A long time coming

Hi Friends!

This post has been a year in the making and finally today is the day! I’ve been slowly pulling away from recipe development and sharing more about our family, partly because it takes so much darn time to test and re-test recipe after recipe and partly because I love sharing beautiful photos of my family and having the memories of my kids to look back on. Well, I’m here to tell you that I might be pulling back a little more. And by pulling back, I mean to the time commitment this blog requires of me. I love taking and editing photos, I love developing recipes, but I also love my family. And my sleep. And through this past year, BOTH of these things were suffering because of the blog. So, not only was I feeling defeated because I couldn’t keep up with the schedule I used to keep up with, but I was also feeling like I was failing as a wife and mother. It’s really easy to blame yourself for stuff when you’re getting 4-6 hours of sleep per night because you stay up until 2am writing blog posts or scheduling social media posts or analyzing google analytics…all things that I have been known to do. It’s the other side of blogging no one really talks about. The pressure is so real, you guys!

If you read my post about how blogging became my career, you’ll know a little about our backstory with how this blog became what it is today. Long story short, we needed it to make money in order for my family to survive. My husband got laid off from his job and we had to earn money. This blog was the blessing that we needed and it really blossomed when we needed it to. It was a big answer to our prayers.

But as Gordon has started working his way up in this new career (which is what brought us to New York City in the first place) we have come to terms with the fact that maybe the blog has run it’s course. While I’m confident we’re not closing shop anytime soon, I am trying to re-write my own rules and start blogging for the fun of it again.

What does that look like for me?

I’m still working it out.

But I know I will only share recipes that I love that have been tested properly. No set “3 recipes per week” rule because I can’t guarantee that.

I know I will only work with brands that I love. I already do this anyways, but thought it was worth mentioning again.

I will (try to) not feel guilty about only posting 1 post per week if that’s all I have to share. If I’m sick, if my kids are sick, if I’m needed in real life for something, if I have a vacation planned or if something comes up, that’s where I’ll be.

What does it look like for you?

Probably less recipes. Though, you will be happy to know they are thoroughly tested ones 🙂

Probably more family posts. Because I love those people.

Probably more instagram stories. It’s really the easiest way for me to communicate and share what’s going on in my life.

What happens now

My commitment to this blog has never faded or wavered because I truly enjoy having an outlet in sharing my joy in whatever form that is. Recipe development and my family are at the top of that list. I have also come to love and appreciate all you wonderful readers. I love ‘chatting’ with you online, whether that’s on social media, in the comments section or via email.

But I knew I had to post something letting you know why things have been quieter lately in order to free myself from all this guilt I’ve been feeling. This blog is called “Lauren’s Latest” for a reason and I shouldn’t feel guilty for doing things my way. And right now, less recipe posts + more time to play with my kids or read a book without feeling bad is where we’re at.

Thanks for understanding!

Much love,

Lauren