A New Year, A new Endeavor

Time to get real.
Ten years ago (yes, ten years) I started blogging. I started because when I was teaching, during lunch, the other teachers would ask me random questions because, for some reason, I have a wealth of useless knowledge. Mostly about shopping and where to find good finds, but also cooking, cleaning, organizing, and so on. And they called me NayNay. So, one day at lunch, they said I should start blogging and call it NayNayKnows.

In 2007, I started my very first blog. And I blogged about totally random crap. Whenever a topic would come up at lunch, I had my next blog post. And it was fun. I never had any comments, really, but it was an outlet for me to kind of 'talk', since I like to talk. Ha ha. I blogged randomly for a few years and then took a little hiatus when I got engaged. But then while planning my wedding, I blogged about that throughout 2009 and started blogging about married life in 2010. Again, I blogged randomly for a while. I couldn't, or I should say, I didn't, keep it consistent. I would share random ideas, thoughts, and shopping. So it fizzled out again.

Almost two years ago, in 2016, after several years of fertility struggles and ups and downs in my life, I became a mom. And honestly, the final piece in my life puzzle became complete. It wasn't easy and he is and will be my only child. So don't ask me when I'm having another child, cuz it ain't happenin. In a nutshell, my water broke at 30 weeks and I sat on bedrest, at the hospital, leaking, for 4 weeks, until he came. He then spent about two weeks in the NICU before coming home at barely 4 pounds. He wasn't even ten pounds when he was six months old. And he's still little. But he's perfect.

I have spent some time researching blogging and successful blogs. I've looked into how to "brand" yourself and grow an audience. I have read articles, listened to podcasts, networked with successful bloggers, and I have come to a conclusion. I don't think that is me. I just don't. Not that there is anything wrong with it, it just doesn't appeal to me and what I want my blog to be about. I am a mom and wife first and foremost. Family is what makes my heart beat and what gets me out of bed every morning. I spent a long time waiting for my fairytale and it finally came. Yeah, kinda sappy, but it's true.

From fashion to lifestyle to family to shopping to food and more, I love what I discover from other bloggers. But I am real. I am normal. I am the person who lives next door to you. I don't wear Louboutins to the grocery store. I don't carry a Louis Vuitton as my diaper bag. I don't spend hours in the morning putting on a full face to walk out the door. I don't spend a lot of time on my hair. I don't pose 15,000 ways to take a picture to share my outfit on my instagram. I am simply me. And I struggled greatly with blogging because I didn't want to have to be someone else for people to follow me. I enjoy the athleisure trend. I spend a great deal of my day on the floor playing with my toddler. I work from home but that has taken a slight backseat to treasuring the moments with my son. I cook dinner almost every night. There's always a sticky spot on my floor. Even though I'm a clean freak.

My goal is simple. I want to share my life with you. I don't want to say I'm a lifestyle blogger, because I'm not. I'm simply normal. Well, as normal as a weirdo can be. Ha ha. I plan on sharing my random recipes, because I like to cook and I actually do cook. I plan on sharing fun, random stuff I do with my son. He's turning 2 in January (let's not discuss that because I am SO NOT ready for it) and we go on a 'field trip' at least once a week, have a weekly playgroup at our house with arts and crafts, have a music and a gym class every week, and honestly, just like to explore and try new things. I plan on sharing style ideas with you because, well, I am a mom but I do like to put on real clothes once in a while. I was a teacher for fifteen years and didn't dress like a teacher, if you know what I mean. Don't get me wrong, homegirl here loves her some loungewear but glitter and leopard are my jam. I plan on sharing deals and steals with you because I am one heck of a bargain shopper. I plan on sharing restaurants and travel discoveries with you because not only do we love food, we love to eat out and try new places. I plan on sharing my life musings with you. Find me on Yelp or Instagram too for even more entertainment!

So, here I am deciding I am going to blog again. I'm going to share my thoughts with you. I'm going to share my fashion (or lack thereof). I'm going to share steals I find as well as the fun tweed vest I still wear that I wore in seventh grade. I'm going to share recipes that family enjoys. I'm going to share fun little day trips and vacations we take. I'm just going to share. But I'm going to share ME. I am going to share US. And my pictures might not always be clear. And they won't be done by a professional photographer. In fact, they'll likely be taken with my phone. But, I hope you'll enjoy the insight into the REAL life and REAL world with NayNayKnows.

And this photo happens to be a professional photo. And I'm only using it because I think it sums up my family perfectly. 

Welcome to NayNayKnows. I hope you'll stick around for a bit. xo