Readers' Favorite Posts of 2014

Happy New Year! I hope you and yours had a safe and exciting celebration last night to bring in 2015. I'm excited to share with you the top five posts of 2014. Like many of you may or may  not know, I started my blog last year, so consequently, these are also my top five posts of all time!

I hope you enjoy:

5. New Year's Resolutions — Setting Goals and Attaining Them. Wow, in just a couple short days, this new post has gained a lot of traffic. I'm happy to see that people are motivated to learn more, so they will hopefully be more successful in sticking to the resolutions they set for themselves in 2015. Something I didn't share in this post was my personal resolutions and goals for 2015. Besides pulling off my wedding in four months, I have set a goal to continue contributing to my blog on average of twice a week. I also want to become the best Editor and leader for the website I work for, www.IEShineOn.com.

4. 40 Weeks In — 40 Weeks Out. I'm so happy this post worked out to be popular, because it is also one of my favorites. While it's a cute idea, it isn't completely my own. While I was pregnant, I saw a similar picture with a mother of twins, and to say the least it was a lot more dramatic. I planned on creating this before and after picture about a year ago, and I even marked Charlotte's 40 week birthday in my calendar. Taking the picture inspired me to share how different I felt 40 weeks after having Charlotte. If anything, I hope it gave pregnant women a light at the end of the tunnel or at least a cute photo idea.

3. Our Birth Story. This is another post that pulls at my heart strings. This is such a personal and detailed account of my family's birth story, and I'm proud that it has been read so many times. Like many women, I thought my labor was going to be easy and without complications, but I was wrong. However, I'm so happy it turned out the way it did, because it brought Charlotte to me. If you haven't given this one a read, please do so now. I do recommend having tissues on hand!

2. Surviving Breastfeeding — One Bite at a Time. Breastfeeding is hard, and it has ups and downs. Apparently, I'm not the only one who feels this way. At first, I was surprised that this is one of my top posts of all time. Now that I've thought about it a little more, I realize that there are so many mothers out there who are trying to hold on to breastfeeding for as long as they can, and many of them are just looking for some advice to keep going a little bit longer. Even I run in to people who tell me to just give up, so I know the value of someone saying, "Stick it out, you can do it!"

1. Tips and Tricks from a Work a Home Mom. I'm so proud to have so many great parents who follow my blog, and so far social media sites like Twitter and Google Plus have really provided me with great platforms to connect with my readers. My most popular post of all time is another helpful list for moms (or dad's) who work at home. Balancing being a mom with work is the biggest challenge I've ever faced, but I love a challenge! I think I've taken it with stride so far, and I'm so happy I get to share what I've learned with all of you.


Thank you to everyone who followed Charlotte & Me throughout 2014! I plan on bringing you even more advice, projects, adventures and experiences this year!