I don’t think it’s much of a secret that I’ve struggled a little bit these last few months.
Admittedly, I’ve had a fair bit to cope with but it’s fair to say that I probably haven’t handled things as well as I could have done and trying to carry on like I did when my Dad died without stopping to grieve just got me to a place where I was exhausted, snappy with everyone I love and behind with just about everything in my life.
Things are much better now so I thought I’d give you a little bit of an update…
I kept so busy after my Dad died that my house was spotless, I had a good month’s worth of blog posts ready to be published and my life was more organised than it had been for a long time. Unfortunately, that wasn’t sustainable and I ended up exhausted but unable to sleep on a night because my mind just wouldn’t shut down and kept going over everything I wanted to achieve.
Then I went to San Francisco for a trip on my own, encouraged to by my family who instinctively just knew, more than I did at the time, just how much I needed some time to myself to regroup and re-evaluate.
My reason for going to San Francisco was because I’d been invited to a Pinterest conference for a day and to have brunch at their HQ the next day but really, who goes all that way just for that. I just used that as an excuse and clung on to that as a reason to justify taking a trip that I needed to take.
And yes, I’m aware that a trip to a caravan in the middle of a field or a hotel closer to home would have been sufficient if I just needed time alone but you know what, it wasn’t just that I needed some time to myself, I really really wanted it to be this particular trip.
My first night there was the best night’s sleep I’d had since my dad died in March and the first day was mindblowing as I did all the touristy things that I’d seen on films and TV shows that I’d grown up watching. I followed that up with another amazing night’s sleep and then a full day of learning at Pinterest. Another amazing sleep was followed by brunch at Pinterest and then more touristy things and then the next day, I literally spend the whole day at the Golden Gate Park. I wandered around the conservatory of flowers, the beautiful Japanese Gardens and sat on the grass with my Kindle relaxing and I don’t think I can remember a time when I’ve felt that relaxed.
I feel as though the me that came home from that trip was more like the old me again although with a bit more confidence thanks to the fact that I’d done such a huge thing on my own. That trip was definitely a turning point in my life and I’ll always be grateful for my amazing little family for encouraging me to go do something I wasn’t sure I could do.
I came home feeling so much happier and relaxed and the day after, I opened my laptop and scheduled all the posts that I’d written during my don’t stop to grieve phase. I shut my laptop and walked away for almost a month other than coming back to write my weekly ‘Five Frugal Things’ post and the odd time when I was bored. I didn’t go completely off the grid though as I do love the online side of my life but I did limit most things that I did to things I could do on my phone.
During that month, I did all the things that I love doing and discovered a few new things that I enjoyed too but eventually, a couple of weeks ago I got to the point where I knew I was ready to come back to blogging properly. I had so many plans and ideas as well as the fact that I was dying to put everything I’d learned at Pinterest into action so I was rearing to go.
Just as a side point – For those of you who blog and are thinking about taking a break, the good news is that the world doesn’t forget you exist. Pinterest definitely does fall out with you a little bit if you’re not consistently sharing new posts on there but that was something I learned when I was there so the drop in my Pinterest audience (although not in page views from there weirdly enough) was expected. Aside from Pinterest, it was almost like I hadn’t been gone so I would definitely recommend taking an extended break if you feel like you need one.
So we’re almost up to the here and now in my little update – I’ve been sad, I took some time away, I feel happy again and now I’m back. I could have summed this whole super long post so far up in less than 20 words, couldn’t I?
Anyway, after my self-imposed blogging hiatus, I came back raring to go and the moment I opened my laptop I realised that I wanted to shake things up a little bit. I wanted somewhere online where I could share all of my travel adventures with you all.
Don’t get me wrong, I love writing about money saving and all of the things I write about on here but there are other sides to me that I rarely share on this blog because they’re my not-so-frugal sides. I know it might sound silly but it doesn’t seem right to share photos on here of beautiful beaches and blue skies when I know some people are struggling to pay for their weekly shopping.
But travel is part of me and I wanted to share that with you too – but only if you want to see it!
I decided that the best way to do this would be to start a new blog which I did! It’s called Wanderlust and Me and I’m hoping to share all my upcoming trips with you as well as lots of things that I’ve wanted to share from the trips we’ve taken over the years as a family but haven’t really felt entirely comfortable sharing more than the odd snippet here and there on here with you.
I’ve even set up a whole new Instagram account to go with it which is already filling up with some of my favourite travel photos and memories.
My main focus will always be this blog because it’s been my corner of the internet for so long now that it feels like home but Wanderlust and Me will be like my holiday home online – I’ll just head over there every now and again and share some pretty travel photos and write about a place I’ve been and loved and then come back here feeling refreshed. 😉
And while I’m getting back on track with my blogging I thought I’d have a go at keeping up with my meal planning blog, Meal Planning Made Easy, again which fell by the wayside because I kind of hit a bit of a meal planning plateau. I’d got the hang of it and could plan our meals in my sleep so rather than challenge myself and keep things interesting, I just stuck to the recipes I knew and we just ate the same old boring meals for the most part.
I want to get back on track with cooking and sitting down as a family again for mealtimes and planning to share at least one post a week on my meal planning blog *should* help motivate me!
Essentially, for you guys nothing is going to change although if you want to follow my less than frugal adventures then I’d love you to come and find me on Instagram or over on Wanderlust and Me and if you want to see what we’re getting up to meal planning wise then you can head over to Meal Planning Made Easy.
And now I’m going to end this ridiculously long post and go for a mid-afternoon bubble bath because I want to and because I can!
Life’s too short not to choose to do things just for yourself!
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