5 Years of AndreaDekker.com!

FIVE years ago this weekend, I announced the new name for my blog — AndreaDekker.com (so original, I know!)

At the time, Nora was just over a year old (a.k.a the year when no one slept in our home) and although my blog was going really well, I needed a change.

My old name (Simple Organized Living) was amazing for Google search engines, but it was long, wordy, easily confused for similar domains, and quickly becoming lost in the sea of “simplifying” and “organizing” blogs.

So… AndreaDekker.com it became!

And 5 years later, I’m still here… happily camped out in my own little corner of the internet!

I still love my blog name and design, but I have a feeling I’ll want to make some changes (to the design, not the name) in the next couple of years, especially since 5 years without change is basically an eternity on the internet!

My hope is that once my babies are a bit older and I have more “free time” to devote to my business again, I’ll have more time, energy, and mental capacity to dream up a new design, make my site more mobile friendly, add new features, update how my recipes work, and maybe even start a podcast.

But for now, I’m just happy that I’m still doing EXACTLY what I set out to do 5 years ago when I changed my name, and 8 years ago when I started my blog.

I simplify real life for real families with real budgets, real schedules, real homes, and real lives.

I serve as a resource to motivate, encourage, and inspire others to make positive changes in their homes, families, and lives.

I simplify the complicated.

I make difficult tasks feel doable for the average Jane.

I share quick, easy recipes to help busy parents get a meal on the table.

I provide my own real-life examples with simple solutions.

I present information in new ways with the hopes of motivating normal folks like me and you to get off our butts and get to work!

I have a lot of fun too! 

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Yes, I have SO many ideas for my blog “someday”, but they are all on the back-burner for now… and I’m OK with that.

It took me a while (a LONG while) but I feel 100% fulfilled in my role as a wife and mother… so I currently have no desire to do more on the internet than I’m doing right now.

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It’s amazing how much time and energy 4 children require of me — and although I’m excited about so many future possibilities for my blog and my business, I’m currently enjoying less time online and more time in real life with my family and community.

No, I’m not planning to go anywhere, but I won’t be doing anything extra either! 

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I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m still camped out in my own little corner of the internet 5 years from now… especially if I continue to enjoy blogging as much as I do now.

I feel so thankful and grateful to be able to do something I love from home, while working around my family’s schedules and my own personal agenda.

Thanks for following my journey, loving my family, and sharing so many of your own thoughts, stories, tips, photos, and encouragement with me.

Cheers to 5 more years!