Hello! Hi there! Hello. ♡

I’ve had this model of a espresso date on my coronary heart for months, however life! time! extra life! You get it.

Not too long ago I’ve met a number of folks out in the true world who talked about what POY means to them and the way a lot they’ve loved the recipes through the years. And I believe these glad little run-ins gave me the push I wanted to sit down down and write this put up.

Which… isn’t something earth-shattering, I don’t suppose? However it’s only a little bit of an replace on what life is like for us nowadays, what we’re serious about, and the way issues have shifted behind the scenes of Pinch of Yum as we head into 2024! (Sure, it’s February. This form of lateness is on-brand.)

There have a been adjustments to plenty of issues inside POY within the final 12 months – some wins, some losses, however virtually all of them for the higher, being pushed by alignment of values and priorities.

And there have been some lost-feeling moments, too. And that’s okay. As life goes.

So, I suppose this espresso date is absolutely only a evaluate of life. ♡ Possibly you possibly can relate or possibly you simply discover it fascinating? Or possibly it’s really you’ll be finished studying in about two seconds! We’ll discover out!

Right here we go. That is, in a (lengthy) nutshell, The State of Issues.

The State Of Mother Life

Our Children Are Into the Preschool Stage And I Love It So A lot.

Our women are 3 and 5 and OH MY! it’s a enjoyable stage for me as a mother.

We’re out of the sleepless nights stage, the “why is my child crying” anxiousness cycles, and the pumping / breastfeeding / spit up loop that was in some way each so rewarding and so intensely difficult.

And now we – dad and mom and youngsters – are sleeping. (PRAISE!) The child gear has usually moved out of the home to make room for a seemingly countless provide of trinkets, paper scraps, stickers, and Paw Patrol and Barbie toys and equipment that I discover actually all over the place. Assist?! We’re on an everyday rotation between hugs, snuggles, I like you’s, and Stage 10 tantrums, however in some way this works for me. Despite the fact that I completely love infants, I really feel a lot better outfitted to deal with the challenges of this stage than I ever felt with our women as infants.

Issues are At all times Altering. And It’s Bittersweet.

This final 12 months has been certainly one of mushy and regular parenting goodbyes.

Within the fall, we took Lena, our youngest, to Construct A Bear so she might put her final pacifier inside a teddy bear as a part of Operation: Pacis Are Not Eternally. As we have been on the brink of go away the home, I ran upstairs to seize the paci and did my signature paci-grab transfer – one knee on the bottom, tuck the shoulder, and a far attain again underneath her crib to seize the final little rubber paci and it simply hit me. That is the final time. And I felt the pinprick of tears virtually instantly. It’s such a secular little mother job. I by no means significantly liked needing to contort my physique into this bizarre place to seize her pacis from underneath her crib and by no means even thought twice about it. After which it simply ended, and I received’t try this a part of mother life anymore. It’s bittersweet.

We’re now virtually finished with diapers (didn’t cry about that one) and we’re speaking about Kindergarten and gymnastics and large lady beds and discovering a brand new residence for the crib and the stroller. The child days look so rosy in hindsight and I’m already lacking them so deeply.

However, huge image, we’re in , regular place with household life. I’m so glad to be sleeping. I’m so glad to be usually in a predictable routine. I’m a extra assured mother – I really feel like I usually know what our women want. And most days, I simply get to face in awe of what fantastic, humorous little creatures these kiddos are.

We’ve our days, however it is a good stage for us. I actually adore it.

The State Of Weblog Life

13 Years In And I Love This Work Extra Than Ever. And Additionally… I’m A Bit Misplaced At Occasions.

The irony of working on the web is that you simply get good at a factor simply in time for it to alter. Joke’s on us! 😂 Issues change so rapidly and so steadily that you simply by no means actually absolutely develop any long-lasting mastery of a factor. You’re chasing a shifting goal.

The abilities that you simply construct will stay, however there are consistently new waves to catch. And I form of adore it. It retains me on my toes and makes life thrilling.

However it may additionally really feel a bit disorienting. Like, wait, I assumed I had this down? The opposite day, in a second of blah-ness, I stated to Bjork: “I don’t even know learn how to write a weblog put up anymore.” I’ve actually written hundreds of weblog posts. I’ve all the time felt like I knew what I used to be doing.

Issues are going properly and we’ve had 12 months for POY. We’re not going anyplace. I really feel extra energized, excited, and locked in on the “why” than ever. However issues are consistently altering and that’s one thing we’re all the time serious about. Folks’s web conduct. What is useful. How we wish to construction our workforce. Who I’m as an individual and what I worth within the content material I create. None of it’s static.

On the great aspect:

I like meals, recipes, and new concepts greater than ever.
I do know with confidence that I can discover and share recipes that will probably be actually thrilling for all of us. And that’s actually enjoyable.
And I’m extremely motivated and, going to say it, BLESSED! to listen to from lots of you regularly in regards to the recipes you’re making and loving. I actually adore it and I’m so grateful.

And on the difficult aspect:

What felt excellent a number of years in the past isn’t essentially what feels proper at the moment. Or tomorrow.
The one factor that’s fixed is that issues are all the time evolving.

Add changing into a mum or dad into the combination, time limitations, and reshaped priorities, and I’m left asking the query, “what am I even doing” on a semi-regular foundation. As in, is that this the precise factor to concentrate on? Is that this the place my coronary heart is? Is that this really doing something for the enterprise? and am I displaying up and connecting with folks the way in which I wish to?

I’ve no solutions besides to say that I nonetheless love this and can nonetheless be right here.

What a trip. 🤪

I’ve Determined to Be Dwelling with our Ladies Extra In This Season.

In January we made a reasonably large schedule change for our household that has resulted in me being at residence considerably extra with the ladies.

For 13 years, I’ve been publishing new weblog posts each Monday.

Now I’ll simply be publishing one thing when it’s prepared and finished. No deadlines, no hardcore posting schedule. Simply taking my foot off the gasoline a bit bit and letting it occur because it occurs.

With this, I’m discovering myself saying no to work issues that I’d really wish to say sure to which is difficult and feels counter-intuitive at instances. Enjoyable mission? New model? Upcoming journey? YES I wish to do it!

However the precise reply is usually no, and I do know this tempo is correct for me proper now.

I suppose I imagine (possibly wishfully? we’ll see) that a few of these passed-up alternatives will bounce again. And that I’ll look again at the moment and really feel actually nice in regards to the choices I made, even when it went counter to the norm.

Mates and Good Folks Are What Make It.

In friendship and household and other people, we’re ridiculously fortunate.

Over the previous couple of years, we’ve had the chance to work with plenty of wonderful folks however have finally determined to scale our workforce again fairly a bit to align with all of the slow-it-down stuff. In the mean time, now we have simply this tiny full-time-ish crew:

Me: new content material, new recipes
Bjork: tech and technique
Jenna: meal plans, emails, bringing virtually all new concepts to life and being usually wonderful at all the pieces

After which final 12 months we ended up form of stumbling into a brand new video association that now entails me working with our long-time shoot assistant (Krista) and my greatest pal’s husband (Landon) to movie recipe movies. Right here’s a bit BTS of our video course of that we did with Pure Leaf this fall.

Between all of those nice folks plus our two different shut mates who workplace in the identical constructing, there are plenty of days that find yourself form of simply feeling like one huge hangout as all of us pop out and in of one another’s workplaces for lunch, a snack break, a time-wasting chat.

That is deliberately not a hustle season, however it’s inadvertently grow to be one which’s wealthy with people-time and that feels so, so good.

Typically even once I’m not working, I’ll convey the ladies over simply to hang around with everyone on the workplace. That is truthfully top-of-the-line elements of my life proper now.

The folks actually make it.

We Began a Factor Known as Snackdive!

Talking of working with mates!

I stated no to plenty of issues this 12 months, however I stated sure to at least one very enjoyable factor in 2023 and that may be a new model referred to as Snackdive! My pal Nate and I began this after years of speaking about it whereas munching on junk meals late at night time in our lounge.

And as one commenter stated, it’s “delightfully dumb.”

The power! The silliness! It’s been so enjoyable.

We… mainly simply speak about snacks! We embrace our stupidly particular opinions about issues like Reese’s and Bugles and Goldfish crackers, and we train one another little tips like learn how to do a Tim Tam Slam.

You possibly can see the movies and observe alongside right here! Proper now we’re doing a weekly episode that’s shared on Instagram. My hope is that it’s a bit burst of delightfully dumb pleasure in your life.

In Abstract

I’m actually glad in my life proper now. I’m grateful for therefore many issues.

I additionally often really feel a bit misplaced. Like possibly all of us do generally. Issues change, and that’s okay.

And I’m having a lot enjoyable engaged on some new issues this 12 months. I’m staying residence with the ladies extra and loving it. My tempo has modified however my coronary heart could be very a lot right here with Pinch of Yum. I’m excited for a enjoyable, scrumptious, and foolish 12 months.

Sage Says

Sage would love you to know that you simply being you is a present to the world.

Most canines love enjoying with toys. Operating round. Assembly new folks. Sagey lady…. she simply doesn’t. She’s shy, sleepy, a bit bit grumpy and really snuggly. And you understand what? We love her so dearly. We don’t ever want she was like different canines. She actually doesn’t want she was like different canines. She’s simply precisely who she is, and the world is a greater place for having her in it.

You don’t have to like the identical issues different folks love. You don’t should be good on the issues different individuals are good at. You don’t have to alter who you might be to suit some form of typical mould. Uniqueness and quirks and actual, real individuals are what makes life superior.

You’re completely and splendidly made. ♡

I’ve a lot extra to speak about – journey, understanding (or making an attempt to), new group of our workplace pantry, air fryers, getting your colours finished, and the way are folks retaining their homes clear?!

However that is already very lengthy and so we’ll simply contemplate this the “State of Issues” replace.

Possibly there’s one other espresso date quickly to speak in regards to the superficial enjoyable stuff.

Sending all my real love, admiration, and appreciation to you. Thanks for being right here.