Have you ever read a blog, or read the name of a business and wondered where the name came from? I know I have! Here is a chance to find out how Starts At Eight got its name!

Back in 2009 I wrote a post called Why Starts At Eight? to give a little background on how the name came about. That was SEVEN years ago! I think it’s time to give a little update and the “more to the story” account of Starts At Eight.

Starts At Eight That Was Then:

“My husband Joe and I spent a bunch of time trying to pick a name for my blog.  I wanted something “epic”, something “random but not”.  He picked things like “Where are my keys” and “Sweet pickles”…totally random without the “not” part.  My taste was more along the lines of “Cookie Cutter Suburbia” or “Life is in the Journey”….totally common and not so interesting.  In true Heidi and Joe style…if Heidi likes it Joey hates it and vice versa!”
 
“So we ended up with “Starts At Eight”.  Why?  Because that is when my day begins.  Seems late for many, I know.  Let me explain. “

“I am a stay at home mom, and a homeschooling mother as well.  In order for me to manage my day I need my nights and my early mornings kids free!  So bed time in our house is fairly strictly enforced and so is “get up” time.  Our children may wake up when they choose but we have a rule that says they must remain quietly in their rooms until 8am.  At that time they must be dressed, room clean and ready for the day.  Then they may go downstairs and get breakfast.  Sounds rigid, I know, that is the type-A in me!  It has kept my sanity in tact many days throughout our home school journey.  So to all of you who are up early, and you know who you are, you may think of myself and my 3 babies starting our day at 8!!”

Starts At Eight This Is Now:

I think I must start this update by telling you that our days no longer “Starts At Eight”!

Instead, we have moved to a less rigid manner of running our days. I am not sure if this has just come from the kids growing older or from me changing, or both. Keeping in truth to myself (I am a firm believer that both nature and nurture play a role in the shaping of our lives.), I am going to go with both, and tell you how and why things have changed.

Why We Don’t “Starts At Eight” Anymore

My husband actually jokes that we should change the name to “Starts At Nine” now! This is mostly due to the fact that our kids are older and do not require my direct supervision if they are up before myself. Therefore, being a night owl and not an early riser, I roll out of bed around 8:30.

7 years ago our son was 7. He would wake up very early and head downstairs. He would make breakfast and help himself to the computer or tv. At that age I did not want him roaming the house free without supervision. That was my main drive in having him in his room until 8am. This way I knew he was safe and not getting into anything that he shouldn’t.

Fast forward 7 years and he is almost 14 (8th grade) and still an early riser most days. At 14 he is more than capable of making choices about what he will do with his time in the morning. We have some screen time guidelines in place for him on school days. Besides it needing to be after lunchtime, he has to clean his room, eat breakfast, complete school work, and do at least one chore before he can have screen time.

While our teen daughter was never a factor in naming Starts At Eight, she certainly breaks that mold now! Since she entered homeschool high school and her workload became larger with things like classes at the local community college, her rise and shine time is much earlier. Most days she is up by 6am to prepare for morning classes that allow her to work in the evenings.

Choosing a name for a site is difficult. How do you encompass the coming years and changes that you can’t predict? All in all I still love the name Starts At Eight. And who knows, maybe someday we will “Starts At Eight” again!