The Summer Blogging Slow Down

You may or may not have noticed I have significantly dropping the amount of posts I have been running this summer.

There are two reason's for this.  One being, I am more of a summer gal than any other season and summer means time to play and it means less time I will spend looking at a screen.

Another is, others feel the same way.  I've looked at my blogging stat numbers over the past several years, and summer stats drop a little and I am fairly certain I am not alone in this.

People get busy, or want to be outside playing and to be honest that is a better place for them then sitting in front of a screen.

Which is how the idea for this post came up. Summer blogging, and my suggestions and tips on it. Granted, remember to take this as purely my opinion, absolutely no offense was meant to be made to anyone!


THINGS TO REMEMBER

* It's okay if your numbers drop a bit in the summer. It's, normal.  Don't stress about it, and don't feel like a failure or that your blog is going downhill.

* It's okay not to post quite as often.  Give yourself a break, take a vacation or give your dedicated readers a break.  There are lots of reason's to blog a little less and in my opinion it probably won't hurt your blog in the long run, unless you stop blogging altogether.
Which you can also do, but stopping completely may require you to begin the rebuilding process when you come back.

* Have extra time, it's okay, to write posts and store them for the fall.  Spring, Winter & Fall I like to blog 4-5 times a week and try to stay consistent with it.  But life happens and blogging takes time and during those months I may not be able to write that much each week.  Which is why yes, if I do have spare minutes to spend writing a post, I will just save it in my drafts to use another time.

* If you follow other bloggers, don't feel like you are letting them down if you miss a few posts or a week while you're on vacation.  No one is going to blame you for having a life:)  Besides if your a some type of healthy living blogger, we promote getting out and enjoying life and we can't do that if we feel super obligated to visit every single blog we follow every day.  No one is going to look down upon you if you miss a few posts.  It's summer, we all understand!

* If you have plenty of time and you can keep up your normal blogging routine, then go for it. Just keep in mind others might not be able to spend as much time, so don't get bummed if you're not getting the page views or comments that you normally do.

* Don't stress on any thing blog related!  I say this all the time, blogging should be fun!  Unless you have turned it into a $50k-$100k full time job (if you have I am jealous).  Even if you use it to make a little side income as I do, it is a hobby and all hobbies should be enjoyed.
If you feel stressed, get off your computer or tablet and go outside get a run in, go for a hike, take a swim or start up a new sport.  Come back to blogging after a little time away, and remember to keep it fun, enjoyable and stress free!

* Take a bit of a break and slow down a little and work on other things.  Maybe summer is a great time to work on building your social media following.  Or going back in and editing older posts that were popular and bringing them back to life again.  Clean up your blog or make over due edits to it. It's a great time, to try new things.


Do you take blogging breaks during the summer?  If you watch your stats, do you also notice a slowing trend in the summer months?  Or are you just super awesome and never have trouble posting frequently and regularly?  (I wish that could be me, but it's not:)

My Current Favorite Things - Outdoors Edition

This week for Travel Tuesday I am going to mix it up a little and share with you some of my favorite things I am loving right now.  Because if you spend time in the outdoors, you may find you will love these things too!

I do want to start out by saying, I am not being paid to promote or talk about any of these products. I am reviewing and telling you about them purely because I love them, not because I was asked to share.

Hydro Flask Water Bottle
My new Water bottle. LOVE IT!  I bet you could guess I got this in pink too:)
Let me start off by saying this is not your ordinary water bottle.  This actually keeps drinks cold for 24 hours and drinks hot for 12 hours.  Thanks to it's double wall vacuum design.  It's also stainless steel which makes it easy to clean.

First time I used it, I filled it with ice cubes and water. (I bought the 24 ounce one so that the mouth was wide enough to drop cubes down.)
I left it sitting in my car in direct line from the hot windshield for 4 hours, on a hot 100+ degree day.  When I took it out of my car, that mind you everything else in it was hotter than a hades.  I unscrewed the lid, took a sip.  WOW it actually was still ice cold!  FABULOUS!
I was sold at that point!
I have used it several times, well pretty much daily and lets just say it hasn't let me down yet!

Granted I have not yet tried hot liquid in it, but if it works for cold, I am a believer it will work for hot too.
I take it hiking with me, it fits fine in even my smallest backpack.

Sure, you have to unscrew the lid to drink, so it takes a second or two longer to get to, but when you can guarantee a cold drink, it's worth the extra few seconds in my mind.

I will say, it is not exactly cheap.  But it's also not so over priced that people can't afford it.  You can find them at most of your higher end outdoor sporting goods stores, but also on Amazon. They range in price $30-$35 for the size I bought, but I have seen smaller sizes for around $20.

The Bug Band
If you hike, go outdoors or go anywhere near where mosquito's are, which lets face it, are most places this time of year.  Those pesky flying vampires can eat you alive.

I came across this at a sporting goods store, I saw them and asked the clerk if they work.  I mean, I was totally skeptical, wear a braclet and not get bit??? Hmmm
She told me they can barely keep them on the shelf, people swear by them.  She also said that customers have told her this brand works better than all the others on the market.

So I bought one, and took it on a trip.  Camped by a river, mosquito's swarming all over.  I put it on, and didn't get a single bit.
Ended up using it every morning/evening on the first trip.  Took it on a couple other camping trips, and it's still been working amazing.  I haven't had a single bit while wearing it.  But I did get bit when I wasn't wearing it.

I even was surrounded by biting flies at a lake once, so I put it on and once I did they quit biting me!

I love it!  Yes there is a strong scent to it, but it's not really all that bad. But it doesn't smell like bug spray, and the best part is I can just put it on my wrist and take it off when I don't need it.
I lasts 120 hours, so I store it in the plastic container it came with when I am not using it.  Best part is, I don't have to have layers of bug spray on me while camping anymore!

They say you can clip it to you anywhere and it will work the same.  Like belt buckle, shoe lace, or ankle, tank top strap etc...  I have always just worn it on my wrist. I mean it's not all that bad looking, just looks like a plastic bracelet.

Personally, if I was hiking through back country or in the deep woods, I would still want repellent with a good Deet #, for ticks an so on.  But if you are just in your backyard, or camping or trail hiking/running this is perfect.

Wet Ones
Some of you may already have been using these.  But my sister just introduced me to them earlier this year.
Before I had just used baby wipes, but these are soooo much better.  Let me tell you why I love them.

Not only can you wash off your hands when water isn't available.  But these also disinfect, they say they kill 99.9% of germs with a mild formula.  Plus they have skin conditioning in them.
Great for kids and adults.  I love them so much more than baby wipes because you can by them in different scents.

I actually keep a small canister in my car.  I also keep on in each of my hiking packs.
I have another set in my purse.
Also, as soon as I start racing again.  I will be taking them to every race I run, because they are just awesome!
When I do my next Ragnar, I am so taking these with me in bulk for the team, hello fabulous!

So tell me, have you tried any of these products before?  If so, what are your thoughts?
If you haven't tried them, are they things you might look into using for your adventure?