Summer Catchup

Hello and welcome back to Real, Not Ideal! Due to an unfortunate computer issue (issue being I spilled Prosecco on it), I have been very much disconnected for a few months now. Whenever I posted, it was mostly because Matt was out and I could sneak use of his computer. Now, I’m back and better than ever!

Here is a brief catch up as well as some updates about what I want to do with this blog.

1.      I finished my first full year of teaching!

I still can’t believe it. I’m one full year into my own career. It’s wonderful. I did a good job (I think) despite challenges. Teaching is hard work!

I have a full post about my lessons learned coming later, so keep an eye out for that one.

Overall, I am so proud of myself. To go live in a different country (and continent for that matter!) and start a career is no easy feat but I did it!

2.      I came home for the summer!

I love the fact that I have summers off, but I also know I cannot be home alone for that long. I will get into bad habits and get quite lonely. It’s too much thinking time!

I decided to come home so I could be with my family and catch up with friends. I got to see my little buddy, read (a lot) and even see my sister. This was a good decision.

3.      I have pulled my fitness posts from this blog.

I got into fat activism quite a bit this year. I started realizing just how prevalent body issues are within teenagers. I heard girls at my school say things like “I still want him to think I’m pretty” and “I need to go on a diet” and “they called me fat.”

I started challenging the language they use and asked them to start reflecting on their strengths outside of the way they look. Once I started doing that, I looked within myself. Why am I telling them to do that when I’ve promoted a fitness journey on my own blog? Am I being hypocritical when the last time I posted a fitness post was getting down on myself for not being active enough?

Yes, I was being hypocritical.

Therefore, I’ve pulled all fitness from the blog. It’s a harmful thing to promote.

I am not less than just because of the way I look. Beauty and health come in all shapes and sizes. The truth is, I’m healthy. Despite the fact that I am fat, I am healthy.

4.      I need to scale this blog back quite a bit.

I like blogging a lot. It’s my little corner of the world. However, it was starting to feel like a chore. It was something I felt like I had to do rather than the fun thing I intended it to be.

Three posts a week while starting a full time job for the first time? Was I crazy? Again, yes. I truly admire the women that I follow for doing this as a side hustle along with a full time career and kids, but I am just not that ambitious.

Since I still want to keep this up, I think one post a week is do-able. So look forward to Saturdays on Real, Not Ideal!

I will stick with the same kind of posts that I usually do like goals, book reviews, and monthly favourites but stretched out a little more. We’ll see how it works!

That’s all for now! I think that’s all of the most important stuff covered anyway. Like I said, keep an eye on this page on Saturdays for regular posts!

What have you been up to on this accidental hiatus? Leave a comment to let me know!

-Daniella