Name: Mayra Rodriguez
Email: estilofamiliar@gmail.com
Blog Name: Estilo Familiar
Blog Address: www.estilofamiliar.com
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Share your brief bio:
Mayra is the author of Estilo Familiar where she shares the adventures of homeschooling her two sons while balancing her freelance writer career with family life. In her spare time you will find her in the garage renovating wooden furniture, thrifting, behing the sewing machine or trying to create something. She also writes on Cocina Latina for About.com, is a contributor in Mamaslatinas.com and is starting a new blog Ingredientes Reales. She comes from the Enchanted Island of Puerto Rico, but currently enjoys living in Los Angeles, CA.
Tell us a little about your family.
I am married to my best friend and high school sweetheart which whom I dated for almost nine years before getting married. I have two sons that play baseball in little league, pony league and traveling team. That’s why I’m always in the park still learning the game to know when to applaud! We are originally from Puerto Rico, but we have lived in New York and Los Angeles.
How do you prioritize time between your family and your blog?
I work on my blog very early in the morning, usually 5 – 7 am, before the family wakes up. That way I have my own time to write, think and plan. After that I homeschool from 8 – 3 and sometimes get to draft posts and edit pictures in the afternoon. I answer my emails during the day whenever I can steal 5 minutes from my busy life.
How do you relax?
My oasis is when I restore and paint wooden furniture. Ahhh! Is so relaxing! My mind gets relaxed and lost in my own thoughts!
When did you start your blog?
I started blogging in 2010
Why did you start blogging?
Writing has been a passion and blogging is an easy way to tell my stories and reach, influence and help people,
How did you choose your blog name?
Family is all what matters in my life and I wanted to share how do I do everything in a family style.
What keeps you motivated and inspired to blog?
What keeps me motivate are those emails of readers looking for help or giving thanks for the information I am sharing. That’s when I know I am fulfilling the purpose of the blog.
Where do you see your blog and yourself in 5 years?
I see me publishing a homeschooling book in Spanish and creating a strong Hispanic homeschooling community while traveling more to demonstrate my readers how learn while enjoying time with family.
Biggest life lesson learned since blogging?
Create your own style and do your own thing with great stories and pictures. I don’t have to imitate others or to be where others are to be successful. My success comes from fulfilling my own goals, even if it is just helping one or ten people. Be happy with what you have and try to reach your personal goals. Don’t get caught competing with others, compete with yourself. See my favorite quote that guides my vision of blogging.
What is your secret to success?
Success for me is having my priorities in the right order: God, family and then my blog. That’s my daily challenge and if I do that, then I am successful.
What do you wish someone would have told you when you first started blogging?
Personally, to not follow the crowd, but instead work on creating my own style.
Technically, to start with WordPress and to put emphasis in SEO.
All bloggers encounter writer’s block. How do you get past this?
Since I write about family matters, I just think about the real anecdotes and experiences with my sons and that sparks a lot of ideas. Other way is to read about the things that I like: homeschooling, education, family, recipes, etc. And sometimes I just take a break, paint some furnitures and that rests my minds and helps me think more clearly.
What has been your sweetest success story?
Collaborating and contributing to the two most read homeschooling magazine in the US is an honor and privilege to give them my Hispanic and bilingual view of homeschooling while living in the US.
What has been your most popular posts?
Ideas to make money from home.
How long have you lived in California?
Since 2011
Where is your favorite relaxation location in California?
Santa Monica, Santa Monica Mountains and loved to visit Big Sur.
Do you belong to any other social media networks to promote your blog?
Yes.
Have you attended any social media conferences? If so, which ones?
Hispanicize
If yes above, what was the most helpful thing that you have learned from attending a conference?
Networking and learn the tips from the veteran influencers.
Share your favorite quote or inspirational thought:
My life and blogging motto:
Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men. Colossians 3:23
That makes all the difference, especially in the blogging world!
Tell us something that most people would be surprised to learn about you.
Even though I work in Social Media, I limit my social media time. What??? Yes. I have to live the real life to enjoy it and have real life stories to write about!!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
We can be successful bloggers without neglecting our families! Then we’ll have a successful family!
Do you send out a monthly newsletter? How can we get on your mailing list if we are interested in more information?
Yes. It is in Spanish, so if you know Spanish, what to practice it or learn…you will enjoy it! Get registered here.
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