I can’t even tell you how many times over the past 10 months I have sat down to write this very post. Well today the time has come that I must say goodbye to blogging.
It’s hard to explain why, but I know many of you will want to know so I’m going to try.
First, I want to make it very clear that these are MY feelings. I don’t want it to come across that I feel like this is the answer for everyone. It’s not. It’s just what is best for ME and MY FAMILY, so I pray that this can come across how I intend.
Remember last August in THIS POST when I said I felt like a chicken running around with my head cut off?
Guess what? I still feel that way.
I absolutely LOVE being a mother! These 4 kids are my world and bring me so much joy.
But the fact of the matter is, they are also a lot of work.
My kids are 6, 5, 3, and 1. Still young and very impressionable. They need me, and I only have a limited time to teach and influence them. I won’t ever get these years back, and I’m realizing more and more just how quickly they grow up.
I CANNOT FAIL AS A MOM!!!!
As I have been feeling more and more overwhelmed with life and my mounting “to-do” list, I realized a few things.
1. I can’t do it all.
2. I’m unhappy when I try to do it all.
3. My husband and kids feel the side effects of a tired, unhappy mom.
All of this led me to the conclusion that I need to…
SIMPLIFY
The more I thought and prayed about it, I felt very strongly that quitting blogging was part of the simplifying process.
You may have noticed the lack of project posts lately, and quite a few sponsored posts. I have to apologize for that. Once I knew that I was quitting, I had to “settle all of my commitments” if you will. I still have one more post later this week, and a quilt I’m in the middle of (not sure when that will be posted).
I know I’ll still keep making things for my family and home, so I may or may not share some of those things here. The good news is that my blog is still on Blogger so I won’t be deleting my site. It will still be here to access all of my past projects and tutorials. They are all listed on my Tutorials & Projects page, and you can also use the search box in the sidebar.
I have felt such peace about my decision so I hope you can all be happy for me. I know this is the right thing for me and my family. I love you all and want to thank you for being part of this journey with me!
XOXOXOXO
You'll be missed. You've given a lot of yourself and I thank you for it. I wish you and your family all the happiness in the world. Your children are lucky to have such a wonderful mother who makes her world all about them. :)
ReplyDeleteI agree, you will be missed:) but totally understand ! Thank you for sharing so many inspirational projects! Enjoy your family, because yes the years do pass too quickly.
ReplyDeleteI'll miss seeing your lovely projects but knowing that you'll be spending more time with your lovely children makes it all okay. God bless!
ReplyDeleteYou have to do what you have to...and we all understand that. It's hard to balance everything and with kids -- you are so right that they are only small for such a short time. Enjoy this time with them and don't regret your choices! Good luck -- we will miss you.
ReplyDeleteTam, you do what you need to do!! Glad you aren't deleting your blog. There is so much stored here. And it means that you can come back every once in awhile to say hello and keep everyone updated on the kids!! You'll certainly be missed.
ReplyDeleteThanks for blogging all this time and good luck with your cute little family. You are doing the right thing :)
ReplyDeleteIt's a very respectable decision. Good job on being brave enough to admit that you can't do it all. A lot cannot and it shows up in their blog, work they do and their families.
ReplyDeleteYou have to do what you have to do. When it comes down to it family is more important than stressing over your blog, in the end that will only be worse for your children. This is what is right for you and yours at the moment, and who knows you may feel the calling to occasionally post something on the blog or come back to in the future. At which point I'm sure we'll all be right there backing you like before :)
ReplyDeleteTake the time and enjoy life :D
~Cassie~
You are so talented, and we will miss you! But right now it sounds like this is the time to turn off the blog (for a while) and turn to your family. Congrats for making a tough decision, now get out there and enjoy not having to post!
ReplyDeleteYou will be missed, but your reasoning is so very noble and I'm impressed that you knew when to step back. I've been feeling the same way about my child --and I only have 1. I too am in the process of trying to simplify. It is quite refreshing actually. Enjoy the time with your beautiful family!
ReplyDeleteYay for more family and 'life' time for you, and double yay for keeping your projects online. I like blogging, but I love my family, and those priorities are clearly shown in lots of life and only occasional posts on my own blog -- and it feels great.
ReplyDeleteI love your blog and I will miss it very much! Enjoy your family!! Good Luck!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sad to see you go!! But I completely understand your reasoning for it all. I have considered it too. Good luck with everything, you will be missed!
ReplyDeletei'm sad. but i totally get it! i wish the best for you and your adorable family!!!
ReplyDeleteAck! Tam! I'm going to miss you in the blogging world. :( I'm so glad we had the chance to meet at SNAP! I can't imagine blogging with four little ones. I don't know how you did it! You are amazing!! Best of luck, my friend!
ReplyDeleteGood for you! I have enjoyed following you and the projects you have shared.
ReplyDeleteBlessings!!!
Enjoy those kiddos and all the good things life brings!!! :-)
ReplyDeleteYou will never regret this decision - time is so precious!
ReplyDeleteOh Tam!!! I am going to miss you so much!! Of course I totally understand and I know you are making the right choice!! Family always comes first. :) Thanks for everything!!
ReplyDeleteI have been inspired by you so many times and will miss your posts! You definitely have your priorities in order and there is nothing more important than your FAMILY! Enjoy this time with your kids!
ReplyDeleteFamily First - No Exceptions!!!!
ReplyDeleteI Commend You & Honor You For Making, What I Am Sure Is, A Tough Decision!
You Are Right, The Window Of Time To Lead, Guide, Teach & Influence Is Smaller Than Most Realize Until It Has Closed. . .When They Are Grown, The Blogging World Will Be Waiting With Open Arms To Welcome You Back, Enjoy Your Talent, & Feel The Empty Space!
Good Luck & Godspeed As You Move On To This Phase & Re-Focus!
I really respect your decision - I recently had to make the same decision with my full-time job - and I know how hard it is. Thank you so much for sharing what you've already shared - and know that you will be missed! Have FUN with your sweet kids!!!! :)
ReplyDeleteYou're brave to be so honest. I completely agree. Being a mum is THE most important thing, and you have to do what's right for your family. Good luck! You'll be missed! xx
ReplyDeleteTam,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing a little into your decision. You'll have so much time on your hands, you won't know what to do with it! (Kidding, I know 4 kids take so.much.time!) We'll miss you, but are really happy that you're doing what's best for you!
Monica (and Jess)
Good luck! I wish you lots of happy memories with your family. I also look forward to the occasional post you may still make so I plan to stay subscribed to you.
ReplyDeleteI am seeing posts like this more and more. I recently took a 40 day break from blogging and my reasoning was very similar to yours. I've struggled with letting it go altogether. I think in my mind I've done it, I just haven't made "the" announcement yet. lol I totally respect your decision and know that God will bless you and your household for doing this. You are so right. We have such a small window of time to impact our kids and they are more important than any blog post will ever be. God bless you and your precious children. They are fortunate to have such a great mama like you. :) xoxo
ReplyDeleteYou will be missed, but I certainly understand where you're coming from. I do a minimal amount of blogging, and I'm retired, but it still takes time.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how you've managed to do what you've done and have 4 kids to take care of. I am really glad you're leaving up your blog with the tutorials and such.
Maybe you can check in every so often just to let us know how you're doing. :)
Good luck and enjoy your kids because they grow up way too fast!
Great post - - you're awesome!
ReplyDeleteoh man. we will miss you. i always enjoyed reading your blog, but fully understand family comes first. and you're right...you only get one shot to raise your kids and before you know it, they are grown and living on their own. as a fellow blogger i support you and your choice regarding your career and persoal growth and your family. there will ALWAYS be the world of crafting to come back to if you chose to come back.
ReplyDeletegood luck and i wish you much success and ANYTHING you do, and that includes being a mother!
Jennifer @ Decorated Chaos
http://decoratedchaos.blogspot.com
Good for you! I was feeling the same way and gave up my regular 'programed' blog posts in order to be with my family. They do come first and I was taking on way too much to be a good Mom. I think as Mother's we are so hard on ourselves. We see other blogging moms and their beautiful homes, their brilliant craft projects and recipies and we feel that we have to do that too. We all (mom's) need to stop putting more pressure on ourselves and be happy with what we can accomplish..... a happy family!
ReplyDeleteYour family is beautiful and you are a talented woman. Thank you for sharing your life :)
I hope you still pop in now and then--but I can only imagine how you'll enjoy your new "freedom"
ReplyDeletehugs!!
I totally understand!! Blogging is a huge time committment...enjoyed your blog, and I will still come back to it for refreshers! Have fun being a mom!
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to let you know how great it is that you are putting your family first! We are all going to miss you greatly and all your inspiration, but we totally understand. Life is TOO busy these days! I commend you on your decision and wish more people (along with myself) could make that decision to "simplify" life! I need to figure it out. I am sure you are going to be so much happier now! Good Luck with everything and thanks again for all you did on here! :)
ReplyDeleteI have LOVED your blog and you will be sorely missed but I am also a mother and understand your responsibilites. Good luck and thank you for your wonderful ideas!
ReplyDeleteSoooo understand where you are coming from (I think about it all the time!) and I'm so glad you are doing what's right for you and that you feel peaceful about it. You are awesome and you'll always be awesome. Hopefully I'll still see you around, right? FOR REAL! ;)
ReplyDeleteI will be sad to see you go but can totally understand!! It is defintely something that I have thought about in the past and still continue to think about. I am still working on trying to find that balance and wish you much happiness on your quest ot simplify!
ReplyDeleteI applaud you for your decision. We all know our limits. I am sooo happy to hear that you are not deleting your site. It makes me so sad when bloggers do that.
ReplyDeleteTake care of those little ones, and make some wonderful memories. The blog world will be here in a few years when they don't need their mama so much.
I wish you all the best Tam!!!
gail
We are sure gonna miss you, but totally understand. High five to you for making such a hard decision! You won't ever get time w/ those cute littles back, so take advantage of it!
ReplyDeletemany blessings!
I admire you for doing this. Nothing will ever make up for the time we didn't spend with our children. Its great to see someone who recognizes the need to be with their children. I hope you can now breath a little and enjoy those cute kids.
ReplyDeleteHey Tam, don't feel bad! This is the right thing for you and I respect your decision! My children are older, but I still feel sometimes that I spend too much time on the computer - but then they do too :) I am glad your tutorials will still be here as you have so many cute things that I have wanted to try but have not had time yet. Thanks for sharing your lovely self and your talents with us all! Hugs!
ReplyDeleteDo what you gotta do babe! Your blog is still gonna be here if you feel the need or want to chime in every once in a great while. You are right, the time goes so dang fast. I am glad I discovered blogging after my kids were grown.....Good luck and enjoy!
ReplyDeleteHooray for wonderful moms like you who put family first! God bless you!
ReplyDeleteYou know we'll all miss you girl!!! But you have to do what's best for you and the family! :) Hopefully you'll still be on instagram and the like?! Thanks for being a great blogging inspiration to me!!! :)
ReplyDeleteYou are an amazing Mum. God bless your future and you will be missed xx
ReplyDeleteI completely understand and wish you the best of luck in your future endeavor.
ReplyDeleteTam, You are such a cute mom! I have loved staying in touch by reading your blog and seeing what you have been up to! However, I completely understand the reasoning behind your decision. That is why I haven't really been on top of my cooking blog. It takes a lot of time and something that I loved to do (cook)suddenly became a chore. I was constantly stressed out looking for recipes and trying them and then getting that "perfect" picture to showcase. I finally realized as well, that my kids were only going to be tiny for a small moment and I didn't want to miss it! You are such an amazing and talented person! Hope to still see what you are up to through Instagram! Take Care- Hugs!! -Ash
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your family!
ReplyDeleteI applaud you
ReplyDeleteAlways pick your family first and do what is right by you all. You have such beautiful children and I am sure you will never fail as a mom. Best wishes to you all.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to miss you, but I totally understand. We can still run into each other, maybe when we're all colorful. You're an awesome lady! I'm so glad I got to get to know you.
ReplyDeleteI only have 2 kids and I barely have the energy to get the dishes done so I totally get it. You are one of my favorite blogs and will be sorely missed, but I completley understand. Good luck and GOD bless.
ReplyDeleteyou will be missed but look forward to hearing from you when your schedule allows.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine how this must have weighed on you. I'm only judt getting started, but my only Kidlet is 12. Homeschooled but amazingly self-sufficient.
ReplyDeleteBless you and good luck in all of your endeavors.
Don't ever feel wrongly about taking time to parent your children. I applaud you for this decision. Will miss the posts, but you have made a decision that is far more important. :) God Bless!
ReplyDeleteGood for you to recognize the need for change and following through. You have 4 of the best reasons EVER! Best of luck to you;D
ReplyDeleteSad for us! Great for you and your family! I hope you "pop" in here and there to show pictures of the kids and your cuteness. you will be missed. Thanks for the contribution you have made to the world through your blog. You have "improved the world" and that is a HUGE accomplishment. Well done, TAM! Love ya!
ReplyDeleteIt takes courage to make big changes. I am SO happy for you! You're a great example, and as much as you have shared with the blog world, I think your decision to move on is equally inspiring. I too am scaling back, not quitting, but definitely re-doing my "schedule" so as to post one project a week, not 3. I'm so glad I got to meet you! Now you will have a GREAT summer! Take care!
ReplyDeleteYou will definitely be missed I truly enjoy your blog updates, however, I am so excited for you and your family! Have a wonderful summer and God Bless!!
ReplyDeleteTam I'm so happy that you have felt peace with your decision, because it's such a hard one to make. I'm so glad we have become friends through blogging. I hope I will still be able to see you on Instagram, FB and in person since we don't live too far.
ReplyDeleteI've had the same thoughts so many times, and I think it's great that you can keep your site up and post something great whenever you want. With no obligations.
Yay for you! :)
I'm glad you found the path that is right for you and your family. We will miss you, but I applaud you for admitting you can't do it all. As women we have a hard time admitting that. I wish you and your family all the best!
ReplyDeleteGood for you! This life is not about us, your admiring public, but it is about your children and family. These years are fleeting yet majorly foundational. We all appreciate your talent and willingness to share, however, I rejoice in the fact that your priorities are well placed. Soon enough our children will be off doing their own things and we will have too much time on our hands! Bless you for making an eternal impact where it counts!
ReplyDeleteI will surely miss you. I feel like you have bacome part of my family. Best wishes for you and yours. You will stay bookmarked so if you decide to start again I will be waiting.
ReplyDeleteThank you for being a mom who has set the example on how to say no to things, which sometimes can even be good things but turn bad for our family!!
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy more time with your kids. Thanks for your blog. I'm just starting one. I hope I don't end up in the same position. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteSo proud of you! Love you, Tam!! XOXO
ReplyDeleteI am sad to see you go, but am so proud of you for making that decision. Now that my kids are older I feel so blessed to have been a stay at home mom. They grow up way to fast. Enjoy every moment. They are beautiful!!
ReplyDeleteNadine
Love you Tam! You do what is best for you and your beautiful family! Hugs!
ReplyDeleteTam --
ReplyDeleteI adore you and respect you so much. I struggle daily with the time and effort blogging takes. Your kids are so young. I think it's wonderful that you are thinking of them and these years in their lives. Love you so much and keep in touch. You are so talented and amazing!!
xoxox
I think you are very wise for making this decision. You really can not buy this time back and it is a precious time of life! Good Luck and I hope you enjoy the time spent with your young family!
ReplyDeleteI admire you for your decision! I'm sure it wasn't an easy one to make. I hope you get to enjoy all the time that you want with your little ones, and not having to worry about coming up with projects just to post and taking the time to post them. Blogging is hard work! I've actually thought about cutting way back too, as I've realized that blogging is not what life is all about, there are much more important things. :) Thank you for sharing all that you have shared here, and I hope to still see you on Instagram a little bit. :)
ReplyDeleteAmy @ The Happy Scraps
I can't believe i am JUST now seeing this! While I will miss reading your blog, I am so happy for you and the decision that you made. You will always be one of my favorite bloggers. Best of luck to you Tam!
ReplyDeleteI will definitely miss your blog, but totally understand and admire you for your decision. Your family is beautiful and precious and you are wise for wanting to savor each moment. Best wishes and so glad you are leaving your blog up so we can still come admire all of your craftiness!! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm fairly new to the blogging world.
ReplyDeleteI am a grandmother, so I do not have any young ones at home.
I quickly discovered that I could not come up with a daily post and I was terrible stressed as I felt "I had to" to be a blogger... well... to be a "good" blogger. I post once a week. I am SO HAPPY I made that decision. I truly have no clue how you did all you did and kept your family going too!
Thank you for your contribution to all of us.
Thank you for not shutting down your site so we can still access your projects and tutorials.
Now... Go Enjoy your family!
Thank you so much for this post. I want to let you know that I posted a link to your blog in Creative Busy Bee Craft Inspirations, under the Page 4 post on Aug. 29, 2012. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteQuiting?? Not like you. just reinventing your self. going to miss you. and your moddeling lol.
ReplyDeleteTam, arynn
Dpa