Why I Choose to #BlogWithNuffnang

First of all, this is going to be a lengthy post. I'm going to tell you about why I choose to blog with Nuffnang and, in the process, take you two years in the past where my blogging began:

Ever since I gave birth to my son, I've kept busy with activities that could potentially earn money. I have worked as a freelance writer and illustrator, tried jumping on the buy-and-sell wagon, joined rewards clubs and sold a lot of unused items for income. I'm currently tending to my blog and preparing to create my own product within this year.

Why I Started Blogging

Blogging was one activity that I didn't think I could earn from. Now, I am aware of my mistake. I started blogging a few months after giving birth to my son, or was it a few weeks? I can't remember anymore. I set up my blog because I needed to write how I felt, what I thought and everything I was learning. I needed to distract negative thoughts brought to me by post-partum depression and the reality of our situation back then. The fact that my husband and I were jobless threw me into so much insecurity and anxiety that I bottled my anger too. It was an unhealthy time for me. We were leeching on our parents, had no plans for the future, were not intimately established and had little idea on how to properly care for a baby. Nothing was fine and I needed to write.

I hated my handwriting, I could barely read or keep up with my thoughts. As soon as I'm done I see scribbles trailing across the page instead of letters.  Since I had a hard time writing what ran in my head, and since I was already freelance writing, I thought I could just "type" in my emotions to tame my angst. My blog was highly inconsistent, even until now. I kept changing my theme; I wanted my blog to be a personal blog, then I wanted it to be a parenting blog, then a picture blog and on and back and on again. My feelings were so mixed they invaded my head and left me indecisive and ambivalent.

How I Discovered Nuffnang

I neglected my blog because I lacked the drive and inspiration to keep it running., So I started searching for ways to earn money while at home instead, to keep being busy. I discovered a handful of legitimate reward system sites and eventually came by Nuffnang Philippines. Like with most rewards systems and affiliate programs, I thought, "Hey, pay-per-click ratio and blah-blah-blah and free registration. Clicking aaaand JOIN." I honestly didn't think much of it. It was the same as every promising system for me.

After a year of negligence, my blog and I reunited. I started writing better and earning well enough from freelancing at home, though I still lack the inspiration for my blog. I started re-arranging my life and decided to de-clutter. I decided to review all the sites, groups, systems and what-not that I had registered myself into. I cut down on spam, eliminated all kinds of subscriptions: kitchen recipes, travelling blogs, art and music curriculum, Spanish class schedules, German language programs, news on science, archaeology news, spiritual wellness groups and a gamut of marathon schedules. I had so many plans and was feeling brave back in 2012. . . then I discovered I was pregnant. It's time to let that part go and re-construct my goals.

How I Came to Appreciate Nuffnang

I saw Nuffnang again, and checked out the site and got hooked with the idea of placing an ad in my blog, that could help me earn. Honestly, I still haven't earned from those ads until now. My blog hasn't gathered enough traffic to help me catch the right kind of "clicks", but I keep them anyway. I'm hopeful and feel positive that my blog will be appreciated enough someday. I know few people read what I write, but if I keep writing honestly and improve my  blog I could reach other people. I have realized that my blog doesn't just serve as a clutch for my inner wounds. Maybe it has helped a few first-time mummies. I'd like to think it has.

So I regularly checked my remaining selected sites every week. It so happened that Nuffnang opened a blog contest sometime last year, November. Feeling brave and encouraged to try something new, I decided to partake in the blog contest and submitted an entry about how Nescafe Cappuccino is The Most Indulgent Coffee I've Ever Had. It was purely unexpected, but I won two Premier tickets to the Mockingjay movie, screened at The Resorts World Manila. That hooked me in, I admit. My husband and I enjoyed a free movie date and I'll always be grateful for that night-off from being a work-at-home-mom.

What Nuffnang Did for Me

I regularly checked Nuffnang ever since that experience and learned about more than just contests. I discovered all kinds of blogs which inspired me to blog more often. From one blog to another, I discovered other sites for moms like me. Bloggers of different walks of life spoke to me and they gave me ideas, an ignition for the creative engine I didn't think existed anymore. It fueled my desire to become a legitimate and dedicated blogger once and for all. I can safely say I came to love Nuffnang because of this, and it was triggered by an unexpected win in a blog contest. I mean, I felt that I was a part of a silent community somewhere, one that I don't have to always be physically present in. Yet, I know I am contributing and they're certainly giving me benefits in terms of inspiration. 

Why I am Writing this Now

I apologize if I've become too personal and haven't mention anything significant yet about Nuffnang, but I am being honest now and....well, I don't want to be anything else. In a nutshell though, Nuffnang is a community for bloggers where members are given the chance to earn by simply setting up a an Ad in their blog or website. In my case, I benefit from their feed; featured bloggers, events and contests. Nuffnang did wonders for me, and it's not out of advertisement.

Now, the reason why I am writing about all of this is because of another blog contest by Nuffnang: "Blog With Nuffnang", which I am joining too. Click here for more information on that contest. The prize at stake is:

• Your Own Blog (Fully Set-up)
• Your Own Domain
• Web Hosting (all for one year)

Bloggers and non-bloggers can join. This contest is just one reason why I'm writing a novel, I mean blog post this long. I can't express how this would be a wonderful way to boost my blogging dreams. I know I had been inconsistent with my blog, but I'm really hoping to get things straight this year, not just the blog, everything; my work, our room, my portfolio, my way of thinking, our future. It's every mother's dream, establishing a foundation for growth to thrive on.

I Do Want to Win

I don't know if it's this blog, my freelance career, or my business-in-the-making that's going to get us to that flurry future in my mind. Either way, the prize for this contest would make a significant change in our lives. Even if I don't earn from it, it's going to make me a better blogger, something I could never trade for anything. I still hold my statement; blogging helps me cope better in being a Work-At-Home-Mom. It also gives me comfort in knowing others can understand me in my situation, and that others may learn from what I can share. Well, I've been writing long enough. I'm sorry if I bored you and/or obligated you to read all the way through.

Here's a drawing for your efforts :) I did get carried away, but that's another reason why I joined this blog contest. It reminded me of my blog's history, and that triggered those memories, the challenges I went through. In the end, it gave me the fuel to write. Again, something I'll always be thankful to Nuffnang for: Inspiration.

Thanks for getting me to write again, it saved my scrawny little--as you can see, I'm a lot more active in blogging now. If I do win I will make all my future posts tolerable and more fun to read!