Any of you Mamas out there deal with having this great idea, that you really REALLY want to do, but then life seems to get in the way, then of course you feel like a failure, again, and wonder why you even tried in the first place? Anyone?? I am figuring I am not the only one this has ever happened to. Well that, in a nut shell, is what happened with my blog. Memo to anyone looking at starting a blog, it may not be the best time to start a blog when you decide to purchase a house that needs as much love as the house in the 1986 Tom Hank’s movie “The Money Pit”, are pregnant with sweet baby number 8, all while preparing to graduate your firstborn from your homeschool. That my friends is a recipe for something having to go to the chopping block, and my fledgling blog was what got put on the back burner.
Oh, I have thought about writing often, when I took the kids on a month long backcountry camping trip around Colorado, for practically nothing, (seriously my budget was minuscule)…I took pictures and made notes to share with my readers. I remember thinking how many of you want to take your kids on these adventures and just don’t know how to work out the logistics. I had an entire blog series planned to show you how your family could take epic family vacations, all while learning and having tons of fun.
When we tore the old paneling off our home’s walls to reveal almost 100 year old shiplap while building a new bathroom, I grabbed the camera thinking I would find time to share the renovation with you.
When my beloved husband had a blood pressure concern and decided to change his way of eating, I jotted down notes on recipes and tips that helped him lose 90 lbs and bring his blood pressure to a healthy level during this past year.
I thought to myself after the birth of our 8th baby, how I had never experienced postpartum depression before his birth, and how I wished more people would open up about their personal experiences so maybe one person wouldn’t go through it alone. And that maybe I could have the courage to post something about my experience to potentially raise awareness and encourage just one new mama that it can get better and she isn’t alone or a bad mother.
(I feel I need to put a disclaimer under this picture that our sweet newborn was in no danger in the photo. I was so weak after his birth that I was never left alone. My eldest daughter or husband held him, if I wasn’t nursing, so I could sleep and recover during his first 12 hours after birth. This is a precious moment she caught on camera.)
So many things I have wanted to share, hoping to help just one person that may be searching for an idea that may aid in discovering her way to what works best for her family. I was actually feeling pretty upset about what I viewed as wasted opportunities, then I realized that I haven’t wasted those moments. I can still share from them. I can begin again. I remembered Plato:
Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow. – Plato
I don’t have to do this blog thing “perfect” to do it. I just have to make continual progress at it, no matter how slow it seems to me. I would encourage any of you who has felt led to do something, and wonder if it is to late, or worth the effort…begin again. I truly believe it is the Lord who has laid this desire to write, to encourage other moms, on my heart…that I am to show up and do the work and He will take it from there. He can take my imperfections and bring something beautiful from them. Will there be breaks in my posts in the future? Absolutely! My family will always take priority over any online activity. Thinking I will always post every time I want to would only set myself up to feel like I have failed, and oh how Satan wants us to feel like we have failed and can’t possibly be useful. I can however set some attainable goals for myself and give myself grace when life with a bunch of kiddos pulls me away for longer than I’d like. Oh and the things I will have to share from those adventures. 🙂 So my goal is to blog once a week. In theory my sweet supportive husband will spend some time with our blessings, while I pour a cup of tea and chat with y’all about the logistics of running a large household while homeschooling. In practice, I will probably write a paragraph and have to stop to see who is doing what to whom and why, but that my friends is life with a large family. There is never a dull moment, and we are simply blessed to be given the opportunity to raise these treasures for the Kingdom. I look forward to what our time together each week will begin to look like as I figure out the management of my time to allow for it.