Need a kick start writing your family stories?

Ready to write your own personal history?

Can’t wait to share juicy tidbits you’ve discovered about ancestors?

Eager to post stories and discoveries for your family to read?

Needing to get all the research you’ve conducted in a readable/consumable format?

Wanting to be part of a community working on writing/sharing/saving family stories, too?

Join me for #NaGenWriMo starting November 1st. What does NaGenWriMo stand for? National Genealogy Writing Month. Okay, so we aren’t officially national …. YET! But that won’t stop us from making it a thing!

What It Is:

#NaGenWriMo is a collaborative, community effort to write down, save, and share family stories and research.

You Are Invited To:

1. Write every day! Whether it is a little or A LOT!

2. Save your work. Post it to a blog if you have one. If it’s polished and ready – upload it to Family Search! Print it out and put it in a binder. Whatever your saving method – make sure it is accessible and readable for future generations!

3. Share! Let’s light up social media with genealogy and family history. My family doesn’t always love reading big ole’ binders and books (like I do – ha!), but put it in an Instagram or Facebook post and they are hooked! Use #NaGenWriMo so we can follow each other. Tag @KeepMovingForwardWithMe on Instagram/Facebook or @KeepMovingTara on Twitter if you would like me to reshare!

4. Link up. I’m all about accountability! I will have link-up posts on this blog (including this post!) for us to share our blog posts. Please link up new stories/content that you are currently working on.

Join Us

Let’s do this! There are family stories waiting to be told! Who will you write about? Is there a one-place study you’ve been itching to do? Does your one-name study need a little more work? Do you just want to start sharing your own stories from your childhood? #NaGenWriMo is perfect for all of these scenarios! Each Sunday I will post a new link up! Feel free to add multiple links. These can be blog posts, social media posts, etc. The important thing is to get writing!

The post Join me for #NaGenWriMo starting November 1st! appeared first on KeepMovingForwardWithMe.

What was it like being an extra on the set of Just Let Go?  (Read more about the movie and worldwide premiere on September 28 here)

Definitely a bucket list experience and I am thrilled that I was able to share it with my daughter. The best advice I can give to someone wanting to be an extra is this: be ready when they need you and be precise at following directions. Your time as an extra is repetitive, but  oh so worth it if you enjoy watching the film process. I was enthralled with everything that I got to see on the set of Just Let Go.

The night before the shoot, you will typically get a phone call/e-mail  telling you what time to arrive and what to wear. For Just Let Go, we brought darker colored church attire. It is a good idea to bring a back up outfit or two in case wardrobe needs you to change. As a general rule, avoid anything that has words or logos on it. My daughter, Lily, loved hair and makeup!

There is a lot of down time as an extra so bring a book to read. For my daughter, I brought a notebook full of activities to keep her busy. Do not rely on your cell phone to keep you entertained! You’ll want to keep your cell in airplane mode or even better – completely off. Nothing’s worse than a cell phone or sound from a social media post going off in the middle of a scene.

As a blogger, I was able to have my cell phone on set to take pictures of myself and my daughter. Definitely double check with the person in charge of extras about the photo policy for the set. Sometimes there are certain restrictions or a timeline of when photos can be released. As an extra, you are a silent observer and you want to make sure that you aren’t interfering with the process.

Sit back and enjoy the process! It was fascinating to watch the director, the camera man, the talent, and everyone else at work. There are so many details that go into making a movie! We spent the entire day filming the court room scene from various angles.

Get to know the other extras. I loved worked with my good blogger friends Lindsey and June (read her review here). So fun to meet Adam from Studio C as well! He is just as hilarious in real life and you’ll catch a peek of him as a lawyer in the court room scene.

Here are a few more pictures from my time on set.

My experience as an extra on Just Let Go is one that I will never forget. From meeting Chris Williams and Henry Ian Cusick to watching the movie magic happen, I’m crossing my fingers that I’ll have more opportunities with inspirational films like this in the future. These are the stories that need to be told and the heroes that we need to look up to. I hope you’ll join me at the world-wide premiere on September 28th! 

The world premiere of Just Let Go takes place September 29th at more than 400 theaters around the country. Along with the premiere, you’ll experience a live event with musical performances by Ryan Innes and Lincoln Brewster. The event will be hosted by Delilah and Henry Ian Cusick as well as Chris Williams will be in attendance. Get your tickets by clicking here before they sell out – this an event that you won’t want to miss!

The post Behind the Scenes as an Extra for #JustLetGoMovie appeared first on KeepMovingForwardWithMe.

I’m excited to share with you one simple tip that will completely change how you take notes and apply what you learn at any conference you attend.

But first – confession time. Prior to discovering this tip, I barely glanced at the notes I took from the very first blog conference I attended. Page after page of contacts, tips, and action items got buried and forgotten. Who has time to dig through notes to find that one great idea – not this blogger! I told myself I would, but it just didn’t happen.

That is why I needed this tip. What is the point of paying for a conference if you are not going to remember and put into action what you learn? The key is to organize your notes BEFORE you even take them!

My tip is easy as four simple clicks of a pen. Buy a multi-colored pen and color code your notes. For example this is the coding I use for the blog conferences I attend: Green = Money Making Ideas, Blue = Networking, Purple = Action Items, Pink = Blog Post Ideas.

This one tip made my notes much more usable and saved me a lot of time. With a quick scan of the page, I could quickly see the bloggers I wanted to touch base with after the conference or the notes I had made about a specific sponsor. After the conference, I set my timer for at least 15 minutes a day to focus on each of the color-coded items. More connections were made, more ideas were put into play.

Do yourself a favor! Get a multi-colored pen and make your conference notes the most colorful and productive ever this year.

If you are reading this after having already attended a conference, don’t worry! I have another easy tip for you. Grab a pack of highlighters and color code your notes right now. Reading over all of them will make them fresh in your mind and highlighting them will enable you to quickly sort them into action items.

Ready for more productivity tips? Check out a Day in the Life of a DIY/Craft Blogger.

The post The tip that completely changed how I take notes. appeared first on KeepMovingForwardWithMe.

This last niche of bloggers are some of my favorite to follow on instagram. From the runways of New York Fashion Week to the styles in your hometown, fashion bloggers are the ones to follow for the latest in beauty and style. Today I am sharing with you a few that I follow and a sneak peek into their days as bloggers.

Photo courtesy of TwistMePretty.com

1. I was lucky enough to have this first blogger move right up the street from me in my old neighborhood. We’ve both since moved, but I can tell you that. Abby of Twist Me Pretty is just as fun and fabulous in real life as she is online. As a Project Runway fan, I loved following her time with Tresemme at New York Fashion Week last year. Check these posts to get your own sneak peek behind the scenes at Bryant Park. Besides being a beauty blogger, Abby is also a mother of two – soon to be four with twin baby boys on the way. If you are looking for hair inspiration, this is one fab mama you want to be following on instagram and youtube.

2. Speaking of fabulous hairstyle bloggers, if you aren’t following Mindy of Cute Girls Hairstyles and her twin daughters, Brooklyn and Bailey, you are missing out! I am on their youtube channel and web site several times a week looking for new hairstyles for my daughter Lily. Find out what time Mindy wakes up at to get it all done and take look at a day in her life in this video. If you are looking for a safe and entertaining youtube channel for your teens and tweens to follow, follow this link to Brooklyn and Bailey. Check out their morning and evening routines as well as a tour of the studio room they share with their mom in the videos above and below.

Photo courtesy of SomethingAboutThat.com

3. I recently discovered Jackie of Something About That and I love this sneak peek into her life! I am crushing on several of the shoes in her spring Shoe Love post and I am slightly jealous of her hand-lettering skills in this post. Find out how she squeezes in blogging around a full-time job here.

4. Last but not least, Michelle from AllLaqueredUp.com is the go-to girl in the industry for everything nail related. She has been named one of the Best of the Web by Instyle and voted Favorite Nail Blog by Marie Claire. Take a peek at her Beauty Diary and see what products she uses and loves in a typical day. This behind the scenes look at her experience creating FingerPaints with Sally Beauty is a great read as well.

I could spend all day being inspired by these ladies in the fashion industry. I hope you’ve enjoyed a look at their days. For more behind the scenes posts, these out.

A Day in the Life of a Lifestyle Blogger

A Day in the Life of a Frugal Blogger

A Day in the Life of a Family Blogger

A Day in the Life of Craft Blogger

A Day in the Life of a Travel Blogger

A Day in the Life of a Food Blogger

The post A Day in the Life of a Fashion Blogger appeared first on KeepMovingForwardWithMe.

Only a few days left of this series. I’ve learned so much from peeking into a day in the life of a blogger this past week. Do you know one of my favorite fun facts from this series? Several bloggers have their water-proof smart phones with them in the shower- now that’s a way to multi task! I’ve listened to podcasts in the shower before, but haven’t scrolled through my instagram feed yet.

I love that everyone finds routines and tips and tricks that work for them and their busy lives. Today we are looking behind the scenes at lifestyle bloggers. Excited to introduce you to these lovely ladies!

1. Our first blogger is Patti from A Side of Moxie. The moment she described herself as a “an explorer who is continually one step away from getting sucked into another adventure,” I knew that I would love her blog.

Her passion for sharing stories is evident in both of the series on her blog – Every Mother Counts and Participate in Your Life. This morning some tears escaped as I read her first birth story and I cheered when I read that she hired a doula for her second birth. I’ve been there with the rolling veins that nurses can’t find and the helplessness. Writing my own birth story was cathartic and I hope it was for her, too! Visit her and check out where her favorite space is to do creative work!

2. Audra from Reality to Dreams is my fellow Disney mom. As you can tell from these posts, this mama loves Disney just as me! At Build your Blog Conference, I was able to sit down and have lunch with Audra and her five year old son Simon, who is also a blogger. Blogging is a family affair at the Reality to Dreams house and that is ever so evident in this sneak peek into their life. Her post reminded me of why I blog and why I love to do it with my family. Be sure to stop by Audra’s blog to find out what five things help her power through her day.

Photo Courtesy of ThinkingOutsideTheSandBox.ca

3. Meet Katrina of Thinking Outside The Sandbox. Along with her fellow blogger Catherine, Katrina runs a site and a team of authors to help with all the business sides of blogging. If there is an e-book that will help build your blog, these ladies are going to share it with you. Her perspective as a mom who works full times + plus blogs is an excellent read. Find out what she listens to in her car to maximize her time.

Those are our lovely lifestyle bloggers! Be sure to check out the incredible bloggers in the other niches as well!

A Day in the Life of a Frugal Blogger

A Day in the Life of a Family Blogger

A Day in the Life of Craft Blogger

A Day in the Life of a Travel Blogger

A Day in the Life of a Food Blogger

The post A Day in the Life of a Lifestyle Blogger appeared first on KeepMovingForwardWithMe.

Are you ready for the good stuff? I hope you are enjoying the sneak peeks into a Day in the Life of a Blogger. Today I am sharing posts from a few of my favorite bloggers, who also happen to be frugal bloggers.

Photo courtesy of MoneySavingMom.com

1. Crystal from Money Saving Mom is possibly the very first blogger I started following. My initial visit was for her grocery store deals, but I was quickly drawn in by her family and goal-setting posts. If I could choose someone as a motherhood and blogger mentor – she would be high on my list!

Each week Crystal sets 10 doable goals and invites others to link up and do the same. See the goals and follow ups here. I could easily spend hours on her site and all her informative series from 52 Ways to Save $100 a Year to 15 Favorite Children’s Read Alouds– check out the complete list here.

Crystal regularly does A Day in the Life posts and you can see them all here. Happy reading – come back and let me know which ones were your favorite!

Photo Courtesy of FunCheaporFree.com

2. This next blogger is a girl to keep tabs on because she is going places! Every time I open an e-mail from Jordan of FunCheaporFree, she is on a new adventure to make frugral fabulous. Trust me, she is worth the subscribe. She’s been featured on TLC’s Extreme Cheapskates (watch it live with her here) and has been interviewed by news outlets worldwide. Her youtube videos are entertaining and informative and she even recently filmed one about her daily routine. Check it out:

Jordan also has a post from a day in her life – pre two more cute kiddos. See why my children are insanely jealous of her basement and how she gets her work done here.

Photo Courtesy of SavingCentbyCent.com

3. I had the pleasure of meeting Lisa from Saving Cent by Cent at the Build Your Blog Conference. She’s been featured on ABC 4 about How to Compile a 72 Hour Kit on a Budget and you can see that here. I am definitely checking that out before the great shake-out next month. I love this peek into her day as a blogger and mother of three young children. I always wonder how the mother’s of young babies do it!

When you are done checking out these fantastic and frugal ladies – take a look at the bloggers from the other niches!

A Day in the Life of a Family Blogger

A Day in the Life of Craft Blogger

A Day in the Life of a Travel Blogger

A Day in the Life of a Food Blogger

The post A Day in the Life of a Frugal Blogger appeared first on KeepMovingForwardWithMe.

This is the niche of bloggers I want to sit down with a cup of hot chocolate and quiz the most. The mommy bloggers! Of course, many bloggers in other niches are also mothers and in similar situations. Where is the line drawn between blog and family or is it all jumbled together in a mutually beneficial heap of fun and hard work? As a blogger and a mother, this is the reason I started the A Day in the Life of a Blogger series. My curiosity at how a mom and a blogger juggles both roles lead me to teaming up with over 25 bloggers to give you this sneak peek.

1. If you live in Utah, Kim of UtahValleyMoms.com, SaltLakeMoms.com, and DavisCountyMoms.com  is a person you want to follow!  She’s my go to girl for events and if there is something fun happening in Utah, I can typically find out more about it on Kim’s web-site or her facebook page.

I had a blast participating in her instagram challenge for Chalk the Block at the Riverwoods last year. Utah Valley Moms doesn’t just tell you about the events, they give you great tips, too! I’ve always been too scared of the crowds on free zoo day so I was thrilled when Kim posted a video of the crowds to her instagram. Shhh … best time to go is in the morning!

Kim is one of the first bloggers I talked to about balancing mom/blog responsibilities while we were carpooling to an event. Not only does she give you an indepth look into her day, there’s a video, too! Find out what meal of the day Kim and I feel absolutely the same about and how she keeps her social media running smoothly throughout the day here.

2. Next up is Alicia from Crazily Normal. I love her perspective as a mom, a blogger, and a nurse. I’ve been brushing up on my instagram skills with her 10 Tips for Using Instagram More Effectively. There’s no time to waste so I am always up for tips that will make me more productive! Find out more about what a day looks like for a working mom and blogger here.

3. Katelyn from What’s Up Fagan’s keeps it real for us.Working on a blog from home with the help of our tiny assistants can get messy sometimes and this blogger is not afraid to share it. That’s life! She shares the Chore Chart that helps whip their house into shape and keep her on track. Find out what camera and back drop from Staples that she uses and how the rest of her day goes here.

4. This next  blogger is one of my good friends and we just so happen to be related! I am excited to introduce you to Heidi of  A Lively Hope. Heidi and I are second cousins who grew up going to family gatherings together, but lost touch a little in our teenage and young adult years. Through our blogs, we have been able to get back in touch and have been able to get together more – I love it! Heidi has so much to offer – she is a homeschooling mom of three with an etsy shop and a blog that details their adventures. Her journey with infertility, foster care, and adoption is a beautiful and inspiring read. See what a creative and family-filled day looks like for Heidi here. This is one mom I look to for modeling my families day!

Photo Courtesy of TheThrifty Couple.com

5. Wonder what it is like to run FIVE businesses from home while simultaneously homeschooling five children under the age of 8? This mom from The Thrifty Couple does and she’ll give you a minute by minute breakdown of a day in their life. I’ll give you a hint – early hours and lots of multi tasking! Head on over and see how she keeps it all running. From the family’s favorite recipes to the genius container gardening ideas that I will be using this summer, the Thrifty Couple shares tips and tricks that I am excited to apply in my own life.

Photo Courtesy of TheProverbialHouse.com

6. KT from The Proverbial House says so well what so many moms and bloggers feel. We’ve got big plans, but we don’t want to miss the precious moments of childhood either. I like what she shared about her schedule – she sets certain tasks that must happen each day. I tend to do this as well – tasks to accomplish works better for me than time slots. Click on the link or picture above to read her poignant thoughts and see her day!

7. I love the title of this blogger’s post:  A Day in the Life: Leigh Ann (A Work-At-Home Mom Relying on Grace). Leigh Ann blogs at Intentional by Grace. I have her post about planning tools pinned and I am excited to look over them more.  Click on the picture above or go to this link to read more about how grace plays a role in her daily life.

I hope you are loving these behind the scenes looks at bloggers as much as I am! Tomorrow will be Lifestyle Bloggers! Be sure to check out a day in the life of the rest of our blogger niches here:

A Day in the Life of Craft Blogger

A Day in the Life of a Travel Blogger

A Day in the Life of a Food Blogger

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The post A Day in the Life of a Family Blogger appeared first on KeepMovingForwardWithMe.

Time to get creative! Today we are looking behind the scenes at a day in the life of a craft/DIY blogger. Three craft bloggers and three totally different days.

1. Let’s start with Rachel from the Crafted Life. Her movie-inspired crafts are darling, be sure to pin this one with the sweetest Elf projects for Christmas! The Crafted Life’s tutorials (with beautiful pictures bytheway) make DIY fun and approachable. Forget the fancy tools and years of experience, head to this gal’s site and get started on something beautiful! Find out what time of day she gets the best pictures and what social media site drives her the most traffic to her blog in this post or by clicking the picture above.

2. Our next blogger is Busy Being Jennifer. Her Craft Crazy Friday link-up is bursting with 100s of crafts and recipes that I’ve been scanning through for St. Patrick’s Day ideas. If you are a craft blogger, make sure the link up is on your radar. One thing I love about Jennifer’s day is that she makes a plan and she sticks to it – from going to the gym to sewing up her makeup bags for the next market. Be sure to read her nugget of wisdom at the end of the post – I happen to agree completely!

3. This blogger is passionate about preserving memories and family history – something I love having just attended Roots Tech. Meet Dawn from Dawn’s Delights Art. Dawn is a genealogist and digital scrapbooker with a lot on her plate as she homeschools her children. Her shop full of digital scrapbooking clip art will help you preserve your memories, too. Take a look behind the scenes of a homeschooling, work at home, craft blogger and see how she gets it all done! 

And when you are done checking out our craft bloggers, be sure to take a look at our other bloggers as well!

A Day in the Life of a Travel Blogger

A Day in the Life of a Food Blogger

A Day in the Life of a Family Blogger

Who is your favorite craft blogger?

Who would you like to see a behind the scenes snap shot of?

What gets you through your day?

The post A Day in the Life of a Craft/DIY Blogger appeared first on KeepMovingForwardWithMe.

Do you have the travel gene? Does your suitcase never quite make it back into storage before your next adventure? If so, you may identify with the travel bloggers we will meet today. Take a look at a day in the life of a travel blogger and see what you discover. From beaches and mountain vistas to skype chats and wobbly wi-fi, the story of a travel blogger fascinates me and I think it will do the same for you.

1. Meet Jessica of Team Wiking.  She is a mama of two with exquisite photography that will have you packing your bags to go wherever she is featuring.

Photo Courtesy of TeamWiking.com

From a romantic rue in Paris to city guides in her home state of California, Jessica’s photo essays and writings have been featured in Apartment Therapy and Design Mom. See what a day in pictures looks like for this blogger and photographer.

2. Next up is a blogger living in my home state. The Utah adventure list for my family just doubled thanks to Michelle from A Local Wander.  From the fun of local splash pads to incredible hikes around the world, so many things from her blog have been added to my bucket list.  Michelle travels with her four children, including her adorable twins.

Photo Courtesy of Alocalwander.com

Find out the one word that she uses to describe their life right now and the blogging hours she shares with Camille from The Six Sisters Stuff (I talked with Camille at the Build Your Blog Conference about how she juggles blog and family. She generally works the same hours as Michelle so head on over to see what those are!)

3. This next blogger is a woman after my own heart. I’m a better early bird than a night owl and so is Jessica of Suitcases and Sippy Cups. This mom travel blogger has been featured on Disney’s Family Fun web-site and had me at 10 Ways to Entertain a Toddler in a Hotel Room. That information is gold for families traveling with children. Her weekly travel tips and worldwide travel guides will convince you that travel with children is completely doable.

Discover her one trick for keeping writer’s block at bay and her favorite quiet place to churn out the blog posts. You may have a similar quiet place in your own home town.

Enjoy the wander lust and let the day dreaming for the next vacation begin. Be sure to check out the rest of my A Day in the Life of a Blogger Series. Yesterday, it was all about the foodies! 

A Day in the Life of a Craft/DIY Blogger

A Day in the Life of a Family Blogger

Who is your favorite craft blogger?

Who are your favorite travel bloggers to follow?

What blogger would like to take a look at behind the scenes?

The post A Day in the Life of a Travel Blogger appeared first on KeepMovingForwardWithMe.

Have you ever wondered what a typical day looks like for a blogger?

I am a blogger myself and even I wonder how my favorite bloggers make it work. How do stay at home bloggers maintain the illusive family/work balance? Are there tools, apps, or planners that keep their blogs running smoothly while they are running car pool and dinner? What does blogging look like when you have another full-time job? Is a day different for male bloggers vs. female bloggers? How does the day in a life of a blogger differ depending on the niche you are in – does it make a difference if you are a food blogger or a DIY blogger?

I discovered that there are as many answers to these questions as there are blogs. We each find the routines that gel with our blog and life. This week I am taking a look behind the scenes at dozens of blogs from all different niches. Each day, I will add a new niche so stay tuned.

Today, we are taking a peek into the lives of Food Bloggers.

1. One of my favorite food bloggers to collaborate with is Allison from Cupcake Diaries. With three little taste testers at home, Allison is a busy mama and a blogger whose recipes are all over my pin boards.

Photo Courtesy of CupcakeDiaries.com

Take this sneak peek behind the scenes of the Cupcake Diaries to see some of her blogging tips and tricks. Allison’s food photography is gorgeous and I love the distressed wood background in many of her photos. Click on the link above to see the make-it-work location of that gorgeous wood. Do yourself a favor and pin these Peanut Butter Waffles for later, too.

Photo Courtesy of CupcakeDiaries.com

2. Next up, meet Russell. He’s the writer, designer, photographer and videographer behind Chasing Delicious. Featured as a top ten food blogger of the month by the Huff Post Taste, Russell specializes in from-scratch, all-natural cooking and baking that will make your mouth water.

Photo Courtesy of ChasingDelicious.com

I wouldn’t mind a slice or ten of this Mississippi Mud Cake – which I pinned immediately. Find out how many loads of dishes Russell does a day when creating these masterpieces and what 100 year old appliance he has in his kitchen here or by clicking on his picture above.

Photo Courtesy of ChasingDelicious.com

3. To round out this trio of food bloggers, check out this fun post by Frieda from Frieda Loves Bread. See what happens if you give a blogger a cookie – it is only too true in my case!

I hope you enjoyed this sneak peek into a day in the life of a food blogger. Check back in each day this week to see a day in the life of 25+ fashion bloggers, craft bloggers, deal bloggers, lifestyle bloggers, and parenting bloggers.

A Day in the Life of a Craft/DIY Blogger

A Day in the Life of a Family Blogger

Who is your favorite craft blogger?

Are you a blogger? I would love to see what your day looks like and add it to the list. Leave your link below.

What food blogger would you like to see behind the scenes?

The post A Day in the Life of a Food Blogger appeared first on KeepMovingForwardWithMe.