What I Learned From VEDA/Vlogust

Last month, I decided to try my hands at doing VEDA (Vlog Everyday in August)/Vlogust.  As much as it would give me great joy to say that I did indeed vlog everyday last month, alas that is not the case.  However, my first attempt at VEDA/Vlogust was not in vain.  Here's what I learned to help me improve as a vlogger and to be successful at VEDA/Vlogust next year.

Build A Video Stockpile:

Three days into VEDA/Vlogust, I noticed that it was taking forever for my videos to upload to YouTube.  That was mostly due to the fact that everybody and their mama and their grandmama does VEDA/Vlogust.  So, essentially there's more than double the amount of videos being uploaded to YouTube than normal and that causes the uploader to slow down. 

By Day 4, I was getting an error message saying my files were corrupted.  Eventually, I got my Day 4 video to upload.  Day 8, I hit a wall when after two days of trying to upload my Day 8 video it wouldn't upload.  First, I kept getting the same error message about my files being corrupted.  Then, the video kept getting stuck in processing.  Later I heard from several more seasoned vloggers in my YouTube Mommy Meetup Facebook group that it's best to a pre-film videos several days and even weeks in advance to schedule to post to YouTube.

This way, you will have all the kinks worked out and back up videos already uploaded to YouTube that are ready to go in case you go through what I went through.  So, I'm already working on a list of general vlog prompts that I want to talk about next year and I'll definitely get started filming in June and July 2015 and schedule them out for August.  Of course, I will still do a few same day vlogs here and there so that all my vlogs won't be pre-filmed.

Have A Reliable Computer:

My poor little Dell Inspirion Mini is on it's last leg.  Seriously, I have the charger taped in because the battery no longer charges or holds a charge.  Also, if you move the charger the wrong way the whole thing shuts down in the middle of whatever it is you're doing.  This was so frustrating because I was in the process of uploading videos to YouTube that I couldn't upload to my Windows Movie Maker and my computer cut off.

The bad news doesn't end there.  I had already erased them from my memory card!  Needless to say I quit VEDA/Vlogust all together on Day 12 after that happened.  What I should have done was used the Mr's laptop or went to the library and used one of their desktops.  Don't ask me why I didn't do that.  I live and I learn.  But definitely make sure your computer is somewhat reliable or at the very least make sure you don't have little kids crawling about who will accidentally yank out your charger with their feet.

Also, I've been researching video editing apps for my phone because I've seen some pretty awesome vlogs shot using iPhones and Galaxys!

Collaborate:

Collaborations are a great way to bond with other vloggers.  Also, it's a great way to grow your subscribers because your collaboration video will not only be posted on your channel, but your co-collaborator's channel as well.  So, you're getting double the exposure.  I do wish that I had reached out to some vloggers to maybe do a live Hangout or to a specific topic video.

We would have filmed and edited clips and then we would have put the clips together to make one video and uploaded it to our channels.  I did get to do a live a Hangout for the YouTube Mommy Meetup Anniversary Celebration.   That was fun and it was nice getting my feet wet with that.  Since my computer was acting nuts, I hungout via my phone which was not difficult at all.  

You just download the Google Hangout app and go.  I am currently in the process of making a list of vloggers that I would like to collab with in the future.  And no, all of them are not moms.

Variety Is Key:

So, I don't do daily vlogs because I'm not ready to put my kids on YouTube.  The YouTube crowd can be pretty rough and brutal.  I get very defensive when people talk about my kids.  I don't have time to be going She-Hulk crazy on some cyber bully because they came up out their keyboard wrong about my kids.  Talk about me all you want because I can handle that.

However, I do realize that I need to add a little variety to my videos.  I tried to do that by switching up where I vlog from.  For my shopping haul and beauty videos, I usually film in the bathroom because it makes sense.  For other videos, I'm filming in front of the pantry in my kitchen because I love the lighting in there.  Also, it has glossy white paint on the walls which helps the light to bounce better.  

I would film in the bedroom, but there isn't any ceiling light and our lamps aren't bright enough.  Plus, the wall paint has a matte finish and doesn't reflect the light as well.  I have the same problem for the dining room.  I have been looking at lighting kits though and trying to film during the day (I currently film only at night) to give me more flexibility with my filming locations.  

Also, I'll be trying to film when I'm out and about.  Tons of vloggers film when their shopping trips or even film from their cars or outside.  I'm toying with the idea of doing random street interviews.  Those might be rare at the moment since I'll have to do those on a day the Mr is off.

Promote, Promote & Promote Again:

I suck at self-promotion.  I can promote the heck out of others, but I tend to feel selfish when I promote myself or my work on social media.  Coming off as self-obsessed is a big fear for me because it can turn people off to you.  However, if I don't promote more, I'll never be able to turn people on to me and work.

My goal for the rest of this year is make sure that I promote all of my work, especially my vlogs on a daily basis.  

Although, I failed at VEDA/Vlogust this year, I still had fun and enjoyed the overall experience.  I learned a ton, gained some vlogger friends and subscribers and came out of my introvert shell a little bit more.  Be sure to check out my YouTube channel.  I'm still vlogging and today I finally got that dang Day 8 video to upload!  Better late than never, right?

What kind vlog videos or topics would you enjoy seeing on my channel in the future?

Hello August!

Is it really August already?  Where has this year gone?  Before we know it we'll celebrating Labor Day, then Halloween, Thanksgiving and eventually throwing up the Christmas trees.  For now though, I'm focusing on making it through this month.  My goals for August are:

Finish School Shopping:  We still have to buy uniforms, a handful of supplies from Moo's supply list and a bookbag for JJ.  We might also have to shop for thermos as well to go in their lunchboxes.

Successfully Complete VEDA/Vlogust:  Today was the first day of VEDA (Vlog Every Day in August) & Vlogust.  For my first video I did the About Me prompt from YouTube Mommy Meetup. Fingers crossed that by the end of the month, I will have 31 vlogs posted!  Don't forget to subscribe to my channel if you haven't already.

Continue Working Out: I'm on a mission to retone my abs, arms and legs.  So far I've been doing really good with my workouts.  With school starting soon, I'll have more time to feel the burn after I drop the kiddies off.

Try More Hairstyles:  Now that I've pretty much perfected my twistout, I'm ready to start experimenting with more natural hairstyles.  My sisters and I have decided to do a 30-Days No Heat challenge.  I've been giving some thought to doing either flexirods or a straw set next.  I want to try doing a pineapple, but I need a little more length so that my curls will the way I want them to.

Interior Decorating:  We may have everything unpacked, but now it's a matter of making this place flow and shine.  I'd love to get some photos developed to hang on the walls.  I need to designate a vlogging space other than my bathroom. We still have to buy a dining room table set and Moo needs a new bed.  This list goes on, but that'll be a later post.

Blog More:  I've been blogging significantly less this summer and I'm ready to get back to blogging on pretty much a daily basis.

So, there you have it folks.  Nothing too complicated, but I'll check-in on September 1st and evaluate how I did.  

What are your goals for August?

3 Family Lifestyle YouTube Vloggers To Watch

Listen y'all, I have a confession to make.  I'm hooked on family lifestyle YouTube vlogs!  Seriously, I've stopped watching reality shows on cable (or well, I've pretty much stopped watching cable period) and I now I watch my favorite YouTube vloggers instead.  I'm just over watching adults act like animals on those shows.  Also, I toyed with the idea of doing like video diaries when I was college and before I had kids, but I chickened out.

Plus, it's just interesting to get a look at the lives of other young families.  I thought that I'd share a few of my favorite family  vloggers with you guys.  Hopefully, you will check them out as well.  So, let's get started.

itsJudyLife

What I like about Judy and Benji is that they both remind me of myself. For example, Judy is really into beauty and fashion. Check out her beauty channel.  And you guys know that I was a fashion major and I like beauty.  Then, there's Benji, who's in to gardening, cooking and healthy living like me as well.  They have an adorable little girl, Juilanna aka JB (Juilanna Bear), and are expecting identical twin girls literally almost any day now.

I really love how family oriented they are.  I also respect the fact that they work hard to teach and expose JB to their different cultures.  You guys know that I come from multi-racial family and I feel more inspired than ever to find a way to teach our children about the different traditions from our culture.  I remember my mom used to take us the Native American expos when they came the Carolinas.  

It was such an awesome experience for me as a child to see first hand some of the foods, dances and authentic garb that my great mother and her ancestors had.  I love that they're both really doting parents.  It's so cute watching them dance and sing with JB. I know Maroon 5 thinks Mick Jagger has the moves, but I don't know.  Benji and Judy, especially Benji, are giving Mr Jagger a run for his money They're funny and they're real.  Like, you'll see them filming in their night clothes, Judy films without makeup and they talk about personal stuff.

Gabe & Babe TV

Gabe And Babe (Chad) are an interracial couple and they have the cutest little man, CJ, and an adorable pooch, Oscar.  Watching how Gabe was killing those P90X3 workouts has motivated me to get my exercise game up.  I haven't been consistent at all with working out and I don't like that.  Working out isn't fun and I don't have a workout partner, but the excuses are out the window and I've gotten my workout videos together, a workout music playlist and some workout clothes.  Mama is getting right, not just for the summer, but because I want to be healthier, more fit before I get pregnant with baby 3 and better able to keep up with Moo and JJ.

Gabe honestly reminds me the most of myself because she's just the right amount of girly.  Like I'm not girly, girly, but I still enjoy makeup, getting my nails done and doing my hair.  And speaking of hair, Gabe is all natural like me.  She has her own hair/beauty channel as well.  Lastly, one of the things that I got me hooked on them was that in a few of their earlier videos, they talked about their love for going to church and their faith.

I'm not a holy rollie or holier than thou as some people say, but I strive to live right or in a way that is pleasing to God.  And, let me tell y'all I was watching some of the older videos I missed from like Thanksgiving/Christmas time when I was down about JJ's whole Autism screening and stuff, and I'm glad I did because Gabe's grandmother Nana is hilarious!  Like I love her.

AprilJustinTV

Omg, April is like a little ray of sunshine!  Like seriously, she's so upbeat, positive and perky about life that it's contagious.  And she has the sweetest husband, Justin, who is also a talented musician.  These two are the cutest!  They have three cats and are expecting their child, Baby Liam, soon.

And April keeps it really real y'all.  Like if she ever decides to write a pregnancy or motherhood book, it would be on my must read list.  She's been honest about her experience with pregnancy and talked about nipple cracking, vaginal discharge and all that stuff that some think is TMI or that pregnancy magazines kind of gloss over.  I've been a first time mom and I wasn't and still not into having motherhood and pregnancy painted or depicted as just being all sunshine and rainbows.

It's not and you'll be really unprepared if you don't at least get some real advice or insight.  They're both foodies like me and about healthy eating for the most part.  April has a great cooking channel, and I'm excited to try out some of her recipes.  I'm doing the banana tempura today.  I just can't get enough these two.  I really love that they share the highlights of their day at the end of each video.  

It reminds me of something that we do in my family.  Each night before we pray, we share one (or for Moo, two, three or ten) things that we are thankful for that day.  This is something I was raised doing, it's where the idea for Thankful Thursday came from and it helps to keep me humble and grateful for all my many blessings.  I think that April and Justin are going to make excellent parents when Liam arrives!

Do you have any favorite YouTube vloggers/channels that you like watch?  Share them below.

My Most Used Beauty Products

So, I took a break last week from Fashion Friday.  I really needed to get my book review for Knowing Vera up.  And if you haven't checked it out yet, please click on the link and do so!  I'm in the process of reading another book by Rachelle Ayala and will be sharing that review soon.  So stay tuned!

Anyways, some of you may remember that I did my first vlog video last year!  I know it was time, right?  I had been talking about wanting to blog for over a year and finally stopped making excuses and took the plunge.  I was very nervous, but felt such a sense of accomplishment once it was done and posted.  

These last few weeks I have been feeling the itch to vlog again.  After all how I am ever going to get comfortable being in front of the camera and get better at editing if I don't vlog or practice?  So, today I'm sharing with you guys my first ever YUMM Beauty vlog!!  I'm really excited.  I hope that you guys will check it out.  If you like it give it a thumbs up and don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel  if you haven't already!  So, just click on the photo or link below and it will take you to the video.

Also, before you check out the video let me know in the comment section here on the blog what kind of vlogs you guys enjoy?  Do you have any favorite vloggers?  And do you vlog yourself?  If so, be sure to leave a link to your YouTube page and I will check you out.  Thanks!

Click on the picture (or here) to see my beauty vlog!

Expanding

It's no secret that I've been dying to take YUMMommy to the next level.  After the all the whole reason I started this blog was to share my journey in hopes tha of showing others in my situation that they're not alone.   YUMMommy is already on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.   And now I'm proud to announce that I finally took the leap and joined YouTube!  Check out my first 'video' below.

YUMMommy is expanding!