Nine Years Ago . . .

I started this blog nine years ago.

I had been reading blogs (none of which exist anymore) and I felt like a bit of a voyeur always reading but never sharing.  So, I decided to start my own.

I chose the name because I love the sunshine in Arizona, and even when you're flat broke, you can still lay claim to your own patch of sunshine.

Nine years ago I had two in diapers.  Cloth diapers! Nate was just barely one year old and Colin was 2 1/2.

A year and a half earlier Bo and I built our home.  We've been here ever since. (And had the strangest interaction with a neighbor on the street behind us last night -- after 11 years of not knowing she existed, she decided to shout across the street and over our brick fence how much she disliked us. I'm hoping we don't hear from her for another 11 years.)

When I look back over the years of writing on this blog, I can see the changes my life took --

• the rhythm of our days
• our choice to homeschool
• our visits to local places
• our travels beyond our city
• the announcement when I was pregnant with Lydia
• her birth
• our choice to stop homeschooling
• information about Nate's stuttering
• involvement with brands and PR folks
• my decision to return to work part-time
• the growth of all my children

There's also plenty that happened that never made the pages of the blog.  Because while I may have made the decision over the last 9 years to write a blog, I never made the decision to expose every area of my life.  There's plenty that readers of this blog don't know about me or my family, and I think that's how it should be.

Blogging has changed dramatically over the last decade.  So many women start blogs now with the intention of earning money, or receiving free products.  A decade ago, people blogged to share their lives.  It allowed me to visit with other moms, who were making decisions and struggling and succeeding.  It allowed me to not feel so alone when I first became a SAHM.  I loved knowing other moms who cloth diapered (since I didn't know anyone locally), and I first learned about homeschooling via blogs.

I'm guilty, though, of changing the focus of this blog over the years. My kids are all older, and so many of their stories belong to them and I won't share them on the Internet and potentially embarrass them.  I don't have as much time to share my life because I'm busy living that life.  And, I'm guilty, too of accepting products in exchange for reviews.  (But, we've learned about and used some really great things as a result!  So, while I may be guilty of that -- I have to also admit that I'm not apologizing for it.)

I love looking back and seeing what I thought, and what I said, and what was important at different points in the last 9 years. I miss those "this is what we did today" posts, but I don't know if I could get back to writing them.  This blog has evolved, along with my life.

As I write this, I realize that it sounds like I'm gearing up to quit.  But, I'm not.  I love this medium and I love connecting with readers.  I love being able to read my archives and remember how Nate didn't want to turn 4.  I'll never be one of the big hotshot "mommy" bloggers because I don't want to play that game.  I'm happy with my little patch on the Internet.

I hope you keep reading!