Mama and Me | Liz and Sunday

I spent last week in Fredericksburg passing time visiting with family and lots of friends while Tommy fulfilled his state required military duty. A few days in a row I had dates for breakfast, lunch AND dinner. I am pretty sure I gained ten pounds because of it, but it was totally worth it! I had a great time catching up with everyone. Of course one of those dates was reserved especially for Samantha! Check out the fun shots she grabbed of Sunday and I in the parking lot of Cracker Barrel Thursday morning. I love that we made time to snap a few pictures of each other! Also... can I just share a huge confession with you? These are the first pictures of myself that I haven't completely wanted to photoshop in YEARS! Like... I actually like them just the way they are. I can SO see the progress I'm making with Crossfit! And that feeling? SO awesome. (Although I'm going to have to quit eating after this week to make up for all the damage I've done the past few days... ;))

Anyway... to the pics! So fun! And stay tuned - I'll be blogging the few that I grabbed of her and her little man in the next few days!

And since I'm not ready to share my real (aka wearing just a sports bra & shorts) before and current ("after" isn't here yet ;)) Crossfit pics, I thought I'd throw up this comparison. This is just two months of hard work! So worth it!

5 reasons why you should survey your blog readers

So you can feel good about yourself! I kid. :)

But seriously - I just finished reading through your responses to my survey for oh... about... the 10th time. The next time I hit a writer's block I'm just going to reopen the results and read through them again.

Thank you so much!

I really had no idea that you guys were so interested in my personal life! I honestly thought those posts bored you. Goodness - was I wrong!

So I am working on gathering my thoughts and making a plan. I will be bringing in more posts about my personal experiences with products (of course it'll be the things I love: cameras, baby stuff, and other products that enhance my life), a lot more Crossfit chatter, tips and tricks for the beginner  photographer, more pictures, and personal updates. And of course I'll still have all the normal stuff I blog about.

In short: I'll be making this blog more of a home. And I'm feeling... a bit nervous... a little scared... a lot excited. You have to take risks to make big things happen! Right?

Speaking of risks. That's exactly what posting the survey was for me: a risk. A big part of me was really afraid that NO ONE would respond. I am so glad I got over my fear and posted the survey anyway. It was hands down the best thing I have done for this blog so far. A lot will come from our combined efforts!

Here is why I will do it again:

5 reasons why you should survey your blog readers

1. Surveys connect the blogger and his or her readers. Sometimes I feel like I'm talking into the air here. And I think sometimes you guys don't know that I really want to be talking to YOU. Creating the survey and relying on you to fill it out completely removed the invisible wall between us. I needed you. And you stepped up. And it was incredible to hear from you guys!
2. Surveys help you tailor your blog content to what your readers want to read. This helps encourage readers to come back, which is always what you want.
3. Surveys help you gain a better understanding about your readers: Who they are, why they read your blog, and what they want/need.
4. Surveys help your readers feel valued. As much as this blog is about me, it is really because of you that I feel accountable to post. And I am so grateful because I have a wonderful record of some of the best things that have happened in my life right here.
5. Surveys help give your readers ownership if your site. Your opinions and wants/needs are what drives my blog. As much as I am writing to document my family and our life, I am also very much writing for YOU. And surveys help get that point across.

back to school - from the clutch guide | published

I am kind of in love with paper. Like... all things paper. Especially pretty paper. I am that person that picks up a brochure or a marketing card just because it is pretty... even though I have no need for the service or product listed on the card. Oh yes. And I know I am not the only one who does it. Because... ladies... have you seen the clutch guide around town? I wouldn't be surprised if you haven't because everyone keeps taking them off of the shelves! I am so excited... so proud... so honored... to share with you all this new publication in town.

It... is... beautiful!!

the clutch guide - the girl's guide to everything essential

I am both honored to have my work featured in this debut publication and proud to be a part of this new resource for women.

And even more exciting...! Today my Back to School bag shoot is being featured over on the new The Clutch Guide blog. Ahhhh! Another blog to love?! You bet! Hop over and subscribe to the clutch guide's online publication. You don't want to miss all the cool giveaways they have lined up this month!

If you're not local - not to fear. There is an online version of the magazine so you can enjoy all the goodies, too! Check out my shoot, it starts on page 37.

Okay I feel like I am sounding like a commercial. But really... I am proud. And I am honored. And I really, really think everyone who picks up this magazine is going to genuinely enjoy the time they spend perusing the pages. :)

survey says!

Ahhh there are some big changes happening over here! I am really excited about the future of Sincerely, Liz and I can't wait to share it with you all!! Things are developing and I couldn't be more excited. (To be fair, though, I happen to LOVE change. :)) In the meantime, can I ask a favor of my faithful readers?? Could you take a minute to fill out this quick survey? It shouldn't take you long and it would be a HUGE help to me!! (It's totally anonymous for those of you who are worried about that. :))

Click here to take survey

Thank you sooo much - it's a huge help and it'll help make this blog more interesting for you! :)

Community

Community and parenthood... they should go hand in hand.

Soon after I found out I was pregnant, I dove right into community. Both online and in person, I became active in groups that offered a safe place to express concerns, ask questions, and just chat about pregnancy, birth and what being a mom is all about. With a variety topics and passions, each group offered an assortment of points of views and experience.

Through the brilliance of Facebook, finding community seems a million times easier than it used to be. With 24/7 access, the facebook groups I am a part of have come to the rescue for me in the middle of the night on more than one occasion. (Like when my baby who once slept through the night is on night five of waking every hour... that can make a mama lose her mind!)

Some of my favorite online communities:

• A number of local Facebook groups, including: Lynchburg Moms Supporting Moms, Lynchburg Babywearers, and others. (Most of these are closed or private groups so if you are local and want to join, you can search for them on FB.)
• Gentle Christian Mothers (Even though I do not agree with everything these moms do, a lot of the pregnancy/birth/postpartum topics were extremely helpful for me!)
• Mothering.com forums
• Diaperswappers.com (where I found a cool group of women that all had babies due in November of last year and got a lot of my cloth diapers)

Of course, nothing is better than meeting together in the presence of  like-minded souls. On the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month I experience a beautiful community that is The Motherhood Collective Cafe. The women involved are welcoming, encouraging, loving, and most of all, truly caring. Their passion is to help encourage and support one another in our journey of motherhood. The environment is warm and cozy, with candles and coffee, conversation and support. It's such a sweet little escape from my normal routine of life.

For the past few months I have had the honor of being on the leadership team of the cafe and we've been brewing up some awesome things. On July 1st we launched a new brand, website, and we became an official non-profit organization. My favorite thing about the launch is that we have a new blog so we can start to share our passion with women outside of the Lynchburg area. So wether you are local or not, please head over to the site and check it out!

I am honored to be a writer for the blog as well and I recently shared about my new obsession with Coconut Oil here.