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…
Erin says
I’m so happy to hear that you’re making the choices that feel right for you all. We’re all out here cheering you on, whichever direction you head, and we wouldn’t care so durn much about you if you hadn’t approached this whole blogging thing with such dedication to being true to yourselves. Lucky, lucky Clara and Teddy, and every blessing to your whole beautiful family.
Lois says
Yay! Very excited for you all :-D
Lindsay says
Honestly, good for you guys. Only you two know what’s best for you and your family and you’re quite right, life passes us by far, far too quickly. Enjoy those precious moments :) All my best! xo
Nancy says
You will not regret your decision! Enjoy your family!!
Liz says
I’m a daily reader but have don’t comment often…. I just have to say “congrats” on making a big decision like this! As a new(er) mom seeing how fast her baby is growing, I couldn’t agree with your decision more!
Enjoy the precious time with your family and congrats on Teddy! My husband is a Theodore… just love the name :)
Monica says
Hallelujah! Whew! It’s about time! John and Sherry, my husband and I have been loyal blog followers for a few years now and like you guys, we have a toddler and a newborn (9 week old actually) and frankly over the last 2-3 months or so we were dizzy with the amount of content, projects, seemingly non-stop work you were creating and generating. Where did you find the time to do all that??!!! Don’t get us wrong, we love you guys but it’s been difficult for us to keep up with the non-stop content and work you guys were doing — I actually had to take a break from reading after my LO was born because I (and I can vouch for my hubby as well) felt like total schlubs for not being able to manage our own house and lives! In other words, we weren’t relating to you guys one bit. It seemed like all the work you have been doing (which is all amazing BTW) has been humanely unreal to accomplish so fast. I know this is your full time job but I cannot thank you enough for hitting the breaks here and taking a step back. Thank you for bringing it back to keeping it real. We love you guys and look forward to a more relaxed pace!
Gail says
As others have said, raising your sweet children is the most important job you will ever have, but the years go by so fast! Enjoy them and take advantage of all the time you can spend with them. Our children are in their 30s, and soon we will have 3 grandchildren. I have never regretted staying home with my children when they were little.
Bethany @ Dwellings by DeVore says
So happy for you guys, there’s nothing more important than being there for your family and enjoying the moments that go by so quickly! Teddy is so precious, I know you are enjoying every minute!
Barbara L. says
Congrats on precious Teddy’s safe arrival and love
the pics with him and Clara. It is time to rethink
your family time and enjoy each other as much as possible.
I like your decisions and your blog and still waiting
for John to post his recipes :)
a loyal fan I will always be….
Joanne says
You have worked SOOO hard to be able to do this. If you and John and your beautiful family weren’t so freakin’ awesome and real, I’d be jealous. Instead, I am once again inspired and so very happy for you!
Caryn says
Kudos to you!!! I LOVE your blog(s) and everything you post seems to inspire me in some way with life, home improvement and especially family. I’ve been following you for some time and am super excited to see where this new adventure takes you! Its amazing to see good, deserving people taking advantage of life’s opportunities and having the courage to do so even when it’s scary. Congratulations on Baby Teddy and this new journey!
Zahra says
Well done for being so brave in making a decision you believe in and is important to you! I think it’s a super clever call, and I wish you lots of happy times with your lovely family :) :)
Alyssa :) says
Even though I’ve only been a reader for the past year, I am totally a YHL addict! I moved into my first house the same weekend you moved into your current home and you guys have been an awesome reminder that I don’t have to be ashamed that my house isn’t “done” yet. Thank you so much for that.
I just looked back at all the comments, I don’t think you guys have answered this one but sorry if I’m repeating. Are you still planning to post around the same time on the days you do post? I am just so in the habit of checking at 10AM everyday! Just curious if I should be checking back later in the day if I don’t see something up in the morning.
YoungHouseLove says
We think things will be in flux with a newborn, but if we settle into a pattern we’ll be sure to let you know, or try to aim for the same time if we can.
xo
s
emily says
sounds amazing! couldn’t be happier for your family! congrats & enjoy!
Megan says
Congrats on the new baby! The bunny ears hat is adorable. I’m hoping as new (again) parents, you can answer a question for me. I am soon to be the new aunt to twins (gender unknown). What are some unusual, but ever-so helpful items new parents won’t think to buy themselves? Any ideas on where to get super unique baby gear?
YoungHouseLove says
We’re in love with Aiden & Annais swaddle blankets (they’re thin and gauzy and perfect) and we also really like Honest diapers so far (just trying them out for the first time with Teddy before he fits into our cloth diapers). And a Sophie The Giraffe is nice (it’s a teething thing that’s natural and cute – Clara loved it when she got teeth).
xo
s
Hannah not Montana says
The best design decisions are family focused! =)
Leslie says
Hell yeah. Good for you all.
christine drane says
Good for you!!!!!!!! Will still enjoy any blog post you send out, even if they are less often. Kids grow up so fast, have fun!
candace says
Cheers to Less! We’ll be here and admiring your willingness to scale back so you have more time to smooch your babies. Rest and relax, you need it and deserve it.
Gabi M. says
I am so happy to read this! I’m so glad that you guys are putting focus where it really matters and that we will still get to see so much in the process. Our family has had to reevaluate as well, which for me, means less time on my phone when my family is around. Frankly, the blogs I follow sit in my inbox for a week or so until a day like today when I can finally catch up on my leisurely reading. So, I’m all for it! I love reading your posts, but I care way more about your family and couple time than three or five more posts a week. Thank you for the dedication to your readers, but thank you more for the dedication to your family and the great example it is for the rest of us :).
Aubrey says
I think this is a fabulous idea. From a reader standpoint: I followed the blog religiously for a while, beginning when you had just moved into your last house, but life got in the way and I just haven’t been able to keep up with all of the information everywhere. It’s not that I didn’t want to, just that time didn’t allow it. So I am happy to hear that you will be slowing down so that maybe I can catch up and then stay tuned in the blog in real-time again.
Congratulations on your beautiful family. I think regardless of what happens you’ve carved out quite the niche in the online world so will always have followers and a decent fan-base. Enjoy the time you have, it goes so fast.
Nicola Blake says
I love you guys and I will check in as usual.Two babies homework and a stay at home job is hard. Good luck on all your future endeavors. Make big changes can be scary,change sometimes is the only constant. Congrats
Summer says
I have often wondered how you guys do everything you do! I seriously had no idea how you got it all done. Way to go on stepping back for your lives – I had to do the same thing with my job a few years ago. Not everyone understands, but the ones who matter (like your family) will applaud you! Way to go! I totally respect your decision and I will definitely keep reading! :)
Sarah says
First time commenter, but I have been reading for over a year…. What a great decision for your family! I just had my third baby four months ago and my husband is a submarine officer in the Navy and is gone a lot for his job. Our oldest is six years old and I have really become aware of how quickly time goes by and how precious this time with our children is. In the last few months I have made a concerted effort to simplify and streamline our lives. My new motto is “be present”- I want my kids to know that it am fully engaged with them as much as possible and I want what little time we have with their dad to be positive and centered around family. While my experiences are different from your family’s, it is comforting to know that other families are in similar situations and reevaluating their lives and priorities. I look forward to reading your blog whether you post twice a week or twice a month!
Carrie says
Yeah!!! Congratulations, great decision, I was wondering how you were managing it all anyway, you guys have been busy! So happy for you and we will of course keep reading (-: also happy to see so many comments on a non giveaway post. Good luck with everything and congratulations!
Suzanne says
It’s one thing to be smart. It’s another to be wise. Congratulations on the former, but most especially on the latter. :-)
Pamela says
That’s right-smell those roses!!! Your loyal fans aren’t going anywhere :) You would regret not doing it. XOXO
Erin @ The Great Indoors says
Frankly, I was worried about you guys putting too much stress on yourselves by posting so much! None of my other “small” blogs (i.e., single/double writers, not Apartment Therapy) posted as often as you two, and I’m glad to hear you’re ratcheting back a little! Take time to enjoy those precious little ones now — then once they’re teenagers and can’t stand you, you can blog more often. :-)
Erin
Beth Midberry says
Congratulations to you guys. For Teddy, of course, and also for the decision to put family first. Kudos to you all on a super successful blog and for all the future holds!
Cindy @Made2Style says
That’s great news for you guys and I can’t imagine anyone will stop reading, in fact you’ll probably have more hits than ever..”Did they post today, did they post today?” People will be hitting the refresh bar like crazy ;)
xo
Kristen @ Joyfullythriving says
As a new Mom myself, good for you! Babies are only little once, and need our cuddles now. I’m so happy for you and your family…and I’ll be here whenever you are! I’m looking forward to the family updates on this site, too.
Chris says
Hi Guys,
Bravo! A wise old lady (about 93 years old) once told me that you need to re-invent yourself every 3 years. If you don’t, you’ll live your life with regret. I didn’t understand that until I had babies. I think what she was trying to tell me was that it takes courage to embrace change. So, make change an expected part of your life… You have built a smart, savvy sophisticated (pat on back) and captive audience. We’ll be here. 3 blogs a week is just plenty. Honestly, I roam through the entire site and learn from the bloggers on the Forum. Youghouselove is a great resource. Congratulations on your Courage!
kathie says
One of the best decisions you will ever make – not judging, just stating the truth. So happy for you and your little family. We all need to stop living like life is an emergency- take time to tickle toes, listen to long convoluted kiddy stories, kiss a husband long and lucious – and just breathe. Cheers to you all!
Megan P says
You totally should take it easy, but set a schedule up still, even if it’s simply “We will only be updating M/W/F from now on.” Just so that we aren’t disappointed or concerned when we check here and there’s no update, lol
Joseph says
You guys are awesome. It’s exciting to see people beginning to turn away from the pursuit of more success, fame, wealth, stuff, etc. and start to look at what they really want out of life instead of just want they’re “supposed” to want. Kudos to you guys.
Emily says
Congratulations on reaching your decision. It must feel like a weight off your shoulders. It’s seemed as though you’ve had a perfect storm of business recently!
As a mother, I’m honestly a little saddened to hear that you’ll be sharing more family stuff here. Your children are lovely, but I’m sure you’ve seen the first Google auto complete for Clara. If that happened for my daughter, I’d be devastated and stop sharing anything about her immediately. The Internet is forever and one day Clara will Google herself. I don’t know… the whole ‘child of bloggers’ thing is untested waters. You have some very, very enthusiastic readers and if I were you I’d be pulling back on exposing my kids. I just don’t understand being comfortable with it as a parent. It kind of gives me the chills.
Anyway, that wasn’t meant to be such an essay and I hardly ever comment but… I don’t know. I really like you guys, enjoy your blog and wish you all the very best.
Danielle says
Excited for you guys! And I’ll still be hunting down past posts for tips and hints. Thank you for encouraging all of us to be bold in the DIY world and for continuing to share. :)
Susan H says
I just want to jump on the bandwagon and say I’m so excited for you guys as you begin this newest phase of your life. I’ve been reading your blog for years now and I must say I’m super excited you’ll be bringing more family oriented blog posts back to this one. I love reading about your family posts just as much as the diy posts. This is me being selfish but I’m not sure what I’ll be doing during my 2nd block planning period each day now. The first thing I look forward daily is reading your blog and all the comments, but I’m really excited you are planning to scale back to spend time with your family. The last thing I want to see is you guys burn out from blogging because I want your blog to be around for the long haul! Congrats again!! :)
Holly says
You two are such great role models. Good for you for making a tough choice. Status quo is always easier. You feel like long distance friends, so as long as you blog, I’ll keep checking in. :)
J.Mill says
I support your slower pace and think it will give readers more quality over quantity. Not that quality was lacking, but that maybe people will spend more time on your site instead of furiously skimming posts to catch up. Hope you really get the balance you want! I’ll be here, reading everything :)
Annalea says
LOVE x 1,000,000! I’m so, so pleased that y’all are making choices based on what you want in your life, and what will bring your family the most happiness. Life is crazy enough . . . and it will purr along nicely with a happier, closer Petersik clan. (Even if that means fewer posts each week) ;-)
I’ve missed the reader makeovers . . . Oh!, and the mood boards! (I’ll bet you could do a spin-off blog just for mood boards, and make a tidy income from that alone.) :-)
God bless you all, and especially little Teddy and Sherry as they both recover and grow strong!
Ashley says
So, I decided to finally comment. I started following about 2 years ago but have gone back and read lotsssss of posts from the past in my down time when I didn’t have a good book to read. I seriously love you guys and truly enjoy reading, and will continue to do so! I am sort of looking forward to the lighter stuff- when looking back at past posts I love the ones of little projects and just the plain old goofy ones! I’m a fellow Richmonder so I always bookmark any good tips on local places/thrift stores/restaurants you guys give. If you ever decide to hire help ill be waving my arms yelling pick me pick me! Anyway, you guys are awesome, you have 2 stinkin’ cute kids, a lovely home, admirable goals, morals, and values and I just wanna give you all a great big hug. Even burger. And that’s a big deal because chihuahuas are not my thing! Best of luck!!
Oh ps- ill be first in line for the homearama show!
Ranna says
Years ago I started to follow your blog because I wanted to learn how to DIY. I’ve always been afraid to try anything because I figured I would just mess it up. Now I’ll give any project a try thanks to my amazing teachers (you :-), and in the meantime I’ve absolutely fallen in love with your family. So whether it’s a few times a week or just one, I’ll still be here! I always leave your page with a smile.
Julie Friesen says
I think it’s awesome that you’re willing to cut back in order to prioritize your family!! Congrats on the addition of Teddy. We have an almost 4 year old and a 5 month old… so it’s been fun to walk the parenting journey “with” you. Here’s to hoping your little guy sleeps like Clara did. Our 5 month old is still enjoying hanging out in the middle of the night (thankfully just to eat and then goes back to sleep! :/ Ugh! :)
Kelli says
This post totally had me in tears (in a good way)! My husband has a small landscaping company that I will eventually join full-time whenever we are able to get me away from my part-time job. We have a 2.5 year old little girl and are planning our second. We constantly talk about the work/life balance and prioritizing family first. It’s hard to step back in your business, but in the long run it will be worth it. Enjoy your time together!! Many blessings to you all!
Giselle says
Nothing like a newborn bundle of joy to make you rethink about the truly important things in life, because that tiny human being means more than anything in the world, i just had my first baby and boy did my life change for good!!! ive been a follower since the beginning and i can assure you that im more than happy to know that you are focusing on your family more, and is going to be a delight as usual to see what the future holds….we´ll be here … and thats something you can count on!!!! congrats on your beautiful new baby!!! God bless!!
Kara says
Congrats! You two are an inspiration to many (including myself) to reflect on our choices and make some difficult decisions in the name of family and happiness.
Debra says
So glad you have made this decision. I am 54 and it has taken me until recently to make this change. The years go by too fast and putting family first is something you will never regret. I’ll always check in to see what you two are up to. I’ve enjoyed you for years and hope to continue but support you with best wishes for what ever you do. Not to sound weird but you are kind of like my online children since I live in the area.
Kelly says
Good for you! Sounds like a wonderful decision that more of us should make. I will still be reading and I cannot wait to see what life holds in store for your beautiful family! God Bless :)
Andreza Novaes says
I wanted to comment on this post since you guys put it up and couldn’t because my wifi at work simply decided to die. Yuck!
You guys inspired me in so many ways with this post. And for that, thank you so much.
I’m only a 20 year old girl from Brazil working at a firm that is 30+ years in the market and have lots of things to do everyday. It’s normal for me to be there before 8:00 a.m. leave at 6:00 p.m and almost everyday bring work home. I also go to college. Take an English course and I’m about to get my driving license.
And I started to think: what are my goals? To work that hard only for money at the end of the month?
On weekends I’m way too tired that I don’t really get to enjoy the money I almost kill myself during the week to get. Is that normal? Obviusly not.
My point is: If you guys had the guts to worldly say that you are going to slow down in name of your beautiful family and are ok to do less and have less… I can do it too!!!
It’s been ages that I don’t have a quality time with my mom, my friends. Ages since I don’t go out at night to a pub. Or even things like watch a movie with popcorn with my best friend (as we used to do every Friday before I got this job seven months ago).
You guys inspired me to slow down, do less and have less. Money isn’t everything.
Family, love, friends and personal relief are the best things we can achieve in life.
I’m definitely not a reader who will tune out. Be sure of that.
And… congratulations on your BEAUTIFUL family.
ps: is there a P. O. Box so I can send Clara and Teddy a gift? That’d mean a lot to me.
Have a nice weekend!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh Andreza, you’re so sweet! I’m so glad to hear you’re slowing down. We do have a PO Box for postcards/cards and stuff, so I’ll send you the address. There’s no need to send anything big though – just a little note makes our day :)
xo
s