Good morning, Live Richly!

We hope you've been having as much fun meeting and reading about our Build a Better Bloggers as we've had finding them and introducing them to you. This week's blogger is no exception. She's a stay-at-home mom and passionate cook whose blog has gained a loyal following. Please meet Pam from For The Love of Cooking!

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LR: Why did you start your blog?

FTLOC: I wanted a way to organize my recipes and I also wanted my kids to have access to all the recipes they grew up on when they are older.

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LR: What was your cooking background when you started?

FTLOC: I cooked a bit as a kid and continued cooking when I grew up and lived on my own. I got much more into cooking healthy and organic foods once I was married and had children.

LR: What are your aspirations for your blog? Do you hope it leads to other career opportunities? Do you hope to make money from it? I think many bloggers launch their blogs with the hopes that it will lead to other opportunities. What are your thoughts on that?

FTLOC: I don't plan or want to have other career opportunities other than being a stay-at-home mom and food blogger. My blog has become so much bigger than I ever expected it, and I am very grateful to my loyal readers. Making money is a nice bonus, but for me, it was never about becoming famous or making money. It was a great way for me to be creative, to become a better cook, and to encourage my children to love cooking. My blog brings me so much happiness and joy...I just truly love it.

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LR: What have you learned about blogging and its challenges since you started?

FTLOC: I never tried to follow blogging trends. I cooked what I was craving and what my family would like. I try to keep the blog purely about the food and recipes I cook. I also try to be very consistent in my blogging. I hold myself accountable and try to post 5 recipes a week.

LR: In that same vein, what would you tell people to keep in mind if they are blogging now or thinking about it?

FTLOC: Don't do it to make money. Do it because it's something you really, really love and then it won't matter if you have 1 reader or 100,000. And keep it organized and simple. Too flashy can be very distracting! My blog grew very organically. I just did what I loved and people seemed to like it. I haven't ever really self-promoted my blog, it grew from word of mouth by my readers. I have really awesome readers!

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LR: How important is it for bloggers to post regularly?

FTLOC: I think blogs that post often (at least 3-5 times a week) gain a following... readers like to check back and see what's going on. I like to try new recipes, so posting 5 days a week works for me and my readers seem to like it.

LR: There are so many blogs out there now that for people just starting out, they may wonder, "What makes your blog different?" What makes it stand out from the crowd? And how can other bloggers stand out in a world that's saturated with food blogs?

FTLOC: I think it goes back to not doing a blog just to do a blog. Create a blog about something you love and it will bring you happiness and hopefully success. I didn't advertise for the first couple of years, but once I was approached by a great food website to advertise, I decided to do it. I am a stay-at-home mom, and now that my blog is successful and making money, I can continue to stay at home with my kids while doing a job (blog) that I love. It's a win-win situation for me!

Thank you so much Pam for sharing all of this with us!

See you tomorrow when we announce some parsley recipe standouts and reveal our next Live Richly Contributor topic!