The Day I Stopped Blogging was exactly 1 year ago this month.

I had just finished up bedrest, I had a new baby girl (our fourth baby), summer was here and life was CRAZY… and I felt like I suddenly didn’t have anything to say or anything important anyways.

 

Bedrest had its benefits for sure!!! I built an ENTIRE website while on bedrest… because I could and the old site needed WORK!!!!

I learned sooo much during that process of setting up this site (although getting back into this I am all kinds of confused trying to remember what does what… aka Siteground, WordPress, Studiopress, Hover…). BUT I also got burnt out… decided I had run out of things to say… and also realized I changed my blog for the purpose of MONETIZING it and somehow lost myself in the process.

 

It became WORK to blog.

It was no longer something I did because I WANTED to. I would want to write a post about a REALLY-BAD-EPIC-MOM-FAIL type of day and then realize it didn’t fit into my new blog “theme” so I wouldn’t write it…

Not to mention the picture taking… which I still LOVE to do but am not actively working on getting better was stressing me out…

I wanted it to be PERFECT, because all those site I LOVE are… PERFECT… right?!?!?!

Then my precious little baby got sick.

Very very sick. Group B Sepsis is NOT a good thing and we spent two weeks in the hospital…

I decided to stop blogging when my daughter went into the hospital this time last year. I thought that it was the right choice. That this blog was taking too much away from my family and my LIFE…

And I was partially right!

Life had gone from normal crazy… to crazy crazy. My husband had suddenly lost his job 1 month before our fourth baby was born, we had a fourth baby, baby spent 2 weeks in the hospital VERY sick with sepsis, husband decided to take 22 credits in one semester and graduate early, working to find a job, starting a business 5 days after Emmie’s hospitalization, and homeschooling starting at the same time…

It all made sense that blogging STOPPED.

And that business… not just a side-gig business.

A business I LOVE and am PASSIONATE about and kind of stumbled into. I have watched it EXPLODE over the last 7 months, I have watched it bless our family financially AND give me the outlet I NEED as a momma. Can anyone say ADULT HUMAN INTERACTION?!?!?!

I get to HELP people, 100% help people!!!

Someday I may tell you all more about that new business, but that is not why I am writing today.

 

I am writing today because I MISS putting my heart on paper….

I miss getting it out there, tracking the memories, getting it out of my head, and moving on…

I miss documenting our life (and what a life it has been the last year!)

I miss putting my recipes in ONE SPOT for future use, getting the thoughts on mom-life out for the world, along with the crazy decorating ideas I do…

I miss interacting and HELPING people in this way.

I miss hearing that I helped a momma desperately in need of sleep.

I miss knowing that one of my crazy healthy recipes helped feed another momma’s family some yummy and healthy goodness.

I miss getting all the comments saying someone made my soap dispensers and LOVE THEM.

 

I have been on a road of LEARNING…

But I have come to realize that I can fit a lot into the nooks and crannies of my life without it BEING my life…. Aka that business I now own!

This blog is NOT my life.

But I have realized over the last year that this blog is my OUTLET. My HEART on paper. And as much as there are parts to life I would no sooner rather forget… I know those moments are what have changed me and grown me. They are a reminder to the AWESOME life I have lived so far and I want them written down.

In the revamping of my blog, I lost that.

I lost ME. I know there are NICHE bloggers that make millions of dollars doing it because they are GOOD at it. I thought I wanted to be one of them…. But I don’t.

I want to write about what I want to write about… when I want to write it… and not on some sort of schedule to keep views up, or all the stats looking beautiful.

This is a momma living life to the best of her ability, and letting God do the rest.

This is me going against every GREAT blogger telling me what to do in order to monetize my blog (and they do know what they are talking about!)

This is me changing the purpose of this blog right here and right now!

This is me.

I write when I want, about what I want, and how I want. My life still consists of TONS of home projects (remember those DIY projects?!?!?! Those epic mom-fails?!?!?! That crazy garden I have going on?!?!?) Yup, that will all still be here… but not on a schedule.

It took me a long time to figure out that although EVERYTHING else in my life is on a schedule…. My blogging should not be. It should be when I WANT to write, when I have something I want to say.

I have been doing DIY projects like crazy lately… but didn’t do a single one for 6 months!!!! It stressed me out that I would have a DIY post scheduled… and didn’t have a DIY project to feature…

I hope you get the point here.

This is me telling you that I have missed you, I have missed writing, I have missed blogging, I have missed the INTENTIONALITY this blog gave me in life (think funny kid quotes)…. but I DON’T MISS and won’t be doing the “rules” of blogging anymore.

It took me a year to figure out that affiliate links, guest posts, techy nerd stuff…. JUST STRESS ME OUT… it’s not for me.

The continued life-account, everything-in-one-location… now THAT is ME.

 

I’m back!!!!

Whether you like it, read it, love it, or hate it. I am back and writing what I want. What my heart wants to say in the moment. I am not afraid of the work of blogging, I’m just done with the stress of the RULES of blogging….

So I have made my own rules…

Because its MY BLOG😉

I hope you stick around to hear about the Biggest Year of GROWTH, the crazy kid antics, the epic mom-fails, the STUPID magnetic kid chore charts (LEARN from my mistakes and make them the right way the first time, I’ll show you how soon;-), the inventive meals and recipes I have made in the last year of crazy town…

or maybe just to read about someone else out there in blogger land who doesn’t have it all together but LOVES Jesus, LOVES life, LOVES writing, and LOVES being as real as possible in the hopes of meeting others where they are at.

You will still get a few laughs along the way too… life is full of laughs with four young kiddos.

Welcome to the new MyRedFrontDoor…

where the front door is no longer painted red… the farm is still full of chickens and weeds… I still cook… I LOVE DIY projects… and mommin’ it is a thing.

But most of all welcome to a place where I write about what I LOVE, and I pray it blesses you in the process.