"What Do You Do For Work?"

"What do you do for work?" is a common question I get a lot.  Every time I see someone I haven't seen in awhile, or even when I go to the doctors I am asked that very question.

This is a very tough one for me to answer.  Not because I am embarrassed by what I do (I LOVE IT!!) but what do I do??  What would you call my job??

I ask myself this question many times a day.  There is not one single job title I can give myself.  According to my taxes this year, I was just Self Employed.  All though that is true, it is not enough of a description for me or for others.

I have many job titles.  I am a Writer, a PR agent, a Product Reviewer, a Website Owner, A CEO, A Brand Ambassador, A Member of the Press, and even though I do not think of myself as one anymore, I could also be called a Blogger.

Why do I not like the term Blogger?  Simply to me, a blogger is someone who writes about themselves in a diary like form.  You can read Wikipedia's definition here.  Yes I do write about myself and my family, but it is not my primary goal for my site.  

What is my goal you ask?  I write and post about what interests me, and what interests the people who read my site.  That is a wide variety of things.  I have readers who love how I post coupons and shopping deals, others who like my Disney posts, and a lot who love my reviews and giveaways.

Let me give you a little back ground on myself as to why I started this site.  Simply put, I wanted to enter giveaways.

In November of 2009, I read an article in a magazine about a site called Blog Giveaways.  This was a site I could go to to find a bunch of free to enter giveaways!!  I thought it would be a lot of fun to enter to try to win my boys things that I normally would not buy.  One of the entries you could get was to post about the giveaway on your blog.  So Sarah's Blog Of Fun was started.  I was kind of dorky back then (and still am!!)  Here is one of my first posts. 

After a while of entering and winning just a hand full of items I had a light bulb moment.  If others were getting to try these products and give them away, why couldn't I??

I started out by writing reviews of products I already use, or read.  Then I started pitching to smaller companies to see if I could review their products.  

After many, many months/years of building my audience (most importantly their trust,) and working my tush off, you get my site as it is now (I hope you like it!!)

My site has grown 10,000% since those days.  I am constantly trying to improve to make my self and my readers keep coming back!!

I review a wider variety of products, like Hoover Vacuums, and work with larger companies like Disney, Walmart, Mrs.Fields and even McDonald's.

I make money with my site now.  I am not a millionaire, but it is nice to get paid for working (which is what I do even though I have fun doing it!!)

I am always 100% honest on all product reviews, and anyone who knows me and/or reads my site knows that.  That is one of the reasons they come back!!

I will never EVER be ashamed about what I do.  I get to work from home so I can be with my kids, I get to travel (a lot of the time with my family,) and I get to try things from companies I never would have ever heard about or seen if I didn't have my site.

Yes I have gone on paid for trips (for example The Avengers Movie premiere in New York) but never once did I "Sell" myself to go.  Every post I wrote up about that movie, and my trip was written by choice, and was written because I wanted to do it.  If I had not liked the movie, or if I found something wrong with how things were handled, I would have said something.  I was (and still am) truly honored that Disney invited me to see that movie in a way I could only have ever dreamed about!!  With out my site, I never would have met and interviewed celebrities, or attended a red carpet premiere with said celebrities. 

When I receive items to review, if I do not like the item, I will not promote that I do like it (just to get free product.)  It's that simple.  If the item is something I don't like, but someone who reads my site might, I will still write about the item (that's my job,) but I am 100% honest in saying "It was not for me, and these are the reasons why!!"  No company or amount of money can make me say "Wow I loved it," when it looks, smells or tastes like poo (sorry I couldn't think of a better description!!)

Lately people that do what I do (no matter what you call them, bloggers or not) have gotten a TON of bad press.  People group us all together as "Mommy Bloggers" and say horrible things like "They are just bored housewives looking for free things."  The "big press" also say horrible things like "When a Mommy Blogger goes on a trip, they are just doing it to get away from their kids and get free stuff."

I can not (and will not) speak for everyone out there, but I will speak for myself.  

I DO NOT DO what I do just to score free things.  I do what I do because I love it.  I work for the items I get that are "free."  Isn't there an old saying that goes "Nothing in life is free."  

I hate, hate, hate (I can not say that enough) being away from my family.  That is why if you pay attention to the trips and places I go/visit, I almost always take my family (even my extended family) with me.  There are times when I can not take them (like most people who work outside of the home, you can not always take your kids with you to work) and on those trips I am on the phone with my family as much as possible (just ask my Husband who receives most of my 100+ phone calls!!)  My Family is my life.  They will ALWAYS come first.  

I can not stress enough to certain people out there that I am not a lonely miserable housewife, ranting my views to like minded people for free things and spends my days trying to escape my family.

I am a Mom who works and truly loves her job.  

I am a Mom who loves her family and hates being away from them, but understands that no job allows you to be with your kids 100% of the time.  

I am a smart Women who had an idea one day to start a company and I did.  I also made that company into a profitable business with a lot of blood sweet and tears!!

I am a Women who struggles with the day to day tasks of working, and raising a family.  

I am a Writer, a PR agent, a Product Reviewer, a Website Owner, A Brand Ambassador, A Member of the Press, and a Blogger.

Most importantly I am Sarah.  I am the owner of Sarah's Blog Of Fun.  If you do not like what I do, do not read my work.  I do not go to your job and call you names, I do not expect you to do that to me.  I do not criticize you for how you make your living, and I will not tolerate anyone who does that to me.





This post is written by Sarah Coulsey. She is a Wife, and Mother of two boys living in New England. This post may contain affiliate links.