Touching base & letting you in on a few secrets

Hi friends. This isn’t going to be the profoundest of posts. I guess I’m getting to a place where I’m trying to be comfortable with writing even when I know I won’t be able to say what I want to say.

Writing’s good like that anyway – even on the least inspired of days it’s good for the soul to put “pen to paper”.

Yellow’s also good like that. It’s just a bit happy. Like these yellow roses that I went and bought myself a week or two ago. Aren’t they just happy? You’ll probably see me using a lot of yellow for a while (I can’t get enough of it) so I hope you like it.

I’m still grieving and healing from the loss of our baby and I’m trying to blend my external world with my interior life. Earlier this week I went to publish a post that I’d written about simple ways to practice Earth Day everyday (and how to include your kids), and then as I was about to hit “post” a wave of sadness came. Suddenly it felt so silly to be publishing something like that when I had just lost a child. I buried it in a folder somewhere and haven’t posted anything since.

See? I’m struggling to know what to say here in this space.

Really, I just wanted you to know a few things for the time being:

I’m working on a redesign of the blog. This means that I’ve spent an embarrassing amount of hours on 248 different headers (exaggeration, maybe, but that’s what it feels like) and I still haven’t landed where I want to be. I have a bit of an eye for design but I lack the skill level to match it. Couple that with a severe case of perfectionism and very little time to work and you have a recipe for disaster. Whereas the process was invigorating when I began a few weeks ago (so good to have something creative to pour myself into as I was grieving), now I’m just frustrated. In any case, I’ll do my best and we’ll launch on May 1st – with or without my dream look and feel in the design.

My domain will soon change to AdrielBooker.com. (I know, you’re clicking over now – don’t get excited, you’ll just see a message about how you’re not allowed in yet.) For years I’ve loathed the name Mommyhood Memos and felt like it didn’t represent me well, and for the last two years I’ve tried to think of something better but continually draw a blank – not because I couldn’t think of other names that I liked, but mostly because I wondered if they’d still suit me five years from now. (Do you know what a pain in the bum changing domains is? I’ve had over 50,000 pins from the Memos and I’m pretty sure it means I will lose all of those potential visitors. Kinda sad and feels like a lot of wasted hard work.) Anyway, my name is not going to change, so AdrielBooker.com it will be.

Merging all of my writing into one place. Part of the reason I’m creating AdrielBooker.com is so that I can channel all of my writing there, instead of having multiple blogs. If you followed Click Clink Five (my wee little unedited blog that’s been severely neglected in the last six months) you’ll know a whole different side of me. That one will be imported to the new site and the old domain will be let go. I plan to continue writing about motherhood and parenting, but need a space that better represents all of who I am.

Facebook dramas. In relaunching my site and changing the domain to AdrielBooker.com I also want to change my facebook page to match. Apparently with too many fans/followers it’s not that simple and so I may have to phase out the old page and launch a brand new one instead. This makes me cranky and again feels like lots of work and time down the drain. I’ll keep you posted, but for now, the Memos on facebook is still going strong right where she’s at. (I really love the community of women who gather there.)

Rebranding Bloggers for Birth Kits to the Love a Mama Community. Since we’ve put our hand to a few more maternal health projects since Bloggers for Birth Kits started (like Project Baby Bilum and the Umi Slings), I decided it was time for an umbrella for all the projects to fall under. B4BK won’t go away, it will just come under Love A Mama now. So, with the launch of my revamped blog will also be the launch of the Love A Mama Community. This will be where all of our maternal health projects are driven from.

Love A Mama Community - Women helping women.

And how about a sneak peak of the Sunshine Project? This year for my Mothers Day Drive I’m not going to be focusing on collecting clean birth kits. Although I’m still accepting birth kits, that campaign has a life of its own now and we have a steady flow of kits coming in without my having to do much of anything {smile}. Instead I’m going to introduce the Sunshine Project – bringing light into delivery rooms. This will be an effort to raise money for a solar suitcase developed originally for maternal health in Nigeria where death rates for mothers and infants is also a serious problem. These solar-powered maternal health suitcases designed by We Care Solar enable care givers to have light in otherwise dark places (i.e. bamboo huts without electricity, clinics where power frequently goes out, etc.). Can you imagine having someone performing an emergency c-section or trying to stop a woman’s hemorrhaging only to have the power switch off forcing them to try and continue by light of a cell phone or candle? Sadly, these scenarios are not that far-fetched. The Sunshine Project will be launching in a few days to help address this critical need. I hope you’ll keep an eye out for it and help mobilize your mama-friends to make a difference this Mothers Day.

The Sunshine Project: Bringing light into delivery rooms

And personally? I head toward Mothers Day this year with a sense of trembling, not knowing how I’ll respond in my season of grieving. As hard as it is, knowing that I have something to pour myself into that will bless other moms who lack vital resources spurs a quiet joy in my heart. I sure hope you’ll join me in promoting and supporting the Sunshine Project this year. Let’s love some mamas together. More details to come about the project later this week.

And I have a really happy note to leave you with today. I wanted to show you some photos of what you’ve done this last year. This is the midwife backpack that’s being loaded up on our ship right now, ready to sail this Wednesday to Papua New Guinea. You can see that it’s full of antenatal education tools, as well as tools to aid in safe delivery – all packed into a backpack that is manageable for any midwife to wear as she treks through mud into villages in the remote that areas our Medical Ship enters. Among many other things our donations supported this year, this backpack (and two others like it) were provided by you. Thank you Love A Mama Community for getting behind the beautiful women of PNG. You are making a difference.

Midwife backpack and birth education resources provided by Bloggers for Birth Kits + the Love A Mama Community.

Dear friends, I know for a fact that so many of you are lurkers here (in the best possible sense) and I have no idea who you are. That’s ok, you can read silently. But I’d love to know who you are and if you’ll follow me to my new site through all of the changes on the horizon. What do you hope for in the future of this online space and community? I’d really love meet you and to hear your feedback. (Of course it goes without saying that I’d love to hear from the rest of you non-lurking types too.)

Love,
A

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. ✌️

23 Comments

  • Holly
    28 April 2013 at 1:32 am

    Last year, I hosted a Birth Kit party and all my new mama friends and friends who will likely be mamas someday soon came to enjoy each other and help! We can’t wait to help with this new Sunshine Project in any way we can. Can’t wait for the new site.

    Reply
  • Jenna
    28 April 2013 at 3:59 am

    Excited about the new site and the new projects for mamas!

    Reply
  • Jennifer Burklow
    28 April 2013 at 6:44 am

    I ABSOLUTELY will follow you! I love reading your blogs. Over the years they’ve encouraged me in my own blogging, they have helped to reignite my passion for Christ, and at the very least, they let me know I’m not alone in my journey, my thoughts, my fears, etc. thank you for the blessing you’ve been in my life without even knowing it!
    Jennifer Burklow recently posted..Breast milk ballsMy Profile

    Reply
  • Laura
    28 April 2013 at 7:15 am

    I feel like I need to write a chapter in response to all this.

    First — I’m a lurker. 🙂 I’m a mom to two boys, ages 5 and 3 and I stay home with them and play/cook/clean/garden/quilt/photograph/blog/write.

    Second — I love what you do. My heart churns when I read about the progress you’re making on the projects you’ve started. I definitely share your passion for service.

    Third — I just recently changed my domain name and moved my blog. Not SUPER horrible, but pretty bad. Losing SEO and pins and GFC…..well, I went down a whole bunch of notches as far as visibility goes. But I think the pay-off for having a more cohesive brand, if that’s what you want to call these things, is worth it. The future will have more promise than if I was stuck in the same little shell. So…there’s that. But still really hard.

    Fourth — I’m a NW girl too. Born and raised in British Columbia and we now live in Washington State.

    Fifth — I just really like your writing style.

    Cheers! Don’t let me lose you in the move… 🙂
    Laura recently posted..[faith] a living sacrificeMy Profile

    Reply
    • Adriel Booker
      28 April 2013 at 9:00 pm

      thanks laura, for everything.

      you know, i moved about two years ago from a blogspot to wordpress (self hosted) and so i’ve already done this transition once. i wish i had thought it through better then. at the time i was afraid that my changing my name i would “lose” people. now i understand that i will “lose” people, but they aren’t people that regularly read anyway, so… what’s the big deal? that was before pinterest though. i hate losing all of those pins. i have a post that’s been pinned 30K+ times – bummer to lose that traffic! but really, i know it will be worth it.

      your blog is so beautiful and we seem to have a lot in common. thanks for reaching out. i so appreciate your input. x
      Adriel Booker recently posted..This ground is holyMy Profile

      Reply
  • Jody Lee Collins
    28 April 2013 at 7:39 am

    Adriel–Jody the lurker here (how did you know there were so many of us?) You know I read you every time you post, hon. Really I do.
    All the new changes sound great; your umbrella like blog place makes so much sense, as you are a multifaceted writer person.

    I enjoy staying connected with all you share with us–the solar powered maternal health care suitcases are amazing.

    Best of luck–rest well.
    Jody Lee Collins recently posted..Fit (When things don’t)My Profile

    Reply
  • Amber
    28 April 2013 at 8:53 am

    I changed my blog over to a different name and domain name a little bit over a year ago. It was rough and I lost a bunch of readers, but it’s just so much easier for me to have a name that better fits me and my life.

    I’m so excited to see what you will do with your blog! I will definitely follow you over. Also, I love all the work you do for moms.
    Amber recently posted..Make Your Own Cloth Wipes Round 3My Profile

    Reply
    • Adriel Booker
      28 April 2013 at 9:02 pm

      thanks amber. i’m glad the transition went well for you. i think i’m a bit tired and so it seems like a bigger drama than it actually is. :-/

      thanks also for being so supportive of the work we do for moms. appreciate your support very much. xx
      Adriel Booker recently posted..The day I lost my babyMy Profile

      Reply
  • Gwen
    28 April 2013 at 11:24 am

    And of course – I will follow you … my amazing daughter … xoxo

    Reply
  • Kelly Pappas
    29 April 2013 at 12:28 am

    Oh Adriel I love you! Whether posting about Earth Day activities or so very openly sharing your grief, or your joy, or your passion for PNG and birth- all of it speaks so loudly to me. And you know I’ll happily follow you and “like” you wherever you may go, and encourage others to do the same. Your B4BK campaign is what really got me started thinking about taking my doula and childbirth education work to the next level and research options for midwifery in hopes of focusing on international missions work. I mean, you kinda opened my eyes and allowed the Spirit to work in us in a really profound way. So yeah, like I told ya…I just want to soak you right up 🙂 LOVE the solar care project and have been following them for a while- SO excited to have a chance to tangibly help!

    Reply
  • Pez
    30 April 2013 at 1:51 pm

    Hey Adriel,
    Yes I’m a stalker and rare commenter but wanted to encourage you. We’ll all follow you over wherever you go…I LOVE what you do for Mama’s who need it most, and I’m trying to do my midwifery training in the next few years to allow me to help in a more practical way in the future too. You are inspiring 🙂

    Blessings
    Pez

    Reply
  • rachel
    30 April 2013 at 8:03 pm

    Hi Adriel! If you redirect your traffic to the new site will all the pins still show broken links? As in, can you not redirect the exact link from your major pins to the new address on your new site if you are importing all of your previous posts? I’m no techie, obviously, just curious.

    I love the mission oriented projects ya’ll do and the Love a Mama is a great vision.

    Reply
  • Nicola
    1 May 2013 at 9:10 pm

    Hi Adriel,

    I too am one of your lurkers who has been avidly reading your blog for the last year or so. I cannot tell you how much your writing has inspired me to be a better mum and has stopped me from feeling alone in my daily struggles with raising a toddler 🙂 I shed a tear for you when I read of the news of you losing your baby and have thought of you often. Thank you for expressing your raw emotions and I hope that you will feel peace soon.

    Nicola in Western Australia

    Reply
  • Rachel vR
    26 May 2013 at 10:08 pm

    Hi Adriel- I’m a bit behind on my blog reading so I just read this post (I’ve been in Zambia and just got home). I’m Rachel and Jess E-K recommended your blog to me. I work with the BAS in Perth and love all the work you do for MCH. Would love to check out the ship someday – so maybe I”ll bump into you up there sometime. Until then I love reading your blog – I’m definitely a bit of a lurker – but thanks for writing and sharing – I’m encouraged and blessed by all of it.
    Rachel

    Reply
    • Adriel
      15 July 2013 at 3:05 pm

      Hi Rachel! Thanks for introducing yourself. LOVE what you guys do!!

      Would you like some clean birth kits to use on our outreaches or to distribute to health centers? I’ve spoken with Kathy about it before (and sent her home with some) but would LOVE to send more your way if you can use them. Let me know, ey?!!
      Adriel recently posted..Dear Cairo, how I have loved you. (Writing to remember.)My Profile

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