Why I'm not a Stay at Home Mom & Full-time Blogger Anymore

I've swapped the incessant loop of children's TV and being a stay-at-home mom & full-time blogger with a more conventional role. Loads of you have been in contact asking why & what the future of Anyonita Nibbles will be. Here are your answers!

From the moment this blog started (awkwardly, nearly five years ago) I've always been honest and open. When I started blogging it was because I wanted to keep track of the food I cooked and the recipes we tried and, as a completely self-taught cook, it was proof for the folks back home. Over the years, as Anyonita Nibbles grew into a successful blog, I was able to use it to supplement my income and then, after having Callum (the cutie on this post's main image) nearly three years ago, Anyonita Nibbles became my main source of income.


There's something rewarding about being able to make a living through blogging--it wasn't something I believed was possible until I did it. I love blogging and developing recipes and reviewing restaurants and attending events. I love photographing food and meeting other bloggers but after three years at home with a baby, I needed something for me again. I wanted to be out of the house, doing things. And doing things with a purpose.

When you're a stay-at-home mom, you get used to not having a reason to put on proper, decent clothes every day. You're used to your entire life being at the mercy of a diaper-bound, iron-fisted mini dictator. Don't get me wrong, I have loved watching Callum grow and I have loved being home with him as much as I was, but we've both outgrown it.

Callum is a social butterfly. He's never met a stranger; everyone he sees gets a cuddle--a genuine unprompted cuddle. (I'm not one of those mommas towering over him, suggesting he embrace others; in fact, I'm slightly wary of how trusting he is & am mentally preparing myself for all the Stranger Danger chats we'll be having this time next year.) What Callum needed recently wasn't more of mommy/Callum time or even daddy/Callum time. What Callum needed was time with peers. He needed to be around other children to continue to develop. We eased him into nursery in the spring, starting off with part-time enrollment and he took to it like a dove to the skies. If anyone was tentative, weepy and unsure, it was me. Those first few weeks, having two days to myself was strange, at time brutal and at times bordered on feeling like a betrayal.

But then I saw how much he grew; how much he honestly loved being at nursery and knew I couldn't deprive him. If Callum was a social butterfly before, now he has all the social awareness and networking skills of a politician. Not the sleezy, smarmy show, but the genuine, I'm-interested-in-you-because-you're-a-human thing. I'll be honest, seeing him develop into that has made my decision easier.

Callum was probably ready to make the transition to full-time nursery long before I was ready. But I held off and talked myself out of it and into it and back out of it again. Then, one day, I sent my CV through to a job agency and within two weeks, entered full-time permanent employment for the first time in nearly three years.

And the new job? (Oh, I'm so glad you asked!) I'm working as the Content Editor for Confetti, a simply fantastic wedding website! We've got one of the most impressive wedding suppliers listings, a fantastic wedding decor and party supplies shop and we produce some of the best wedding articles being written. Before Confetti, I'd never worked in the wedding sector before, so it's been a learning curve, but a fun one! I'm loving every minute. If you're newly engaged, thinking of getting engaged or even if you've already set a date, you've got to check us out! We've also got a sister site in the US called WeddingStar. 

So that's where I've been. Juggling transitioning from stay-at-home-working-mom to just being working mom. Of all the things affected by the change, the aspect of my life hardest hit has been the blog. My husband has been brilliant and supportive. Callum has been brilliant and dropped into the new routine without batting an eyelash. The struggle has been keeping up my full-time blogging habits.

I've not fully decided how much time I'll dedicate to Anyonita Nibbles going forward. I'd like to be able to keep posting five days a week and I have taken on a gang of amazing contributors who've been helping make that a possibility, but I think there might need to be more help from fellow bloggers. Either that or I need to step back a bit more and tailor Anyonita Nibbles into being more part time. I'll work it out.

But I did want to say: I'm not going anywhere. Anyonita Nibbles will still be here. I'll still be coming up with recipes and doing reviews and attending events (as time allows). Things just might take a bit longer than usual and there might be an odd day or two where a post gets missed. I apologize in advance.

With my contributors, I've looked at choosing fellow bloggers who have something different to offer than what I usually do. I think I've achieved this and it's proving to be very popular with my readers, so that's a decision I'm happy with making. I'm so grateful for my four friends Amanda, Sarah, Kristin and Brandi who have agreed to share their work with me and allow me to present it to you. Without them, I'd really be struggling!

As of right now, you can expect:

• Posts on Anyonita Nibbles for five times a week, although this may decrease slightly
• A greater variety of recipes thanks to my well-rounded contribs 
• More gluten-free and c(o)eliac friendly recipes from me
• Don't expect this, but please release that with all the changes a foot, there may be a few hiccups along the way. 

Finally, thank you to you, my readers and visitors. This blog is for you; if you stopped coming to read, I wouldn't have a reason to write and share. So thanks; you're awesome! 

LAST PHOTO HERE