5 Years of Blogging...what say you?

In just a few short months I will have been blogging for FIVE years! That seems crazy to me. As I have said before, this space was started to keep friends and family informed about Aiden's medical issues. I was able to answer questions and share photos as he progressed from the NICU to home and through his many surgeries.

{ More Skees Please blog headers through the years }

As someone who has always loved to write, it quickly became an outlet for me as well, giving me someplace to vent, to delve a little deeper into my emotions. That was scary, sure - sharing that side of myself with the few who were reading my blog. However soon, I started to connect with other families who could relate not only to having a child with a medical condition, but also to the thoughts and feelings I was putting out there as well.

And a funny thing happened...I started to heal. I cycled through my phases of grief, literally pouring it all out on the pages of More Skees Please. People responded. Offered encouragement or empathy. Prayed for our family. Friendships blossomed with other craniofacial families and I was given a whole new circle of support beyond my amazing family and friends.

All because I started a blog.

It's pretty amazing, don't you think?

Now, it has taken on a whole new life. While the majority of the content is centered around our little family and the challenges of just being a mom in general, I have started to branch out and discover more ways to take this "hobby" to the next level. I've gotten involved in local blogging groups, learned a great deal about social media, and have even taught myself how to tweak HTML to add my own personal touches to this space (how? A LOT of Googling...)

While I do not make a significant amount of money from this endeavor (in fact, hardly anything at all), I am slowly learning the ropes and hope to one day earn a somewhat steady income. In the meantime, I'm setting new goals each day for More Skees Please. I'm excited to continue to build relationships with brands and be able to offer product discounts and/or reviews that appeal to my readers. However I am NOT wanting this space to turn into a giveaway/review/deal site by any means. The content of this blog will always, first and foremost, be about my family. But if presented with opportunities that allow me to meld the two together in a genuine way, I will definitely take advantage of it.

So...now, I want to hear from YOU. I want to know:

• How interested are you in the sponsored-type posts I've written in the past. (Like this and this). 

• Would you continue to read if I included more of these in the future or do you prefer to read only our family updates?

• Are there specific types of deals, reviews or brands that you'd be interested in seeing here on More Skees Please?

• Would you prefer that these types of posts be kept separate from the regular feed (like maybe I could create a "Deals/Reviews" link in the main navigation that you can visit when you choose)

• What could I do to improve More Skees Please? (more regular posting schedule, navigation suggestions, better comment system, design, etc.)

I LOVE hearing your feedback and I value your input. 

Leave a comment here or on the link to this post on the MSP Facebook page 

answering one or all of the above questions by Friday, December 14th @ 9am EST,

and one lucky person will win a $10 Starbucks gift card!

Thank you SO much!