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Monday, January 26, 2015

Welcome to Crazy Joy


Hey friends! Welcome to Crazy Joy. This is my 'big' blog news. I have been wanting to change around the blog for a while now and YAY! it's finally here. (If you're reading this in your email, click over to the site and check it out - it's pretty and clean and there's new stuff to read!)

I started blogging when I was a newly minted stay-at-home mom with one baby who napped A LOT. I was basically a prisoner in my home and blogging filled the void of adult conversation and socialization. Five years and close to 500 posts later... I have discovered that writing is more than a time killer, it's something I actually enjoy. Telling a story from my day so you feel like you were actually here with me or trying to express what is going through my head and my heart as I wade into this parenting gig - it's fun for me. I'm honored and sometimes a bit surprised that people still show up and read this thing. Thank you! When I get a comment or an email or a text from you, it makes my day! (Most of my day is spent doing dishes or changing diapers - so admittedly it's not a hard thing to do...)

As this space has evolved over the years it has been a holding place for recipes, DIY projects, musings, celebrations, laughter, tears, and approximately one million pictures of our ever-expanding clan. And somehow in the middle of all that, I figured out exactly what my particular brand of mama-hood is all about.

The life that we're living right now feels CRAY-ZAY. We have a 5yr old, a 4yr old, a 2yr old and a newborn in an unusually small house for this part of the world. We have an old chocolate Lab and 4 feisty chickens because I thought that sounded fun back when we only had one child. Our home was built in 1980 and there is always something leaking, breaking or warping. There are many days when B Daddy and I look at each other and a silent, "are we ever going to come up for air?" passes between us.

Our life is undeniably crazy - but it is also full of joy

With each child added, our joy has multiplied. Without this joy, the crazy would simply be unbearable. And somehow all of the crazy hasn't taken away any of the joy. The joy is inexplicably sweeter because of the crazy.

Webster defines crazy as: full of cracks or flaws (unsound), insane, impractical, erratic, being out of the ordinary (unusual). Yes, yes, yes, yes and yes. That's us.

I had to work at it, but I finally found a definition of joy that works for me. Theopedia defines Joy as: a state of mind and orientation of the heart. A settled state of contentment, confidence and hope. Something or someone that provides a source of happiness. 

Life can be full of cracks and flaws, erratic, out of the ordinary and insane and yet, within that mess you can find a settled state of contentment, confidence and hope. It is possible to have Crazy Joy. 

The writing in this place comes from the heart of a woman trying to navigate the chaos. Instead of fighting to smooth out all the rough places in my life, I have come to believe that there is something sacred in embracing the craziness. There's a shift that takes place when you accept that you are not fully in control and in fact, you never were. It's a lesson that only motherhood has been able to teach me - letting go brings great freedom in this life.

As part of the overhaul, I've changed the name of the blog (Leipprandt is and always will be difficult to pronounce!!) and I've attempted to make the site more searchable and the posts more shareable. There are some new things up in the header bar (About, Family, Favorites, FAQ) so dig in and stay for a few minutes to check it out.

If you read something here that resonates or you find value in, would you share it with someone who might find the same thing in it?

I'll keep linking to new posts via Facebook, but if you're a diehard reader, would you use the area provided to the right to subscribe via email?? You'll get an email delivered straight to your inbox each time a new post is written. You'll never miss a thing! It's convenient and so fancy! If email ain't your thing, you can alternatively add www.katieleipprandt.com to your feed reader of choice.

If something on the new site seems funky or isn't working right, please let me know! I'm still working out the kinks and I have next to no clue what I'm doing.

Whatever the reason you come here to read, thank you for motivating me to keep up the blog. Thanks for reading and commenting and emailing and encouraging me. And for being a part of something I enjoy very much - I think you're simply the best. I hope each time you visit your heart is re-oriented toward finding Joy in the middle of your Crazy.

With love,
Katie 


5 comments:

  1. Love this! Love the new look. Especially loved this part, "Life can be full of cracks and flaws, erratic, out of the ordinary and insane and yet, within that mess you can find a settled state of contentment, confidence and hope. It is possible to have Crazy Joy.

    The writing in this place comes from the heart of a woman trying to navigate the chaos. Instead of fighting to smooth out all the rough places in my life, I have come to believe that there is something sacred in embracing the craziness. There's a shift that takes place when you accept that you are not fully in control and in fact, you never were. It's a lesson that only motherhood has been able to teach me - letting go brings great freedom in this life." such truth! You are such an inspiration to me!

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    1. Thank you Alek! I'm so glad you like it...I feel fancy! Ha!!!

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  2. The definition of joy? Ive never read anything better. Wow! What a sweet goal. Love this space and getting to know your heart. Plus you have mad writing skillz. Xo

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