As a blogger, we all have our personal reasons for starting a blog.  For me, it was a combination of things. Sharing advice and reaching out was a main one. I knew I liked to help others and give advice, so blogging seemed like the best of both worlds.  I could do what I love, and get paid for it!  Obviously, the other reason was to make at least a part time income.  I am not there yet, but I will be one day.

  When my adventure first started, all I knew was I was going to have a “mommy blog.”  I hadn’t yet found my focus, and my drive fizzled off over time.  Then, my world was turned upside down.  In a matter of three months, my 23 month old son and 8 year old daughter were both diagnosed with autism.  I began sharing our journey through a new diagnosis and the hiccups along the way.  This is when I recognized my true focus.

  A lot has changed since December of 2016. In this last three months, I have changed as a person.  I can truly say that this adventure in blogging has been the blessing in disguise that has helped lead me to where I am standing today.  

6 Unexpected Benefits to Blogging

1. Becoming a better mother

  I make sure to always write from my heart.  In the process of writing, I have discovered myself more.  As a mother of four, two with autism, I am always wanting to be the best mom I can.  One of my character traits is that I am also brutally honest.  Lying is the biggest no-no in our home.  That being said, who wants to put in their blog post how horrible a mother they are?!  Okay,  maybe me a little bit there, but you get the gist.  My focus has been so much better about speaking with a calmer tone and listening more to my children.

2. Becoming more organized

   Yes, I still have a junk drawer (or 8…), but when it comes to the big picture, I am more organized.  I have learned to organize my time and prioritize what has to get done.  My office is much cleaner than it used to be, and I have been applying that to the home as well.  I am still trying to get better with meal planning and getting my garage organized.  The biggest improvement has been to do list.  Not only am I making them, but I am getting them completed on a routine basis.  That is HUGE for me!

3. Becoming less cluttered

   My brain is not any less cluttered, but my home is a lot less cluttered.  I have four children and two dogs, so there will always be some but it is better.  In the process of trying to de-clutter my thoughts to be able to blog, I realized I had to de-clutter my environment.  I have been actively donating and tossing items that we don’t use or need. It is so much easier to clean the home when there is less stuff to clean!

4. Taking  better care of me

  This is a huge area of struggle for me.  My love and commitment to my family is huge.  To myself, however, it has been small.  As mom’s we always hear the reference to the oxygen mask thought process.  This is refers to when you are on a plane.  When they are going over procedures, they remind parents to put the oxygen masks on themselves instead of the child on their laps.  The reason being, you can’t take care of them if you don’t have oxygen yourself.    This make perfect sense to the logical side of my brain.  However, my heart is much larger than that side of my brain!  

  Over the last couple months, I have started doing things to make myself less stressed and a better me.  I have been doing basic yoga, attempting to eat healthier, and focus more time on myself.  Now that doesn’t mean I always get much time, but I make it a priority to get some “me time” in.  Sometimes, its taking a quick shower and then hiding in the bathroom for thirty more minutes just so I can read “The Magnolia Story” by Chip and Joanna Gaines.  Yes, I hide in the bathroom..lol.

5. Meeting New, Inspiring People

  One benefit I never saw coming,  new relationships.  Whether it is through a comment, a friend request, or reading each other’s blog post, these are some amazing friendships I have made so far.  The compassion from other moms reaching out and telling me that my article made an impact on them means the world to me.  

6. My Relationship with God is better

  I have learned time and time again that everything is possible with God.  Giving it all up to Him though, that’s the hard part.  I have been praying more and knowing to give God the glory for his works.  This whole adventure has brought made me a better me, and that is only by the Grace of God.  

So what has impacted me the most in these three short months?

  Today, an educator left a comment on my Facebook post that literally had me in tears.  She said :

“I’m a teacher to teenagers with autism and I wish they all could have had such a kind and wonderful mother. Your post is beautiful!”

  This comment still has me tearing up as I write this post.  Even though I strive to be the best mom I can, I don’t see myself that way. The article she was commenting about was

“Explaining Autism to Child with Autism – Lilly’s Diagnosis.  

  This post, I wrote completely from my heart.  I am doing my best to let God lead me to write completely from my heart, and not overthink my posts.  This was the first post that I did that on.  So to hear such loving feedback, God showed me through this teacher what my purpose is in life.  This is the biggest blessing I could have received through blogging.

 Do you have some unexpected benefits to blogging too?  I would love to hear them!  Drop me a comment below!