Life, or the Blog?

Good morning! Today is more of a "business" post written for my regular readers, but I think anyone who is feeling torn will relate. I vaguely mentioned on Tuesday that there will be some changes here at Serenity Now over the next few months...or possibly longer. I wanted to chat about it some today.

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Blogging is a big job. If you're a blogger, you know this already. I don't just DIY, cook, or craft something up and then write up a quick post all in an hour's time. 

It involves shopping for supplies, putting the project together (taking photos along the way--in good light!), uploading and editing photos (resizing, fixing lighting, adding watermarks, cropping, adding titles and tags, etc), writing a post--possibly with a step-by-step tutorial, adding in photos, editing html, scheduling the post, and then promoting it via social media. 

Add all that in-every day, plus my schedule and the girls' separate school and dance schedules and the fact that we now have a three month old baby...you can imagine that it can be tough to accomplish much of anything.

I love sharing fun projects, recipes, and simple DIY with everyone, but I've had to stop and take into account the fact our life has changed. And I don't want to miss it because I'm strapped in at the computer all day. 

I want to craft, fluff my nest, cook, and try new DIY projects because I want to do it...not because I know if I don't post a new project, I'll lose readers and my traffic will drop.

I might feel differently if I had a huge ad network to bring the cash in every month. But I've purposefully stepped back from that because I don't like the pressure. I prefer to work with brands I know and love, on my own timeline. I'd rather accept opportunities for reviews and campaigns as they come along, instead of plugging away each day to get posts up to keep sponsors happy. It makes more sense to focus on putting together stuff for the Best of the Blogosphere and Best of DIY for Centsational Girl because those are paid positions. 

I still love blogging. I love sharing pieces of my life and creative ideas and introducing you to other bloggers. I'm just not in love with the pressures of blogging. 

I have some cute projects and makeovers to share with you all...and I will share them. But I'll be doing it on my own timeline, as I've come to the realization that posting 5 to 7 days a week is just not going to be possible for me any more. It felt so, so weird not to have a post up on the blog last Thursday and then again yesterday, but the universe did not implode, so I'm guessing it's okay.

I need to embrace life, enjoy my children, spend time getting healthy, care for my home, and complete projects. 

What can you expect here?

Link party:

The weekly link party will continue every Friday morning at 8 am EST. 

Features:

I will also take a day to hunt through the links to share features of fab projects that include a link back to the party/blog. I may take another day to share any note-worthy projects or posts I find around the web, rather than include them with the link party. I've found that most people are in such a rush to link up that they don't bother browsing that features I share on Fridays with the link party.

Crafts, Recipes, DIY, Home Decor:

I have a mini kitchen makeover, a complete nursery transformation, a WorkBox reveal (mom's crafting and kids' playspace), and a few crafts that are waiting to be posted. I also have a list of things I'd like to work on and share with you...so taking some time away from posting each week will help me finish those to-do items.

Series:

I started up a wonderful Birthday Party Planning series last year before morning sickness took over and I was a total party pooper after that. I hope to revive this series again soon. I also have a fun pregnancy/baby series I want to start up to help moms-to-be with their planning. I'm also considering starting up a weekly series that would introduce you to new bloggers. And, of course, my annual Christmas series will come around at the end of the year.

Pieces of Home:

As a reader, I always enjoy when bloggers share little glimpses of their home lives with us. I've always tried to do that, often with a dash of humor in the mix. I'll share photos and updates of our family.

Reviews and Giveaways:

I only work with brands, companies, and products that I like and/or think my readers will enjoy hearing about. Nothing has changed on that front. I am much more selective of these opportunities now. I will continue to host Giveaways for fun stuff, and will also review items I am interested in...just not as often. I've turned down dozens of opportunities over the past several months, and it has helped my stress level immensely. 

Guest Posts:

With the exception of my maternity leave and Christmas series that runs each December, I've always kept guest posts to a minimum because I feel like bloggers visit a blog because they connect with the writer and want to read more from him/her. I am planning to utilize guest posts on an "as-needed" basis, particularly for busy weeks or time during the summer when I need to be with my kids.

I know there are some women out there who can do it all...or at least most of it. I am not one of those women. I. can't. do. it. all. I hope this post hasn't turned you off or made you think I'm quitting blogging. I've put too much time into this spot over the last five years to just ditch it. But I need to focus on my home life and my paid work instead of putting in lots of time here each day. 

I'll be posting my projects and other inspiration here every few days. But I'm done with the pressure to have a post scheduled to go live at precisely 8:01 am EST every day. 

I hope you'll stick with me. I'm excited to share some of the updates I completed before Harris arrived. I appreciate each and every one of you who stop by to read each day!

If you enjoyed this post or found it helpful, I hope you'll click your "Pin It" button to add this post to Pinterest, or a +1 for Google+. And I always appreciate kind comments.