Hi everyone! Have you wondered where I’ve been lately? Maybe not, but I’ll tell you anyway ;)
With the exception of a couple of Netflix Stream Team posts (a commitment I had already agreed to), I haven’t posted anything since April 29.
Wow.
This has been my longest break on the blog, to date.
When I look back and try to figure out why I haven’t been blogging, it’s a myriad of reasons, really. But here are the three I think matter most.
1. I needed to focus solely on my family.
This darling baby girl, who gifted me with my first natural delivery back in October of last year, is already 10 months old! Above are a couple of 6 month photos I took, and below, here she is now:
She, along with our three other children, are the most amazing gift I’ve been given (aside from the Lord and our marriage!) and I realized I hadn’t been spending enough time with them. I had forsaken them for the sake of my blog and some other distractions. It’s SO easy to fall into this trap, so I had to stop writing completely to pull myself out of it.
2. I was worrying too much about monetizing my blog. I felt the temptation to see readers as potential customers, rather than readers and friends.
There is a lot of pressure in the blogging world to make money from said blogging. In some ways, it totally makes sense. Many bloggers work very hard, putting a lot of time and effort into writing, linking up and pinning their posts and other people’s posts, creating a blog site that is easy to navigate and producing useful information that gets views and engaging comments. I’ve tried to do that, and I realize I still have a ways to go in making sure this blog best suits the needs of my readers. So we want to be rewarded for our efforts in the form of money–who wouldn’t?
But.
When a blogger starts viewing their readers as nothing more than an income stream, something tremendously important has been lost, namely, connection with those who are giving us of their precious time to read what we have written.
Commenting and engagement on blogs is very different now than it used to be. The amount of information competing for our attention has increased SO much in the past 3 years, since I’ve been blogging.
Maybe you are so overloaded with information that you don’t have time to comment or perhaps you feel as a reader that you are seeing a lot of the same things on many blogs and websites, so you’ve chosen not to read the 457th post on DIY Laundry Soap (which I actually have a recipe for on my blog, a no-grate version, if you haven’t tried it yet!).
Anyway, the point is, I was losing sight of what really matters. People. Women who are looking to be encouraged and challenged, without always feeling like they are being asked to part with their money.
I’ll be honest and say that many of you have been a blessing to me by purchasing books or items I’ve suggested and I have earned some money to cover my hosting fees for the blog and a little extra money to be invested toward our family’s needs, and for that I am incredibly thankful!! {I will continue to share a few things that I feel are worth your time and money, in accordance with my purposes on this blog, but it will not be my focus. I am also trying to make up some more free printables for you!}
But I had to step back to make sure that money making {or monetizing, as it’s called in the blog world}, is not my main purpose or reason for writing to you. I apologize for that, and ask your forgiveness.
3. I needed to refine my blog’s focus.
This has been an interesting journey for me. My blog has grown from something I wrote basically for myself to remember the Bible verses and devotionals I’d been reading to a website with information on a variety of topics. Probably too much variety, I realize now.
In order for me to stand out in the blogging world, I want to make sure that I’m a bit more refined in my purpose and focus. The tagline of my blog is:
Living with purpose, walking by grace, one day at a time.
I talked at the beginning of the year about how I wanted to share a lot about how God’s grace has such a transforming power and how that plays out practically in our lives. I even started a series about it {you can read it here, and print out your free Bible verse cards on grace while you’re at it!} but then that stopped when I stopped blogging of course. In order to keep with my theme, I’m planning on picking up this series where I left off.
I’m also striving to write about the things that you, my readers, commented you’d like to hear more about in the survey I took at the beginning of the year: raising children Biblically, having a strong marriage, starting a journey towards natural living, and motherhood and faith in general. I also am planning on throwing in some posts about finances and debt-free living. I will probably be posting less often too, than I was before the break, to keep my priorities in line.
I’m a “Jane-of-all-trades” type of person, but I want to make sure I’m not writing about everything under the sun. So I won’t be telling you how we now are sewing all our own bedding (wink, wink).
So there it is. The reasons I stepped away from the blog world for four months. It was refreshing.
Is there anything you’d like to hear about here at the blog? Things that have been on your mind lately as you go about life as a wife and mom? Questions about why bloggers do what they do? I hope you’ll feel free to send me an email at thepurposefulmom at live dot com or leave a comment on this post.
Here, too, is the first topical post I’ve published since April– The Simplest Way to Do Devotions with Young Children. I hope it is a blessing to you. Have an amazing weekend and I’ll see you soon!
WANT TO SPEAK WITH GRACE TO YOUR KIDS INSTEAD OF YELLING?
21 Comments on Why I Haven’t Blogged for the Last Four Months
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Wanted to quick comment… I just finished Hands Free Mama. I didn’t agree with all of it, but it might be a good read for what you’re thinking about right now. Much food for thought. ;D
I will have to check that out–thanks, Jill! :)
Hi. I am drawn to your comment about baby #4 being your first natural delivery. I would love to know if you have an old post about your successful VBAC after multiple C-sections. I have had 5,c-sections and am looking for a ray of hope. And finally Good for you for taking a break. Don’t feel guilt about that. Do what honors God we all respect that not timely blogs!!! Hugs and kisses from a new follower!
Hi Nikki! Thanks so much for your comment and for being here at the blog! I have not had any c-sections, but I did have epidurals the three previous births, hence my story on a natural delivery for my fourth (meaning without epidurals or other pain meds) :)
I have a friend who has had 2 successful VBACs after 2 c-sections. I could probably put you in touch with her if you need some advice and encouragement! You can email me at thepurposefulmom at live dot com if you’d like to chat more! And if you want to read my natural birth story, you can find that here (it’s in two parts): https://thepurposefulmom.com/2013/11/my-natural-birth-story-after-three.html
Praise the Lord for getting priorities straight. So hard to stay on the path, right? Thank you for sharing!
It IS hard! We’re distracted so easily, or at least I am, from what is really important. Thanks!
Good for you for doing what you needed to do! I love making some money from my blog, but the day that that becomes my focus I’ll stop blogging. I hope you had a summer spent with your family :-)
Thank you Ashley! We did have a very wonderful summer :)
I am super glad you are back to blogging. You were one of the firsts blogs I started reading and you have been such a help to me in starting my own blog. Not to mention I consider you my friend (even if its in blog world). I hope to get back to my own blogging soon as well.
Thank you, Jen, that means a lot to me. Yes, I would definitely consider you my friend as well! :) Hope you can get back into a good blogging routine that fits your stage in life.
Thanks for the free verses…I look forward to using them! I really enjoyed your honesty in your blog.
Thank you, Peg!
Thank you for sharing!
It’s such a blessing to hear that the Lord has been speaking to you and that you have been able to re-focus and re-align your priorities. How refreshing!! I am glad you are back and I will continue following you :)
I pray that blogging will be a joy for you and not a burden.
Blessings
Rachel
Thank you so much Rachel. I am thankful that the Lord deals graciously with me. I am so glad to have you here!
I don’t recall how I found your blog, but I have the God’s Word in My Heart eBook/file. I mentioned I was going to use it in our homeschool this year on your facebook page. While I was at your site I saw your Netflix post of the top 5 shows you watch, and added 4 of the 5 to my watch list-the 5th was already there. Have to say I really like the Once Upon a Time series, even though I’ve only watched 2.
I think it’s great you’re making your family a priority!
I saw your post on my Facebook page and replied to it–unfortunately, FB sometimes doesn’t tell people when I’ve done that! That’s awesome, I hope you are enjoying it! I appreciate you taking the time to comment, I hope you like Once Upon a Time as much as I do ;)
I did see it-but since my Facebook name is different I just thought I’d connect the dots for you. I just got an email from Netflix that season 3 is now available.
Oh, awesome! Thanks for making the connection for me too :)
I really enjoyed reading this and am glad I stumbled upon your blog! I look forward to reading more!
Thank you so much, Keri! I’m so very glad to have you here!