SOCIAL MEDIA

Wednesday, March 13, 2019

The Story of My Blog Part 2

Hi! If you are just joining, please read Part 1 of this post about starting my blog. If you've already read post one, thank you for coming back and keep reading below!
Lily Grace's first day at home.


When we had left off, I had just told my principal I wasn't coming back to work the following school year and was very upset to leave. I knew I wanted to be a stay at home mom, but I knew something was missing from my life too. I began my maternity leave, and then on May 5th, 2017, our sweet baby girl was born.

Ladies, I'm not going to lie to you, it was rough. I hear all the time that the transition from 0-1 kids is the hardest for many people. I believe this. I believe this because I struggled so much with leaving the life I had known, was confident in, and loved to a job that was completely new and HARD. You know how everyone tells you that your whole life will change when you become a parent but you don't really understand what that means until you become one? Well it hit this momma like a ton of bricks. It didn't help that I really struggled to breastfeed and got mastitis 3 times back to back. It also didn't help that I was on the borderline of having PPD. I loved Lily Grace with my whole heart, really and truly, but I knew that there was something still missing. I continued to pray daily for God to show me whatever that answer was. I knew I wanted to be at home with Lily Grace, but I also still wanted to be at work. Was that even possible? 
 The sweet little angel baby that completely rocked our world.

Lily Grace around the end of May, 2017.
So at the end of May, in between bouts of mastitis, I brought Lily Grace to school to meet my former students. They met us out at the playground, and after ooh-ing and aah-ing for 15 or so minutes, the kids went off to play and I caught up with the sub who had taken over my class while I went on maternity leave. As we were talking, she told me she had been offered my old job and I was genuinely thrilled for her. She was the perfect fit for our school and I knew she would be great. Then she continued to tell me about the other teachers who were switching grade levels/classes/etc. She mentioned to me that one of our part time teachers, our STEM teacher, was moving into a full time position as a 3rd grade homeroom teacher. The part time STEM position was still open. Ladies, it took everything I had in me to not cry right then and there on the dang playground. I immediately felt God saying in my heart "THIS is your answer Lauren". Gah, I'm even tearing up writing about it now. Have you ever had God speak to you so directly that you 100%, without a single doubt, knew He was telling you something? I left the playground a little bit later, buckled Lily Grace in her carseat, and called my principal before I even left the parking lot. She was in a meeting, but called me back as soon as she could and agreed, this was the fit God wanted for both my family and our school. 

Fast forward through the following school year, not only did I survive my first year as the part time STEM teacher, but I was thriving. I was able to get out of the house (and yoga pants) two days a week while my mom watched LG. I got to see all of the students I loved so much, and spend time with the coworkers who had become some of my closest friends. I was being challenged and using my brain in a way other than "how many poopy diapers did I change today?" and "did Lily have a well enough balanced diet today?". It was a dream. I was much more confident in my position at work, but more importantly I was much more confident in my position as a mom. 
Lily Grace playing at home June 2018

Last summer, I once again noticed I had a lot more free time on my hands. I wasn't teaching because it was the summer, all of my girlfriends worked, and LG was still taking 2 naps a day. I had continued to read my favorite mom blogs (which has grown to much more than just 1 or 2 by now) and finally decided to stop saying "I could do this too" and say "I AM doing this too". On June 26th, I launched my blog with my first ever post about books I had been reading. I am SO happy I finally decided to re-join the blogging world. If you are thinking about starting your own blog but are too nervous to take the plunge, I promise you won't regret it. This online community of women is incredibly supportive and you will love this new feeling of confidence it gives you. It also helps to keep me more organized and accountable for things like achieving my monthly goals. Win/win!

If you are still reading this post, THANK YOU for supporting my blog by reading along. You are one of the reasons I do this and love it! If any of you out there are bloggers, I'd love to hear the story of how you started! Have you written a post about it? Please share it with me below!!

6 comments :

  1. So glad you took the plunge back into the blogging community!

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  2. What a wonderful solution!! I went the total opposite direction and not only remained a full time stay at home mom but became a full time homeschooling mom! A job I am finding I love more than any other. It's great you found the perfect balance for you and your family.

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    1. Well that answers my question about whether or not you're still at your old school!! Happy you are loving home schooling!

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  3. I have loved getting to read your blog and it is one of my new favorites! I added you on BlogLovin and now don't miss a post. So happy you joined the blogging world!!!

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