My 2020 Year In Review

2020 has been quite the year, hasn’t it? I’m sure many of you out there might even want to forget all about it. While I resonate with why many people feel that way, I don’t want to forget about 2020.

This year, as unexpected as it’s been, has been one of the best years of my life. Of course, I say that because I gave birth to Taya in February of this year! My daughter has been the BEST part of this year and I really don’t know how I would’ve gotten through without her. Taya has brought me so much joy and excitement each day, even on my lowest days. I’m definitely not done grieving all that didn’t happen or didn’t happen the way I had hoped because of how 2020 went. But despite everything, I’m grateful.

I knew that this year was going to be a year of transition for me and CWS but really, I had no clue what I was in for. I didn’t have much time to prep this time last year because I was pregnant with Taya in my third trimester. Then I had Taya just a few weeks before the original quarantine period began… so I wasn’t just adjusting to newborn life alone… I was adjusting to newborn life during a quarantine. CRAZINESS. It was really hard.

It took me a long time to get back to creating for the blog. There were many factors that played into that. From dealing with personal matters, the stress of the world, and losing brand partnerships, I just felt stuck for most of the year. I have really just started to get back into a regular blogging groove recently and it feels amazing.

While I wasn’t creating as much for CWS as I had hoped, I was creating content in a new way… TikTok! I never thought I would download the app, never mind actually creating content on there. Aside from my blog itself, TikTok has become my top social platform, which is too cool. What started as a creative hobby simply to have fun creating and to fight my postpartum depression turned into a huge blessing in disguise. TikTok is by far more fun to create content for than Instagram, haha. Who knew that I would ever enjoy creating video content? More about TikTok later.

BLOG POST HIGHLIGHTS OF 2020

Here were some of CWS’s most popular blog posts of this year. These were definitely some of my personal favorites, too! 🙂

A REFRESHED FOCUS

When I celebrated my 6 years of blogging in July, I shared about my refreshed focus for CWS. As a lifestyle blogger, I have always blogged about every life stage that I have gone through so naturally, the same is taking place now that I’m a mama. Being a mom has always been my first dream, which explains why I’m excited now more than ever about where I’m heading with my content.

Read more here.

On a related note, Taya is definitely becoming a regular little content creator herself, haha. 🙂 I think she’s the cutest. Please know that while I share about Taya, I am being smart about it and have boundaries for doing so. I don’t need to go into details but I felt like I needed to share that. If she doesn’t want to be featured in my content one day, then she won’t be featured anymore. I respect and will respect her privacy and wishes.

TIKTOK HIGHLIGHTS

First off, TikTok has definitely been my top content creation highlight of the year. It’s been so good for my creativity and connecting with other mamas. Taya is definitely the star of the show on TikTok, haha. She is too fun! You can find us on TikTok @SummerTelban. I create content about real motherhood (everyday mom life, mom guilt, mom struggles, and self-care as a mama), baby fashion and lifestyle, and mommy and me content. We’ve had quite a lot of videos go “viral” – some have hit a few million views. That’s just crazy to me! Really, it’s just crazy to me that I was able to start a brand new platform and build it to over 80,000 followers so far.

On the topic of video content… many have been asking if I’ll start a YouTube channel. I will be starting a YouTube channel in the future but it is not a top priority right now.

MY FAVORITE BLOGGING MOMENT OF 2020:

I do have quite a few favorites but I think my top from the year is working on my first brand sponsorship with Taya. I worked with Summer Infant when I reviewed their Myria Travel System. You can catch my blog post review here.

INSTAGRAM TOP 9

Here is the grid of my top 9 photos of the year on Instagram. These are definitely some of my personal favorites!

SIDE HUSTLE – MY PHOTO PRESETS

At the end of fall, I launched my Etsy shop, Breezey Co, where I sell Lightroom mobile presets. It’s been a great experience so far and I’m glad to be able to help others find joy in editing photos. P.S. I have an end of the year promo going on 12/28 – 1/2. Use code: BYE2020 for 10% off your entire order.