and how much do YOU cost?

Okay I may get shunned from the blogging world for this post. But It's {currently} Saturday night, I'm  finished with my school work for the week, and there may be a glass of wine sitting beside my chair. 

This topic has been on my heart for awhile now, and if nobody agrees with me and i'm just a crazy loser that's fine but have you ever felt like you've had to purchase blog friends? 

Yup I said it. Now do not get me wrong, There are some amazing bloggers out there that I feel I really have connected with and I do stalk their blogs hourly daily. But when I first got into the blogging game I tried to reach out to some well known bloggers who I had heard from asking them if they wanted to swap buttons. {keep in mind, this was before I knew what paid sponsorships were} and do you know how many people ignored me? More than answered I can tell you that. So once I started dipping into paid sponsorship and actually sold a few ads I went to purchase some on some of my favorite blogs. Here was my experience: 

1 sponsorship was wonderful. This blogger and I still keep in contact via Twitter and e-mail even though my ad ran out. Love her and her blog. 

1 sponsorship was a great thing for my blog. The blogger did her "job" promoting mine and I was very pleased. We emailed and connected and then when my ad ran out.... *insert crickets here* Nothing. No return hey how are you emails like I had gotten before... was I paying for her friendship also?

1 sponsorship I paid and the blogger and I emailed a few times and actually had a lot in common on a personal level. I paid for a premium spot on her blog and was supposed to be given an interview, social media shout-outs, and the entire 9 yards. None of that ever happened. Believe me, I'm the first person to admit that life happens. I understand that. Life was one of the main reasons I stopped accepting paid sponsors on tales from a FAR. But really? An email would of been nice at least. But that's just my opinion... 

Am I the only one that feels this way? Please tell me i'm not... just so I can be sure, How much do you cost? ;) 

PS- Shameless plug time.. I would LOVE to have you on my sidebar.. and you don't even have to give me a dime. e-mail me {amanda[at]talesfromfar[dot]com}

disclaimer: will I ever purchase ad space again? probably  Will I think twice on who's blog it is on? You better believe it <3

On my Heart...

You may have noticed i've been a little absent via twitter, facebook, and the blog world. I have been completely bombarded. swamped. crazed. with life lately.  In order to survive i've needed to make a few changes in my life recently. 

No more paid sponsors. Paid sponsors= pressure. Pressure to make sure blog posts are written, giveaways are maintained, and sponsor stuff is written. Right now I cannot handle it. Maybe after the first of the year, but we'll see. But I am always open to swapping ;)

The other day I came to a realization that I was trying to get everything done on a schedule. Make sure FAR is taken care of. Make sure school work is done. Make sure the kitchen is spotless before bed. I was forgetting the biggest part of my agenda. 

Playtime. I've been trying to make sure everything gets done, but I've forgotten to sit down and play with my little guy. So last night I went to bed with dishes in the sink, school work that didn't get done, and a full heart from playing and snuggling with the cutest 17 month old in the world. 

Will you hear from me tomorrow? Probably not. But I won't abandon my wonderful blog. It's my outlet. I love the fact I have "met" each and every one of you. I have made friendships that are irreplaceable. But for now, i'm right where I need to be.