmas Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Renata Liwska
Simple sentences and soft color pencil drawings of charming woodland creatures capture the quieter side of holidays usually filled with Christmas carols and jingling sleigh bells.
Dinosaur Christmas by Jerry Pallotta, illustrated by Howard McWilliam
Have you ever wondered who pulled Santa’s sleigh before the reindeer? Well, the answer is dinosaurs. Dinosaur Christmas explores the different dinosaurs that once pulled Santa’s sleigh and the silly reasons why that did not work out well.
The Biggest Smallest Christmas Present by By Harriet Muncaster
Clementine is a teeny-tiny little girl, who fits in the palm of her parents’ hand. Being tiny is mostly fun, but for Christmas, she always receives giant gifts. She tries to creatively communicate with Santa that the gifts are too big but learns gratitude along the way.
Curiosity leads Slipper the cat to the North Pole after meeting Mr. Furryboots (aka Santa). He enjoys exploring Santa’s workshop but quickly finds himself feeling homesick.
In October, my son, Oliver, celebrated his first birthday. Some days, it still strikes me as surreal that this tiny human exists. Other days, I cannot even remember what life was like without him. All the same, this past year has taught me a lot about parenthood and myself too. Here are just a few of the things I learned:
People say that parenthood doesn’t come with a handbook, but in reality, there are several available for purchase at your local Barnes & Noble. I am learning to trust my gut though, instead of what someone else has to say about raising children. I can admit that I am not the best parent, and you definitely should not take my advice about the subject, but I do think I am the best parent for my son.
Our once quiet home suddenly became so loud. But it’s not the loudness that bothers me. It’s the absence of sound that I find truly terrifying. It usually means my son is doing something he should not be doing. And don’t even get me started about how many times I sneak into his bedroom at night to make sure he is still breathing.
I may never have as much patience as my son deserves.
As I watched my son play Tiddlywinks with his Cheerios, I realized my house would never be clean until the day he moved out.
I thought to raise an infant was going to be hard, but that was easy. All my son did was eat, sleep, poop, and repeat. Now my son rappels off furniture, pulls all of the pots and pans out of the cupboard, dumps cat food all over the floor, yells and contorts during every diaper change, pulls the cats’ tails, and throws the clothes I just neatly put away in his dresser all over his bedroom floor. He might be a tyrant.
All of my expectations about how I would parent have flown right out the window, and I am slowly learning to accept the reality that I am of the “World’s Okayest Mom” ilk.
There is only one thing worse than researching symptoms on WebMD, and that is researching anything to do with your child’s health or your child’s development. The only articles and message board responses are ones that reinforce the idea that your child has a highly contagious plague, or you’re definitely failing as a parent.
I have never felt more scrutinized in my life than when I became a parent, and I’m still trying to cope with that. I can’t tell if it’s benign curiosity or actual concern for my son’s well-being, but adults think it’s acceptable to point out blemishes on my son and ask what caused it. Where did he get that bruise? I don’t know. I just told you he rappels from furniture, right?That red blemish on his ear? It’s a hemangioma; no, I did not pinch him or try to pierce his ear. Is that even a real question?
Nothing invites unsolicited advise more than being a parent. I suspect it’s worse for mothers than fathers, but I can’t confirm. Sometimes the advice is worth listening to, but other times it’s okay, and sometimes necessary, to say “no thank you”.
I thought life moved fast before, but now it’s going so fast it’s practically breaking the sound barrier.
I used to live in Ohio (the Columbus metropolitan area), but that was twenty years ago, and it was much quieter back then. Now, the population seems to have exploded, and driving down to visit family usually means I’m white-knuckling it through congested traffic once I hit Delaware. But, not everything is so urban there. Columbus has a great metro park system, and one of the coolest metro parks is the Slate Run Living Historical Farm (1375 OH-674, Canal Winchester, OH 43110).
At the Slate Run Living Historical Farm, visitors are invited to step back in time and experience the 1880s Ohio farm life. Farm staff and volunteers wear authentic costumes and perform daily farm chores just as they would nearly 140 years ago (ie. without electricity and vehicles!) The farm even goes as far as to find names for the farm animals from the 1880s livestock annals.
Most weekends, the farm hosts exhibits where visitors can learn how to make sorghum molasses, how to dry and can food, how to prepare the farm for the changing seasons, or how to care for farm animals. The activities are seasonal, but the program guide on the park website can help you plan your visit.
Best of all? The Slate Run Historical Living Farm is free!
The day we went was particularly quiet because the farm was preparing for the big apple cider and apple butter demonstration that was to take place the following day. So, while it was a bummer that we didn’t get to observe or take part in any farm life demonstrations, we had the luxury of being able to roam the farmstead without fighting any crowds.
Highlights of our trip included petting Mayflower, the four-month-old calf, pumping well water to feed horses, grinding cornmeal, playing games from the 1880s, and of course taking in the amazing farmstead scenery.
If you’re ever near Columbus, Ohio, and you’re looking for an inexpensive way to spend the afternoon with family, make sure you check out Slate Run Living Historical Farm!
Have you ever been to a living history museum or farm? Tell me about it in the comments!
I admit I’ve never gone camping. I’m afraid of the dark. Of being gobbled up by hungry bears. And most of all…the bathroom situation or lack thereof. So, the opportunity to indulge in this ooey-gooey, chocolate treat has been rare and reserved for the odd occasion that I’m socializing with someone with a fire pit in the back yard. Thankfully, there is no shortage of treats inspired by this campfire dessert though. Usually, I consume them in the form of granola bars, but I recently tried it in the form of tea, too!
DAVIDsTEA succeeded in blending a tea that tasted like toasted, sweet and creamy marshmallows smooshed between cinnamon graham crackers, but the chocolate flavor seems non-existent to me. There is also a strange, earthy bitterness to this tea which, if I had to guess, is coming from the pu’erh? Although, really that’s all it is– a guess– because I’ve never had a straight pu’erh before. And, unfortunately, it’s this earthy bitter flavor that often turns me off to this tea.
I’ve experimented with brewing this tea, and so far my favorite method is to steep the blend directly in hot milk. It makes the finished product more creamy, and it seems to tame the bitterness as well. If you’ve tried S’Mores Chai before, what did you think of it?
What are some of your favorite S’mores inspired treats?
If you like S’mores Chai, try these other tasTEA recommendations:
By Golly, Ollie! 