Day 18 of 31 Day Blogging Challenge
Table of Contents
Day 18 of 31 Day Blogging Challenge
Today is day 18 of 31 day blogging challenge. If you’ve been following me through this challenge, I appreciate it. You can read about my other posts by clicking here. The prompt today is the meaning behind my blog name. This one just makes me smile. Have you been following day 18 of 31 day blogging challenge?
The story of my blog and how it evolved is a trying but funny one, at least to me. But then if I couldn’t laugh at myself, where would I be?
The Meaning Behind My Blog Name
I started a blog in August of 2018. It seems like a lifetime ago now, to be honest. I started with a terrible name and even worse hosting company. It was basically doomed to die a slow and painful death. Me being somewhat naive in the beginning, didn’t realize just how doomed it was. This is what happens when you listen to people who think they know everything about everything and have to share that “knowledge” with you. Don’t do that. It was an expensive and costly mistake for me.
When I finally figured this out, I shut that blog down. I had outgrown my little “starter” project and just wanted out. I gave myself a second try with a different hosting company and far better name, The Prepping Wife. Looking back at my original blog and name is like looking back at my first email address and just laughing. Like, who was I to have come up with that name?
The Prepping Wife
How The Prepping Wife came about is that those are the two biggest components of who I am. I am a wife, first and foremost. That will always be a title I wear with pride. I have it tattooed on my back. It’s a title I love. Given this fact, I knew wife needed to be in the title of my blog. After that, who am I? Well, I am a prepper. That is my other favorite title. Wife and Prepper.
These are the two things I love talking about. Married life, and all the challenges and joys that come with it. You’ll find little stories about Nathan and interactions peppered all over my blog. Or pictures of him being goofy and posing for me in my recipe posts. His stamp is all over my blog.
Emergency preparedness or prepping is another passion of mine. I want to help people with that, but in a way that it is relatable. I don’t want to run around doing the whole doomsday conspiracy theories, like we see on tv. That isn’t how people decide prepping is a good idea. I really wanted to tailor it to beginners, and make it a friendly place to learn and ask questions. From simple things like organizing a pantry, to water storage, to having a blackout box when the power goes out. Just getting people thinking about the basics is what I want.
The Prepping Wife was born through a conversation with my favorite person on the planet. I knew what I wanted my blog to look like, but I wasn’t sure how to get it there. I also knew it was something I wanted his age group to enjoy, and kind of be my target audience. So after some suggestions and back and forth messaging, The Prepping Wife came about.
Then came the logo. He helped me develop it and gave me feedback. I stopped counting the number of times I would text him and say, check this out and tell me what you think. I did it when I started looking for a theme too.
The rebranding of my blog and starting over happened in late October, and The Prepping Wife has been my little corner of the internet ever since. I am so glad that I shut the old one down and ended up here because all the mistakes I made in the beginning prepared me for this new adventure and doing it right. Clearly I am doing something right because my statistics just keep right on growing and increasing.
Growing into multiple blogs
From The Prepping Wife, The Cooking Wife, The Reading Wife, and The Homemaking Wife were born a little later down the road. There came a time that everything I wanted to write about no longer fit into the confines of just one blog, and I needed to expand. This gave me the opportunity to expand all of these categories into full blogs and let them grow into something amazing and each stand on their own.
In the beginning I wondered if blogging was something I could sustain long-term, and it really is. Because I just love it, and the ideas keep right on flowing like there’s no tomorrow. It has grown and evolved just as I have with it. My blog has pushed me so far outside of my comfort zone, and that is what I love.
The funny thing is that setbacks don’t bother me in the least. If I’m denied for a sponsored post because my following isn’t big enough. Cool. That turns into a goal for me to work even harder. It pushes me so much because I am determined to be the best I can be. Yet when something great happens, I turn into a bumbling pile of tears. They are happy tears, don’t get me wrong.
But I cry over everything single achievement when it comes to my blog. Not even going to lie. From the supportive comments to meeting goals, and social sharing totals, everything. Yeah, I cry a lot of happy tears. Lol.
My blogs have very much become a part of who I am. I am Erica, The Homemaking Wife.
Day 18 of 31 Day Blogging Challenge Notes
Have you been following or participating in day 18 of 31 day blogging challenge? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
You May Also Like
7 Ways to Stop Being a Perfectionist
Bet You Didn’t Know
13 Comments
Michelle Kern
I love that you focus on prepping. In my other life I work in victim services and emergency management so I spend a lot of time helping others do just that. It can seem scary since no one wants to think that can happen to them. You do a good job making it look fun.
Justin
This is awesome! I’m a fan of knowing backstories and I love this. I am left wondering what the original name was, but I totally get not revealing it, haha. I really like the niche, too. The name is perfect for your blog. It’s fun to look back and see how things work out so well.
Heather
I smiled when you mentioned that you once had a different name, or what I call “the revision.” My current “project” started 7 years ago. Under what has now gone through a total of 3 rebrandings. It’s taken a lot of trial and error, but here we are and here you are! I think a true test of a lifelong blogger is to have launched at least one failed (not in a negative way let’s say just wasn’t what we dreamed) blog and continue onward with a polished project. Glad to see your still plugging forward! Onward!
Heather
Snehal
Hahaha… I too cry a lot of ‘happy tears’ 😂 by the way I enjoy reading your blogging journey posts! And you are almost there to complete this challenge. You’re awesome! 😀
Trish Veltman
I was pretty pleased to get my first blog closed down too – was a good beginning experience but on to better things. And your current blog really is a better thing – I always enjoy reading your posts. Love the way you share practical ideas with warmth and wit.
Scott DeNicola
I love hearing the backstory of your blog and how you got the name. This blogging thing is something I’ve struggled with for some time when starting this out. Definitely some bumps in the road for sure and we are constantly learning. I love the content you provide form the recipes to the prepping. I felt I was prepared for many situations until I started reading your blog. I am way behind.
Lyosha
I never knew you had a wife tattoo. I also think wife is a title worn with pride and joy!
This challenge is so interesting to me as your reader – it is faster to get to know you better, all in one place, you don’t have to look for pieces of your personality scattered around your posts (which I frankly also keen on doing)
Lindsay Brown
I love hearing about the origin story of peoples blogs! A blog can be such a personal journey so when you get to know one and read it on a daily basis it is always interesting to know how it came to be. I think the idea for your blog is so awesome and original. I know that I’ve learned a ton from reading it!
Tracy C
I love this, and I’ve learned so much from your blog. You inspire me to do more, to be more prepared for emergencies, and to appreciate the simple things in life. Your blog name is absolutely perfect.
Debra Roberts
I totally want to do this! I need to first, come up with my 30 things! I did a 50 in 50 blog challenge of 50 memories, the year of my 50th birthday a few years back, but now that I’m a better blogger, I can see myself re-doing those as a 30-day challenge. I’ve been wanting to clean them all up anyway. They look so amateur to me when I read them now that I’m a sort-of pro blogger! 😉
Meki
I could relate with starting other blogs and ditching them! Haha! I love your blog name — very catchy and straightforward, I just know immediately what I can learn from you 🙂 So great to get the backstory though — also made me giddy how you are proud of being a wife. Same here!!
Luna S
I enjoy what your blog name is now, it is easy to remember and to the point, plus I love seeing what new posts you have in store.
Britt K
My current blogs weren’t my first either. Honestly, I think A LOT of bloggers take a similar journey. Looking back, I fully admit that I had NO idea what I was doing starting my first blog and I followed advice that set me up to fail. Luckily, it gave me the chance to learn a lot and grow both as a blogger and a writer. Looking at this blog and the awesome content that you’ve been putting together, I can see that you also learned a lot. I love reading through your posts, they teach me SO much. I can’t wait to see what else is to come!