Dear reader,
I’m not sure how to say this, but I’ve realized in the past few months that I’m no longer the person I used to be.
I think I’m an adult now.
Like, really an adult. Which means, a lot of responsibility.
As we are preparing to bring a sixth child into our family–due in the spring–& as I watch my older kids get, well older, I’m reminded yet again that life is short. My priorities are different now than what they were even a few years ago.
The last few years as a family we’ve tried to focus on greater simplicity, so that we could focus on what matters most. We’ve downsized, we re-prioritized, we’ve cut things from our schedules, while adding others that really reflect our values.
This shift has caused me to reflect on how I spend my time & how those allocations of time reflect on my priorities.
This blog is almost 8 years old.
(My first post!)
I’ve written over 700 posts & shared recipes as well as deeply personal struggles with body image, weight loss, pregnancy, our debt, marriage, & mothering, among other things.
I have invested huge amounts of time (& money) into sharing–sharing with the hopes of bringing some light & hope into the world, one reader, one blog post at a time. That investment hasn’t exactly made me rich by any stretch (was never intended to), but I have learned a lot from the process of sharing & interacting with some amazing people.
That said, it’s time for a real break.
I’m not exactly creatively burned out. I have stacks of ideas for recipes, posts, series to do, & books to write–I just feel the need to retract for a bit. To be private, to focus on other things without worrying about sharing the details of my life, for now.
Another important issue is: I’ve grown particularly wary of sharing anything about my kids. As they get older, I am recognizing, to a greater degree than ever before, their own person-hood, their individuality, & their right to privacy. When they were smaller it was easier to share things about our family life, but now I see it as an intrusion of their privacy to share even basic details of their lives.
In short, I need to step away from the blog for awhile.
This is not an exactly, “I’m deleting my blog” post, but more like–“hey, I’ve got other things going on right now” post.
Though to be clear, even I don’t know exactly what this means. Maybe I’m done with blogging forever, maybe just for a few months, maybe for a year.
I will keep the site available at least through the end of 2017, & who knows, I may occasionally post as my time & energy warrants & perhaps return to more regular blogging at some point in the future.
Right now though, I simply don’t have the capacity to devote the kind of time & energy into creating meaningful blog posts on a regular basis while ALSO dedicating myself fully to my role as a military spouse & mother.
Times & seasons.
My time & season for fully devoting myself to nurturing my growing family is in full swing. I don’t want to let this opportunity to be a really present & excellent mother pass me up, particularly when I have a captive audience who really needs me to be there 100%.
Please stay in touch, & thank you for all your kind words of support & love over the years.
♥
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