Dear readers, can you help?

Hi friends. Let’s just be really honest here.

I’ve not known how to pick up where I left off.

I got slammed. Slammed with busy (not proud of that). Slammed with sick (not fond of that). And slammed with letting the all of the urgent overtake some of the important (I totally know better than that).

It’s hard to even remember the last time I wrote. Well, technically I remember… but it feels like a small lifetime ago.

That’s how much I miss this space. (And my other space.) That’s how much I need words spoken and written and filling my eyes in order to keep my heart ticking over and my mind making sense.

But life caught me off guard this last little while. And I decided that it was okay – there’s grace. (Always grace.)

I’ve not known how to jump back in – what to say, how to begin – but I suppose even that was a stalling tool to make excuses for my own disappointment. I’m disappointed. Truly. And the main reason is: I don’t like to be passive while life just happens to me, but I think somehow I slipped into that vortex of this-is-out-of-my-control-so-why-bother.

(It’s ugly in there folks.)

Buried deep in my busy has been a longing and a cry to breathe, to have margin, to create, to slow down, to be intentional. And mixed into all of that are my questions about this space – the blog that I love with the name that I loathe. (Any suggestions for a new name that doesn’t include the word “mommy”? I’m totally stumped, but bordering on desperate to change it.)

How will I use this space – The Memos? Does it need to evolve? Focus? Broaden? Go deeper? Grow up? Lighten up? Speed up? Slow down??

I’m not sure.

But I feel like the whole thing needs a bit of a revamp. Maybe it’s just the amazing new headshots that my friend took of me while we were at home in America. (I probably won’t be using that first one as my new twitter mug… but you never know.) I feel like the whole blog needs an upgrade to match her caliber work:

(Doesn’t she make me look so good? Thank you Tiffany. I’m seriously grateful.)

But I do know this – I write because I need to and I want to. And I even believe I’m “meant” to.

And my story – like yours – is one that needs to be heard because it’s a part of something bigger.

Friends, tell me, what would you like to see in this space? What do you think I need to know about this space? What do you want and wish to read here? Why do you come back? I’ve been mulling over this for long enough. Now it’s time for me to include your input. It’s time for me to move forward.

About Author

Adriel Booker is an author, speaker, and advocate based in Sydney, Australia who believes storytelling, beauty, and the grace of God will change the world. Adriel has become a trusted voice in areas of motherhood and parenting, Christian spirituality, and global women's issues. She's also known for her work with the Love A Mama Collective—serving under-resourced women in developing nations through safe birth initiatives—as well as her years spent as a Bible teacher and leadership coach. Her latest book is Grace Like Scarlett: Grieving with Hope after Miscarriage and Loss and she's made the companion grief journal available for free. Find Adriel across all social media platforms at @adrielbooker or sign up for LoveNotes, Adriel's 'secret posts' that aren't published anywhere else online. ✌️

33 Comments

  • Liz Barber
    2 August 2012 at 5:04 pm

    Adriel, I love your writing because it is multli-faceted: it is meaningful, relevant, touching, humorous, thought-provoking and challenging.

    I think it’s good to slow down to reevaluate where you’re at to journal, pray, think about what the great points are of blogging for you, the areas you want to develop, things that need greater focus or honing…

    these are just thoughts that come to my mind.
    I love those new pics of you- they are great.

    Reply
  • Maxine Sharpe
    2 August 2012 at 9:43 pm

    Hi Adriel – glad to hear you are home! I must say I agree with Liz – in all aspects. Your writing is inspiring, rewarding,comical – Liz nailed it!
    Perhaps with the growing boys, and the whirlwind you are caught in (commonly known as life!) – it has you pulled in different directions… No matter what or where you write from, it will still have the ‘spunk’ and creativity that makes your writing interesting and well, well worth reading!
    Looking forward to whatever you produce!

    Reply
    • Adriel Booker
      3 August 2012 at 3:41 pm

      thanks maxine. it’s good – and hard – to be home. know what i mean? 😉

      yes, this season is a bit of a whirlwind… but i want to slow things down. simplify. really trying to figure out how to do that better so that the things i do focus on can be more intentional instead of feeling like i’m always trying to “squeeze something in”. i hate feeling rushed and busy, and i know the boys suffer too. (including my hubs.)
      Adriel Booker recently posted..these twoMy Profile

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  • Stephanie
    2 August 2012 at 10:20 pm

    I have barely written this summer either. Sometimes life does have a way of just happening to you and it is okay to be okay with that. Please do not beat yourself up over it. You will get back in the groove

    I have a hard enough time coming up with a blog name I like for my blog but I do know how hard it can be to concentrate on writing when you feel there is an element to your space that does not suit you.

    Love the new head shot! Very nice 🙂
    Stephanie recently posted..Always DreamingMy Profile

    Reply
    • Adriel Booker
      3 August 2012 at 3:44 pm

      “an element to your space that does not suit you” – yes, that sums it up well. *sigh* but i’ve felt that way for over a year and still not known what to do about it. (and i’m normally such a decisive person!)

      i think a lot of the blogging world slows down over summer. i’m totally ok with that (and i think it’s appropriate). what i don’t like is that i wasn’t intentional about it – you know, like getting swept away with life and carried off. it feels so passive and lazy. not two words i’m fond of…

      but you’re right, there is a groove to get back into. and i will. 🙂

      you too?? x
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  • Courtney Kirkland
    3 August 2012 at 3:29 am

    I knocked the word “mommy” out of my title, too. I felt that it was holding me back and preventing me from writing about things that WEREN’T mommy related. That’s why I just went to my name. Because that’s who I am trying to brand and represent. That’s who I am and just my name leaves me free to write about anything and everything that I want. Take some time to mull it over. 🙂 I’m sure that things will come pouring back to you!
    Courtney Kirkland recently posted..Little Bitty Toys Review & GiveawayMy Profile

    Reply
    • Adriel Booker
      3 August 2012 at 3:47 pm

      yeah, that’s the one thing i keep coming back to – just using my name. at least i know my name won’t date or expire or become a cliche, right?! 😉 my other issue is that i don’t know/understand all the back end of things – the technical stuff, like how do you transfer to a new domain and what happens to all your old stuff and links etc. the technical side of things really intimidates me….
      Adriel Booker recently posted..how to organize and write a birth plan | plan your best birth (part 3)My Profile

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  • Angela
    3 August 2012 at 5:01 am

    I must admit, I just recently found your blog and haven’t made the time to read extensively, but I do have it in my favorite blogs bookmarks. I can totally relate to how you’re feeling. I, too, get overwhelmed by life and let the things that I enjoy doing, the things that I need to enrich my life, fall by the wayside and then it’s hard to pick them back up. I haven’t yet figured out how to do that 🙂 I want so badly to use my blog as a sort of journal, to write about my work (I am a clinical therapist), but because of confidentiality I resist doing it. So, I just hold it all in. Anyway, enough about me and my worries…I’m not trying to make it about me, just letting you know you’re not alone 🙂

    The pictures are beautiful!! I’m not good at coming up with names, but as I was reading, BookHer Memos came to mind. Sort of a play on your name, and eludes to the possibility of your blog someday becoming a book? Just a thought…

    Reply
    • Adriel Booker
      3 August 2012 at 3:49 pm

      Hi Angela. Thanks for your feedback. I know that a lot of moms feel the way we do. It’s a matter of seasons, right? But still, there must be some ways for us to live more intentionally. That’s what I’m yearning for!!

      Thanks for the name suggestion. Very creative. It gives me a direction to think about. Appreciate it!
      Adriel Booker recently posted..4 reasons to write a birth plan | plan your best birth (part 2)My Profile

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  • Rachel J.
    3 August 2012 at 5:16 am

    I’ve missed you! I figured you were just off living life, and there is absolutely no shame in that. 😉

    I enjoy your writing because it comes from a genuine place, born out of a desire to encourage. I don’t think your blog name has to change in order for you to broaden your topics simply because being a mother is so incredibly multifaceted, and you probably also consider this blog to be somewhat of a love letter to your children. But I also understand where you’re coming from because I’ve struggled with the idea of writing about certain subjects, and I too have been wondering where to take my blog lately.

    Just know that whatever you decide, your words resonate with me because you are a fellow woman of faith who is devoted to her children and to living a life with purpose, and you have a unique story to tell in this journey. (Love that blog post you linked to!)
    Rachel J. recently posted..Facing My Fears In The JourneyMy Profile

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    • Adriel Booker
      3 August 2012 at 3:52 pm

      thanks rachel. that’s cool. i appreciate your feedback and encouragement. and i think you’re right – motherhood has a lot to it… more than just kids. i suppose it’s the word “mommy” that kinda irritates me though. i never refer to myself as that, so it just feels strange. i never like saying my blog name out loud when people ask about it. i feel like i should only be saying the word “mommy” to someone 5 and under! 😉
      Adriel Booker recently posted..breastfeeding is a big deal: normalizing what’s already normalMy Profile

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  • Mandy@ asortafairytale
    3 August 2012 at 5:19 am

    First of all, beautiful headshots! 🙂
    Secondly, I really don’t have advise for you (sorry I’m no help at all!). I say write you WANT to write about. Don’t write what you think others want to hear. Ya know?! xoxo
    Mandy@ asortafairytale recently posted..Ask me anything!My Profile

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  • Laura G
    3 August 2012 at 9:54 am

    Welcome back! Please don’t feel bad for taking a breather from the computer world and just trying to keep afloat in the real world. It happens to everyone (sigh, including me!), and it can be hard to come back from that spot.
    As for your question – I read your blog because your writing is real. You don’t make motherhood out to be all about puppies and rainbows, and yet, you seem to find so much beauty in those spots that might otherwise be hard, overwhelming, frustrating. I also read because you give me something more to think about after I’ve walked away from my computer. I know that when I go to read your blog, there’s something in your post that will stick with me as I go through my day.
    I love when you did your series on how to have a better birth (I’m rereading now with a purpose instead of reminiscing), and I think there’s a need for more articles like that in the blogging world. Your informational articles are helpful without being overwhelming, so please do more of those! Okay, that’s a novel from me. I hope you’re doing well!

    Reply
    • Adriel Booker
      3 August 2012 at 3:58 pm

      wait, what?? you’re pregnant??! CONGRATULATIONS! see what i have been missing while i’ve been offline?! 😉 that’s so cool. i hope you’re doing well. when’s bub due?

      and thanks for your feedback – that’s really helpful actually. one of the things i’ve been thinking about is the more “informational” type posts i sometimes write. once-and-a-while i think… i’m not an expert on anything, so is it pretentious to write those types of posts? kwim? i just never want to come across as someone who thinks they know it all… cuz i certainly CERTAINLY don’t!!

      appreciate your feedback and encouragement. i’m so excited for your expanding family!! x
      Adriel Booker recently posted..i’m a mom. and i am perfect.My Profile

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  • Amy Sullivan
    3 August 2012 at 11:06 am

    AB,
    I like how you take some humor, life, and kids. Then, you put it together, shake it up, and come up with a wonderful little place. I love your posts about your family, kids, and life and you know, I have zero ideas for a name, but I’d like to see more faith related posts.

    Not hit you in the head with a hammer type of thing, but more like take us out for coffee and tell us about God.

    Not even sure that makes sense.

    I know whatever you decide on, we will eat it up!
    Amy Sullivan recently posted..So You Want to Write an Ebook and Free RegistrationMy Profile

    Reply
    • Adriel Booker
      3 August 2012 at 4:05 pm

      yeah amy, that totally makes sense. i really appreciate your feedback.

      i’ve actually been intentional to not talk about my faith that much in this space. i didn’t want to be pegged as a “christian blog”. obviously my faith does come into things and i don’t hide it by any means, but i’ve tried to write in such a way that makes this an open place. interestingly though, i think the majority of my readers are christians. go figure. 😉 because of that i’ve been wondering about including more faith-related stuff. well, also because it’s such a big part of my life – how can i not write about it? (that’s probably the bigger reason.) so yeah, i’m certainly mulling this one over. it does help to hear your feedback and encouragement. i trust you and value what you have to say so your two cents weigh a little more than “the next guy’s” two cents.

      do you like having your blog name as just your name? that’s the only thing i keep coming back to. then i’d know it wouldn’t become dated or pigeon-hole me into a certain category if i wanted to mix things up…. love to hear your perspective on that. (that would also allow me to combine both my blogs and do my five-minute stuff here too…)
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  • Amber
    3 August 2012 at 11:18 am

    Write anything you want… Just come back! I was thinking the other day how much I missed your blog. On the other hand, I also said a little prayer of thanks that you mist be off having such a wonderful time living, you didn’t have time to write about life. 🙂

    Reply
    • Adriel Booker
      3 August 2012 at 4:06 pm

      hahaha, thanks amber. that’s totally sweet. and funny. appreciate your prayer. and yes, i will “come back”. i’ve SO missed my little place here. x
      Adriel Booker recently posted..dear readers, can you help?My Profile

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  • Rachel Richards
    3 August 2012 at 8:31 pm

    Hi Adriel… Honestly u cud write about the toilet and I would read it!!! Ur blogs are fantastic so articulate and truthful and make all of us mummy’s feel better! Keep up the absolutely fab work!
    Rachel

    Reply
  • Jessica
    5 August 2012 at 3:49 am

    It’s like we share the same brain. It’s really quite amazing. I, too, am struggling with my blog name and what direction I’d like to go in with my blog. I feel like the person I was when I started my blog, that person who was unsure and caught up very much in the blogging side of things, is not me anymore. I want to write. I want to inspire. I want to teach, but I no longer feel like doing that so much on my blog. It’s strange. I like your writings here and on Click Clink Five, so perhaps your new direction could incorporate the two? I say that because that’s what I plan to do. I want to be more casual and enjoy the act of writing again, or in the same way I like it on Short Little Bits. MNR feels more authoritative, more stuffy– and that’s not me, or it’s not who I want to feel the need to be all the time, ynwim? So, anyway, I like the changing your blog name to your name. That’s what I am doing now, as well. I figure if nothing else, my name can’t change.

    I’m glad to hear you’re doing well. TTYS! XO.
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    • Adriel Booker
      5 August 2012 at 3:42 pm

      haha, too funny.

      yeah, i’m all but decided to just go to my name. that’s the only thing i’ve kept coming back to over and over and i’ve been considering it for a year or more now! now i just have to get up the nerve to tackle the technical side. (totally intimidating!)

      what does TTYS stand for? 😉
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  • Kerry @ Made For Real
    5 August 2012 at 6:37 am

    I just found your site but have been popping back in, lots! I enjoy your baby posts, informative and lite-hearted… Just such a great blend here. I love variety on blogs. Hope this helps…
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  • Megan
    10 August 2012 at 12:51 pm

    I’m in this season, too. It’s not just you!

    Just know that your blog has definitely carried me through the difficult days of both pregnancy and the first year of mothering, and now beyond. You write from the heart and with love and there is no mistaking that. It gets me every time.

    No special advice…just excited to see where God takes you on this journey – it can only be good!

    XO
    Megan recently posted..baby belugaMy Profile

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  • Katherine
    24 September 2012 at 4:27 am

    Just read this and thought of this post of yours:
    http://meaganfrancis.com/2012/09/18/why-i-re-claimed-my-name-as-a-blogger/
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  • Ash
    31 October 2012 at 1:03 pm

    This probably isn’t what you had in mind, but something I’ve been thinking about is a baby shower vs a welcome shower. I’m more fond of the idea of people getting together after the baby is born so that they can meet him or her. It seems like you have some great party ideas – what would you do along these lines?

    Reply
    • Adriel Booker
      4 November 2012 at 4:18 pm

      I think either way is great. Many people want a shower before the baby is born because it helps get them ready (gifts). Then again, it’s so nice to welcome the baby afterwards too – especially if you wait and keep the gender a surprise. Many people have a welcome shower sort-of thing for their 2nd or 3rd child when they’re already set up with baby gear from the first, but it’s totally a matter of preference (and a matter of what your friends/sister/etc. would like to do to bless you!). I think co-ed showers (couples showers) are really fun!

      Reply
      • Ash
        13 November 2012 at 1:43 pm

        The idea of gifts makes me a little nervous. I’ve never been terribly comfortable with accepting things from people, even when we needed those things. I guess that’s why the idea of an after shower appeals to me so much more. No pressure, no expectations, just people coming together. Truth be told though, I can’t see much happening in the way of someone else putting it together for us. I think it will fall to me to plan whatever it may be, which is totally fine. It would just mean a lot of borrowed things, DIY ideas, and trips to the dollar store.
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