Life Lately

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It’s been a long while since I’ve felt drawn to blogging here, and as the time passes, I am less and less pulled to this space and more reflective about why. It has been nice to guard my heart a bit more, to not be vulnerable, to hold some things closer to my chest, but mostly to respect my children’s privacy as they grow older.

There is this point, and I’ve certainly reached it with Milo in particular as he comes closer to turning ten years old, where my children’s stories no longer seem like mine to tell. There’s an awareness within him that I want to respect. The other two are not far behind. It’s an interesting thing, to experience looking back on this blog while sitting right next to them. They enjoy laughing at the interviews and funny stories, and sometimes ask to look back on a particular post to read or peruse photos. They never express embarrassment, but I feel that if I continued sharing them with the world in this way, they would come to resent it. Listening to that mother’s intuition has always been my way to navigate these things, so I will go with it, even if it means pulling back from this space.

All in all, this blog has been a good thing. It has helped me through some trying times as a mother, has connected me to so many wonderful people. It has opened doors for me I never even realized were available. It has helped me see my own life through new eyes. I will always cherish it – not only the physical evidence of it, but the process of it all.

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My heart is so full. I often look at my life – my husband, my family, my community, my beautiful children, my job, my friends – and can’t believe my luck. It’s a beautiful life, and I will not take any of it for granted. Andrew and I celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary this Saturday, April 22nd. 10 years married, 18 years together! This blog will turn 10 years old in October. It feels like a good place to stop.

Thank you for reading along after all these years!

28 thoughts on “Life Lately”
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  1. I understand that completely – I rarely post about my children on my blog, although I do share photos on IG (for now). I ask their permission for each one though.

    We must have started blogging around the same time. My first post was in August 2007, so I guess I’ll have ten years under my belt this fall as well.

    Congratulations on ten years! April is such a gorgeous month – it’s really my favorite. Happy anniversary to you both.

    (unrelated, but I’ve been meaning to email you and just haven’t gotten around to it. Have you been to R.Ege Antiques on Sidney Street? I love his shop window displays, and I just think you’d LOVE this months. It makes me think of you. I’ll try to remember to take a photo.)

  2. This makes me so sad. I have been enjoying your blog and in particular your style. Wishing you all the best. Hope to still see you around on Instagram.

  3. I am so delighted to have you on instagram! But I do miss blogging; my blog, your blog, and a handful of others. It’s such a deeper and more intimate way of expressing and connecting… but there is that awkward line of privacy with children as they grow out of toddlerhood and into people. I feel it on instagram too sometimes, although to a much lesser degree.

    Pretty sure I’ve read every post you wrote for the last 5 years! Glad I’ll still get a chance to check in with you guys, in whatever form of social media I can get 🙂

    1. I know, Lilly, it really is hard! I feel the same way about your blog – I think I’ve also read every word of yours for the past 5 years, since the day I found it. My how this whole thing has shifted! I do enjoy a bit more anonymity on Instagram, though, and feel I can be a little more private there! See you around, friend!

  4. I just found your blog recently and have been enjoying it so much! It has been wonderful to find a place where I can read about Montessori, plants, books and motherhood- all interests close to my heart. Thank you for sharing your writing and perspective.

  5. Oh, that makes me sad… though I do of course totally understand and respect your decision! It’s just that another favourite blog of mine is going quiet, and I somehow haven’t discovered many new blogs with the same amount of open honesty, sharing both hardships and beautiful moments. Your blog voice will be missed!
    I wish you and your beautiful family all the best, and hope to be able to follow you on Instagram a little bit more…

    1. Thank you, Fine, I know it has been happening to a few blogs I have been following over the past 10 years – it seems to be harder and harder to find those blogs that aren’t monetized or staged. But I do think that it will all come full circle! I hope so, at least! I know Julie Letowski is planning to begin blogging again, an online friend of mine who has inspired me in countless ways over the years. Give hers a try if you don’t already follow her:
      https://www.folk-ware.com/missives

      And I would also recommend Erin Delaney’s blog, An Appetite for Color:
      http://www.appetiteforcolor.com/

      These are two inspiring, intelligent, talented, and dynamic women I respect and admire. I wish you the best, and let me know if you’re on Instagram! I’d love to follow along in your adventures as well!

      1. Oh yes, that was exactly what I meant! So many vanished, and I guess there are so many great new ones out there (there have to be, no?), but I haven’t found a lot yet.
        Thank you so much for your recommendations! I have been a big fan of Cinnamon Girl Julie for many years, and in fact (kind of crazy coincidence) just left a comment on her latest post a few minutes ago to tell her how happy I am to see so many posts by her lately!
        Erin’s blog is new to me, and I will very happily hop over there now and browse a bit – a recommendation by you means that I will most certainly find it to be a very interesting read!
        For now, I am still not on Instagram – I hesitate due to the whole copyright issue, and honestly, also due to the fact that I don’t own a smartphone. I know you joined just recently – would you mind telling me what it was that kept you from doing so earlier, and what convinced you in the end?
        Again, I thank you for all you shared with us on your blog! I wish you and your four men/boys all the best, and will tag along on Instagram from the outside… 😉

        1. I joined Instagram because I found that as I stopped following blogs, I was discovering more and more inspiring, strong, stylish, Earth-conscious women on Instagram. I was checking in on them without having an IG account myself, and eventually I just realized that it would make sense for me to connect with them instead of just stalking them, ha ha!

          Around the same time, Andrew had to upgrade his phone and so I inherited his old one. I rarely check it when I’m out and about, instead opting to use it for directions, and to text friends (finally, I can “reply to all” on those group texts!). I haven’t found that it has increased my screen time at all. In fact, I’m on my computer a lot throughout the day for editing photos, blogging, and emailing for the Montessori school I’m now working for, so when I’m at the playground with my kids, the phone stays home or in my purse!

          1. Thank you so much for that insight! I am still in the phase where I follow 46 people on Instagram from the outside, and indeed I find it sad too that I can never interact. I am still hesitant right now, but am sure that I will mull that over again (and again, and again, …). It is good to hear from somebody who manages a smartphone in a way they feel comfortable with, and who know it hasn’t increased their screentime!

  6. Dear Lauren, this is some sad news I’ve been dreading for a while since you’ve become quieter. As strange as it sounds to someone like me who doesn’t use social media really, I’ll miss your blog quite a bit, I already have these past weeks and months. It makes me think about relationships in the digital age and the fluidity of it all. Thank you so much for the honesty of your words, the beauty of your pictures and the purity of your thoughts. Best wishes to you and your family from across the ocean. Goodbye, I’ll miss you in this strange way of the digital age!

    1. Meike, I’ve really enjoyed your comments and thoughts over the years, so thank YOU! I will really miss this part of blogging: the connecting, the opinions and thoughts of others. Thank you so much for your kind words. Your taking time to write means a lot to me! Best wishes!

  7. Will definitely miss your wise and beautiful words, Lauren, and seeing your beautiful family grow! Many congrats to you and Andrew on your anniversary! Big hug!

    1. Thank you, Alejandra! Best wishes to you and your beautiful family. The whole wide world is ahead of you, how beautiful! Love to you and yours!

  8. This is exactly the reason I stopped blogging. Although I am contemplating starting it up again now that I have teenagers. I feel like it could be enlightening (for them…and me) to have a written record of our struggles and triumphs that are inevitable during this new era. But it would have to be somehow untraceable to their friends and enemies in adolescence. Because…could you imagine?

    1. It certainly makes sense, doesn’t it? The stuff of early childhood is so universal and harmless and oftentimes hilarious, but once you start sharing your tweens or teens, I think it gets very tricky. I don’t think I would have appreciated my parents doing that when I was 12, 13, 14 years old. In fact, it’s when I started shying away from the camera. These days are harder to navigate as parents, internet-wise. But I’m sure if you chose to go back to blogging, the fact that you are sensitive to these issues is good evidence that you would respect their privacy!

  9. I will definitely miss your beautiful blog, Lauren!! It is a true treasure. Thank you for all of the time and energy that you have put into it. I wish you and your family the best. Happy 10th anniversary!!

  10. Lauren! I so deeply respect your decision and yet I will truly miss reading your wisdom and stories. You are one of the first blogs I started following and it has been such a joy to follow along, and to learn from you. I still dream of meeting up in real life one day:) Until then, keep doing you, and I’m happy I get little glimpses on instagram! 🙂 xoxo

  11. Hi Lauren! It is hard to sum up the right words to say how grateful I am to you for helping me stay connected to you all these years… It may sound strange and even though we haven’t spoken in a while, I think of you often (probably because I checked your blog frequently over the (almost) last ten years!!!) and I have so much enjoyed watching your boys grow up, you grow as a mother, wife, writer and as a fashionista! We have both changed drastically in these years, but then I feel that we are still very a much have a part of those young girls that met fresh out of college ready to tackle the world. Thank you for following your path and allowing me stay connected to you and our friendship. And, kudos for following a path to determine what it right for your family! I am proud of the example you set as a mother, you brought me much peace and inspiration in my own journey through motherhood. I will definitely miss your blog, but I will continue to follow you on the good ol’ Instagram to keep in touch! Wishing you the best that life has to offer and the wisdom to always continue to recognize it! Love you girl!
    Kathy

  12. I had been waiting for this post as your had been writing on here much more infrequently but it’s still hard to read. Thank you for all that you have shared with us over the past 10 years. You will never know the influence you had on me and so many others. You will be missed on here but you have more than earned this good-bye. I look forward to referencing your archives for recipes and garden wisdom.

    Cheers to a new chapter!

    Emily

  13. Oh Lauren, I will miss your posts so very much! You have been insightful, honest, and something a lot of other spaces on the Internet are not…calm. Even in harried periods of your life, I felt such a peace and stillness in your posts. I will check out the other blogs you suggested, but I will truly miss you. It’s funny how reading a blog can make one feel like you are making a friend. You always felt like someone I would hope to meet in person one day and have a cup of tea. You made the midwest seem charming and open. If you ever want to visit the Seattle area, send me a note. Our home is open! I think our children would have a blast on the trails.

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