What is a Sunshine Blogger Award?

The sunshine blogger award is an award given to bloggers who spread positivity and lift up others. I am excited about winning my 2nd Sunshine Blogger Award! (Read about my first Sunshine Blogger Award) This means that I can now market myself as an award-winning writer for sure. This time I was nominated by Daisy from Decidedly Altered.

DaisyMay is always supportive of her fellow bloggers. She is “a lifestyle Blogger, a military wife, a Stay-At-Home-Mom, a cancer survivor Wife, a vegan, a traveler and reaching for FI (Financial Independence)”. Her blog is a joy to read, go and check it out! Make sure to support her by commenting and sharing some of her content.

Thank you, DaisyMay! for nominating me for this award! Go check out DaisyMay at

1. Her awesome blog: Decidedly Altered.
2. DaisyMay’s pinterest: DayCee May
3. Her twitter account: @DaisyMay
4. Her instagram: DaisyMay. Be warned: Looking at it will make you hungry, tons of good food!

Rules for Accepting the Sunshine Blogger Award

1. Thank the blogger(s) who nominated you and link back to their blog
2. Answer the 11 questions that the blogger asked you
3. Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and write them 11 new questions
4. List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post and/or on your blog

I accepted the award many moons ago, but I did not have time to properly write about it until today. One excuse is that we were on vacation in Maine, with children, grandchildren and other family. In addition we had unexpected MS related travel and a birthday celebration for my husband in Canada. Now that we are back home I do have time to write and nominate other bloggers.

Questions that DaisyMay asked me

1. Does your blog have a niche? If so, why did you decide to pursue that niche?

   That is not an easy question. The short answer is travel, money, multiple sclerosis and blogging.

   The long answer is I am not sure yet and it definitely is evolving all the time. I have blogged for a long time (since 2003) about my family on Our Deer Baby. At some point the kids got older and I got addicted to facebook instead of blogging. Even during that time, I always felt it was harder to tell a longer story on that platform. Early 2018 I decided I should go back to blogging and this time I might as well try to make money with my blog. I was reading all these posts of people making tons of money and I saw no reason I couldn’t be one of them.

   We decided on Our Carpe Diem as our blog name, and wanted to focus on travel and money. Meanwhile I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and realized that this was a big, if unwanted, part of my life. And that I could help others by sharing my experiences. Not to mention that the self-hosted blogger was harder than my old blog, so I added MS and blogging as corner stones of my blog.

   Eventually I realized that I had way more readers at my old blog and I started learning about SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and such. I ended up reviving my old blog as my “fun blog” for posts where I just wanted to share something random, like seeing an eagle. As opposed to my “new blog” where I spend a lot of time and research on writing every post and on advertising it on social media. In summary, my niche is travel and more 😀 Yeah, that was a pretty long answer for a simple question ^^.

2. Does your given birth name have a story behind it? Do tell.

   A long time ago, my father used to work for IBM, and traveled a lot. When my mother was pregnant with me, he traveled to Sweden and noticed the name Karen. He liked it so much that he and my mom decided to name me Karen. Karen is not a common name in the Netherlands, Karin is much more common. Subsequently I always had to correct people when they called me Karin. When I moved to the USA in 1994, life got much easier because Karen is common here.

3. How do you define the word retirement as it pertains to your life?

   I imagine travel and blogging. My ideal would be to make enough money blogging (and as an Amazon affiliate) to become a digital nomad.



4. What is your guilty pleasure?

   Chocolate and playing go. Yeah, I know I am a nerd 😀

5. Who would you say is the most supportive of your blogging journey and why do you say so?

   My husband, even if he might not believe it is possible to make a full-time income from a blog. He also is the one who proofreads my posts, since my English as a Second Language sometimes is clumsy. In addition he helps me brainstorm and trouble-shoot. So happy I met him five years ago!

6. Do you have a go-to dance move on the dance floor? Pray tell.

   I wish! Learning to dance and having a go-to dance move is on my bucket list. For now I just fake it and hope for the best.

7. If you were to peruse through the years of your school yearbooks, what would you tell your younger self?

   Well, based on my blog motto:

   Seize the day!

   That has been kind of my motto all along, but it would have been nice to hear it reinforced. I would also add

   Keep breathing and stay composed.

   That motto was given to me when I was going through a messy divorce, leaving an abusive marriage.



8. Do you have a teacher you absolutely loved having as a teacher? Who? – Give them a shout out now.

   I am blessed to have had so many great teachers in my life. It is hard to choose, but I will shout out at Mevrouw de Hollander en Meneer Roggeveen from my elementary school in the Netherlands. Both were great teachers who gave us space to grow and explore and were always encouraging of our efforts.

9. What did you want to be when you were a kid? Did it materialize for you?

   • First , I wanted to become astronomer
   • Then, I decided on an oceanographer
   • Although I also played with the idea of becoming a violinist

   I ended up getting a M.Sc. in Computer Science and working for IBM, so no, it didn’t quite work out for me. In addition, I knew I did not want ANY kids, but ended up with eight. I guess life is what happens to us when we are busy making other plans.

10. What would be your perfect vacation get-away?

    Warm, sunny and away from our New Hampshire snow. In addition, I also like visiting cities, but not for too long, I am more of an outdoors, nature, hiking and birding kind of person.

11. Do you believe organic is better and worth paying more for? Why?

    Yes, I think it is better and worth paying more for. But the reality is that it often is more than we can afford and we end up with non-organic vegetables and fruit. It is easier in the summer, because of our own garden produce and the local farmers markets, but in the winter… We almost always end up choosing cheaper over organic.

12. Name your favorite constellation? Why?

    Cassiopeia, because it is one of the few I can recognize beyond Ursus major and Orion. I keep thinking that one day I will learn more constellations, but it hasn’t happened yet. I guess it is good to have a goal of reaching for the stars.

My Sunshine Blogger Award Nominations

There are so many awesome and positive bloggers that this was not an easy task. Especially not since a lot of them already have been nominated for this award in the past. Although it is nice to get a nomination for your 2nd or more Sunshine Blogger Award, I want to spread the joy to new blood. I tried to find bloggers I enjoy who had not gotten this award yet. With no further ado, I present to you:

• Sukatara (@happyystar) at Oh Well Yes – Well in Mind and Body.

  Suktara lives in India and is a digital solopreneur who also loves to read, travel, eat and stay fit (Not necessarily in that order). Go check out her 12 Tips for Healthy Weight Loss.

• Melanie (@HomeBodyMelanie) at Melanie at Home

  Melanie a work at home mom, a cook, a crafter, and a fashion and beauty fiend. She lives in eastern Florida and she loves hanging out around her house. Melanie’s blog is all about the comforts of home. If you are a blogger with a twitter account, check out her Blogger’s Guide to Twitter Hashtags.



• Carly (@carlybloggs) at Carly Bloggs

  Carly is a 31-year-old Mum living in a little seaside town in Essex with her other half, 2 kids and our dog. Her blog covers all aspects of her life: Healthy Food, Beauty and Makeup, Health (mental and physical) and of course, Family. Go follow her, check out her recipes and maybe pick up some tips on creating a healthier you and loving your body inside and out. I really enjoyed her post about her work at Crossroads Tendering and an Afternoon Tea.

• Gemma (@yorkshiremumof4) at Yorkshire Mum of 4

  Her blog is about their family of 6. They live in West Yorkshire they enjoy travelling, days out, visiting new places, exploring the areas around us and further away. Check out their Harry Potter Tour.

• Allegra (@roguenrougeblog) at Rogue and Rouge Blog

  Allegra is a philologist-turned blogger with a passion for writing, Haute Couture, arts and alternative culture. Five years ago, she moved from Spain to Bucharest and became an expat. Since then, Allegra has had the opportunity to travel the world, experience other countries, and learn from it all. Her other true love is self-expression through clothes: from Harajuku style to Western street fashion – you name it. She is a new and promising blogger. I truly enjoyed reading her No Carrie Bradshaw here.

• Crystal (@crystabuinews at Adventures With Crystal

  Crystal Bui is an award-winning TV news reporter, and former middle school English teacher. Away from the camera, she loves exploring new adventures including traveling and trying new food! Because we visited Costa Rica for the first time this year, I particularly enjoyed reading about her travel to Costa Rica.



• Layna (@beautybeyond20) at Beauty Beyond Twenty

  Layna is a 20-something beauty and skincare enthusiast who lives in Singapore, where you’d either be drenched in sweat ☀ or rain ☔. My favorite series on her blog are her Travel Tuesdays.

• Lyndsey (@DearLyndsey09) at My Adventure Called Life.

  Lyndsey is a mama of 2 beautiful children. They are a homeschooling family that also enjoys outdoor adventures. They travel when we get the chance. Reading her blog reminds me of homeschooling seven children for many years. I am looking forward to visiting Idaho!

• Nadia (@itsNadiaNelson) at NadiaNelson.com

  Nadia lives in Austin, Texas with her pup Bentley. She is a compliance diva by day and travel planner and blogger by night. She loves all things food, travel, and photography. Nadia is a foodie, part-time solo female traveler, weekend explorer, newbie photographer, avid book-worm, and lover of life! Go read her Historic Storytelling about the Whitney Plantation.

• Stephanie (@wanderlustbd) at Wanderlust Beauty Dreams

  Stephanie is a New Yorker with Colombian roots who is always daydreaming of my next vacation. She decided to make her wanderlust dreams a reality and scratch off the destinations she has on her bucket list. Follow Stephanie on her upcoming adventures across the globe! Admire her pretty pictures of Barcelona, Spain.

My Questions for You

1. What is your favorite time of day?
2. Do you have a middle name and does it have a story behind it?
3. What is your favorite food?
4. What surprised you most when you started blogging?
5. If money were no objection, where would you live?
6. What are the top two things on your bucket list?
7. Who has inspired you and why?
8. What is your favorite travel destination?
9. Do you have a favorite book?
10. What do you like to cook?
11. Which of your blog posts are you most proud of?