I’ll be honest with you. There have been countless times in the last few months (of not blogging) that I’ve told myself to just come here and put a “sign” up on the blog saying “Temporarily Closed. Come back in the Fall”.
But something held me back. I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I’m not sure why. It certainly would have been more polite than just ignoring y’all for months on end.
(obligatory blog photo cuz just text is boring -it’s Mt Rainier, btw)
Let me just (briefly) give you a rundown of what’s been standing in the way of me and this blog. Not exactly excuses, but maybe giving you an understanding of what my brain has been full of.
1. Let’s just start with normal life that all of us deal with. Kids. Homework help. Cooking. Cleaning. Laundry. Budgeting. Everyday life. You get it.
2. Volunteer work. This is a major part of my week and makes me happy. It gives me purpose and so I gladly sacrifice other activities to be a part of it. It takes up about the same time as a part time job.
3. Online selling. I’m still selling online on Ebay and Etsy. Still have 3 shops on Etsy but I’ve downgraded my Ebay shop to just a Basic level one. Since I’ve ramped up my volunteer work, I have done less selling and less sourcing but it’s still a major part of my week.
4. Health. First off, our family finally found a dentist we like and we’ve been catching up on things we’ve put off too long. I had a tooth pulled and will be dealing with an implant soon. All these appointments take time and affect my stress levels.
Second, I’ve had some health issues come up. Some of them female related and some related to just things being out of whack. I’ve basically come to the conclusion that the cure for them is changing my diet and adding exercise.
Definitely easier said than done. Cutting sugar and carbs requires thought, planning and time. Cooking and food prep is definitely NOT my forte and so it stresses me more than the average bear. It’s been a roller coaster ride with this…hoping to get better at sticking with it.
But also comforting, in a way, to know that some of the things I’ve been battling…lethargy, depression, anxiety, etc…are symptoms of my health issues and so there’s hope of getting better!
5. Impending changes. Okay, so on top of ALL that, we’ve decided we are ready for a move to a new area (about 3 hours away) and in conjuction with that, are looking into buying our first home. We are just at the beginning of this process so there’s still a long way to go.
Another change is that next fall we are going to start homeschool both of our boys.
Okay. Enough. I’m exhausting myself just reading this. lol
What This Means and What Is This Invitation of Which You Speak?
What this means is that I’m taking a look at my online businesses and where I want to go with them. Do I want to pack up and move my inventory? What exactly do I want to source and sell? How do I work smarter and not harder with so many demands on my time? How can I maximize income since we will soon have more expenses?
A lot to think about. So like I said, I thought to just put the blog on hiatus and come back when the dust settles and let you know how it all turns out.
But I think that’s a mistake. I think I need to bring you, my readers, on the journey with me. Maybe you’re in a similar spot or maybe you have some insight or advice to help me.
So that’s my invitation: Don’t give up on me!
I am always brimming with ideas for blog posts and of course I have the Selling Vintage A to Z series to continue with. I am going to attempt getting more organized and actually scheduling time for working on the blog…even if I feel like I should be listing instead.
As I was taking notes on this post this morning, I got a message through my blog from a reader…before this was even published….that just blew me away at its timing. It made me feel like I’m on the right track. In a day or so, I’ll share that with you.