Happy New Year! We're already almost a week into January, but this is our first
official blog post of 2022. Every year, I start the new year here with a recap
post, where I reflect on the past year of Bubby and Bean content, and also on
some aspects of my personal life. It's actually one of my favorite posts of the
year to write, especially because it gives me a chance to look back over our
content. It's so easy to scroll through Instagram and look at past posts, but in
addition to the fact that blogging is almost a lost art these days, it's also
logistically not that easy to quickly view a year's worth of blog posts. In this
post, I make it easy by sharing my favorite posts from each month of the year.
In January, I shared how to make
DIY Valentine's Day baskets + handmade Valentine's cards.
February brought my annual list of
Trader Joe's favorites.
I shared 7 eco-friendly laundry tips in March.
In April, I talked about what motherhood means to me, as can be seen in the top image on this post.
I gave 6 tips for getting your patio summer-ready in May.
In June, I shared 7 tips for organizing your pantry.
This plant-based caprese salad recipe was our most read post in July.
In August, I shared some highlights from our family trip to Disney World and Clearwater Beach.
As far as my behind-the-scenes life, there's really no sugarcoating it for me:
2021 was mostly crap. I’m guilty of putting positive spins on everything
(toxic positivity is not healthy but an easy trap to fall into), but there
isn't a lot of spinning I can do when it comes to 2021. A lot of good things
did, of course, happen, and I don't want to discount them. We all stayed
healthy the entire year (which is huge), our kids got to be in person at
school and activities, we got to travel again, my job continued to thrive, and
we had a wonderful Christmastime.
But 2021 was also maddeningly challenging and emotionally exhausting. The transition of my husband going back on the road with the band he works for after a year of quality family time for the first time ever was extremely difficult on all of us and we are still working through it. My parents also experienced multiple serious injuries. We lost close friends. There’s a lot more too; too much to share.
Tragic things happen every year. I also know people who had it much, much harder than we did. But symbolically, I was more than ready for 2021 to be over.
As for plans for 2022, I plan to do something for which 2020 prepared me well - and that's go with the flow. I used to make massive goals and resolutions for myself that ended up creating so much anxiety that I was completely overwhelmed. Professionally, I really enjoyed some of the more long term partnerships I had with brands in 2021, and hope to continue with that. I'd also like to post more often on the blog (I posted the least I ever have here in 2021), but if that doesn't happen, that's okay too. Creating meaningful content with brands that makes a difference is also something on which I'd like to focus more. (I have a great Instagram campaign coming up with the coolest eco-friendly plastic alternatives brand, for example.) Last year I had a goal of doing more video content on Instagram, and I plan to continue with that. (I actually like reels - who knew?) And as always, I have little interest in gaining more followers, but I do want to continue to create meaningful engagement with all of you.
But 2021 was also maddeningly challenging and emotionally exhausting. The transition of my husband going back on the road with the band he works for after a year of quality family time for the first time ever was extremely difficult on all of us and we are still working through it. My parents also experienced multiple serious injuries. We lost close friends. There’s a lot more too; too much to share.
Tragic things happen every year. I also know people who had it much, much harder than we did. But symbolically, I was more than ready for 2021 to be over.
As for plans for 2022, I plan to do something for which 2020 prepared me well - and that's go with the flow. I used to make massive goals and resolutions for myself that ended up creating so much anxiety that I was completely overwhelmed. Professionally, I really enjoyed some of the more long term partnerships I had with brands in 2021, and hope to continue with that. I'd also like to post more often on the blog (I posted the least I ever have here in 2021), but if that doesn't happen, that's okay too. Creating meaningful content with brands that makes a difference is also something on which I'd like to focus more. (I have a great Instagram campaign coming up with the coolest eco-friendly plastic alternatives brand, for example.) Last year I had a goal of doing more video content on Instagram, and I plan to continue with that. (I actually like reels - who knew?) And as always, I have little interest in gaining more followers, but I do want to continue to create meaningful engagement with all of you.
If you're still reading, there are the highlights of the Bubby and Bean blog
in 2021! You can click on the links below each image them to see the
posts in full.
I shared 7 eco-friendly laundry tips in March.
In April, I talked about what motherhood means to me, as can be seen in the top image on this post.
I gave 6 tips for getting your patio summer-ready in May.
In June, I shared 7 tips for organizing your pantry.
This plant-based caprese salad recipe was our most read post in July.
In August, I shared some highlights from our family trip to Disney World and Clearwater Beach.
Our highest traffic post in September was this autumn home refresh.
I shared 50 classic Halloween costume ideas in October.
November brought my favorite easy winter meal idea: plant-based soup in a bread bowl.
And finally, this eggnog cinnamon latte recipe was my December favorite.
If you made it this far, thank you! I am grateful for all of my readers and followers across all of my platforms, but I continue to hold a special place in my heart for those of you who still read blogs. As I've said before, blogs are no longer the queen of social media, but I still feel they're the most important. Thank you for being here.
I shared 50 classic Halloween costume ideas in October.
November brought my favorite easy winter meal idea: plant-based soup in a bread bowl.
And finally, this eggnog cinnamon latte recipe was my December favorite.
If you made it this far, thank you! I am grateful for all of my readers and followers across all of my platforms, but I continue to hold a special place in my heart for those of you who still read blogs. As I've said before, blogs are no longer the queen of social media, but I still feel they're the most important. Thank you for being here.
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