Life has been busier than ever for us – and there’s nothing like having a baby to confirm your true priorities. We’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately: what exactly are our goals? What are we working towards? Hoping to gain? The answer, we realized, was definitely not more blog hits or traffic or approval. Honestly we both feel unsettled by the idea of our blog growing any larger, and we look fondly back on the earlier days when we worked less, slept more, and spent more quality time with our family and friends. This little website of ours has already surpassed every expectation we ever could have had for it. So what are we chasing?
When Clara was born we were both blogging full time, but we had about a third of the traffic that we have now and we usually shared around one project a week amidst other home-related chitchat, family happenings, polls, reader makeovers, etc. It was one of the best times of our lives. We did less and had less, and we were completely comfortable. So in light of everything on our plates, this new baby boy, and a girl who’s growing up entirely too fast (cue the Armageddon music), we’ve decided to paddle back towards that.
We know this choice may directly correlate to fewer hits and therefore less income – and we’re ok with that. Sure, it’s a little scary not knowing where we’ll be in a few months or years (but we’ve never known that as professional bloggers anyway). We’ve made “risky” career choices before in the name of life quality – like leaving the NYC rat race and giving up steady salaries for blogging – but they’ve also been some of our best decisions.
Just like we did when we made those leaps, we’ve saved enough to help us sleep at night. We’ve also both left the door open in our previous professions, so even if this choice means we’ll eventually be taking on freelance advertising work again (which I did to make a living before we started this blog, and which John has dabbled with over the last few years) it’s a risk we’re willing to take in the name of bringing some balance back into our lives.
The good news is that our love of home improvement and blogging is burned deep into our hearts, and our to-do list is still a mile long. We have no plans to stop blogging anytime soon. We’ll still be posting our projects, planning, shopping, and other usual fare here regularly. But things will be noticeably different as we recalibrate our priorities (we think we’ll end up in the 3-5 posts per week range).
We’ll also be going back to sharing all of our family posts on Young House Love (sorry Young House Life). We’ve always had family stuff here – in fact some of our favorite (and most popular) posts are the personal ones about things like breastfeeding, Clara’s birth story, her photo project, this ridiculousness, and random facts about me and John. Between those types of posts always existing on our main site, and Instagram taking the place of the smaller family updates, Young House Life has felt less necessary lately, so we won’t be posting over there anymore.
We know some people will be relieved by this change of pace (many of you have encouraged us to slow down) or excited about the new looser style of posting, while others might decide to tune out – and we’re ok with that too.
We feel extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to make this choice. It’s not a decision that we’ve made lightly, and we realized that if we don’t seize it now, we may never have the chance to again. Teddy is our last baby and Clara is just a year away from kindergarten (how did that happen?!), so we want to enjoy this time with them instead of working our nights, weekends, and vacations away chasing some business goal we don’t even want.
We have no idea what the future holds, but even if the internet exploded tomorrow, we’re already so grateful for this amazing and completely unexpected journey of ours. This blog has surprised us in the most major of ways, and has led to some unbelievable experiences and opportunities, many of which we can’t quite wrap our minds around.
We still have big dreams for this house of ours and can’t wait to share how it evolves with you guys. But if you’ll excuse us, I have an almost impossibly tiny diaper to change and John’s off to buy some lumber again…
Lynn says
I’ve often found myself wondering where you guys found the time for what you do with 1 child! :) When I take time away with the family, it takes me a day or two to catch-up on ‘reading’ your posts!!! lol
Since the book, show home and new baby on the way…I have been in awe!
I have taken much advice from your posts and I’m still inspired by the things you do! Teddy and Clara will certainly appreciate the time you are taking to spend with them.
Your loyal readers understand and I think they will continue to follow you guys throughout your careers, whatever you do!!! :)
Annie says
What a fantastic decision! We will miss you but, as a mama, I can see how much it’ll improve your quality of life. :)
Cheers and congrats!
Karen says
Another reason to completely love you guys. Well done on taking such a brave and important decision. (But please don’t stop blogging altogether!)
Audrey says
I’m incredibly relieved for you guys! :) You don’t have to justify your life decisions to anyone but yourself. We’ll all happily be here whenever you do decide to share a new post. In the meantime, enjoy that little nugget Teddy as much as you can!!
SarahSmile says
I’m so happy for you guys and will always follow long with your lil story for as long as your choose to share it with us! Life is precious, and those little people matter more than any amount of money or hits that you can generate from this blog, and they will be forever grateful for your decision to focus on being fantastic parents! You guys are AWESOME!!
Mimi says
This choice totally make sense, you guys have been doing a lot less already for months. So many filler posts. I hope you guys do away with those. Also have you thought about decreasing the presence of your children on the blog?
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds like you might be someone who’ll want to tune out after this change (we’re planning to share more family stuff over here like we used to in the good ol’ days, and we’ll be slowing down our project pace – so if you think the last few months have been slow I’m afraid you’ll think we’re Mr. & Mrs. Molasses in the future :)
xo
s
Melanie says
You were probably not reading those posts because the last months were far from slow for YHL. Have you seen the show house or realized Sherry just had a baby? Probably best if you stopped reading…
Great decision J&S, enjoy this time!
CathiS says
I love your blog one day at a time, one week at a time or whenever. You will not lose me. I read your blog leisurely like a good magazine. With a cup of coffee and no other distractions. The thought of you writing it a leisurely pace makes it all the better!
Maria says
Good for you!!!
Cathy says
That’s great! Family always comes first. You only have 18 summers with the kids and they fly by faster every year…so do whatever it takes to spend time with them. I never understood how you two handle everything going on in your lives, so slowing down sounds like a great idea to me :)
Michelle Kersey says
I’m so glad you guys are scaling back!! I’ve had to do that a few times with my photography business. My priorities are always to my family first. My youngest is just a couple months younger than Clara and I’ve been a dedicated reader since before our babies came. I’ve followed along all of your success (and failures here and there lol) and have been grateful for your shares. I’ve followed your family/personal posts too. It’s great you’re merging them back together. It’s hard to please everyone. So just make sure you’re doing what you want to do.
So proud of you guys for making this decision. You’ll never regret it!!! Much love to your family as you enjoy the sweet baby cuddles and heart melting sibling moments. The best is yet to come!!
Cori says
Such a wise decision! This sounds kind of weird, but I am so proud of you guys for keeping your priorities straight. We live in a country where family time and relaxation are often deemed unimportant, and the goal of most people seems to be MAKE MORE MONEY, so to see a couple who have had such success and not let it control them or go to their heads is refreshing. I wish more people would follow your example! Lots of love! *big hug (and a kiss for the littles)*
Sara Aaserud says
I seriously don’t know how you guys kept up such a crazy schedule for so long! Good for you for pulling back a bit.
BUT, as someone who is currently 8.5 months pregnant, I saw the title of this post and was like “Gahhhh…I want Oreos now!” Off to the vending machines I go ;)
Kate says
Good for you! Best of luck and I still look forward to popping in 3-5 times per week :)
Rachel says
Good for you guys!! High five and all that. Congrats on the new addition and don’t sweat your readers one bit. You’re well loved and it shows. We’re all stoked for you no matter what. Thanks for modeling balance. The world needs more of that.
Kacy says
Rock on! Putting your family first and wanting to focus on the important things in life and wanting a good life balance is so awesome and admirable! I LOVE your blog. I was a lurker/non-commenter for many years until I stop chickening out and it’s been a thrill to see your success over the past few years – but like others said, I’ll enjoy it just as much if its more family fun and less DIY stuff too. :) I’ll be reading just as much in the future as I have in the past. I love that you guys keep it real and don’t put on airs and share your fun, loving family and life with us. Less posts will just mean that the ones you do post are that much more special!
It’s so easy to get caught up in the rat race or want to keep up with the Jones constantly. I totally applaud you for taking a step back and really savoring these next few years – as a mom of a one year old I just can’t believe how fast it went by and looking back I’m glad many times I ignored projects and chores piling up to hold my sleeping baby. Cherish every moment and don’t apologize for a second for being less on your blog, you enjoy this life!
Wishing you all the best and continued success and blessings!
Jillys says
Good for you! I am a former workaholic who didn’t know how I’d keep up once I had a baby (Nixon Francis is now 5 months old) – the second he was born my workaholic days became a distant memory, and so did that ‘above and beyond’ person! I still do a good job at work but my family is far and away my #1 job!! Best job in the world! :) Enjoy this time, and thanks for all you’ve done – I’ll always be a loyal YHL fan!
Amanda says
I have been following you guys for years and love your posts. Thanks for being awesome and having such great content. I don’t think I’ve ever commented, but I had to with this post to say good for you!! What a grat example you are to put family first! I hope this works out even better for you!
Sabrina says
Congratulations on making one of the more difficult decisions in life. I am very glad to hear of you (both) stepping back a bit from this crazed work life to concentrate on finding balance and more family / couple time. I am currently struggling with a similar dilemma. I would like to know how you both came to the the final realization and decision? What logistic method did you use (like writing out pros and cons? Family discussions-throwing out ideas and what-if scenarios?) Or was the decision based more on gut feeling / deep emotion and want? What was it that guided you and your family to taking that big leap and jumping off the more-money-more-fame wagon? Thank you in advance for any guidance and shared information.
S/
YoungHouseLove says
We did almost everything you mention – there were lots of long family discussions, some list-writing and debating and second guessing, a lot of financial planning and making sure our family would be ok, and a lot of general gut-checking. It really helped to picture what we wanted for our family and our future in a wide/global way, and then we could evaluate different options for the blog/our life, and very objectively talk about which choices would lead to that vision for our family, and which ones had nothing to do with that at all.
xo
s
Laura says
I look forward to all your posts and almost virtually screamed at you both when I saw this one “Go back to your baby and snuggle!” I am glad that is what you are doing. Enjoy your family, your life and your projects and I will enjoy watching them at a slower pace.
Dee says
Good for you! Nice to see you taking charge and not letting the run-away locomotive of a big blog take you where you don’t really want to go.
I’ll still be checking in with you guys.
Enjoy your life!
Alison says
You and John are pros at taking risks and your hard work has led you to this point! Can’t wait to see how things evolve and be a part of it :)
Sherrie Albrecht says
I’m amazed you have kept up with the pace as long as you have. I, personally, really like the five days a week postings but every day doesn’t need to be an in-depth post. You could make one day the lighter weight postings like fab freebies. Didn’t you used to do a posting of a summary of your sponsors and their discounts? Also I have a suggestion for a light weight post – a virtual house crashing. Like the house crashing you currently do, except the content of the post is all done by the host. I see this on other blogs where they host guest bloggers, but I was thinking of this being for non-bloggers, especially if they have something inspired by your blog. It might require more editing than is worth it but anyway, something to consider. I definitely think it’s a good idea to slow down while your kids are young. Good Luck!
Sarah J says
This is great news! Happy for you all!
Natalie says
You know what they say: Less is MORE!!
These babies are growing up entirely too fast and you need to take time to enjoy it. Working from home isn’t always the easiest but at least you get to see your children grow.
It was also overwhelming coming to your blog and seeing pages of posts I missed- so I’m excited for less!
I hope God continues to bless your little family of 5 (fur babies count as family)!!
Sarah says
This is great news! I wondered how you did it all and still had balance. I don’t comment much, but this is a pleasant surprise. It’s a great example to your readers. I’m a stay at home mom that sometimes wishes we could have more material things, but in the end our family life is way more important. Good for you staying true to yourself.
Larita says
Just wanted to leave one of many comments confirming your choice. One of the things I love most about your blog is how real it is – you guys could be my neighbours (well, except I’ll likely never live in a neighbourhood like yours, hehe). Sounds to me like your blog will be headed back in a direction I’ll prefer ;)
Jessica Ballard says
Hey guys, Congrats on the new gorgeous little one. I agree that slowing down is awesome. I have actually read your site less over the last year or so because it has been too much for me to keep up with. Your older pace seemed more realistic and true to my lifestyle. I look forward to being able to keep up with the slower pace of posts. Enjoy Life!
Kim says
Sounds great, Petersiks. Family first! I’ll love checking in on what’s going on whenever you are get to it.
fulori says
I wouldn’t expect anything less from you and John; after all, your family is the best YHL project.
Thank goodness for Instagram, though – I can still get my daily fix. ;)
Jerri says
I’m so happy for your family. Weird to feel almost like you know someone when you’ve never met…but both you and John let your personalities show through your writing styles. It’s so easy to like you and cheer you on from CT. I wondered how you would keep going on the blog for years to come if you keep working at your recent pace in what now seems like it will be your forever home. Glad you can slow down, share some knowledge and experience along the way and ~best of all~ BE HAPPY! xo
Kate says
I love your posts and have been following for years, but this is awesome! Congrats to you guys for having the strength to know what is best for you. You are setting a wonderful example for all your devoted readers. Enjoy your beautiful family!
Meredith Jones says
Sounds like a plan to me! I’ll still come back every day to check in. I’ve always thought you guys sure had a tough blogging schedule. With my own newborn, I can’t imagine doing anything besides sleeping, feeding and changing poop, but y’all have been working this whole time too. Good for you and your fam guys! :)
Alison says
Good for you guys. I had wondered how you would keep up your momentum with a newborn and preschooler. Its amazing the joy that spending time with family brings. I am a loyal follower and will be until the day you guys close up shop. But family comes first, always. I’m envious of time you get to spend with that sweet baby and nothing else compares. Not even a good ol’ room makeover;)
Tara H. says
I’ve been inspired by you all for several years now. I always read, and sometimes comment, but as a mom, wife, and lover of the simple life, I am again inspired. You guys choose what works for you, and that’s inspiring. Many people continue following a path that doesn’t “fit” just because they are afraid to do anything different. All the best to your family of five, because Burger certainly DOES count.
Annette says
3 Posts a week will still be plenty to keep all of us entertained. I’m sure.
Go ahead and enjoy your little bundle of sleeplessness. ;-)
And let me just say it’s adorable how fast Clara adopted the big sister thing. My niece is a little over 2 years older than her baby brother and she was quite wary of the little bugger at first and didn’t quite get the mommy’s pregnant thing at first. But by now, (4 months later) she’s all over him and he just absolutley loves her.
Fun story: She’s actually overheard when the doctor told her mum to put little Nils on his stomach regularly so he can train his neck muscles – guess who’s busy turning him over whenever mommy’s not looking? That’s right. His big sister. And she’s mighty proud of herself. Nils is getting plenty of stomach laying time now. ;-)
Erin says
What a great post and a great decision for your family. Best of luck to you all. I will still be reading :)
Lindsay says
So sad (for myself) but so happy for you guys! I LOVE your blog and religiously check your site right after it gets posted. I understand though as I just put in my 2 weeks at work yesterday and then I’ll be a stay at home mom to my 2 year old and my soon to be born baby that’s about 8 weeks away from arrival! :) So, I understand wanting to slow down. Just know though that you’ll be missed. I think DIY was born as part of me, and even though I don’t have time for a lot of DIY now, reading DIY blogs like yours helps fill that void. Good luck to you and your family! :)
Lisa | Winter Heights says
This makes me so happy for you guys…odd that I don’t know you personally, but I read this and sighed in relief for you. No matter what, I’ll be here reading your posts whenever they come. Wishing you all the best. :)
suzanne ohara says
Hi Sherry & John
Ive never commented, but followed your journey for 5 years or so. This 1- I had to comment on. When I hit the TOP of my career goals and earned a really cool position that I thoroughly enjoyed—– My first born daughter came along & after my family leave was up— I KNEW she was more important than a salary, a car, dinners out, a fancy job etc. 14yrs later and another baby boy who is 10yrs old— Hands down — BEST DECISION ever!! We got raise our kids -even in the smallest of things, WE have been available for everything— we have role modeled “simplicity” and they are the coolest kids who know how much they are loved!! YOU GUYS ARE COURAGEOUS!!!!! You GO!!!!!
It wasnt always easy, but so worth it!
Rosie says
Good decision! I will still be here reading away :) Honestly, with my own baby and our own fixer-upper I never felt like I had time to read all your posts. So for my own selfish reasons I’m glad you’re scaling back…I won’t miss as much.
Brandy says
Yes, some people will tune out. Me? This makes me love you even more. It’s a reminder that you’re real people, just like the rest of us {although, we already knew that} and I’m so, so happy for your decision! Congrats!
Anna says
So refreshing to read this, congrata on knowing what you want in life and prioritizing accordingly. You have a beautiful family! And I can’t wait to read the 3-5 posts a week, 1 post a week, whatever it ends up being. Always a devoted reader, book buyer, product buyer. Truly enjoy everything you guys do! No go snuggle a baby. :)
Drew says
Good for you! Family is number one and I am sure you will find the same amount of success going this route.
Crystal says
You two are a fresh breath of fresh air. Family should come first-no question about it. You deserve some mad props for realizing you needed a change of direction. Good for you!
Is it just me that could survive on only showhouse updates for the next month?! You know tours, source lists, etc. I say the only tool you’ll need for the next month is the camera. Plus you’ll be ready when Teddy strikes a pose!
P.S. I won’t be going anywhere:)
Alicia says
I think you guys are doing the right thing. I like reading your posts every day, but I you guys are also pretty much the only blog I read that consistently posts daily! I do like the random posts you guys used to have, and based on your listy von listerson I think you’ll have plenty to keep us entertained while still pacing yourselves. And congrats again on the new babe!
Carol D says
Yay for you! Children grow up WAY too fast. Grab it now!!
Aimee says
I am so happy for you all. Congratulations on that sweet baby and for all that you have accomplished over the past several years. You guys deserve the best. I love your thoughtful decisions and can’t imagine not reading your plog posts. Thank you for everything you do!
Anna says
So refreshing to read this, congrata on knowing what you want in life and prioritizing accordingly. You have a beautiful family! And I can’t wait to read the 3-5 posts a week, 1 post a week, whatever it ends up being. Always a devoted reader, book buyer, product buyer. Truly enjoy everything you guys do! Now go snuggle a baby. :)
fd says
Its nuts, but my first thought when you posted this was ‘I’m so proud of you’. I don’t know you, and I’m aware it sounds patronising, but I think its a totally brave and totally brilliant decision on your part. Well done!
Kelsey says
Congratulations on your decision to downsize! My husband and I have to remind ourselves every day about what is important – quality of daily life and our family. I will continue to look out for new posts from you, but good luck on your upcoming journey with your beautiful family!