Today marks the one year anniversary of DadisLearning.com.  Who knew I’d still be writing so consistently on this blog after a year?!?  Writing week after week can be pretty tough stuff.  Good or bad, I haven’t limited myself to a specific topic in writing so I always have something that is on my mind to share.  I thought it would be interesting to look at the top 10 posts (based on views) that I have written.  Starting with number 10….

10. Backyard Chickens: Baby chicks!
Looking back this is kind of a sad post since we lost so many of the chicks to sickness.  But our big fluffy chick Susie has turned into a HUGE hen that is super friendly.  It is also worth noting that a YouTube video of our baby chicks is one of my most viewed videos on the DadisLearning YouTube channel.

9. I’m Not The Babysitter
I have been known to rant from time to time on this blog, and this post was one of the first rants.  I still receive new views on this post almost every day.  I still stand by my closing statement of the post, “No, I’m not the babysitter…I’m Dad.”

8. Goal Setting: “A spoon full of sugar…”
My self-convicting post about the amount of sugar in my beloved Dr. Pepper.  Since writing this post Dr. Pepper and I have maintained a much healthier relationship.  Sometimes we probably hang out a bit too much, but only on rare occasions now.

7. Why I Quit Being A “Professional” Photographer
This was one of my first posts to really “blow up.”  Sitting down to write out my thoughts solidified my decision to stop doing photography on the side.  I was exposing my family to tremendous amounts of risk while doing a disservice to clients who asked me to take photos of their family.

6. How Much Does It Cost To Mow The Lawn?
I have to admit that I didn’t expect this post to be in the top 10.  Every day I see search terms about mowing the lawn that bring people to DadisLearning.com  Most of the other posts from the “How Much Does It Cost” series are in the top 20 most popular posts.

5. Comparison Is The Thief of Joy
This post receives high views simply because it is a popular quote and is searched often.  I love this quote and the lesson I was able to build around it.

4. Birthday Party at Home Depot
This is one of the newer posts to make it into the top 10.  The gift that Home Depot gave us is a gift that keeps on giving.  Such an amazing memory that I am glad I had the chance to write about.

3. Favorite Things Friday: Bravo 4102 CD and DVD Duplicator
This post was not popular at all among the readership of my blog.  But when the manufacturer of the duplicator shared the post with their Facebook followers it really took off.  This post and the associated video have the highest social media interactions of any post I have written.  And by the way, I still love the 4102.  It is an amazing piece of equipment!

2. Weekend Project: Marshmallow Guns
This post is my Pinterest darling.  More than 50% of my traffic from Pinterest is looking at this tutorial.  I believe it is one of the most detailed tutorials you can find online for making these simple and affordable marshmallow shooters.  I think it is about time for another marshmallow war.

1. Treadmill Desk
The most viewed item on DadisLearning.com is my page about my treadmill desk.  I have been walking and working for almost a year now and love it!  I would hate to go back to working at a desk all day.

As the site has grown, so has the number of readers.  It is odd to know that each week several thousand people are reading my current posts or things that I have written in the last year.  It is honestly quite humbling.

If you’ve been reading along for a while you will probably remember that I have two spin-off sites from some of my most popular topics.  DIYTreadmillDesk.com has a solid number of views every day and receives the most user questions as people consider walking and working.  LiveChickenCam.com has got to be my personal favorite.  I love being able to check in on the chickens while I am at work or away.

My personal favorite in the last year has probably been the “Lessons From the Trail” series of posts I wrote about my time on the Appalachian Trail.  It was fun to relive some of those memories and think about how that adventure has changed me.

What’s next for DadisLearning.com?  Currently I am working on some site redesign work that I hope to roll out in the next few months.  I will continue writing about money matters on Monday and faith-based family writing on Tuesday.  I have a new idea for family devotionals that I will be rolling out the first Tuesday in 2014.  I will try a new “A year ago…” feature on Wednesdays.  I enjoy looking back at some of the things I have written and I thought you guys might enjoy it too.  Fridays will continue to feature some of my favorite things or things I am learning about like the post I recently wrote about DIY chalk paint.

Just in case you were curious, it all started with this post.

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who has been reading along with me for the last year.  One year of blogging is a big milestone!  I look forward to learning more every day and sharing experiences here at DadisLearning.com.