Real Life, Blogging, and Balancing Acts

My lenten break from blogging officially ended on Easter Sunday, a week ago.

I had hoped that on Easter Monday, I'd be back with a vengeance. But my break was so thorough that I didn't write any posts for all of lent (except for MAK and MAM), so I had nothing to publish. I didn't work at all on the new domain. I didn't work at all on Good Bites, my upcoming free eBook of easy, healthy, bite-sized snacks. So what was I doing?

I was being a mom of two kids, one of whom is having a tough time with potty training and the other of whom is having a tough time with sleep. I was being a wife to a stressed out seminarian. I was being an artist: a good friend and I have been re-creating a piece of choreography and had a performance last week.

All those things take precedence over this blog.

And yet, I had some important affirmations during my blogging break. Several friends told me they appreciated my blog. Why? Because I don't judge. My vision is to inspire people to make positive changes for better health, without making them feel like failures because they aren't perfect. Eating real food is a journey! Some people have a radical conversion, but most people make one change at a time. I want to be here to encourage you, one little change at a time.

So where am I at? I'm still not quite sure. I know I want to keep blogging. I'm not sure if now is the season for me to be serious about it. There are a lot of things standing in my way: the stress of grad school, interrupted sleep, wanting to be present to my kids, and a computer that's on the fritz.

I'm seeking balance. I feel sort of like this is the start of a new year, and I'm making resolutions. It seems fitting, in a way, to start fresh after Easter. We just celebrated the most mind-blowing event of our faith. Christ was dead, but now he is alive! This knowledge changes everything, so why not start fresh?

My Easter Resolutions

Find time for prayer and scripture. I want to bask in the light of His presence, morning, noon and night. A three-year-old who wants to be with me constantly, an early rising baby, and a never-ending to-do list get in my way. Any moms out there want to share their secrets?

Prioritize sleep. Remember that series I was going to start, Get More Sleep in 2013? Instead of writing about it, I'm going to do it. I'm working on going to bed earlier, keeping my daughter on a good rhythm so she doesn't get overtired, and taking naps when possible. I want to wake up rested again. Someday, I want to get up an hour before the kids and write. But today is not that day.

Practice Sabbath, even in the kitchen. We have failed over and over at keeping a Sabbath. We know we need it. We know it pleases God. But we have so much going against us: my husbands schedule with classes during the week plus working at a church on Saturday and Sunday leaves us no free day. We try to find time here and there, even if it's not a full day, but the stress of no real rest is wearing on us. We hope that in a couple short months (when things slow down for the summer), that will change. A large part of the rest for me needs to be from all-things-kitchen. It's easy to never really stop in a real food kitchen: there are always ongoing projects. Always something to soak or bake or thaw or ferment. I need to learn how to pause. To plan ahead, and to let go. You may see some posts about this popping up in the next few months as I work on it.

What does this mean for Plus Other Good Stuff?

I think I'm going to try blogging once a week. No pressure to be the best real food blog out there with multiple posts every week and video tutorials and eBooks and all that jazz. Someday those things will come. But for now, it's just me, writing to you, about real food.  No judging, no guilt trips, just simple, delicious, nourishing goodness.

What Do You Want?

Since my posting will be limited, I'd love to know what you want to learn about and prioritize that! What are your biggest challenges in the kitchen? What are you unsure about? What processed food are you having trouble finding alternatives for? Share in the comments so this blog can bless you.



Like what you just read? Subscribe so you don't miss a thing!

Pin It