2014 was the first full year of operations for Houston Moms Blog, and wow – what an unbelievable year it turned out to be! Those amazing twelve months brought us well over 600,000 pageviews, helped us reach more than 10,000 followers across social media, and joined moms from across the city together in 12 fun-filled events.
To wrap up 2014, we wanted to share our top 10 most read blog posts from the year {and a few honorable mentions we just had to highlight too!}. They are stories of marriage and motherhood, and of course – guides to all that our fabulous city has to do! Take a minute to read the ones you have missed, reread the ones that inspired you, and be sure to share the ones you love. Thank you for reading along with us, and cheers to all that 2015 is sure to bring!
10. Breastfeeding :: You’re STILL Doing That?!?!
“If you would have talked to me about extended breastfeeding just five years ago, my exact response would have been something along the lines of… ‘Ew.’ I just could not wrap my head around how a mom would let a toddler…with TEETH…still nurse?!? More times than I would like to admit, I think I even uttered the words, ‘If they are old enough to ask for it, then they are too old to get it!’ Well…my fifteen month old daughter literally just walked up to me asking for ‘night night’ {read :: nurse me to sleep} right before nap, and I happily obliged. Now, if you’ll just excuse me while I go insert my foot in my mouth…” – Kelly
9. You want me to do WHAT for 30 days?!?!
“My grandma and mom read my blog posts, so I’m a little leery when it comes to writing about sex. But let’s be real. We do it. And heck, if my mom didn’t do it, I wouldn’t even be here. {Ew, gross. Okay, moving on…} But the hubs and I did something recently that completely made me rethink my views on sex and relationships, and so now I want to challenge you to do it too…A 30 DAY SEX CHALLENGE!!!” – Andrea
8. 5 Tips for Raising a Strong-Willed Child
“From the beginning {literally the very beginning, like in utero}, we knew we had a Strong-Willed Child on our hands. The ultrasound tech took one look at our twins swimming around and said, and I quote, ‘You’re going to have your hands full with that one.’ While her brother was content to just hang out and float, she was intent on moving around, kicking her brother’s amniotic sac, and sitting on my interior vena cava. Just making her presence known. And it pretty much hasn’t changed a lick…” – Meagan
7. Sleepover Safety
“All that to say that my views on sleepovers have sort of morphed over the last few years, but the spirit of the views has remained. It is still my job to see that my girls are safe – physically, emotionally, and spiritually. To be clear, it has been a little easier for my views to morph because my girls are older. When my kindergartener came home from school with an invitation to a sleepover birthday party, it was the easiest ‘No.’ ever. Ever. I knew the mom only as a classroom mom. I met the dad at a school function. That was it. Um. No. No, you may not have my six-year old daughter at your home for eighteen hours when I don’t even know your middle name. No. And, now I’m judging your parenting for asking…” – Melissa
6. Houston’s Best Christmas Lights :: Neighborhood Edition
“Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved the tradition of driving around looking at Christmas lights. The whole family packed in the car. Everyone oohing and aahing and arguing over which house had the best lights. Then coming home and deciding next year we’ll up our game {or maybe not}…” – Lauren
5. The Ultimate Fall Bucket List
“Sure, Fall is a relative term around these parts {because if we’re being honest, it should probably be called Summer Lite}, but, any drop in temperature is a reason for celebration if you ask me! Between the re-emergence of football, PSLs, and falling leaves, I really can’t think of a better time of year…and fortunately for all of us, Houston has plenty of opportunities for families to fully take advantage of the season…” – Amy
4. 2014 Houston Holiday Event Guide
“It’s here! It’s here!! It’s finally here!!! Brace yourselves, mamas — our 2014 Houston Holiday Event Guide is officially ready for YOUR viewing pleasure, and we so hope that it will bring you and your family lots and lots of joy ALL season long! Don’t forget to come back all through the season for updates and added events, and feel free to chime in on the comments section with anything we may have missed…” – Meagan
3. The Perfect White Wine Sangria
“This perfect white wine sangria was born by combining a few Pinterest searches {of course!}, a stroll through my grocer’s wine selection {which is quite amazing BTW!}, and a raid of my very own refrigerator {we ALWAYS have lots of fresh fruit on hand which I love for a spring cocktail!}. Once I had all of the ingredients I wanted to use gathered, it was simply a matter of chopping, mixing, and tasting. With the tasting part being my favorite of the three tasks. Not to toot my own horn – toot, toot! – but I pretty much nailed it with this drink. So of course, I just have to share it with all of you…” – Kelly
2. Summer 2014 Bucket List
“We live in such a cool city. There are SO many things to do. I finally had to just say enough and stop adding to this list. Personally, I have a whole new wave of excitement for experiencing my family in our home and our city this year. I’ve lived here my whole life, and so many of these things I didn’t even know about. And so many other ideas, as a mom, I’ve never even considered. So excited to share this list with you…” – Becky
1. Toddler Nutrition and Meal Ideas
“Now knee deep into toddlerhood, we have maintained our philosophy of feeding her nutritionally rich foods with little or no processing and/or preservatives and minimal gluten. This is not to say that she doesn’t get the occasional cookie, she definitely stuffed her face with cake on her first birthday, and grandma has snuck her a few fries, but give her a plate of grilled chicken and vegetables and the girl will chow down. With new research coming out regularly about the risk for diabetes and obesity being determined earlier and earlier, we feel incredibly confident in our decision…” – Amy
Honorable Mentions ::
Letter to Those Waiting – Misty
When Potty Training Doesn’t Work in 3 Days – Becky
From Co-Sleeping to Crib Sleeping :: Our Journey Thus Far – Michelle
Things Nobody Told You About Motherhood – Bre
Disciplining Your Toddler – Lauren
Throwing a First Birthday Party in Houston – Chelsea
An Open Letter to Toddler Moms – Heather
Parent’s Night Out in Houston – Jana
Busy Mom Dinner Solutions :: Healthy Style – Jessica & Sarah
Dairy Free Lactation Cookies – Jenn
Did we miss one of YOUR favorites?
Be sure to include it in the comments below!
