Having Fun Again aka I Came {this close} To Quitting

HAVING FUN AGAIN

I will let y’all in on a secret. I spent most of this past month deciding if I want to keep blogging. I came {this close} to quitting. Wanna’ know why? I got overwhelmed and blogging wasn’t fun anymore.

THE EARLY FUN

During spring break of fifth grade, I spent my free time doing what I loved to do most – reading. I wondered how I could make reading even more fun and I found book review blogs. Even though I couldn’t find a single one written by someone my age, I jumped in and started Reading Vacation that same week. The best part of all? IT. WAS. FUN.

BLOG(S) GONE WILD

For me, book blogging was the greatest thing EVER. I totally fit in because everyone I met loved books as much as I did. And, I had the power to decide how much time I would devote to reading and blogging. I was HAPPY and HAVING FUN!

As Reading Vacation grew, so did the time commitment that goes along with it. What started as simply reviewing the books I loved to read had become something much bigger. By the time seventh grade started, I was feeling very overwhelmed by my choices.

So, what did I do to feel less overwhelmed? Do you think I scaled things back to give myself some free time? Nope! I added on a SECOND blog, Young Bloggers Unite. While I loved the idea of featuring and celebrating young bloggers, and I was having a blast with my blog partners, I was getting stressed with how much time it all took. The fun was gone.

HAVING FUN AGAIN

What matters the most to me? Family, friends, grades, and then extras like reading. While my grades haven’t suffered at all, time with my family and friends has been in very short supply. I need to fix that and I am taking back control of my situation.

I took a semi-break from blogging over Thanksgiving week by reading for fun and not worrying about blog posts that needed to be scheduled weeks from now.  I realized that I was happier. I didn’t have the constant pressure of too much stuff.  I finally had time for my family, friends, grades, and most importantly, MYSELF.

HD and I are very excited to say that Young Bloggers Unite is changing hands. It’s been great, but school commitments for both of us make it unrealistic for HD and I to do it, and do it well. We are both so much happier now.

Austin will be taking over with the help of Cat from Books4Hearts. Right now, they are busy planning and getting things set up. You should visit them soon to see what they do and how far they go!

Reading Vacation will still be going strong, although I am making some minor changes to make things less stressful. This Texas tween doesn’t want to end up as a basket case of nerves ever again.

MANY THANKS

I have so many of y’all to thank. To anyone who has ever visited and read a review, checked out what books I am reading, showed your students what is possible, left a comment, sent me an email, chatted with me on Twitter, or recommended Reading Vacation – THANK YOU! None of this would be fun if there was no one to share it with.

Here is a huge and super special THANK YOU to all the amazing authors and publishers who send books to me for review. I want to {{HUG}} all of you!

There are a few extra special friends who helped me make big decisions recently. You know who you are and I won’t forget what you did.