You can work quite hard, in particular online, and do quite well independently, but if you really want to grow you need points of leverage and most of them come from knowing people.
Yaro Starak
On February 1, 2013 I published HoneyBear & SydneyBean’s very first post. 2013 was one of the worst years of my life but a few good things came out of it, my niece and my blog.
At first I wrote every day, it became somewhat of a journal for me. Every time I hit publish a little thrill went through my body. At first I didn’t tell anybody. I would open up the blog daily and read and reread each post. I quickly realized I suck at editing my own work 😆. I didn’t keep my secret to myself for very long and after a few weeks I shared my online “diary” with my 2 best friends, my Mom and my Sis. My Mom had always pushed me to start a blog, always believed in me. They both read every post, cheering me on and convincing me to put it out there into the world. I was scared though and there was no way I was ready to share it with strangers.
In May 2013 I stopped writing. The next month my Mom passed away. It took me weeks to start writing again. Anytime I typed something my tears blurred my eyes and I would close up my laptop, not ready to write the words that my heart was feeling. However, I remembered my Mom’s urging and her belief in me, and I eventually began to publish posts again. I also began to share it with others.
My words were the link to people knowing my Mom.
Since that fateful day on February 1, 2013 I have published 564 posts. Or at least I will have once this one goes out! Over the past 9 years I’ve had the most incredible comments and observations about my blog. Friends and family that I no longer kept in contact with, at least directly, felt like they were apart of my life and reached out over the years making me feel like I’m still a part of their’s. Strangers that I was so afraid to share with, became my friends. My blog has taken me from the darkest corners of grief to the highest points of parenthood. It’s all there in black-and-white. My story. My children’s stories. My Mom’s. I will forever be grateful for what HoneyBears & SydneyBeans has brought to me.
2022 has been a rough year. I don’t quite put it on the same level as 2013 but it will definitely go down as a life-changing year. That’s why I think it’s fitting that this is the time that I am courageously taking this next step. Over the past few months I have been trying to figure out if the career I have chosen is going to work for me and my new life with MS. I’ve come to the conclusion that my life pre-MS cannot be the same as my life post-MS. It just can’t. I am very hopeful that I will be able to continue working, at least part time but I am realistic enough to know that pushing my limits every workday is not going to allow me to have a long life, or at least not a long quality of life. So changes must be made!
As I look at my blog I realize that over the past decade I have made small changes. I started out as more of a Mommy blog, talking about diaper blowouts, baby food, and first steps. I started out cooking because, I love cooking. I don’t claim to be the best at it but man do I find a sense of peace in the kitchen and pride when I have made a dish that my family gobbles up. Over the years my cooking techniques have gotten better so have my pictures… But not by much 😂. I went from classroom crafts to organization tips. I went from young bride and a new Mom to a grieving Daughter and a Mom of a teenager and tween! My posts have shown what my life was like as an active member of the community, a small business owner, a member of my children’s school Pacs, and as a traveller! Now my posts reflect my life learning to live with multiple sclerosis. My life now deals with where we go after a pandemic, living in the heart of the valley of climate change, and navigating teenage depression. I have a lot to offer and I feel like there are people out there that if they read my blog could reach out to me to offer their knowledge too!
This week I met with my website designer. You must be asking yourself, you have a website designer? 😆 I do! He is wonderful but he has had a ton on his plate this past year and I have been very easy-going because, to be honest… I’m scared. I don’t know how to attract more followers, I don’t know how to make money from my passion. I don’t know how to take better pictures of my delicious food. I don’t know how to believe in myself… As much as my Mom did. So, while he put the new blog to the bottom of his work pile, I put it to the bottom of my need pile. Things have changed.
So that’s where you come in! You, my friends. The people that have followed me for the past 9 years. I need help! I need to spread the word about my awesome blog! The reason why I want to spread awareness of HoneyBears & SydneyBeans to the rest of the world is because after 9 years I am trying to make the leap between my own personal journal and a monetized blog.
Yikes! That sounds scary!
I’m not even a person that likes to hold a Tupperware party because I don’t want to make my friends feel obligated to come or buy something! 😂 Hence why I have never added anything to do with monetization in my posts. However, I was talking to a friend that was asking me about tips and tricks in the kitchen. I mentioned my handy-dandy pasta pot! My Dad’s girlfriend got it for me for Christmas and I absolutely love it! You boil the pasta and the lid is your colander! You can also cook your vegetables and meat in there and then just toss it all together! You know how much I love me a one pot meal! 😆 She was like, “where did you get it?” So I told her and she said, “all these things you get me to buy to make my life easier, you should be getting commission!” 💡
And here we are. At a place that might allow me to bring in a few extra dollars while I figure out how I can be of best service to my family while unable to do the labour of my career of choice.
I have teamed up with Amazon. Or maybe I should say I have become an Amazon affiliate! As I am just learning and don’t know anybody that has experience with this type of thing, it’s all a bit hazy to me 😂 but this is what I understand… So far. I can create links to Amazon for products that I use. And I promise that I will only ever post items that I use and that I deem useful! If you ever want a full description of an item, message me! I will get back to you right away with any answers to any of your questions! So, for example my amazing pasta pot, J got it on Amazon. Here’s a picture.
If you tap either of the pictures above, they will take you to my affiliated Amazon page. Or you can click, HERE! If you buy that pot from that link… I will get a commission! Even if you don’t, just by clicking the link it shows Amazon that I might not be the best sales person but I’m trying! 😂 I’m also trying to figure out how I can get an Amazon search bar at the top of my page, if you go to Amazon through my link and purchase something completely different like a box of chocolates that you’re treating yourself to to watch the reunion of Selling Sunset 😆 because my link referred you… I will get a small commission. I am hoping with the revision of the blog and all the exciting changes that are coming, that it will be easier for you to jump to a recipe, pin my posts, and find a recipe that you’ve tried in the past but are unable to find on my ridiculously unorganized present day blog. I used to say I’m just learning how to blog but after 594 posts… That excuse is wearing thin.
My negative thoughts have convinced me that this will add up to nothing but pennies lol but I feel like I owe it to myself and to all of you that have who have continued to read my blog and have supported me for all those years. I feel like I owe it to my Mom, my Dad, and my siblings who are the most loyal followers that I could ever ask for. I feel like I owe it to Ninja because he works so goddamn hard every day and then comes home with patience and love for me and the kids. This is not where we thought our life would take us. I need to do what I need to do to help out. It’s very scary though! The Pinterest algorithms say you have to post at least 5 times a day to be taken seriously. I hate posting more than once a week! I don’t want to bug people! 😆
So on that note, I just wanted to say,
Thank you. Thank you for being my sounding board over the years. Thank you for pinning my posts! Thank you for sharing my posts on Facebook! Thank you for liking, commenting, and trying my recipes! Every time you comment or like it helps me gain followers. Ninja always says that I do nothing to promote my blog and yet still have thousands of readers every week, imagine what I could do with a little effort.
So please! Continue sharing and clicking on my Amazon links lol hopefully my tips, items, and ingredients will help you create a better way of life for yourself as well as helping me become the writer/blogger my Mom always thought I could be.
Again, so scary to say that! 😂 Now I just feel like I’m at the door with my sister trying to say goodbye or as my BIL calls it a Castle goodbye lol not knowing how to end a conversation that you are overwhelmed with so it continues while the car is running forever 😂.
So I will just end it again saying, thank you 💛.
Check out How Was Your Week, Honey? Episode #276: They’re A******S HERE! This week, we get together after a rare day out at a local craft beer festival. Topics: TV, Fest of Ale, Kentucky Derby, Syd’s attitude, kid’s traits, roller skates, D&D, adulthood, dancing in public & promoting Cdn music.
I love fried rice! I remember going out for a nice dinner with friends a few years back and I ordered fried rice. Just fried rice. I love it because it’s half crispy half chewy, a little salty and a little spicy (ginger is a little spicy for me) It is also incredibly easy to make! My secret, making extra rice! Usually when I make rice I use one cup of dry rice but when I want to make fried rice I make 2 cups of dried rice! You see, the best fried rice uses cooked rice that has been sitting in your fridge for a couple days! I love to add easy frozen vegetables or dice up any vegetables in my crisper that might be on their way out. I also like to add a couple eggs for protein. This time, Ninja and the kids made shrimp to go with their fried rice and although the recipe calls for making the shrimp using the same pan, we didn’t actually do this because I hate the taste of shrimp in my fried rice so we kept them separate and then they put their protein on top! But, if you like shrimp, follow the recipe for the best shrimp fried rice EVER as HBear said!
Shrimp Fried Rice
Adapted from Averie Cooks
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound medium-large shrimp
2 cup frozen peas/carrots/corn blend
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 inch ginger, grated
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups rice, cooked
2 green onions, sliced
3 to 4 tablespoons soy sauce
salt & pepper to taste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound medium-large shrimp
2 cup frozen peas/carrots/corn blend
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 inch ginger, grated
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups rice, cooked
2 green onions, sliced
3 to 4 tablespoons soy sauce
salt & pepper to taste
Heat up your wok over medium heat. Add the oils, shrimp, and cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and place shrimp on a plate; set aside.
Add the peas, carrots, corn, and cook for about 2 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften, stirring a few times.
Add the garlic, ginger, and cook for 1 minute, stir a few times.
Push vegetables to one side of the skillet, add the eggs to the other side, and cook to scramble. Remove all to a plate.
Turn the heat up to medium/high. Add the rice and evenly drizzle with soy sauce, evenly season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine.
Cook for about 8 minutes or until rice is crispy. Add back in the eggs, shrimp and veggies. Cook until shrimp is reheated through.
