

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Prom.
Hi Nicole, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Thanks for having me! I’ve loved writing since I was in 2nd grade and used it as an outlet when I was a teen and struggling through depression. I always wanted to be a writer but after writing a book when I was 15 and not getting it published, I figured I’d focus on a more attainable goal of becoming a psychologist.
I attained my Masters’s and Education Specialist Degrees in School Psychology, with a passion to help all kids, especially those with special needs. Though I really wanted to provide therapy for students and was trained to do so, the main part of my job was to evaluate students for special education services which included testing, writing reports, and endless meetings. I was very passionate about being a school psychologist and even served on the MN School Psychologist Association Board for a term of 3 years as their Webmaster and Membership Co-Chair.
In 2014 I had a lot of changes in life and though they were good changes, the stress on my body brought to light some medical challenges that I had no choice but to address. During this time I began writing again and loved doing so.
I had my first child in 2016 and went back to work when the school year started 2-1/2 months after he was born. He was constantly sick from daycare germs and I missed over 20 days of work in 9 months due to him being sick. My husband also missed at least 10 days and my mother-in-law came down to watch him a few days as well when we both were too busy with meetings to be able to take time off. It was rough. By February 2017, I decided I wanted to become a stay-at-home mom, though I had to serve out the remainder of my school year contract so I wasn’t able to leave until June. There are many reasons I left the field after only 7 years of being a school psychologist but the biggest were I felt so bad my son was constantly sick, I wanted to spend time with him, and I was burnt out in my profession.
I focused on being a stay-at-home mom, having fun with my son, and building connections in the community. In early 2018 I found out I was pregnant with MoDi identical twins, which were quite a high risk and required long appointments with a perinatal physician, a specialist in high-risk pregnancies, every 2 weeks throughout pregnancy and every week as we got closer to delivery. This was a very scary and intense time in life and I started blogging about my pregnancy, mainly to update my family on what was going on, and also as an outlet.
After they were born I suffered from severe postpartum depression to the point I almost took my life on several occasions. I write about this in my blog as well as I feel it’s important to raise awareness about PPD. After weekly therapy and eventually medication, I’m doing much better. The first couple years of having twins, plus a son 2 years older than them, was complete chaos.
I started my current blog, The Way it Really Is, in the fall of 2020 as a creative outlet once the name of it came to me. That was the only thing holding me up at that point from not starting a new blog on my own. My previous blog was more of a personal blog, whereas The Way it Really Is is a blog where I wanted to share my stories and experience with everyone.
I write about being a mom of twins plus an older singleton, homeschooling, product recommendations, food allergies, recipes, crafts using my Cricut Maker, mental health issues, and more! I’ve been told to niche down but I just can’t, I love writing about everything.
I wrote over 100 blog posts in 2021 and in the beginning of 2022 began looking at my blog as more of a business than just a hobby. The Way it Really Is became an LLC early in 2022 and I’ve been working even harder at it this year, which has paid off. I’ve spent about 30 hours a week not only writing content but mainly learning more about Search Engine Optimization (SEO), keyword research, and how to get one’s business found on Pinterest. I’ve increased my daily traffic by over 3x what it used to be in the past 6 months by improving upon SEO and keyword research.
In addition to working on my blog, I homeschool my 1st grader and also teach my 4-year-old twins preschool. I still can’t believe I am a mom of 3 little boys including twins! My husband is a web developer and has been working from our home office since March 2020 which has been really nice not to need to commute anymore!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I’ve definitely worked hard throughout life to get where I am but I also realize I’m very fortunate. I never thought I’d be a stay at home homeschooling mom with a blog, or that the blog would make any money. It’s been really great learning all about blogging and starting something new.
Figuring out a name for my blog was a bit of an obstacle that held me back for a while. The Way it Really Is came to be because that’s how I wanted to write, I want to write about real mom life, not just fluff about how perfect life is (because it’s not!!) I love being able to be open and honest on my blog and always being authentic. In addition to writing about being a mom, a mom of twins, and life in general, I also have written about my mental health struggles, medical issues, and more. I really do tell it ‘The Way it Really Is’.
Beyond the difficulty of figuring out a name, the other obstacle I’ve had is getting people to my blog. I love writing and creating graphics for my blog but find I spend a lot more time on everything else that has to do with the blog. As I mentioned previously though, after a lot of research and work I’ve made some headway which I’m really excited about.
I’ve found that when faced with any challenge or struggle, I go into research mode to learn all I can. This has really helped me in life and continues to do so. I love being a lifelong learner!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I consider myself a mommy blogger which of course, there are so many of us out there. What sets me apart is that my blog is largely about being a mom of twins, plus one. I remember when I was pregnant with twins I was wanting to find other people who had a child already and were pregnant with twins as I felt most of the people I came across on social media had twins as their first pregnancy. I do feel that there are pros and cons to having a singleton child first or having twins as your first pregnancy, but it was something that I felt was lacking in terms of others to connect with.
I also feel that my blog is different than others because I am so open, honest, and raw about my experiences in life in general and in parenting. It seems as though so many other mommy bloggers just show how perfect their lives are and give us average people a feeling like we are lacking in some aspect, which is a crummy feeling to have! I never want people to feel that way about me, which is why I wrote a blog post all about how I’m not a perfect parent, and continue to write about my real life struggles. It’s not all a downer, of course, I do have a lot of recommendations on my blog that have helped me within my not-so-perfect parenting journey and uplifting posts as well!
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I feel that my love for learning and passion for research have been the most important qualities that have helped me succeed in my former career as a school psychologist and now as a blogger.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thewayitreallyis.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewayitreallyisdotcom/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWayitReallyIsMomBlog
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/thewayitreally1