Tag Archives: blogger

Mar29

1690 Day Blogging Streak!!

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1690 Day Blogging Streak!!

Hellooo everyone!! The other day, I was pretty impressed by myself with my 1250 Day Duolingo Streak. This equals out to be about three and a half years of daily practice! Then, I looked at my amount of days of daily content on lifewithlilred and had an “omg” moment. I am on a 1690 plus day streak which is four and a half full years of every day latest and greatest on my blog! I never pay too much attention to these numbers because I am so used to doing daily practice and writing. As you can imagine it comes as a huge surprise when I do notice and do the math lol.

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Some four and a half years ago, I made the decision to start publishing daily content on lifewithlilred. Rather, I made the decision to do the best I could and no big deal if I miss a day or two. As you all know, I am a very goal and schedule oriented person so that day started the streak with no ifs, ands, or buts for a skipped day. A little bit crazy? Maybe! But I could not be more proud of myself and I look forward to writing every day. It is my release and it’s exciting to have a little corner of the internet that I carved out through this dedication.

Part of the motivation behind this streak came from me, myself, and I. However, a majority of it came from each and everyone of you. The most rewarding thing about blogging for me has always been making new friends. So, even if just a handful of people were reading and interacting, I’d still consider it a great success! lifewithlilred introduced me to one of my best friends almost a decade ago and countless others that make logging in every day a joy – not a chore in the slightest. Every morning, I can’t wait to see my notifications from the blogging community because it is what makes me happiest. A world full of friends that find enjoyment in my page as much as I enjoy writing on it. ❤

I am SO stoked to achieve a five year daily writing streak on lifewithlilred and it makes every day feel like a victory. Thank you to all of you for sticking with me – my blog would not be the same without you!

What is something that motivates you? What goals are you working towards? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar3

Dinner At Misnyland

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Dinner At Misnyland

Hello!! One of the coolest things that lifewithlilred has ever done for me is thanks to this OOTD rocking some MisnyMerch. That outfit helped me win a contest to attend a party at Misnyland to meet Ohio’s most famous personal injury lawyer, Tim Misny. At said party, I was able to conduct an interview with Tim, we hit it off, and the rest is history. Since then, we have created tons of content together with me as a MisnyMerch spokesmodel and it has been a dream!

While the work is neat, the best part has been making a new friend. Johnny, Tim, and I get along like three peas in a pod and it is a blast to hang out altogether. This past week, Tim treated Johnny and I to dinner at his place to show off his culinary skills and everything was divine:

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Something Tim and I really bonded over was our shared love of cooking and serving meals for our family and friends. Next time we do dinner, I call dibs on helping Tim in the kitchen, but he prepared everything himself this time and I felt so spoiled. I can’t remember the last time I sat down while someone else cooked! For our meal, Tim made guacamole, breaded eggplant, tomato bisque, and baked perch for him and Johnny. I was very touched that Tim took the time to consult with me on his menu first to make sure he accommodated my vegetarianism. Everything was SO tasty and I was most impressed by the speed that Tim cooked with. This meal was ready within a half hour and that really blew my mind. Cooking is my me time so I like to draw it out lol.

Johnny and I often get asked what Tim is like in real life and I always say he’s just a guy! Then, I proceed to say that he is simply hilarious, smart as all get out, and a genuinely good person. Johnny and I rarely have the opportunity to make new friends and we enjoy our “Tim Time” so very much. When I began this post, note that I said “one” of the coolest things lifewithlilred has done for me. The top coolest thing my blog has given me is the gift of friendship with countless amazing people and, in this case, I got that too! ❤

I am so thankful to my blog and I always have a moment of “yes!” whenever I interact with anyone that it has put in my path. More Tim Misny X Lil Red collaborations are coming soon so keep your eyes peeled!

Do you like to cook? What is one of your favorite dishes to make? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Jan16

Writing Prompts For 2024

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Writing Prompts For 2024

Howdy everyone!! Is it just me or does January feel like an entire year in itself? Lol, it has been rainy and so freaking cold in good old Akron, Ohio and every day has felt like an eternity. I literally just said yesterday that one of my blogging goals was to try lots of new activities and hit up restaurants and stores that are outside of the norm for me. However, I think I will do all of that when I can leave the apartment without getting drenched or frostbite lol. If you are hibernating like me this month, it might be hard to create content so I thought I would share some writing prompts to help the cause. Let’s get to it:

  • What are you most looking forward to in 2024?
  • If you are rocking a “new year, new me” vibe, what is going to be new about you?
  • What is a goal or resolution that you have achieved?
  • What is a goal or resolution that you gave up on?
  • What is something new that you want to try this year?
  • What is something that you are leaving behind in 2023?
  • How would you recap 2023? Did anything amazing happen?
  • Is there anything you really hope to accomplish this year?
  • What does a new year mean to you? Is it inspiring or daunting?
  • Do you plan on making any major changes this year? What are they?

The beginning of a new year is a time for reflection and that can be reflected in your content! This is the perfect time to start planning what you want 2024 to look like for you and figuring out the steps you need to take to make it happen. You might find that these prompts will be able to help with that, which is the whole point! This time of the year can be inspiring or it can be writer’s block central. It’s up to you, so make the most of it. 🙂

If you use any of the above prompts, please tag me in the post or shoot me a comment so I can check it out. I would love to see it! ❤

What helps you when you have writer’s block? Does the weather tend to affect your mood or motivation? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan15

2024 Blogging Goals

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2024 Blogging Goals

Hello!! We are a few weeks into 2024 and so far so good in my neck of the woods! I can’t remember the last time I made a New Years Resolution, but I do see the merit in setting achievable goals for my blog at the start of each new year. So I guess it’s kind of the same thing? Lol, either way, I always find that setting blog goals keeps me even more motivated to continue sending content into the blogosphere. Last year, I wanted to try and create OOTD posts as often as I could and I think I did a really good job of it! This is something that I definitely want to keep up with as well as the following:

More OOTDs:

My goal last year was to shoot OOTD content each weekend and even though I missed quite a few, I still managed to create more fashion content than ever on lifewithlilred. This was really beneficial to the blog for several reasons. 1) First and foremost, it was a lot of fun. 2) OOTD content gave me two set in stone posts per week for the outfit itself and blooper reel. For someone who publishes daily content, this was a godsend. I will be happy if I can keep up with the pace I established last year so my goal is to keep doing more of the same!

Daily Content:

I have been publishing once a day on lifewithlilred for over four years and it is an amazing achievement! With a streak like that, it is incredibly motivating to keep it up and I simply refuse to break it. Most of the time, it is very easy for me to create posts for my blog. Other times, writer’s block strikes and it can be like pulling teeth! I have two goals this year to help assist in my daily content endeavor and those are: 1) Not to be so hard on myself when I’m feeling uninspired because that just makes writer’s block even worse. 2) To try lots of new things like different experiences, restaurants, and activities to not only enjoy myself but to keep content fresh.

Ten Year Blogiversary Extravaganza:

It will be my ten year blogiversary in September and I am beyond thrilled about it! If anyone were to tell me when I started lifewithlilred that I would still be going strong a decade later, I would have thought it impossible. Yet, here we are and I am so very, very proud. To commemorate this huge achievement, I would love to do a super cute celebratory photo shoot as well as do a few giveaways and contests too. This will be the first time I will be doing something like hosting a contest on my page and I can’t think of a better time to start than a ten year blogiversary. 😀

Interact More:

I have acquired quite a few jobs in the social media field this past year and I feel like I have ignored my newsfeed on WordPress completely. I am not particularly proud of this and it is something that I would like to change. My plan of action will be to spend some time throughout the week exploring new blogs rather than endlessly scrolling through my personal Facebook. The beauty of the blogosphere is making new friends and finding content that inspires you and I definitely need more of that in my life!

Are these goals or New Years Resolutions, who’s to say? But, I plan on sticking with them and I can’t wait to see what 2024 brings for lifewithlilred!

How is 2024 treating you so far? What are some goals for your blog this year? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep17

Belated Nine Year Blogiversary!!

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Belated Nine Year Blogiversary!!

Hello!!!! September 13th was lifewithlilred’s Nine Year Blogiversary and it came as a huge surprise to me lol. Obviously, because this is a belated celebration post! Not only was the date of this a shock, but also the length of time. It feels like just yesterday that twenty year old Sarah sat down and began her blogging journey. It is thrilling that almost a decade later, my blog is still going stronger than ever with daily content for the past four years and change!

As always, the best part about lifewithlilred is all of the incredible friends and readers that have come along for the ride. And, man, have we been through a lot! You have all been there through major milestones in my life – graduating college, new jobs, and getting married. It is so special to me to know that my dear readers are there celebrating the good and offering support for the bad every step of the way. It inspires and motivates me to no end, which is the main reason lifewithlilred has kept on truckin all of these years.

Every day, I feel so excited to sit down and write and I think that my blog is a reflection of my favorite phrase “the joy of writing”. I write for me, I write for my beloved viewers, I would write for no viewers – it just makes me happy to do. lifewithlilred is something that brings me true joy and it is my safe haven that I have carved out in the great world wide web. For nine years, I have been in blogging bliss and I cannot wait to see what else is in store for my page in the years to come. ❤

Thank you to each and every one of you for being the driving force behind lifewithlilred for the past nine years. I could not do it without that love and support and it works both ways. I love all of you and wish nothing but for you to continue on in your blogging journey and experience the joy of writing every day!

Sep5

The Business Of Blogging

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The Business Of Blogging

Hey! I was SO excited to receive an email from Oprah of the blog Oprah Zip Bradford letting me know that she was back to the blogosphere after a hiatus. It is always so nice to be in touch with friends new and old that I have met through lifewithlilred and Oprah and I go way back. When she asked if I was up for a collaboration, of course I said YES! We were in touch after my four year streak of daily content was announced and she thought it would be beneficial if I explained my blogging business a bit more. I am always down to help inspire and inform other writers so of course I said YES! Here is some advice from your favorite Lil Red blogger:

What do you want out of your blog?

Blogging is an interesting hobby because it could be left as something done just for funsies or as a lucrative hustle. I originally started writing just for fun and I still do. However, I was lucky enough to be linked up with publishing companies and advertisers during lifewithlilred’s early years. Every day, I write for pleasure. However, it is a source of income for me and that keeps me motivated to continue creating daily content. Even if your blog isn’t making you money right now, that’s not to say it won’t in the future. If this is something that you are interested in, then it must be taken seriously as not only an outlet for your creativity but as a potential job.

Making a schedule that works for you:

Whether you would like to publish content just for fun or as a possible source of income, I will always recommend making a schedule. Schedules are important for bloggers because it lets your readers know when to expect you and to keep checking in. When you have a publishing schedule, you can create a writing schedule that works for you. In my case, I publish daily. This means that I have to write daily or write multiple posts in one sitting to schedule ahead of time. As you can tell, I am a very schedule oriented person when it comes to my blog and it has done nothing but help me.

Reach out:

If you are hoping for more interactions, viewers, or friends in the blogosphere – reach out! There are millions of blogs out there and it’s unrealistic to think that everyone is going to find yours. Scroll through the WordPress newsfeed and see what tickles your fancy. Interact with other bloggers on their pages and send them love. Encourage collaborations, announce your blog on social media, use word of mouth marketing. In other words, draw attention to your page yourself. There is viral content being shared every second of every day and it’s easy for blogs to get lost in the crowd.

Don’t limit your content:

If you have a blog where you are writing about a specific topic with every post, that is fine. My advice would be not to limit your content, though, because this just limits yourself as a writer. lifewithlilred started out as a strictly beauty and fashion blog and I am happy that I was able to branch out as a well rounded lifestyle blogger. If I stuck with just beauty and fashion, there is no way that I could create daily content. What are offshoots of your favorite topic to write about? For example, beauty and health and wellness often go hand in hand. Once you identify more topics to write about, you are inviting even more readers with different interests to check out your page.

Go easy on yourself:

It might not seem like it, but blogging and maintaining your page is hard work. It can be disheartening when you find that your efforts are not resulting in views or a payday. Please, don’t fret! Once you start beating yourself up, it immediately sucks the joy out of writing. I always say to write for the sake of writing. Don’t do it for viewers, don’t do it for advertisers – do it because YOU love it. When you are doing something you love, it doesn’t matter if one person sees it or one hundred thousand. Do keep this in mind because I have seen many a blogger come and go in lifewithlilred’s almost ten year tenure. Don’t set yourself up to give up by making comparisons or feeling like your page isn’t good enough. You are writing and that is always enough! ❤

Thanks so much to darling Oprah for asking me to share my Ted Talk. I hope this post gave all of you some insight going forward with your own blog!

What are some of your blogging questions for me? What is the link to your blog? Share away! I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May18

Nothing To Write? Have Some Prompts!

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Nothing To Write? Have Some Prompts!

Hello! After publishing my Content Creating 101 post, I received lots of questions asking how I come up with daily content for lifewithlilred. There are a few answers that immediately come to mind, but the first and foremost is that I love to write. I always have and even though I hated school, I never minded when writing papers was the assignment. I like to consider writing as something that I am good at and it makes me feel good when I do it; So, I just go for it! Writing brings me joy so, in that regard, it is very easy for me to find inspiration for content because everything makes me want to write lol.

Although daily content is on lifewithlilred, that doesn’t mean that I don’t get writer’s block too. I swear, some mornings I sit here for twenty or so minutes struggling to get a post started. Writer’s block happens to the best of us, but it’s still annoying AF! If you weren’t aware, WordPress now offers daily writing prompts. However, if you are looking to knock out some posts of your own quickly, I thought I’d provide some of my own too. Let’s get started:

Summer Plans:

  1. What are your goals this summer? I actually just recently wrote about this!
  2. What was the best summer vacation you ever took?
  3. What is your dream summer vacation?
  4. Describe your perfect summer day.
  5. Summertime recipes or party tips? Bring it on!

All About You:

  1. What were you like when you were little? Favorite games, toys, foods?
  2. What did you want to be when you grew up?
  3. What are your favorite things? What brings you joy?
  4. What is your favorite thing about yourself?
  5. What is your go to thing on a lazy day? Comfort shows and comfort food, perhaps? Oh wait, no – that’s me lol.

Hobbies:

  1. What is a project you completed that you are proud of?
  2. What is your favorite medium of art to work with?
  3. How do you express your personality with your hobby? Shopping is my favorite hobby and I express mine through my clothes!
  4. How did you get interested in your hobby? Who taught you?
  5. Did your hobby come easily to you or did you struggle to get started?

Just For Funsies:

  1. What is something that always makes you laugh? For me, that’s easy! The movie Step Brothers, of course!
  2. What is your biggest pet peeve?
  3. What is an adorable thing that your children or pets do? I simply can’t stand it when Melvin and Penelope are snuggling!
  4. What is something new that you want to try?
  5. What happened on the best day you have ever had?

There are twenty ideas above to help get you started and kick writer’s blocks’ stupid butt! Make sure you tag me in the post if you use any of these prompts because I would love to read them. And, if this was helpful to you and you would like more prompt posts, let me know!

What do you love about writing? What is something that you struggle with when you are writing? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: Always remember, that anything that you want to write is important. If you think something is worthy to write about, then it is! ❤

Mar19

Lil Red: A Creature Of Habit

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Lil Red: A Creature Of Habit

Hello!! At the moment, I have three jobs and my life has been very busy. I work as a provider for people with special needs, create daily content for lifewithlilred and complete online work, and I just began a new marketing gig in January. At some point this year, I will cut back on my work in the field and give myself more time to not only work from home, but relax with a less demanding schedule. For now, however, I am enjoying the ride and I love seeing all of the hard work I put into lifewithlilred come into fruition in my new job.

With three jobs under my belt as well as being a very active bunny mom, I have been asked a lot since the beginning of the year how I have been managing. I am no stranger to working several jobs at once so this isn’t a brand new situation for me, but it does help a lot that Lil Red is, first and foremost, A Creature Of Habit. Because of this, my days run like a fine tuned machine and all of the following components help me to achieve this:

Sticking To A Schedule:

My schedule is the most important thing to achieve optimum success during the work week. Without it, I wouldn’t have the time to care for the bunnies in the morning, create content, and work from home before going to a client’s home. This morning routine came into place this past November when Johnny and I brought Mel and Penelope home, but it became an absolute necessity when I started my new job at the beginning of the year. Of course, waking up at five AM is not my idea of a good time in the slightest. However, if I don’t, my work day wouldn’t end until six or so in the evening and that sounds like less of a good time to me. Sticking to this schedule has lots of obvious benefits and my weekend days feel very off when I don’t have to follow through with it!

Forming Good Habits:

Prior to bringing the bunnies home, I was able to sleep in a bit later and was never too pressed if I had to hit the snooze button once, twice, or several times! As wonderful as it was to get the extra Zs, this was a habit that I needed to break for my day to run smoothly. Believe you me, I would LOVE to hit the snooze every morning and if I am extra tired, I will every now and then. But, I like being able to relax when I get home from work rather than work more. Fighting the urge to hit the snooze is definitely a habit that I am glad to have made.

Another good habit that I have formed fairly recently is establishing a meal schedule. Since my days shifted to a much earlier time and I have a lot to do, I go from hungry to hangry really quickly and that is not okay. During my mornings at home, I have penciled in time to have an actual breakfast, pack a snack or lunch for later in the day, and not be completely ravenous by dinnertime. I have come to realize how important it is to fuel my body for long work days and it has helped so much in reducing how rundown I have been feeling.

Take A Break:

Going nonstop is my forte, but it’s not a good thing to be gifted in lol. If I have the time after online work in the morning, I have given myself permission to take a break. Usually I will give my brain some breathing room by watching one episode of Assassination Classroom on Crunchyroll or reading a chapter or two in whatever book I’m working on. Because I work for myself, no one but me tells me when it’s time to rest for a bit. If I had an employee, I would most certainly allow for breaks for them, so why not me too? Even little breaks throughout the day to stretch and hydrate are helpful and it keeps me from completely crashing later. Total win/win!

Creating a schedule and habits that work for me took a decent amount of trial and error, but I am fully satisfied with the end result. I am proud of the work that I accomplish and, honestly, look forward to getting up every morning to see where the day takes me!

How important is a schedule to you? What do you like to do during break time? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb8

Pro Tips To Boost Your New Blog

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Pro Tips To Boost Your New Blog

In today’s world, blogging is becoming a popular way for people to express their opinion – and why wouldn’t it be? Blogging is fun, it allows you to share your thoughts, and there is the potential to make a side income from your page. A blog can be based on pretty much anything, you can write about business, sports, marketing, food & drink, travel – the list goes on. Then, when you find your niche, you can connect with other people with similar interests across the blogosphere. It’s awesome!

If you are interested in boosting your new blog to unlock its full potential, check out these tips to help you get started:

Use the correct editing software:

In order to run a successful blog, you will almost definitely be publishing pictures and videos to assist your article writing. Pictures are a must, however, video is becoming a lot more popular. When working with images and videos you may want to look into things like home video editing services to ensure the quality is there. You never want to just upload an image without making adaptations to it. Take your time to learn the software so whatever media content you use best suits your page.

Create a content schedule:

Another tip that should be followed when running a successful blog is to stick to a content schedule. Try to decide how many posts you would like to publish each week and set a dedicated time for them to go out. This way your readers will know when to return to your blog to access new information and it shows your website is regularly updated. When putting a schedule together, it gives you the opportunity to think about different topics and categories to write about. The schedule itself is easily done, you can do it with a notes app on your phone, a content schedule website, Word, Excel – whatever your preference may be.

Look after your website:

How your website looks and feels is extremely important. You will have a lot of competitors out there, so having a good-looking website may bring their readers to you. Websites aren’t as expensive as you may think and with many different website builders out there and a creative mind, you may find you can do it yourself using a template or two. If not, reach out to your friends or family members or employ a freelancer to do it for you.

Any blog has the potential to turn into the next big thing. Use the tips above, stick to them, and watch as your page grows!

Featured Image By: Andrea Piacquadio

Sep12

Perfect Gifts For The Writer In Your Life

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Perfect Gifts For The Writer In Your Life

If you are trying to think of a gift to buy a writer, there are a few options that might spring to mind. But you probably want to buy them something a little different, especially if they already ‘have it all’ in terms of writing gifts. In this post, we are going to take a look at some of the best gift options you might want to consider when you are looking for something for the writer in your life:

Special Pen:

This is the kind of gift that is always going to go down well with any writer in the world. Most people will appreciate a special pen that they can call their own, but nobody quite as much as a writer. If they haven’t already got a special pen, then this is definitely something you should consider buying them. Make sure that it is a proper fountain pen, one which is going to last a long time and which they can refill with ink as necessary. This will help encourage them to actually use it.

Unique Notebook:

Chances are, your writer already has a lot of notebooks and you are going to need to make sure that you are keeping things a little different. They probably don’t want another Moleskine, and you would be surprised to discover how many they already have that you don’t know about! However, going down a slightly different route might prove useful – such as getting them a notebook which has been personalized just for them, perhaps with a monogram or something similar.

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^^^ Pexels Image

Tickets To A Reading Or Book Launch:

If your writer has a preferred author, then you might want to look out for some event or reading that they have coming up, especially if that author has a book coming out. This is the kind of event that writers tend to love! If nothing else, it can be a kind of date, so that is definitely something to think about if your writer is also your partner. Either way, it’s a gift they will be sure to remember.

Online Writing Course:

Finally, writers are always looking to improve their skills, so they might appreciate being given the chance to do so. It’s a good idea to get them booked into a writing course, but you will need to make sure that you choose one that they are likely to enjoy and get a lot out of. If you can do that right, you will find that they really appreciate it, so it’s definitely something that you can think about. It’s a gift they’ll use every time they write!

The writer on your shopping list will love any of the above – take it from me!

Featured Image By: Pexels