It is My Blogiversary Month! Celebrate with Me! #LetsPlayOC

Wow, another year has flown by, and I can't believe LET'S PLAY OC! turns 4 years this month! Woohoo! Many have asked how did I start blogging, what motivates me, and where do I want to go from here? So much has changed throughout the years, it has not been easy, but I am still having fun. I started this journey four years ago with not a clue where I was going, but I liked sharing what resources I found and as people started following me after sharing what I love, it has given me more confidence to keep at it and keep going.

How did I start blogging?

You might have noticed my writing has changed. I'm not much of a writer and most of my training is in business writing which is to keep it short, direct, and to the point, but I found it more comfortable writing to you like I'm talking to my friend. What did I like? What helpful tips can I share? (And because everyone wants to save money), how can I save you time and money? Many have asked me (who do not read my blog) if I ever write negative things, and my answer is - I only write what I like. I wouldn't write something I didn't believe in, and I chose to only point out the positives. It has been extremely rare for me to have a bad experience with a product, but it has happened. I kindly let my sponsor know why I couldn't share it, and they were understanding.

What motivates me?

I'm not going to lie, it has been a challenge for me to balance family life, attend events, then write about it. I do need breaks here and there, and I'm still learning how to prioritize and manage my time better. At times, I do have to say no and the big question is, how do I learn from this experience to make it better next time? I want to work smarter not harder. I want to still enjoy attending events, I want my family with me, and I want to still enjoy blogging. I think the first year, the scheduling was out of control so now I try not to overbook, allow more time to rest, and if I can't make it, I'll try to find a contributor who will do a good job covering it for me.

Where do I want to go from here?

Most recently I have taken on more interest in my health now that I'm pre-diabetic, so I want to share more fitness and being healthy. This is going to be really hard because desserts are my weakness. I also want to share more ways to save money so I will be sharing more free events in the community especially on my Facebook page. If there is something you would like to see more of, let me know too. I love hearing from my readers!

Thank you!

I want to thank you, my readers, for always being supportive. If you are new to the blog, Welcome! My biggest compliment is when people tell me my photos are beautiful and they love my feed. (I'm still learning how to capture the best angles to make the photo pop.) To celebrate my blogiversary month, I have some amazing prizes that I want to give away! These are some of my favorite partners over the years, and it is my pleasure to offer these prizes to you thanks to them so please give them some love on your favorite platform. Like them, tweet them, follow them. As you may already know these are completely free (no purchase necessary) and earning entries is super easy especially if you are already following on all the other platforms. If you're not, just do it one time, then on the following giveaways, just check that you are already following. Easy.

Winners are selected randomly via Rafflecopter. The online party will start this week on www.LETSPLAYOC.com. I will write them as fast as I can until they're all up. Right now I have 14, but there might be more surprise ones that come through later. I think they're all good and will save the very best for last so don't miss it! It will move pretty fast and might get overwhelming, but no worries, I will keep each contests up for 2-3 weeks so you can catch up. You can also subscribe via email newsletters. I'm here if you have questions, and if I don't know the answer, I'll try to find out for you. Good luck, everyone! I hope you will celebrate with me!

Sincerely,
Mary
#LetsPlayOC