We’re hoping to spend 99 percent of our time outside, hiking with Chase and Sadie (wish us luck because we bought a new hiking backpack to try) and playing in the pool and lake near our townhouse rental. I’ll be sure to share a recap of our first vacation away as a family of four (Sadie always counts!) on Monday.
Until then, I wanted to stop by to share my weekly Things I’m Loving Friday blog post with you guys and, as always, encourage you to participate in the fun by sharing a little bit about what is making you smile in the comments section of this post!
Have a great weekend!
Things I’m Loving Friday
A recap of Alyssa and Brittany’s visit last weekend never made it on the blog earlier this week, but it was so nice to have friends in town when Ryan and I were in serious need of a good distraction last weekend. Alyssa and Brittany arrived in town on Friday night and we filled the weekend with time on the lake and lots of yummy food and drinks (Brittany made a s’mores dip that was amazing and her strawberry frosé was the perfect summertime beverage). I’m grateful for the internet for bringing these two wonderful women into my life and we had a blast getting to know their guys better, too! We’re already talking about planning another visit soon! Thanks for making the drive to Charlotte, Brittany and Alyssa!
There’s something special about nut butter you discover at a local farmer’s market and I can absolutely see why Brittany and Alyssa fell in love with Reginald’s Nut Butter at their local Richmond farmer’s market. It’s made with delicious roasted Virginia peanuts, a dash of oil and, depending on the unique flavor, a small handful of other natural ingredients. Brittany and Alyssa brought me their two favorite flavors – Nana Honey Peanut Butter and Wedding Pretzel Crunch – and I can absolutely see why Reginald’s is a staple in their houses. I’ve mostly just been eating it straight out of the jar (still my favorite way to enjoy peanut butter), but it was also amazing drizzled on top of a hot bowl of oats for breakfast yesterday. Yum!
Is it just me or are people completely brow obsessed these days? What is it with eyebrows right now!? Truthfully, I’ve never really given my brows much thought and apparently it shows because I had someone send me a message on Snapchat recommending that I fill in my brows a bit since they are so light. It’s something that’s been on my radar for a while now but eyebrow pencils scare me and after a bad experience with a makeup artist years ago, I was super weary of overly bold eyebrows.
As fate would have it, I ended up stumbling upon an eyebrow station at Ulta a few weeks ago and took some time to experiment with a few different products. I ended up walking away Benefit’s Ka-Brow! Cream Gel Eyebrow Color. The brush allows for buildable color which is perfect for me since I can lightly layer it on until my brows start to appear more defined (and not too crazy-bold!) and fill in some of the splotchy parts of my brows. It has awesome reviews on Ulta.com and I’ve been very happy with this random find!
Last month, when I got my hair done, at the end of my appointment, my hairstylist rubbed a bit of Moroccan oil on the ends of my hair. Now that I’ve started coloring my hair, I cannot help but ask a million questions about hair care since I know coloring can damage the hair and I want to keep my hair as healthy as possible. When I asked about the benefits of Moroccan oil, my hair stylist explained that it’s great for conditioning the hair, decreasing breakage and adding shine without residue.
Years ago, during a Fitness Magazine event, I received a sample of Moroccan oil and used it for a little while before I completely forgot about it. Thankfully, my latest experience at the hair salon reminded me of my old bottle and I found it in the back of a drawer in my bathroom. I’ve been applying it to my hair (avoiding the roots) before bed and love the way my hair soaks it up overnight so it doesn’t look greasy in the morning. Anything to keep my hair healthy!
- The Honest Company Overnight Diapers
I’m sure you guys know by now that I am a big fan of The Honest Company’s diapers. I’ve been subscribing to their diaper bundles for months (<—a great way to save money if you’re also a fan of their diapers!) and recently added a pack of overnight diapers to my order. They are wonderful!! Even when Chase wakes up to nurse in the middle of the night, I try not to change him (unless, on the off chance, there is a number two in there…) and the overnight diapers definitely seem to hold more in and keep Chase dryer for longer. Plus, the sleepy sheep print is too darn cute! The overnight diapers are now a bedtime staple in our house!
- Constructive Feedback and Some Final Thoughts
This week I received some similar comments from a handful of blog readers who were frustrated with the vague way I approached sharing our stress surrounding Chase’s blood work on the blog. I have thought a lot about these comments and I completely understand where they are coming from and wanted to address these concerns here this morning.
One blog reader left the following comment on Wednesday’s blog post:
“I hope you will elaborate on the story more soon, as I feel your vagueness is allowing readers to form their own opinions that this isn’t that serious. I don’t think that was your intent, but that is the way it is coming off. This seemed like more of a scare and pale in comparison to what other parents may be going through. Again, because of the vagueness. My advice as a reader is full transparency or none at all.”
Truthfully, I think her comment sums up the way a handful of you may feel right now and so I wanted to share my response to her constructive feedback with you below. I am always, always learning and know that I make a billion mistakes as a blogger but I appreciate those of you who left constructive feedback and want you to know I take it to heart.
My response:
“Thank you for your feedback. I can understand where you are coming from and apologize if my vagueness is upsetting to you and others. As a blogger, I sometimes struggle with what to share and what not to share in such a public space. At the time I initially shared what we were going through, I had no idea what the end results from Chase’s blood work would be. I hoped and prayed and believed they would be good, but I didn’t know. And I was scared.
As I briefly mentioned before, the follow up blood work we had done was not directly related to Chase’s small size but something more serious that truly frightened me and my family. When a mother hears the words ‘bone disease’ mentioned by her child’s doctor it is hard not to worry, cry and feel helpless. I didn’t feel comfortable not mentioning my worries on the blog and pretending like things were happy and fine when the past week has been filled with a lot of stress and uncertainty while we waited for results from his follow up blood work.
I realize that receiving good news now may make this whole ordeal seem small, but when I shared what we were going through, I didn’t know what the results were going to be and I was scared and unsure how to handle everything. We are feeling optimistic, but still have some follow up testing in our future. I am believing all will be okay.
In retrospect, maybe I should’ve kept this off the blog altogether. It was a struggle for me because not mentioning something that directly impacts the biggest thing in my life – my son – felt fake, inauthentic and disingenuous. I didn’t know how to handle it and maybe I didn’t handle it well, but I hope you can understand where I’m coming from and that it was not at ALL my intent to make others feel bad or bring about comparisons to other family’s health concerns. I think you’re right about full transparency or none at all in the future. It’s something I spoke at length with Ryan about yesterday and I know that in the future, I will likely keep things like this to myself. Thank you for reading and for your feedback. I truly appreciate it.”
I am sharing my response with you today because while I think sharing highs and lows on this blog is important, I know that some things truly are better off discussed outside of such a public space. I now know my son’s health is one of these things.
Your comments are not dissuading me from being authentic in this space but there are certain things that affect me and my family that I am learning should not be shared so openly. I apologize to those who were upset by the way I handled everything and, more importantly, I apologize to those facing health scares within their families who were upset by my posts. I truly, truly wish only the very best for all of you.
- Friday Flashbacks
10 Make Ahead Breakfast Recipes (A roundup of 10 of my favorite breakfast recipes that can easily be prepped ahead of time.)
Total Body Pyramid Workout (Begin by completing 20 reps of the five exercises listed in the 20 reps section before moving onto 40 reps of the four exercises in the 40 reps section and 60 reps of the final three exercises in the 60 reps section. Then go back down the pyramid and complete the 60, 40 and 20 rep sections in reverse order.)
- Around the Web
Food: Spinach Banana Muffins // Healthy Mexican Shrimp Salad // Watermelon Rosemary Popsicles
Fitness: 12 Minute Tabata Workout // Do What Made You Happy As A Kid // Yoga Flow for Digestive Health and Relaxation
Question of the Day
- What is one thing you are loving this week?
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Fall! I’m in love fall this week. It totally doesn’t feel like it where I live but I am ushering it in regardless!
And as a mother of a 21 month old, there is no need to have to defend yourself. Thank you for the opportunity to pray on behalf of Chase and your family and ultimately rejoice
in the good news of his results. In no way feel that you need to defend your blog it’s content. It is a representation of you and your life. You can reveal as little or much as you desire. Personally this experience makes me love your blog more and wish that I lived close to you to be your friend! Take care and keep loving on that baby!
Julie, I never commented before. I follow your blog for years and I love it, because you provide so much inspiration on how to live a healthy, active life full of positivity, fun, family and dogs (OMG, Sadie ?). And I appreciate that you share all aspects of your life with us and not only show us the bright sides, product reviews and nice outfits. I can completely understand that you decided to stay vague. You had and have my full support. Thanks again for inspiring me so often sending love Nella
Hi Julie, I know I’m echoing the words of many others here, and yet, I still feel compelled to share. I’ve been reading your blog for years and I love and admire your positivity. That being said, life can feel hard for all of us at times, and so I really respect you for being authentic and sharing when things aren’t perfect.
I totally understand and can appreciate anything you choose to share or not share on this space going forward, considering it’s your blog, and beyond that, your life that you’re letting readers in on. I’m not sure if you saw it this way or not, but I really feel like you’ve taken the high road in how you’ve handled yourself in the midst of a stressful time in your life and I admire that.
Hope y’all are having a great weekend!
Dude, it’s your blog, post what you want! People will always have an opinion no matter what you do. You gotta do what’s right for you.
The way you handled that comment was very brave, Julie. You are allowed to share whatever you want, however you want – this is your own little space on the internet. Just because someone else might be going through something worse doesn’t mean that whatever you’re going through isn’t genuinely scary. Like you said, you had no way to know what was going to happen and it could have been something to affect yours, Ryan’s and Chase’s lives in a huge way. Don’t feel bad that others can’t understand that.
Hi Julie,
Lately, when I read blog posts, I scroll down and read through some of the comments afterwards. I think I do it because what I see so often horrifies me. Its so hurtful what people post sometimes! (often with an accompanying ‘IMHO’, because yea, that makes saying nasty things ok?) And other times its just plain weird- eyebrow judgement, really!?
I saw the comment the other day and suddenly realized how similar this is to teaching evaluations. I am a teacher, and reading student evaluations can be the most hurtful experience of the entire term. Last term, I taught a 25 person calc class. 23 students loved it and said wonderful things on the evals. 2 students hated it and me. And guess what? After reading those evals I immediately felt like the class was a huge, giant failure. After investing so much time, effort, and love into a class, it is SO EASY to read past/skip over/discredit the positive comments, and SO HARD to let go of the negative ones. Seriously, it took me about a month to think about my class objectively again.
I cannot imagine having to deal with that on an almost daily basis like you bloggers do. So much respect for you! Just know you should feel free to do whatever makes you feel more comfortable and protected. If it means giving less information to avoid the nasties, do it! But if it helps, think about it this way: if your friend were teaching a class and got 300 positive evaluations and 2-3 negative ones, what advice would you have for her?
Sorry for the long ramblings, I promise I’ll stop commenting now : )
Sarah–as a teacher myself, I completely echo your feeling that negativity is so difficult not to take to heart, especially when we are under the public eye so much!
Julie, I admire your honesty & transparency. This blog is not only your job, but your outlet to express however you are feeling at that moment. We all have those moments where something seems so big & we need to just get it out, but then with time & more information, what seemed so large, might not seem so significant (or it all simply just comes to a resolution.) You have built a base of loyal readers (me!) & you have turned to your readers on multiple occasions for feedback & advice, so it’s only natural that you would turn to your readers during a difficult time. It bothers me greatly when people demand more information or need all the details & while I believe everyone is entitled to an opinion, reading comment online comment sections of newspapers, news articles, etc has irked me to no end on multiple occasions. The internet was not created so that all can tell the world how they really feel! & to say whatever they want. Sometimes people lack tact & clearly don’t carefully think about how what they are going to say might hurt others or simply be unnecessary, uneducated, & inappropriate. I’m sorry that you received some negative comments, but please remember you have many readers who appreciated your honesty & dedication!
I too appreciate your openness and ability to be real with us. You have responded in a mature and thought out way, showing yet again your true character. Thank you for sharing with us everyday!
I thought you handled the whole situation with honesty and grace. Love reading your blog!
Julie, I just wanted to echo what so many others have already said: you are so graceful & your genuine heart shines through in all your posts. I’m so sorry that in the midst of all your stresses & worries of Chase’s health you also had to deal with the added stress of negativity on your blog. It hurts my heart, but once again you’ve used this as an opportunity to show how classy & kind & humble you are! I love your blog & I’m so grateful for the parts of your life you share & I respect what parts of your life you welcome us into & what parts of your life you wish to keep private. Keep your head up, you’re doing great – both at motherhood & blogging!! ❤️
And on the eyebrow note – seriously! I’m a mother of 2 babies – I can barely remember blush, mascara & lipstick, much less drawing eyebrows! People always saying “eyebrows on fleek” – like what does that even mean?!? LOL
Hey Julie
I appreciate when bloggers are honest and say things like “this has been a really hard week” — because that’s life. It is your decision what to share and what to keep private but I think sharing your feelings and honestly speaking about how things are going makes your blog better than others.
Keep it up!
Hi Julie and Ryan. First of all, I am so happy for you and your family that Chase’s blood work turned out fine and that he is safe and sound. Julie, I am an avid reader to your blog (e-mail updates subscriber) but rarely comment. The final part of this post moved me to do so. Please, please don’t apologize to ANYONE for not releasing every single detail of your life, especially about something so personal and near to your heart. I felt privileged as a reader that you trusted and felt comfortable enough with us, your readers to share your panic and deep concerns regarding Chase’s health. It does not have to be all or nothing when it comes to what you share. This is your blog, and I think you do a wonderful job balancing posts we would appreciate reading. I was dismayed reading that you felt bad about what you shared and wanted to dissuade you from keeping personal issues you may have in the future off the blog. This is your blog and you never know which reader might benefit in some small way from reading your words! Whatever level of disclosure you are ok with, I’m fine reading. Again, thank you for representing yourself as a real person through PBF 🙂
Julie, I am so sorry this was your takeaway from being a little more vulnerable than usual. I think you handled this perfectly. You shared what was on your heart in a way that respected Chase’s privacy. You opened up to us that you were having a difficult week. While it’s natural that your audience was curious about details, you had every right to share only vague details. I have been reading your blog for about five years, and what I love most about it are these snippets of your life, good and bad. I truly hope these few negative responses to deter you from being yourself and sharing what you are comfortable with. You do you!
Just wanted to echo the sentiments of all of the comments above. I thought you approached the situation with such grace and poise. It’s so hard to know the what to share and what to keep private. I love this blog because it’s usually so positive and upbeat. When you posted originally asking for thoughts and prayers, I knew it was something serious. I would never tell you that you had to share every detail with us, but I appreciated letting us know that something was up because it makes you more real and authentic. Thanks!
Hi Julie,
I want to jump on the support train! I love your blog so much and the fact that you are having to defend how you choose to share your family news is so sad to me. I have never commented before, but I know that is must have been hard to read those comments and I just want let you know how much I appreciate what you share in this space. I have a 5 week old and during my maternity leave your early posts about Chase have been a source of sanity and support for me. Thank you for this blog and everything you choose to share. Please keep doing what your doing, I love your blog, recipes, workouts, and family updates. Thank you!!
First off, I will have to try the Ka-brow now! I love Benefit cosmetics and as someone with blonde eyebrows I feel that doing my brows makes a world of difference!
Secondly, it is so sad that you have to explain or defend the way that you wrote that post. I don’t agree with full transparency or none at all. You have a right to share exactly what you wanted or felt the need to and keep the rest private. It never once crossed my mind to compare your problems with those of others.
I was worried for you and your sweet little boy and even wondered what the heck was going on. I prayed for you and just waited for the good news, but never once got frustrated or upset with how you handled your situation.
Julie, I have been following your blog for the past 5 years – I rarely comment, but receive your updates via email and always read eagerly. I love how upbeat and positive you are. Everyone is entitle to having their own reaction to what life throws at them – there is no reason that you should be compelled by a reader or readers to share more or less than what you feel comfortable with sharing, just because you are a blogger that shares a lot about her life. You don’t owe anyone an explanation, and honestly, I felt that what you shared was appropriate, and that there is no right or wrong here. It’s sad that someone felt they needed to call you out on it. Personal privacy is important, and people need to remember this is a public platform where you choose to share your life, and it’s a privilege, not a necessity that we get to share along with you.
Thank you for always looking on the bright side, but also being honest and realistic about life’s ups and downs. Honestly, it’s much more endearing to me rather than pretending everything is fine 100% of the time. I love your authenticity.
I have been reading your blog for years, and don’t think I have once commented!
But I just wanted to say that it makes me really sad to hear that a few people have made this whole horrible experience even worse by commenting that you shouldn’t be vague. Of course you need to be vague, it’s your family and your life, and until you have your answers for yourself, there should be no need to share the details with others. Like you say, carrying on pretending things are fine doesn’t feel right, and doesn’t seem like you as a person (not that I’ve met you…!).
Your blog is by far my favourite, and I look forward to each post and I think I have read them all! I constantly go back to past posts, just because I find your experiences so real, open and honest.
In the end it is completely your choice, and people are great at saying things hiding behind a computer. Your health scare with Chase is equally important as anyone else’s health scare, whether or not they have a good or bad outcome!
Love your blog Julie, you’re truly someone that I aspire to (I’m 28), and your family and your home are something I look to for inspiration, guidance, and a great model as I move into my own phase of starting a family and having a husband! (Most of your pregnancy page visits are probably from me 😉 )
Much love and by the look of your snaps it looks like you’ve had an amazing weekend with your family!!! Which you truly deserve!
I’m upset you feel like you have to defend yourself. I have been reading your blog since 2011 and I feel like I know you. When you shared what was going on, I was genuinely concerned and actually spoke with my mom about it. (Her response: “Wait, this is one of your friends?” — something like that, Mom.)
What I’m getting at is that I’ve been following you for so long because I admire your ability to write so beautifully in a time of stress, worry, etc. You are SO authentic and don’t ever make it seem like your life is absolutely perfect, which is one of the things I love about your blog. I knew in due time you would share what was really going on, and I respect that. At the end of the day, this is YOUR blog, you should be able to write about the things that are going on in YOUR life.
When others are dealing with similar things, it’s nice to know they’re not the only ones. This might not be true for me in this situation, but this really hit home when you lost Mimi. Please continue to do what you do so well – staying authentic, genuine and kind.
Sending you and your family good vibes.
AOT,
Shannon
In all honesty, I thought you handled your concerns and sharing them very well. Your family’s health scares are as important as anyone else’s, and we all freak out when they happen. You deserve the ability to do that as much as anyone else. I think you did what felt right, and I’m a huge believer in doing what feels good on your blog.
I understand it feeling unauthentic to write happy-go-lucky posts when you’re going through really hard things, though, and I’ve done it before. In that case, I think it’s more than okay to take a mini blog break, I think it’s okay to share, and I also think you can very occasionally do it anyway.
And this is the part where I say I love your blog, feel like I know you and your family, and look here for honesty and advice regularly. You’re awesome, Julie! Hope you’re having a great weekend!
I just want to echo the support you’re receiving about how you handled your anxiety over Chase’s impending results, because I feel the same way! I don’t think you need to apologize to anyone, nor change how you live your life and post what you post. Of course I think your response was sensitive and beautiful, but you should know that you’re supported, and don’t need to change based on .000001% of readers. As you can see by the responses here, 99.99999 percent of the people here had ZERO problem with how you handled your post about Chase. Many people here are commenting for the first time ever, despite being long time readers, just to tell you so, and echo that 99.99999 percent. I also know that changing your tone/yourself/your sharing/whatever won’t give you different results (i.e. people who feel a need to complain, will always find something to complain about. That’s not about YOU, that’s about THEM.)
Just know that you’re supported, and that the majority of the people here have your back, and are here to support you. Many mothers find tremendous comfort when other mothers share their anxiety, and sharing yours was a comfort to them. Bottom line is, you be you, in whatever way makes you comfortable, and know that your readers support you.
Hi Julie, I haven’t been reading your blog for that long, but I’ve loved getting to you know through your openness. I agree with what everyone else has been saying, it’s your blog! Do whatever feels right! I’ve got a little one too and I can’t imagine how you felt last week. Whatever way you felt you needed to express what was going on in your life on YOUR BLOG was right. You do you!
You should not apologize to anyone. You have shared openly and honestly about Chase from the beginning and we all feel like we k ow him….and you! I am especially interested in him because our little grandson is almost the same age. Blogging is a brave endeavor. There are too many negative people out there who want to criticize. But there are way more people wanting to send good thoughts and prayers your way. Take the latter and forget the former!
While constructive criticism can be a good thing, I also think we need a little more empathy from others in this world. You respected us enough to share what YOU were comfortable with, and I’m sure that you didn’t take sharing that information lightly. I am saddened that you will no longer share those updates with us, but I respect your privacy. People who read your blog are not forced to read it and if they are unhappy with a decision YOU made on YOUR blog, then they can stop reading. I will continue to read. I look forward to you posts every morning over breakfast. AND, your brows look fine. You are beautiful! Have a great weekend. You deserve it. I am so glad that Chase is fine and hope that he continues to be happy and healthy.
I agree with everyone else’s comments! It is your blog and while you write for your readers, don’t let one measly comment change how you approach your blog (because we all love it!). One person’s health scare does not diminish the health scares of others. It’s so easy to criticize a person from behind a keyboard, but to me it verges on bullying (is bullying really).
Good luck with the eyebrows! I too have blonde eyebrows that I largely ignore these days, but would love a review on the eyebrow powder. I have a 1.5 year old so at this point eyebrows are low on my priority list, but I used to fill them in and looking back at pictures I really miss how they looked! I do think that is a rude thing for a person to comment on though…
Anyways, I love your blog and have read since before you were married. You don’t need to change for one grumpy person on the internet! If you do change anything I would say MORE SADIE 🙂
Hi Julie!
Long-time blog follower, first time commenter. I love your blog and writing style and for me, I didn’t find your vagueness about your son’s health upsetting or suspect, I took it as a family who was in the midst of a really scary time who needed prayers and positivity sent their way. I get what others say about “full transparency or none”, but this isn’t a new workout or recipe, it’s your son’s health. It made me sad when I saw people were being critical of how you presented what I’m sure was an incredibly overwhelming situation!! I commend you for how you manage your blog, it’s content, and your relationship with your readers. Those comments made me want to give you a hug and some Cookie Butter because I think you handled a difficult situation in a very authentic, truthful way. You’re awesome- keep doing what you’re doing! Sending lots of prayers and good vibes y’all’s way!
Hi Julie,
Generally, I don’t comment on any of your posts but finally decided to write up a comment. First and foremost: I was very happy to hear that Chase’s blood work came back negative! What a huge relief that must have been for you and your family! It was very brave of you to share this information with the world and I honestly admire what you do. Please do not let other’s people negativity let you down. You’re doing a fantastic job as a blogger, wife and (most importantly) as a mom. It is absolutely impossible to please every single reader, and I will have to say bravo to the way you handled that situations.
I’ve been reading your blog (every single post !) since summer 2010 and thoroughly enjoy all the content that you post: the good, the bad, recipes, life, workout. You are such a relatable, down-to earth person and I know that you will continue to do a fantastic job.
I am likely repeating what many others have already said, but I just want you to know that your positivity is contagious and admirable. Although this blog is geared towards an audience, it is in the end your space to share with us what you please. I have been obsessed with it for a couple years now and I just want to thank you for being you!
I’m a pretty silent reader of your blog, but the fact that you have to deal with people complaining about what you share and don’t share is ridiculous! This space shoul be for whatever you want to share. I’m sorry you have to deal with people who feel the need to tell you what to write and share. I think I speak for most of your readers that we fully support whatever you decide to share or keep private.
Your post was fine! You were sharing your heart.
It is also true that many others are going through worse things, but that makes your scare NO less scary!
I completely agree! If my little boy was going through something like that – it would be incredibly hard for me to keep it a secret. This is your blog, my dear! Share with us admiring fans what you’d like! Thinking good thoughts for your fam.
I’m sure others have said this (308 comments are a lot to get though!), the said blogger reader, not that I’m standing up for them, probably has issues in their life at the moment and decided to take it out on you. That or just plain jealously.
I think you let us know that something was up and let us know in manner which was perfectly done. That quote my mum always told me growing up, makes perfect sense for this: Those that matter don’t mind, those that mind don’t matter. In my mind was no need for you to justify yourself to the said reader. I find I do this to please people and later I’m like why? We (us readers) may or probably would have guessed something was up, but you let us know and understood you couldn’t tell us everything. Which most of us, we respected. Plus we’re all happy Chase is okay! That’s the important thing!
I’ve been reading your blog since about 2013, love reading and look forward to your posts. You even inspired me to start my own blog! Don’t let one comment bring you down. I know it’s hard as that one comment sticks more than all the others. You inspire so many. Keep on being you 🙂
i think the way you shared things was right on and true to what you were going through in the moment – which is the whole point of the blog. you are under no obligation to share those types of things publicly but i am so glad you do, however much you choose to share. The day you shared your worries was actually the same week I was going through something similar with my daughter. Like you, the whole thing ended up being more of a scare (end result is a very manageable problem) than a lifelong disorder but I didn’t know that when i read your post. Your post held me up that day so THANK YOU for being so brave and sharing. That post made me feel so much less alone and reminded me to be positive even in the face of something scary. Thank you so much.
I’m probably echoing the sentiments of others, but Julie, this is YOUR blog. It is completely up to you what you share! I appreciate your authenticity! It’s one of the things I love most about your blog. You let us know how you’re really dealing with the things happening in your life. Moving away from your family, the passing of your grandmother, and many other life events you’ve chosen to share with us are all part of the reason your easy to relate to; you’re human! And being worried about Chase, especially his health, is something that you should be able to share. And I know this isn’t why you did it, but I saw that several of your readers (myself included) were sending prayers your way while you waited. If I had been in your very stressed out shoes, I would want to be as covered in prayer as humanly possible. Anyway! I’ve rambled on for too long already. At the end of the day, it is your blog and you are never going to please everyone. Do what you feel comfortable doing, and don’t worry about the rest. We love you!
Hi Julie,
I’ve been reading your blog for the past 5-6 years and truly enjoy all of your posts. I have never commented before, but felt led to do so today (along with a bunch of other readers!)
I know I am probably repeating what has already been said, but I think sharing about Chase’s health scare was perfectly fine. In fact, I think sharing those things is great because it gives people the opportunity to pray for you when there is a need. I was able to lift up Chase in prayer as well as you and Ryan dealing with the anxiety of it all. Please don’t stop sharing what is on your heart. This is your space and you have the right to be open and honest in the ways that you and your family see fit.
Blessings,
Jennifer
You do you!!! And never justify your blog posts – we appreciate you sharing pieces of your life with all of us! The ups, downs, big things, little things – they are what makes your blog so wonderful and real to read and follow. Thank you for sharing! Only you can make the decision about what in your life you share – no one else can, or should, dictate your words. Thank you for sharing YOU!
Girl, you are under no obligation to share everything in your life with us! It’s ok to be vague and it’s ok to not even tell us. Put your family first — I don’t think most readers would even think that you were making light of anyone else’s health concerns. Never even crossed my mind. Babies make blogging harder — as a momma, you love to share them with the world but the world isn’t always so nice! So do what’s right for you and Chase and Ryan 🙂
Julie,
I want to echo what so many others are saying. I have been reading your blog for a long time (at least 2010, probably before that). You are the only one I have “stuck with” that long, and part of the reason is your authenticity. As your life has changed, you have changed the blog. I have been “growing up” right alongside you. Through my own engagement and marriage, three degrees, two jobs, too many moves, and a baby boy, I have looked forward to keeping up with you and your journey. The interesting thing is that you moved from FL to Charlotte, and while we both lives there for 2 years, I just moved to Florida (Tallahassee)! I love how honest and friendly you are. I really appreciate how accessible you are also- I emailed you about a year ago to get your opinion on an OB and ended up having a wonderful experience with the same group you had. I also love seeing your snaps and chatting with you there, as my son is about 8 months younger than chase. I totally respect your decisions about what to share and how to share it. For what it’s worth I think you are doing a great job. This has been long and rambling, but I wanted to send you some positive affirmations about what you are doing in this space.
Jenny
Thank you so much, Jenny. <3 I really appreciate your comment. And I'm also so glad you had a good experience with you OB! <3 Thank you for reading for so long. xo
There’s a quote floating around the internets: Telling someone they can’t be sad because others have it worse is like saying someone can’t be happy because others have it better.
That really sucks to have to go through a health scare and then have to deal with blog fall-out! Keep doing you; that’s how you got readers in the first place. *hug*
Hii Julie
I’m a truly quiet peruser of your web journal, however the way that you need to manage individuals whining about what you share and don’t share is strange! This space should be for whatever you need to share. I’m sad you need to manage individuals who feel the need to let you know what to compose and share. I think I represent the vast majority of your perusers that we completely bolster whatever you choose to share or keep private.
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Julie,
I’ve been reading along for years and my son is a few months older than Chase. It is hard when your baby is going through something medical because they’re such a HUGE part of your life and it throws your life for a loop. I think what you shared was perfect, because it was very you. Maybe the people complaining were jealous. Would I have liked a little more info on what they were testing for? Yes. My son was born with a congenital heart defect and had surgery at 2 months old, so if it was similar, I was going to offer my story and support. Was it any of my business? No, and I realize and respect that. I hope that you will continue to share about your life and Chase, because a lot of us out here DO love reading about it and him. Chase is precious and I’m so glad his blood work turned out to be OK. Hugs!
Jess
Julie,
Similar to some others, I am a long time reader and rarely comment. I felt compelled after I read this post. I have to say that what you do on this blog is so impressive to me! The Internet can be a tough crowd and it seems like you just can’t ever please everyone… This seems to be getting worse as time goes on. Everyone has their opinion on how others should live and share their lives. I was extremely touched by you sharing and do not see a thing wrong with your approach. We can all see you are such a kind and genuine person and I know so many people were moved by what you were going to. A parent’s worry should never be minimized!! You do an amazing job on the blog and even your response to the handful that took issue is so kind. I’m so glad he is ok and thank you for sharing your life!
Julie, I think you handled the issue with Chase in the best way possible. This is *your* blog and *your* life. You’re allowed to share as much or as little information as you want to. I think I speak for many readers when I say I appreciate how much you share and how candid you are. No one should make you feel badly about how you discussed your scare with Chase’s potential medical issues. Please know the majority of your readers do not feel the same as a few angry commenters. Thank you for continuing to share your life and advice with all of us, and for teaching us how to handle all situations with grace <3
Julie,
Am so glad to hear Chase is okay!
As for your readers’ comments and your response to how you chose to share it, please know that you don’t need to apologize to anyone for any vagueness or lack of detail. You don’t “owe” anyone any type of personal information you are not yet ready to share– and no one should be demanding explanations from you. It’s an honor to learn more about your life and to get to hear about your personal stories you do choose to share on this space, and we should all respect each other and that. I highly doubt that a person would walk up to a coworker at the office and and demand to know more about their child’s health scare- and if so, I think it would be a little insensitive and inappropriately probing.
Just wanted to let you know that you truly have no reason to bend over backwards apologizing or feeling bad for a second. Much love to you!
I’m rather late in writing this – I’m one of the ‘silent readers’ of your blog and I have to say that I always love reading PBFingers! You always have such a positive lovely space on your blog – over the past year or so I’ve been myself dealing with some really stressful times (my partner was sick for a really long time and he passed away this year) and one of my favourite things to do to try and relax would be to read your blog and sort of ‘feel’ your happy energy and positive vibes – it always left me feeling a little better about life! I have a blog myself and until now I’ve only ever talked vaguely about the bad stuff that’s been happening to me there mainly because it’s been so personal, so hard to even come to terms with personally and also involved someone else so I didn’t really feel like I could share it fully at the present. It can be a really hard thing to share so don’t feel like you have to explain everything – I didn’t think there was anything wrong at all about the way you worded your fears and concerns, and I definitely don’t think you are under an obligation to share everything with your readers! I’m sending you lots of positive vibes and love to you and your family, and I’m so glad to hear Chase is okay! x
I personally don’t think you owed any explanation or apology to those commenters.
I’ve been reading your blog for a year or more now and while I was interested (or perhaps nosy) to know what was going on I think most people would understand that you didn’t want to share too much detail online – especially while you were in the midst of an unknown situation.
I’m amazed that anyone would take the time to try to down-play your upsetting experience without even knowing the full facts.
Glad that Chase is doing well x
I am a bit late to the commenting game here, but I think that it is really important and refreshing to attempt to show some of the ups and downs in life if you do have a public presence. And because your presence encourages health and well-being, then it is helpful for people to see you handle the rough parts too. So, thank you for sharing. I would also say that sharing doesn’t mean that you have to give us all the details as some commenters seem to believe.
I became interested in your blog because of the section where you explain that you became more invested and interested in nutrition and fitness after your mother’s breast cancer. I felt the same way about my own experience with my mother and therefor trusted your site more. It is easier to take the advice of authentic people as a general rule.
I appreciate all of your hard work to give us easy options for fitness and nutrition.
Thanks!
That peanut butter sounds delicious! I’ll have to keep my eyes peeled for it. Also, SO glad to hear things came back good with Chase’s blood work. You definitely didn’t owe anyone a deeper explanation into what was going on though!
Pretzel crunch peanut butter?!?! I HAVE TO TRY THAT!