It seems we are always adjusting sails around here. I have blogged pretty diligently for so many years but this past year for the first time I had to slow way down with the amount of blog posts I could put up. There has been such a big crowd shift to social media platforms, and […]
It seems we are always adjusting sails around here. I have blogged pretty diligently for so many years but this past year for the first time I had to slow way down with the amount of blog posts I could put up. There has been such a big crowd shift to social media platforms, and I see how a good portion of our readers are just consuming our content on instagram. It requires us to treat both spaces differently, and creating content for both spaces can be very time consuming. While we still have plenty of you visiting this space frequently, it is constantly leaving us torn as to where to pour our time.
We decided to scale back on the quantity of posts, and focus on getting you quality content that is more resource based. Quality over quantity, right? You can find more bite sized every day content on our instagram handle and stories. It got me thinking though….how many of you still faithfully visit your favorite blogs? I personally love a full length post on meatier topics, and I still visit my Bloglovin’ app weekly to catch up on favorites. Utimately I see the value in both! Maybe you just click over from instagram or facebook if something peeks your interest? I’d love to hear your perspective:)
Cutting back on the blog content does give us a little more freedom to create video content though! We are hoping to do more at home videos as so many of you have asked for more ideas on the ins and outs of family life. The funny thing is, it is really hard to pick up a camera in those moments when life is at full speed. Going to try though.
Everyone is busting out the patio furniture in the south, and this set from World Market is 20% off today. It’s very similar the set we have on our lower patio. I really love our weather proof pieces, as I have seen the difference in quality.
Speaking of patios, we are starting to pick up a bunch of flowers to bring it back to life! Gabe introduced me to the PictureThis app because whenever you see a flower or tree you love, you can snap a picture of it and it will identify the type within seconds!
Trying to not procrastinate this year and snag some Easter dresses for the girls ahead of time! I always get them from Old Navy. This one is a winner for Zelie. They have great options for little boys as well.
Highly recommend this Goop podcast on skin and gut health. I’m always looking for good documentaries to watch too. Any recs?
A short and effective workout youtube video I’ve been doing from home. I usually mute it and put on some good dance music!
Really looking forward to heading to warmer weather in a few weeks. Since the baby bump is growing I’m in that wonderful phase where nothing fits, but not quite big enough for maternity. Picked up this dress that’s 50% off, a super affordable swimsuit, and a few comfy tees and tanks on sale. Etsy is the best place to find fun straw and wicker bags for spring and summer.
We are coming out of endless rain here in Atlanta, so wherever you are….wishing you sun this weekend!
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I only ever read blog posts through Instagram. I follow you guys and three other accounts that do have blogs and only go to blog posts if I find out that you blogged on an Instagram post/stories. I am hardly an average Instagram user though, because I only follow 29 accounts in total, including family/friends. The strangers I follow are only those whose content I really enjoy and feel it is meaningful, like yours!
Love blog posts! I think for whatever reason I am less likely to feel jealous (yes I am exposing my weaknesses!) if I read person’s blogpost than see a small perfectly curated snapshot of their life. (Why do my kids looks so messy.. why don’t I bounce back like that postpartum.. or why is her husband home at five and mine is deployed to another country..) Blogs help give a fuller picture and promotes empathy and goodwill as opposed to envy. I also think Instagram in particular can be tough if your going through difficult times. And I teach 8th graders and the gram is a disaster for mental health and academic performance.. studies are showing this http://time.com/5550803/depression-suicide-rates-youth/. So while I live Instagram in small doses, I’m team blog!!
I could agree more!!!! During my teaching and MD Dean days, social media became the bane of my existence as I saw the damage it was doing to my students. I think we should be teacher friends!
Thank you for the video link! And yes, I always tell my students that nothing illustrates the concept of irony better than the term “smartphone” … oh the eye rolls!
I love blogs!
I personally found both Facebook and Instagram to be overwhelming due to the amount of content that I felt I MUST consume, which was detrimental to my productiveness and happiness. So I quit those platforms awhile ago. I still use Bloglovin everyday and I pick and choose which posts to click through and read in full. I’ve found a balance of information consumption that feels useful but not wasteful, if that makes any sense!
So please continue to allocate some of your valuable time towards actual blog posts; they are much appreciated! 🙂
I still like to read blogs over instagram. Even though “stories” can keep my favorite bloggers and influencers real, I find that you can really get a sense of a person’s true self (and voice) through their writing. Also, can you link the workout video you’ve been doing? TY
I like Instagram okay, but prefer to keep my feed as just my family and friends and a few bloggers/artists that I really want to keep up with on my personal ‘gram. I have a separate account for my blog and that’s where I follow all the bloggers I read and celebrities and other influencers, but I’m almost never on that account. All that to say, I prefer blogs! I like having lots of information and pictures rather than a few pictures and a caption. And although I’m not good about writing on my own blog, I like giving alllll the details when I talk about something, so a blog is better for me than just social media.
Also, just wanted to let you know it’s “pique your interest” not “peek”! Don’t you just love that English is a mutt of French, German, Spanish, etc origins? Lol
Yeah, instagram can make me sad, so I go through phases of not even being logged in. What’s hard about it, I think, is that you have practically no control over what you see. If someone you follow posted it, you see it. On Facebook, I can combat this—I’ve unfollowed (but remained friends with) literally everyone except for my immediate family. That way there’s a choice and an action between me and seeing what’s up in my friends’ lives. I still get jealous of people; it just makes the jealousy-inducing information more like a controllable dribble than a firehose that someone else is controlling. All that to say that Insta can be a bit much for me, so I definitely still appreciate a few blogs!
I also miss the days of blogging! And I find myself mostly just reading the captions on Instagram rather than looking at the photos. I want to “hear” a person’s thoughts, and that’s much easier in words than pictures, I think. Love your posts that offer beautiful, honest reflections about life! (And about home decor ;))
Blogs all the way. I don’t follow anyone but family or close friends on Instagram. I feel like I found out about blogs too late in life (2.5 years ago) but I loved reading them all. I have noticed bloggers don’t blog as much but I still check all my favorites (like Yours) in hopes that there will be a random post. Not sure how pictures replace blog posts that share insight and beauty or just randomness.
Tammy
says:I prefer blogs to Instagram. Although I love the pictures from Instagram, it feels like you get more information and substance in the blogs.
Marika
says:I only ever read blog posts through Instagram. I follow you guys and three other accounts that do have blogs and only go to blog posts if I find out that you blogged on an Instagram post/stories. I am hardly an average Instagram user though, because I only follow 29 accounts in total, including family/friends. The strangers I follow are only those whose content I really enjoy and feel it is meaningful, like yours!
Rachel
says:I love blogs and read them every day! I love following a few specific people on Instagram, but for the most part I prefer blogs.
Rachel | http://www.rachelstriving.com
Kathleen
says:Love blog posts! I think for whatever reason I am less likely to feel jealous (yes I am exposing my weaknesses!) if I read person’s blogpost than see a small perfectly curated snapshot of their life. (Why do my kids looks so messy.. why don’t I bounce back like that postpartum.. or why is her husband home at five and mine is deployed to another country..) Blogs help give a fuller picture and promotes empathy and goodwill as opposed to envy. I also think Instagram in particular can be tough if your going through difficult times. And I teach 8th graders and the gram is a disaster for mental health and academic performance.. studies are showing this http://time.com/5550803/depression-suicide-rates-youth/. So while I live Instagram in small doses, I’m team blog!!
Gabe Liesemeyer
says:I could agree more!!!! During my teaching and MD Dean days, social media became the bane of my existence as I saw the damage it was doing to my students. I think we should be teacher friends!
Kathleen
says:Thank you for the video link! And yes, I always tell my students that nothing illustrates the concept of irony better than the term “smartphone” … oh the eye rolls!
Courtney
says:I love blogs!
I personally found both Facebook and Instagram to be overwhelming due to the amount of content that I felt I MUST consume, which was detrimental to my productiveness and happiness. So I quit those platforms awhile ago. I still use Bloglovin everyday and I pick and choose which posts to click through and read in full. I’ve found a balance of information consumption that feels useful but not wasteful, if that makes any sense!
So please continue to allocate some of your valuable time towards actual blog posts; they are much appreciated! 🙂
Jacqueline
says:I still like to read blogs over instagram. Even though “stories” can keep my favorite bloggers and influencers real, I find that you can really get a sense of a person’s true self (and voice) through their writing. Also, can you link the workout video you’ve been doing? TY
I prefer reading blogs to Instagram. I keep track of my favorite blogs on Bloglovin and read posts as often as I can.
I still love Blogs. I miss the days when blogging was more popular and instagram was less curated.
I like Instagram okay, but prefer to keep my feed as just my family and friends and a few bloggers/artists that I really want to keep up with on my personal ‘gram. I have a separate account for my blog and that’s where I follow all the bloggers I read and celebrities and other influencers, but I’m almost never on that account. All that to say, I prefer blogs! I like having lots of information and pictures rather than a few pictures and a caption. And although I’m not good about writing on my own blog, I like giving alllll the details when I talk about something, so a blog is better for me than just social media.
Also, just wanted to let you know it’s “pique your interest” not “peek”! Don’t you just love that English is a mutt of French, German, Spanish, etc origins? Lol
Sam
says:Yeah, instagram can make me sad, so I go through phases of not even being logged in. What’s hard about it, I think, is that you have practically no control over what you see. If someone you follow posted it, you see it. On Facebook, I can combat this—I’ve unfollowed (but remained friends with) literally everyone except for my immediate family. That way there’s a choice and an action between me and seeing what’s up in my friends’ lives. I still get jealous of people; it just makes the jealousy-inducing information more like a controllable dribble than a firehose that someone else is controlling. All that to say that Insta can be a bit much for me, so I definitely still appreciate a few blogs!
I also miss the days of blogging! And I find myself mostly just reading the captions on Instagram rather than looking at the photos. I want to “hear” a person’s thoughts, and that’s much easier in words than pictures, I think. Love your posts that offer beautiful, honest reflections about life! (And about home decor ;))
Crystal
says:Blogs all the way. I don’t follow anyone but family or close friends on Instagram. I feel like I found out about blogs too late in life (2.5 years ago) but I loved reading them all. I have noticed bloggers don’t blog as much but I still check all my favorites (like Yours) in hopes that there will be a random post. Not sure how pictures replace blog posts that share insight and beauty or just randomness.
i definitely prefer blogs to instagram. a lot more substance and inspiration for me! love yours anna x