Spotlight on Fritz Facts

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A few facts about Kellyn from Fritz Facts: She is, among other things, a baker of cakes and cookies, a former dancer, a music lover, and a pro at holding garage sales. Kellyn blogs about these topics and everyday life in Minnesota with her husband and kids. Her audience and presence in the blogging community have grown as she not only blogs herself but participates in other bloggers’ memes and carnivals.

Kellyn is a regular 5 Minutes for Mom reader, and if you participated in this year’s Ultimate Blog Party, you may have had a visit from her at your party! She was the winner of the drawing for posting about Janice and Susan’s search for a new VA, and I enjoyed finding out more about this fun working mom of two.
Why did you begin blogging? Have your reasons changed since you started?

I started blogging in 2006. When I started it was for the sole purpose of putting things down that came to me. Nothing exciting in the beginning. I wanted to express things and share them with anyone who wanted to listen. Growing up I wanted to write, and now I have ways to do that.

When I started Fritz Facts, there were maybe 10 people that read it. I didn’t have a single comment until October, 4 months after I started the blog. But slowly I have picked up speed, fine-tuned my writing and subjects and gained a great audience.

I am still putting things down as they come to me, but I have changed my focus to bring in readers, and offer something different than the other blogs.

What do you like best about writing and reading blogs as well as participating in blog memes and carnivals?

I love being able to voice my thoughts on everything from domestic violence, Aspergers and movie reviews (these are all subjects that have touched my life). Having a blog gives me that platform, and while I try to keep things light, there are times the tougher subjects come out. I also love to blog about sports. I was a tom-boy growing up and still follow baseball, football and hockey.

I have joined a couple blog communities, and am a faithful commenter. I love finding new blogs, and digging into their past posts.I have a group of blogs that I read daily, and have formed wonderful friendships with them. We have similar interests, problems and goals.

Blog carnivals are a great way to find new blogs, and have some fun. There are a couple that I take part in, Works for Me Wednesday and Sincerely Fro Me to You. I have a great time giving and asking for advice, and embarrassing myself with old pictures. This year I also took part in the Ultimate Blog Party at 5 Minutes for Mom and found a large amount of new blogs, and I haven’t even made it all the way through the list yet!

What are some of your other hobbies?

Being in MN, our winters can make you stay indoors for days at a time. I spend time reading, scrap booking and movie watching. I also do a lot of crafts, role playing and fort building with the kids. When it is warmer, we are outside playing in the snow, if we have any.

I am also just getting into cooking. I am not the greatest yet, but I am trying. I have found some great recipes, and slowly building the skill.

In the summer, however, a lot of the goes out the window, and we are outside. We spend time at our cabin, fishing, camping and going out on our friends boat. The kids are in activities, so our time is split between ball fields and home. I still read a ton during the summer, as we are in the car to one place or another. My kids have my love for reading, so there are books everywhere in my house.

Does garage sale-ing count as a hobby? I am addicted, and have found some great deals. I spend Wednesday night looking through the online listings and planning the weekend. I also love holding our yearly garage sale and get thrills whenever someone drives up.

What are your favorite activities to do with your family?

Camping is one the highlights of our summer. We recently got a pop-up camper, and I love it! It is easier in bad weather, and gives us much more room. We have a local campground that we spend a lot of time at and have been to a couple others last summer. We also found out how well it holds up in the rain…

While we are camping, it gives us time to fish and swim. The kids love to fish with us and will even pull their own fish off the hooks. I didn’t fish until I met my husband, and now I can’t wait for the weather to warm up!

As a working mom, what are your best tips for managing your time and juggling all your responsibilities?

I don’t know if there are tips for managing my time. I always make sure that family comes first, and I am lucky enough to work for a company that understands that. I spend a lot of time with my family and don’t normally blog until after the kids are in bed. I want as much time with them as possible.

My husband also works overnights, so I want to make sure we have enough time. It is hard working different shifts 40 hours a week. We wouldn’t be able to do anything if we didn’t have the systems in place that we do. We work well together when it comes to planning how smoothly the week is going to go.

Thanks, Kellyn!

Written by Shauna