I Want to Hear From You - 2016 Reader Survey

New year, new things on the horizon for To & Fro, and I would love to hear from YOU! 
This past year was a great one for To & Fro, but your feedback is what is important for its continued success. So, its time for To & Fro's 2nd annual Reader Survey! The survey below should take only 5 minutes of your time, and all responses will remain anonymous. 

**SURVEY IS NOW CLOSED. THANK YOU!**

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey for To & Fro. I really do listen to and appreciate your feedback, and will be using every bit of info gained from this survey to help To & Fro grow this coming year. My goal is to turn To & Fro into a place where I continue to share my love of family and the outdoors, and for 2017 to be the best year yet!
Stay tuned for the results in late January.
[Survey will close at 11:59pm on January 6.] 

I Asked, You Answered: Reader Survey Results

A HUGE thank you to everyone that took T.O. & fro's 1st annual survey! Overall, it was an extremely positive experience and I loved learning more about where my readers (whats you!) are coming from, what you enjoy and what you would like to see.

Here are some of the results...
Reader Demographics: Age and Gender

Learning your average age and gender was for my own curiosity. I was happy to see that there was a wide range of ages that read! However, no big surprise here that the majority of T.O. & fro readers are 24-30 years old females because, well, that describes me perfectly. 
Where do you currently call home? 

As most of your know, T.O. & fro started as a journal for friends and family when an unexpected move took my then hockey-playing husband and I over 4500 miles from home to Alaska. Having spent 3 years living in the Land of the Midnight Sun, it is the inspiration for a lot of my posts (because I'm a huge Alaska-pusher) and I was able to build a large US-based community while living there. Now that we live back home in Toronto, my Canadian readership (aside from family and friends), has begun to grow. The fact that I have readers from the other half of the world makes me so excited too!
How did you originally hear about T.O. & fro?

I am happy to see that the majority of you first heard about T.O. & fro from other blogs. I love sponsoring other blogs, and the answer to this question just goes to show that supporting others, strengthening relationships and building community is totally worth it.
How long have you been visiting T.O. & fro?

Welcome to all of those new readers! I am so happy to have you around. In 2015, T.O. & fro definitely went through a growth spurt.2015 was a good year for T.O. & fro - I published many posts that my readers enjoyed, I started monetizing my blog and, as proved by the answer to this questions, T.O. & fro’s community grew substantially. A special shout out to all of you that have been with me for over 24+ months! T.O. & fro has changed so much from it's early beginnings, so thank you for sticking with me. 
A follow up to this question was "How often do you visit T.O. & fro?". I was happy to see that the majority of you come around at least once per week. 
What are your favourite T.O. & fro posts? It's hard to tell which post topics you enjoy the most because the posts that are currently sitting in the "most popular post" category cover a range of topics. According to my readers, the top 3 popular post topics: 1. Food/Recipes 2. Toronto/Canada 3. Alaska
These are also my favourite to write :)
What would you like to see MORE of? I love that the #1 answer was MORE Food/Recipes! I love sharing my favourite recipes, so adding more will not be a problem at all. One of my favourite comments from this questions was "life in general". When I think about recent/past posts, there really are few where I just sit down and open up about what we've been up to, etc. Stay tuned for more on this in the coming weeks!
What would you like to see LESS of? I was a little nervous to ask this question, but had to remember that the point of a survey is to take the good with the bad. Turns out, the results weren't bad at all. There were a lot of "nothing, n/a, love it all, etc." in the comments, but one comment really stood out to me - "It's your blog, do your thing. If I am not interested in a topic, I can come back another day!".  Thank you to whoever wrote that comment. While I love writing for my readers, I am also writing for myself. I understand that not everyone is going to enjoy what I write about and I am fine with that.

Again, a HUGE thank you again to everyone that took the time to answer my reader survey! I really appreciate it, and all your answers and comments have helped give me an idea of where to go (and not go) with T.O. & fro.

To & Fro's 2016 in Review + Reader Survey

Wow, 2017! It seems like just yesterday the 13 year old me was sitting in front of the tv at my girlfriend's house, watching the ball drop in NYC and waiting for the world to end because of Y2K. Ha, Y2K! How far we've come.

The other day, I took a look back at my personal favourite moments of 2016. Man, it was a good year for my family and I.  

You know who also had a good year? This little web space of mine. I was able to continue growing To & Fro's community on social and in readership, stepped out of my comfort zone by sharing a post on my personal Facebook and continued monetizing To & Fro through exciting brand collaborations and reviews, among many other accomplishments. And now that this blog is no longer about our Alaskan adventures (tear), I think I've started to find my place in the blogging world, as somewhere to share my love of family and the outdoors. 

I love taking a look at which posts are a hit among readers, and this year's "best of" is a diverse mix - everything from recipes to travel and tutorials, and even some on the more personal side. 

Here are 5 of To & Fro's "best of 2016": 

How to Take Silhouette Maternity Photos 

One of my personal favourite posts of 2016! While I love photos commemorating special moments, I don't like paying for them. So when I wanted maternity photos, I decided to set up the tripod and take my own with this silhouette maternity photo tutorial. This post took me completely by surprise, as it has organically been pinned and shared on social over 2000 times!

Taken at 39 weeks - days from meeting baby

Winter Vehicle Maintenance Checklist 

Having a vehicle that is prepared for the winter weather is extremely important, especially with precious cargo on board.  This collaboration with FRAM Fresh Breeze Air Filters gave us the opportunity to share our winter vehicle maintenance checklist for the cold Canadian winter and show readers how easy it is to change your own air filters!

Slow Cooker Pork Taco Bowls 

We love good food, and Mexican food is a staple in our house. This collaboration with OLD EL PASO had us creating my favourite slow cooker pulled pork taco, but in bowl form! Safe to say they were a hit with my family and To & Fro's readers.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Taco Bowls

Family-Friendly Indoor Destinations in Toronto 

While I would much prefer to be outside with the little one, sometimes the indoors calls. Like now that the weather is getting colder. We shared our five favourite family-friendly indoor destinations to visit in Toronto, perfect for those that call the city home or those just passing through.

Footprint Mug DIY 

A great tutorial for the coffee or tea drinker in your life, and a great way to remember how teeny tiny baby's feet once were (tear).  This tutorial was used as a Mother's Day gift, and was a hit with both of our moms and To & Fro's readers. This tutorial is super easy and inexpensive, and can easily be applied to other dish ware as well, such as plates and wine glasses.

Life Lately

If this announcement of ours didn't make the 'best of' list, I think I would have been a little disappointed. Easily the best part of my year, and the 29 before that.

Morley at 5 months old

I look forward to To & Fro's continued success in 2017, but of course I couldn't do it with YOU, my loyal readers! A BIG thank you to everyone that has made it possible.

In conclusion of 2016 and looking ahead to 2017, I'd love your feedback! This past year was a great one for To & Fro, but your feedback is what is important for its continued success. The survey below should take only 5 minutes of your time, and all responses will remain anonymous.  Thanks in advance for your help.

**SURVEY IS NOW CLOSED. THANK YOU!**

Goodbye 2016, hello 2017. Bring it on!

How was your 2016? What was your favourite To & Fro post of 2016? I'd love to hear!

I Want To Hear From YOU! // GIVEAWAY

New year, new things on the horizon for T.O. & fro! And I would love to hear from YOU! 
2015 was a great year for T.O. & fro, but your feedback is what is important for its continued success. The survey below should take only 5 minutes of your time, and all responses will remain anonymous. [Survey will close at 11:59pm on January 18.] 

**survey is now closed**

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey for T.O. & fro. Make sure to enter the giveaway below for your chance to win a $15 Starbucks gift card plus 2 months of Small Town ad space. As an added thank you, take advantage of the code THANKS40 for 40% off all T.O. & fro ad space. I would love to work with you!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ask Me Anything

One of the biggest things I took away from my recent reader survey was that T.O. & fro's readers would like more posts about every day life. Done!

A few years back, I tried my first "Ask Me Anything" feature. To my surprise, it was a great success. I had some fantastic questions about Alaska, Toronto and living the hockey life, among others. It was such a hit, that I thought I'd give it another shot. T.O. & for's community has grown substantially in the past year, so I find this is a great way for  new readers to get to know me. Do you have a burning question to ask? Fill out the form below. Questions can be completely anonymous, but I like to give credit where credit it due, so feel free to leave you name. Depending on the number received, questions will be answered over a series of posts.  Stay tuned!


Thank you to all of those that took the time to ask a question! Stay tuned for the answers in the coming weeks.
*Please note, if I receive a question that I feel is rude, offensive, etc., I reserve the right to not answer. Submissions will close February 10. 

Slow Down Baby: 30 Weeks

I set the bar preettttyy high for myself with my 28 week belly shot, and have no idea how to top it this week.  So, I think it'll stick around for a little bit longer...

Today marks 30 weeks. We've finally settled into our new apartment, and things are coming together for baby. Time is flying. 

How far along? 30 weeks.

Due date? Still holding strong at March 25, 2016. The bets have begun, but I’m hoping baby makes an appearance Easter weekend or shortly after.

Baby’s size? Approximately 17 inches and just over 3 lbs. If you want to talk in fruits and veggies, the size of a large cabbage. Crazy to think it’s almost as long now as it will be when it makes its grand entrance.

What’s baby up to this week? Baby's eyesight continues to develop, his/her brain is getting bigger, he/she is starting to make their own red blood cells and and from here on out baby will be packing on the weight at a rate of half a pound per week.  

Gender? We’ll find out in 10ish weeks.

Movement? Constant and getting more uncomfortable.  He/she gets the hiccups a few times a day, so I can tell they are head down. Which also means frequent head butts to the bladder (never fun) and the odd tiny foot protruding from my side. 

Maternity clothes? In anticipation of what winter in Toronto should be, my parents bought me an amazing maternity winter jacket for Christmas. It has a zip-in front panel so it can be worn pre-, during and post-baby. Still stretching out my normal shirts and very much needing to invest in a good pair of slip on, but comfy and warm, shoes for work and the wet weather. Lace up winter boots just aren’t working out anymore.

Symptoms? Around week 28 I definitely noticed myself starting to slow down. I need to constantly remind myself that I’m not able to do the things I used to do. My balance is off, I can’t squeeze through tight spaces and I’m constantly running on low fuel. And let’s not forget the dreaded ‘baby brain’. The struggle is real.

Sleep? Frequently interrupted, whether it be from baby telling me to move or waking up to a full bladder or even a nosebleed thanks to the lovely dry winter weather.

Aversions/cravings? Still avoiding chicken. Pre-pregnancy, you couldn’t force me to eat chocolate. Now, much to my husband’s enjoyment and benefit, it seems that I have switched from salty to sweet. Having two sweet cravers in the house is bad news.

How's daddy? Amazing. He is so patient with me as I become more lazy and more forgetful. And he was a rockstar during our recent move, carrying the load because I was little to no help. 

Miss anything? Being able to remember things. (Like what I was doing before I sat down to write this update.)

Not looking forward to? Since moving into our new apartment, my commute to work has changed routes. It's often a struggle because of how busy the subway can be in the morning and evening. The majority of people have no courtesy, which means I'm often standing. Sometimes that's fine by me, but when people cram on the car like a can of sardines, I often don't feel safe standing. I'm dreading what's to come in the next few weeks as I get larger, and predict a meltdown, or few, in my future. 

Looking forward to? As much as I would love time to slow down, I’m really looking forward to meeting the little human.

Best moment of the week/what I want to remember? As we were unpacking and setting up baby’s closet, we listened to songs that reminded us of when we first met 10+ years ago (mostly Alan Jackson and Tim McGraw), and talked about how much life has changed. We're definitely not those 18 year old kids anymore.

From the looks of this closet, you'd think we were having a boy. I've been drawn to the animal-themed clothes, and sadly, those are mostly boys' clothes. Nothing wrong with a little girl wearing blue.

15 weeks  |  20 weeks  |  25 weeks

Don't forget to complete T.O. & fro's 2016 Reader Survey to take advantage of the 40% OFF ad space code PLUS your chance to win a $15 Starbucks gift card and 2 months of Small Town ad space!