I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting this past month of where I have been and where I want to go – personally and professionally. I have had a great year with so many great experiences, blessings, opportunities, and accomplishments. I have hit or surpassed so many of my goals and am very proud of what I’ve done but I still have goals I haven’t yet reached and am not in the place I want to be in yet. I am a perfectionist and it’s difficult for me to be content in a space I know isn’t achieving my true potential, but I also want to be grateful for what I have accomplished and focus on the positives in my life. But before I talk about 2019 and my goals for the New Year, I want to recap this past year and highlight what I’ve done in 2018!
Hit 100k! On August 15th, I reached my goal of having 100,000 followers on Instagram in just less than 3 years!! This was such a long journey of a lot of hard work, perseverance, and dedication but I am truly proud of my brand and the content I have created and am grateful for each and every person that is following me and supporting me on my journey!
This year I increased my blog viewership by over 25% and subscribers by over 50%! I can’t tell you how much it means to me when others invest and read what I am writing and it especially feels so rewarding when a new person subscribes to my blog!
This year I wrote as a TODAY Show Parenting Team Contributor! I am especially proud of the piece I published titled What Ghosting is Doing to Our Mental Health & Our Children. And in October, I was invited by NBC Universal and the TODAY Show Parenting Team to attend an exclusive screening of the new show I Feel Bad in addition to a luncheon and the opportunity to listen to the cast talk about parenthood during a Q&A session!
This year I attended Disney’s Mary Poppins Returns Premiere! On November 29th, I was invited by Disney Studios to be their guest at the Mary Poppins Returns World Premiere at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood! I was able to walk the red carpet and be one of the first people to see the movie – and watch it in the same theatre with Emily Blunt, Dick Van Dyke, Jim Krasinski, and Matt Damon! And did I mention the amazing after party? It was such an honor to be there and it was a night I’ll never forget! It was an absolute dream come true! To read more about that night, click here!
This year I visited New York City with Melissa & Doug! On November 13, I was invited to fly to New York City to help facilitate a roundtable panel with Melissa & Doug and other experts and bloggers to discuss the Power of Play. I was also able to visit their exclusive showroom on 5th Ave and their giant display in FAO Schwarz before it was open to the public! I loved that I was able to utilize my expertise with parenting, children, and play therapy with a company that I have loved for many years! I had the most incredible trip! It was my biggest partnership and most memorable campaign of the year! To read more about it, please click here and here!
This year I spoke at multiple conferences! This year, a main focus and goal of mine was to speak at multiple conferences and events. And even though I wish I could travel the country and speak in front of an audience every week for a living, I was able to speak at over 5 different conferences or events this year! I first spoke at the Influential Summit, Dream Big Children’s Center, Babies in Bloom Baby Fest, Start Loving You, the Mom’s Meet WOW Summit two times, and did some smaller parenting workshops as well – just to name a few!!! I absolutely love public speaking and hope to do even more in 2019!
This year I was a Regular Guest on KFMB News 8 Morning Extra San Diego! I had the opportunity to speak 4 times on local television this year sharing my knowledge, experience, and expertise on a variety of topics related to child behavior, parenthood, and mothering! Having earned my first Master’s in Television Broadcasting and working many years in the entertainment industry doing reporting and producing work, there is nothing I love more than being in front of the camera! I truly hope 2019 brings more opportunities like these!!! It’s always been a dream of mine to host my own show! To read about what I spoke about and see the segments, please click the titles to read about How to Get Your Child to Listen and Comply in 5 Easy Steps, A Mother’s Day Momcation, Teaching Your Children to Be Kind, and The Importance of Dating Your Children!
This year I also collaborated with STARTplanner on a FREE Download for Making Memories with Your Kids!!! Download it here!
This year I was invited on Multiple Travel Press/Media Trips! My family and I love to travel and I was invited to go on multiple trips around California and out of state! Our first trip was to the Carmel/Monterey area in Northern California! You can read all about it here!
Our second trip was to Buellton, California! You can read all about it here!
And then the Westin Mission Hills Resort & Spa in Palm Springs!! You can read all about it here!
And then the Omni Grove Park Inn and The Biltmore in Asheville, North Carolina!
Then an Instagram Takeover weekend at the Anaheim Courtyard Theme Park Entrance!
And a trip to The Great Wolf Lodge!
And lastly but certainly not least, our weekend away at the Hilton Denver City Center in Colorado!
This year I hosted two Disney events with Princess Turned Mom! My dear friend Jenny from Princess Turned Mom and I organized and hosted TWO influencer/blogger networking events this year! To read all about why we do these events click here and click to read about Princesses Take on Tea and Princesses Make More Magic!
This year I became an official LEGOLAND Blogger Ambassador!! To read about my LEGOLAND adventures click here and here!
This year I was also fortunate enough to have been features by Romper Magazine, SD Voyager Magazine, Holding Space Podcast, The Mom Confidential Podcast!
This year I was also able to work with some incredible brands, attend some extraordinary events, and also visit some fun places and pop-ups like The Trolls Experience, Sea World, Happy Place, Candytopia, and Saved by the MAX!
This year I also worked with companies that give back like Toms, DIFF Eyewear, Cuddle & Kind and Love Your Melon. In fact, over 100 meals were donated to children in need on my behalf from Cuddle & Kind! And I only hope all of these companies were able to give back on my behalf as well.
And there was that time I was invited to see the new Teen Titans GO To The Movies premiere and not only see the movie, but also do a mock voiceover, and attend the most massive outdoor after party to meet the cast!
Oh and that one night I met Kristen Bell at the This Bar Saves Lives launch party! If you didn’t know, she is one of the founders of the company – and another brand I love because they also give back to children in need!
You can also visit my Highlights on Instagram for the majority of these year’s highlights to come to life!!!!
Here’s to 2019!!!! Stay tuned to read all about my goals for next year!!!!
Leave a Reply