I can’t believe ten years is hitting me so hard. This week I’ve been swept by a mix of emotions as I reflect on everything it took to start this blog and bring it to where it is today. What a journey. For a long time I wrestled with feelings of not being enough as a food blogger—there are so many people doing it better than me—but this reflection has left me overwhelmingly proud. I’m actually getting tears as I type.

I’ve wondered how deep to go with this post. Should I share every detail about why I started the blog or stick to highlights? Does anyone care? Will anyone read it at all?

DON’T FORGET TO SCROLL DOWN TO THE END OF THE POST FOR THE GIVEAWAY INFO

In the end I decided to share the full story, but in a condensed “bathroom book” edition so you can get through it in a minute—maybe while hiding in a closet, the bathroom, or the pantry. Don’t forget some chocolate.

Here we go…

If you’re an OG Real Life Dinner reader, you’ll remember I used to contribute to The Mother Huddle, a blog my friend Destri started in 2008. She asked me to share a recipe each week. I didn’t know how to blog, so she showed me how to access the backend and type up posts; she handled the rest. There were four contributors and it was a wonderful site. Although it no longer exists, that experience gave me the confidence to eventually start my own blog—something I never would have considered without it.

After about four years of contributing weekly, Destri began encouraging me to launch my own blog. I would laugh it off—I had no idea how to do it and she lived far away—so I didn’t take the idea seriously at the time. But in early spring 2012, during a church meeting about missionary work, I heard a clear message in my mind: “Start a blog and use some of the money to help support missionary work.” The thought surprised me, but it resonated. I’ve always been drawn to helping others, and I knew following that prompting could impact lives.

Back then we were living in a townhouse and saving every penny to buy a house. Starting a blog seemed to require $500–$600 upfront, which felt impossible. Then, a little later, I was in a car accident. I wasn’t hurt, but the car was totaled and insurance left us with about $800 after buying a replacement. I took that extra money as my sign to start the blog.

For a tech-illiterate person, figuring out how to start a blog was excruciating. With four young kids between 1 and 7, I stayed up late after they were in bed, often until 2 or 3 a.m., trying to learn and set everything up. For three straight weeks everything that could go wrong did, and there were many nights I cried and wanted to quit. It felt like learning a foreign language while building something new. Even now, the thought of starting another blog from scratch would probably make me break down.

After a couple of months of pushing through, I finally hit publish on my first post. Many people who followed me from The Mother Huddle found Real Life Dinner, and after about a year I had enough traffic to apply for an ad network. I still remember my first ad network payout—$411 for one month—which was thrilling compared to the $70–$75 monthly average from Google Ads that first year.

Those early years were intense. I knew consistency mattered for growth, so I kept a strict posting schedule—three times a week. One of those posts was a weekly “Real Life” update sharing what we had for dinner and a glimpse of our messy home life. I wanted to show that even food bloggers don’t always eat picture-perfect meals. Those posts ran on Thursdays and doubled as a way to force myself to journal. As the site grew, though, I chose to stop sharing so much about my kids online.

I don’t love to admit this, but in the beginning my husband wasn’t very supportive. He worried about the time I spent on the blog, especially when I was sleep-deprived and cranky from late nights meeting deadlines. Now that the blog brings in real income he’s become one of my biggest supporters—my in-house accountant, even.

Running a blog is a lot of work: recipe development, cooking, photography, editing, writing, social media, emails, and pinning—so many details behind the scenes. A few years in I realized I couldn’t do it all and have a life, too. Once the blog started making some money, I hired help for photo editing—the task I hated most—then added support for social media, planning, editing, and SEO. Over time I’ve brought on people for Pinterest and project management as needed.

The blog is always evolving, and I try to make choices that fit our family. The toughest moments have been during pregnancies, newborns, family emergencies, and illness. I’m grateful that blogging allows me to take breaks when necessary without catastrophic consequences—mostly I just get a little behind.

There have been times I wanted to quit. Last year was particularly challenging and motivation was hard to find. I’ve also felt drawn to life coaching and became certified last spring. I worry about finding bandwidth to keep the blog going while starting a coaching practice, but recently I realized I can combine both passions. I’m excited to explore how that unfolds.

Sharing recipes brings me joy, and I love helping people find purpose, build confidence, and improve relationships. I don’t want to give up either passion, so we’ll see how it all comes together.

Thank you for the support over the years—for trusting my recipes and letting me share parts of my life. A like on Facebook, a heart on an InstaStory, or a comment on the blog means more than you know and helps this site grow. I hope Real Life Dinner is around for another decade or two—my kids are already arguing over who gets it when I’m gone.

Giveaway Information

What’s a blogger giveaway without a KitchenAid? These 5-quart Tilt-Head KitchenAids come in three pretty colors—if you win you can choose the color you want. If you don’t want or need the mixer, you can opt for a $400 Amazon gift card instead. I WANT ONE! My current 5-quart isn’t nearly this pretty.

Two ways to enter:

• 1. Leave a rating and review on a recipe you’ve made. If you haven’t made any, find a recipe you’d like to try and comment on it. Include the word “PARTY” in your comment so I know it’s an entry for the KitchenAid giveaway.
• 2. Visit my social media birthday week posts and tag a friend on any giveaway post.

The giveaway ends Sunday, August 27, 2023, at midnight (EST). The winner will be announced in a final birthday post and on social media on Monday, August 28, 2023. Good luck!

Disclaimer: To be eligible for giveaways, you must live in the Continental United States or have an APO/FPO mailing address.