As a childless advocate, I need your support.

Two years ago, I resigned from my 17-year teaching career, feeling that I had fulfilled my calling in the classroom. It was time for a new adventure… And so, with encouragement from my hubby, I founded Not So Mommy…, dedicating a large portion of my time to the infertility and childless not by choice communities, becoming a childless advocate.

Blogging, Motivating, Encouraging…

In the past two years, I have written 234 blogs here at Not So Mommy… and created nearly 600 images to share via social media. (Those of you who follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest know that I post daily, only missing a handful of days when I lost both my Grandad and best friend in September 2018.)

Educating, Researching, Sharing…

Not only do I encourage, but I also educate, researching and sharing resources that I believe will help various sectors within our tribe. I also educate by sharing my story not only within our community, but outside the CNBC tribe, as well. In fact, I have shared my story over a dozen times on various platforms–from mommy blogs to non-mom podcasts to The Childless Not By Choice Magazine.

Creating and Advocating…

As a childless advocate, I created the olive green Childless Not By Choice Awareness Ribbon because fellow childless said we needed a ribbon of our own. Currently, I continue to share the CNBC ribbon in an effort to get it more widely recognized.

Without selling or asking for money.

I have completed all this work without asking for any monetary donations. I maintain the website, secure the Not So Mommy… URL address and hosting, and utilize Canva and Buffer and MailChimp. And I’ve done this without selling ads or URL links. And though I tried to get sponsored posts, it’s proven difficult because I am extremely cautious about possible triggers.

That means, for the past two years, I have been creating and educating and advocating for no monetary pay. In fact, I’ve actually been using our family’s own funds to maintain Not So Mommy… and offer support.

I love being a childless advocate!

Now, don’t get me wrong! I love being a childless advocate. I love being a voice for our community. Your support, encouragement, validation, and kind words mean so much. Truly, I cannot put a monetary value on these. As “words of affirmation” is my work love language, all that means more to me than dollars and cents.

But I need your support!

But I must raise some monetary funds in order to off-set the costs incurred so that I can continue to be an advocate, blogger, educator, and community builder for the infertility and childless not by choice communities. So, I’m making a few changes to my blogsite…

The New Not So Mommy… Shop

The Shop Tab…

You may have noticed the new “Shop” tab in the main menu. Recently, I was contacted by Chiavaye, asking me to become an affiliate marketer of their product, an all natural personal lubricant. After doing some research, I discovered several companies and various products that I believe Not So Mommy… readers would be interested in. So, I decided to start sharing these items on my blogsite.

Ads…

Not only have I created the “Shop” tab, but you might have also noticed an ad or two being displayed. I certainly don’t want Not So Mommy… to become too commercialized; however, I’ve decided that a strategic ad won’t hurt the over-all visual appeal of my site. (Especially since I am choosing which ads to place and where rather than simply selling ad space.)

Product Reviews and Sponsored Posts…

Finally, as I personally try products, I plan to write reviews about them. (Though I promise that product reviews won’t take over my editorial calendar!) Currently, I am researching Spina Organics, a line of dog grooming products that only uses vegan, all natural extracts, fragrances, and botanical oils. I plan to publish my review of Spina Organics in September.

Again, I need your support!

So, what’s all this mean for you?

Well, when you choose to click one of the ads or links in the “shop” tab, I will receive a small monetary commission after you make a purchase. (Thus, I am beginning to use affiliate links.) If I am paid to write a blog post about a product, that will be clearly stated in the blog. (Although all opinions will be my own. You can be assured that authenticity will not go away here!)

Basically, I’ve decided to offer some products that I think you will find cool & unique and if you purchase them through one of my affiliate links, I’ll earn a bit of money to help keep Not So Mommy… up and running.

Whew! I tell you what… This is one of the hardest blogs I’ve ever written! It’s not easy talking about money. But we all have bills and understand the necessity to pay them…

So, thanks for listening, fabulous ones…