Mom Blogging As A Full-Time Career [VIDEO]

For some, blogging may seem like a foreign concept or foreign language with terms like posts, tweets, hashtags, Klout, vlogs, and Twitter parties, but for local mom Audrey McClelland those terms make up her second language.  

Spending time online from 12 to 14 hours a day provides for her family, as blogging on MomGenerations.com turned into a full-time career for her and her husband, Matt. He works with Audrey now, filming and editing videos for the blog and participating on the site by writing for a section called "Dad Generations." Together they are raising four boys, ages 7 and under. 

McClelland started writing various blogs in 2005 to connect with other moms online. She said those blogs failed, but in 2008 her site PinksandBlues.com seemed to finally get a following.

"I was finally connecting with other moms online and I loved connecting with moms all over the world," said McClelland.  

McClelland's first big break came in January 2009 when Lifetime TV contacted her with a new site they created called LifetimeMoms.com. She writes about fashion on the site since McClelland's background included working for Donna Karan in New York.

"After I noticed that moms reading PinksandBlues.com wanted to talk about more than just babies, I got together with my mom and sister and we changed the site to MomGenerations.com. We each added a different perspective to the site and it really took off," said McClelland.

Sharon Couto, McClelland's mom, writes about all sorts of things from the perspective of a woman with grown children and grandchildren. , her sister, writes a lot on fitness issues and is engaged to be married, so she offers a "non-mom" perspective.

McClelland also credits her 365 Days of Fashion Advice for Moms on the site with helping to build a following.  

She said she posts blogs about four to six times a day spread out between MomGenerations.com, LifetimeMoms.com and Zulily.com, where she serves as the editor of the site.  

In another venture, McClelland decided to team up with her second cousin, Jen Coelho Senecal, to create a Facebook page called Rhody Mamas. Senecal’s main site is keekoin.com.  

"There didn't seem to be a Facebook page geared towards moms in Rhode Island to find deals around the state, so we created this for Rhode Island moms to use," said McClelland. Rhody Mamas currently has 1,330 "likes" on their page.

Many perks are available to popular bloggers. "We have received toys for products reviews, vacations to Disney and Washington, D.C., and even a Carnival Cruise to name a few," said McClelland. I was part of the Hanes Comfort Crew focus group while in Florida and received compensation for that, as well as blogging the trip along the way."

Sometimes McClelland will give some of the products she receives to other people who may need it. "I gave a bunch of school supplies and stickers that I received to one of my sons' teachers," she said. McClelland says her four boys are what motivates her to keep working hard. 

It isn't always easy being a full-time blogger.

One of the hardest things for McClelland is being away from her family. She travels at least once a week to New York City. And, she said, she misses out on some of her children's activities and school events - which she calls her "mom guilt."  Then there's the feeling of being at work 24/7. "I don't have a good family/work balance down yet," she conceded.

On the other hand, she loves that she works with her family and works from home. “Working with my sister and mom is amazing. We are cheerleaders for each other and we motivate each other," she said.  

She also loves that her husband works full-time with her now. "My husband helps tremendously with work and around the home," McClelland said. She said she loves the idea of family working together and that growing up she had a great model of that from her father, who built a business on his own. "I like that my kids can see me create something from nothing," she said.

Besides working as a blogger, McClelland has also written two books. Her latest book, co-authored with her friend Colleen Padilla of ClassyMommy.com, is "The Digital Mom Handbook," which came out this year. The book serves as a guide for mom bloggers on "How to Blog, Vlog, Tweet, and Facebook Their Way to a Dream Career at Home." 

"The hardest parts were the deadlines, word counts to hit, and I just wanted it to make sense.  I had been wanting to write a book about blogging and Colleen had an agent reach out to her, so it was perfect timing and a perfect fit. The book was completely 50/50," said McClelland.

What does McClelland look at when she's not posting her own stuff? Some of her favorites include LadyandtheBlog.com, CelebrityBabies.com, BostonMamas.com, ImNotObsessed.com and HelpaReporter.com.  

McClelland has served as a spokesperson for T.J.Maxx/Marshall’s, Tide, and Suave, to name a few. She also has been featured on The Rachel Ray Show and various women’s magazines. Babble.com also just named her as one of the Top 50 Twitter Moms of 2011, and McClelland was recently selected by CVS Pharmacy to be a part of their “Holiday Saving Squad,” in which she just shot a vlog that went live this week.  

McClelland calls herself a “workaholic” but says that she would not change a thing. “I love what I do, and I love that I am doing it for my family,” she said.

Want to learn more about Audrey McClelland?  Check her out on MomGenerations.com or find her on Twitter at @audreymcclellan.   

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