One year on the blog and my favorite personalized tote

Hi Dolls,

Well a year has come and gone for my blog and man have I learned a ton not only about blogging but a lot about myself and what I could accomplish by just TRYING everyday. When I first started my blog and started posting regularly, I made three goals for my blog. Having those goals were very helpful to keep myself motivated throughout the year. Going into my second year now, I need to do this again because I have lost motivation to post regularly again. Between taking care of the kids and running a household, it's very hard to find the time to feel inspired to write a post. My blog is not a source of income for my home. When I post links to my outfits, I do get a very small commission if you purchase from those links. I simply created my blog because since I was a little girl, style/fashion has always been a strong passion of mine. I am so grateful for all the support that my family, friends, and followers give me!!!  I cannot thank you all enough for supporting my dream of running a style/fashion blog. 

As you can see, I have changed my blog name from "Balancing In Heels Through Motherhood" to "Ashley Clark Blog".  The reasoning behind this is one, I jumped the gun on how much I was going to actually share about my family/children. I never fully felt comfortable having their little faces all over the internet just for the sake of an outfit or what we are up to. Other bloggers show their children and a lot about their day to day lives and it works for them. By me opting out on this, I feel like it's harder for readers/followers to find me relatable at times. So that can be frustrating for me because I am putting myself out there for the world to judge me already with my  style and things I love to do. My kids are running around while I am working on a post blog and when we are shooting outfits. I am real Mom struggling to multitask just like the rest of them, sadly you just don't see that. Reader's see a girl with a put together outfit and no chaos going on. So please know, their is A LOT of chaos going on! HA!

Since I started my blog, I have been dealing with my own struggles all Mom's and well a lot of women go through actually.....dropping weight. Now I know I am not over weight by any means! So please, bare with me here. I do love my body because it gave me what I prayed so hard for years ago. I would just love my body a little more if my clothes a little better. HA! Also, please remember that there are ways to pose that help make your figure look leaner than it is. ;) 

With the stress of moving to a new state, handling two toddlers, and the stresses of life it has been extremely hard for me to stay on track. I try to do the best I can when I can but at the end of the day, you have to do what's best for YOU in the situation at hand. My kids won't be this little for long and they don't see the extra 10-15 pounds Mommy has on her. They see me and how I interact with them. I wish I wouldn't let me "downer days" get the best of me but I would be totally lying if I didn't say that they do more than I would like them to. Journal writing has been helpful lately and also talking about how I am feeling with close family members is always helpful! I find myself taking deep breaths and telling myself that life won't always be this crazy. Other women just drop the weight after kids and others struggle with it for years after having their children. So it's very hard at times friends. I pray that those struggling with this as well find a way to help ease your stress and frustration. I'm always here if you need to talk ladies, I've had many struggles since becoming a Mom.

Now coming onto Instagram, Facebook, and my blog feeling like I do is hard most of the time...mainly Instagram. I don't feel like I am skinny enough or have the latest trends to share with all of you. I always feel like I am one step behind everyone else.....to be honest I am! HA! I am literally learning as I go and doing the best I can. It's so hard not to try and compare yourself to other girls on Instagram, it pretty much feels like high school all over again. I never thought I would let things bug me so much but it truly does and I don't like that I allow it too. But when you put all this work into one single photo and get hardly any feedback, it's hard not to take it personal and feel defeated at times.

It also doesn't help at all, when brands select a certain type of girl to work. I feel like there is ZERO diversity on social media with brands! It is very sad and a very real thing that maybe most people don't even really recognize, but us bloggers do! We get turned down a lot because we are not the super lean, long blonde hair, trendy girl. In NO WAY am I jealous or pointing the finger to those bloggers that are....I couldn't be prouder or happier for all the successful bloggers out there. You inspire me to be better and keep pushing through when it gets very hard to keep up. So I thank you for that! All I am saying is that their needs to be more awareness about getting some diversity out there with these brands. I have been lucky enough to work with a handful of "bucket list companies" since I started blogging. I am forever grateful to them for giving me a chance to work with them.

Going into my second year of my blog, I will be doing these three things not only for myself but for my readers as well!

1. Just be me! Not saying I haven't been on my blog but I do hold back at times.

2. Stay true to my style.  This is a biggie because it's SO EASY to get wrapped up in the latest trends and consistently be buying new clothes to shoot for readers. I am going to be going through my closet to style what I actually wear day to day or what I would wear going out. If I buy something new it's because I truly wanted it for my closet or needed it for a trip.

3.  Tunnel vision.  What I mean by this is....STOP worrying about what others are doing and how I can keep up with them. It's time for me to make my mark in this blog world and not compare myself to others anymore. Also to STOP letting the lack of feedback I get from readers get me down. Half the time you guys don't even see the stuff I post because Instagram and Facebook have their own way of making  it VERY difficult for accounts to get seen. So the best way to stay connected with me and my blog is to sign up with the email box on the sidebar of my site and also turn on the notifications on Instagram and Facebook. You will be notified every time I post.

I cannot thank you enough ladies for reading today's post and once again supporting me. I know I say the a lot but I want you to know I truly mean it. There are a ton of bloggers out there now and you taking the time to read my blog posts, like/comment on my Instagram and Facebook posts does mean a lot because there is a lot of work and planning that goes into these things. If you girls every want to see more of a certain look or have any suggestions, please don't hesitate to reach out to me. I just adore you ladies and have connected with a handful of you over the year.


Outfit deets:

Outfit details on this post are so good and I cannot get enough of this tote bag! I just love how it's monogrammed plus the print is so amazing. It is from MarleyLilly and if you haven't checked them out, head over there are you finish this post to do so! Everything is really affordable, which I really appreciate. They have the CUTEST stuff!! This bag goes with a travel set from them as well and later this week I will be sharing all of that with you ladies.

Knotted Tee// HERE ||  Cardigan//Similar options HERE & HERE ||   Jeans// Similar options HERE  & HERE

Tote// HERE || Necklace// HERE  || Watch// HERE || Booties// HERE

I am all about comfort and functionality when it comes to an outfit because lets be real.....we all don't have time to get fully ready half the time. So find pieces that do the work for you. Like for example, this knotted tee. Throwing it on with a your favorite pair of jeans just makes your outfit go from simple to "oh thats so cute!". You could easily wear this tee and jeans any time of the year. For Fall, I am wearing my favorite booties and this cozy cardigan to create a cozy feeling. You can never go wrong with throwing on a statement necklace or some statement bracelets to take your look to the next level.

I cannot wait to share some more Fall looks with you soon ladies. LOTS of cute things coming to the blog soon.

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