Um, hello [insert shy wave]! Oui, c'est moi. I am still here, feeling rather sheepish for leaving you here with nary a calling card to explain my absence. Please accept my humblest apologies. Life on Planet Baby continues to be particularly trying and I have had to expend my energy wisely. Regrettably, that hasn't included blogging. Mr PB and the pixies have needed me and that's where my priorities always lie. I know I've been largely absent here this year owing to Mr PB still looking for a full-time job (since Christmas Eve, can you believe it?). The resulting stress and challenges have been debilitating and exhausting. But I really cherish this space and want to commit to it properly. So I have a plan - want me to share?
The thing is that notwithstanding everything going on offline which has prevented me blogging, the truth is that I've been feeling a real disconnect from my blog name. When I started blogging in July 2010, Life on Planet Baby perfectly described where I was at with a preschooler, toddler and infant. Yes, they were my babies, in the truest sense. Fast forward to now with Joshua and India at school full-time and Sammy starting three days a week Kinder next year and my babies are growing up.
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| Here they are the other day, very proud of their new booster seats |
I've always cherished the concept of 'Planet Baby' but now 'Planet Joy' is much more my spiritual home. 'Baby' pigeonholes me to a phase in my life I'm naturally moving away from as the pixies grow up. It also means incessant approaches from baby-related companies wanting me to endorse their products. They just don't 'get' me.
But you all do, especially those who have been aboard this Planet for a while, watching my creative spark ignite and light the warm fire which now delights me through Planet Joy. You 'get' how my crafting inspires, and sustains, me. You 'get' the hope it brings to my life.
So I guess it won't surprise you that mentally, I've hopped planets. From Planet Baby to Planet Joy.
And I'm fervently hoping you'll take the leap and join me.
I've bought the domain name for www.planetjoy.com.au (www.planetjoy.com was unavailable) and want to move this blog there. I toyed with the idea of calling it 'Life on Planet Joy' and bought the domain name and everything as I thought it would make the transition easier for you. But then I realised it made more business sense to drop the 'Life on' part. Many people who know me through Planet Joy have no idea I blog here. Keeping it simple is the way to go, I think.
I'm hoping I can just export this blog to the new one and leave a custom redirection from Planet Baby to Planet Joy so you won't have to do anything. That's the plan. But it may be more complicated. I'll let you know when I find out.
And so, how are feeling about this? Wondering what direction my blog will take?
Well I've been thinking about that. I plan to write as I normally do - no change of 'voice' required. So you'll still know it's me at the tiller of this fine ship.
I'll post more about what I'm making for Planet Joy and what's inspiring me. But I won't just turn it into endless promotions for Planet Joy, though. I want it to feel balanced between both my life with our young family and my art. I also want it to be more Tasmanian focussed so you can see more about this magical place we call home.
I am so excited about these plans. I eagerly await the day when I can feel that this space truly represents where I'm at in life right now. I don't want it to feel like a stuck record any longer. It's time to pick the stylus up and start a new tune.
So (big gulp), what do you think about these changes? Excited, annoyed, indifferent? I really look forward to hearing your thoughts, of whatever kind. Truly. I'm all ears!
