We were lucky to catch up with Melissa Griffiths recently and have shared our conversation below.

Melissa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

Balancing work and family life is a challenge for any parent, but for work-at-home moms, especially those running an online business that never sleeps (much like that baby), it can feel like an endless juggling act. The passion for creating recipes, maintaining a thriving blog, and engaging with an audience must coexist with raising children, managing a household, and ensuring personal well-being. Success in this space doesn’t mean running on empty—it means working smarter, setting boundaries, and prioritizing what truly matters. Here’s how to do it without sacrificing your health and relationships.
1. Establish Clear Work Boundaries
One of the biggest challenges of working from home is separating professional and personal life. Setting specific work hours and communicating them to your family ensures uninterrupted focus time while allowing dedicated quality moments with loved ones.
• Create a home office space, even if it’s just a dedicated corner.
• Use time-blocking strategies to work efficiently.
• Set expectations with your family about when you’re available and when you’re not.
This can be expanded to getting help from the outside as well. Are you hiring in your business, hiring in your home, or both? A virtual assistant can make a huge difference in your life as can paid childcare or help with house work. Only you will know what works best for you but asking for help and paying for help are great options.
2. Prioritize Your Health
Working from home makes it easy to forget self-care, but your health is the foundation of your success. YOU are what makes your business unique, there’s only one of you. Make time for movement, nutrition, and rest.
• Schedule exercise like any other meeting. A 30-minute walk, yoga, or strength training can boost your energy and productivity.
• Plan and prep meals to avoid last-minute unhealthy choices.
• Prioritize sleep by setting a consistent bedtime and avoiding late-night screen time.
I have also found that not having an all of nothing attitude works so much better for me. A 10-minute walk after a meal is better than none. Having one late night to catch up on a big project doesn’t have to turn into three in a row. When I am less rigid about what health and wellness are supposed to look like and more flexible in more approach, the over all impact is greater.
3. Work Smarter, Not Harder
Running a food blog or any other online business can feel like a never-ending to-do list. Instead of hustling endlessly, streamline your workflow with smart strategies.
• Batch content creation: Plan recipe testing, photography, and writing in advance.
• Automate where possible: Use scheduling tools for social media and email marketing.
• Outsource repetitive tasks: Hiring help for editing, SEO, or virtual assistance can free up time for growth and personal life.
Batching content has been the most impactful habit I have implemented as a busy homeschool work-at-home mom of 5. A few days a month I know I’m going to be in the kitchen all day long shooting recipes and that’s so much easier than trying to take photos of dinner while people are waiting to eat. And as much as I have a love/hate relationship with AI, it has it’s uses! Embrace AI for simple tasks like editing, compiling lists and making sense of survey responses, helping you draft emails to your dream clients, and other menial tasks. This will free you up for what you are best at – the visioning and creative endeavors that make your business unique to you.
4. Give Yourself Grace
Success doesn’t mean perfection. Some days will feel chaotic, and that’s okay.
• Accept that balance isn’t about perfection but about making intentional choices each day.
• Celebrate small wins, whether it’s hitting a traffic milestone on your blog or making time for a healthy lunch.
• Remember why you started. Whether it’s flexibility, creativity, or financial goals, keep your vision in mind and adjust as needed.
When you own your own business and the sky is the limit, there’s always a next milestone to be reached. That’s why I love working online so much. There is NO glass ceiling! That being said, forgetting to be grateful and celebrate where you have come from is a trap I have found myself in. It’s so easy to just jump to the next goal or work towards that next milestone that I have to be careful to enjoy my past efforts as well.
Final Thoughts
Being a successful work-at-home mom and food blogger isn’t about sacrificing your well-being or relationships. It’s about setting boundaries, prioritizing health, working efficiently, and cherishing the moments that truly matter. By taking care of yourself and staying intentional with your time, you can build a thriving business without burnout, ensuring success in both work and life. Easier said that done, I know. But it’s something worth thinking about and actively trying to implement in your business and life.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Melissa Griffiths, is a food blogger, recipe developer, and food photographer who loves helping busy families reclaim dinnertime and enjoy their time together. She also specializes in sourdough baking, quick and easy dinners, and back to basics recipes.

She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Recreational Management and Youth Leadership and is a member of the Bread Baker’s Guild of America and the American Society of Baking. She’s been blogging since 2009 and professionally since 2012 and her blog, Bless this Mess, reaches over 1,000,000 people monthly.

Melissa and her husband live on a 12-acre farm in Southern Utah with their 5 incredible children, chickens, rabbits, turkeys, honey bees, and a million night stars that only country life can show you. She loves to cook for friends and family, grow flowers and vegetables in her massive garden, read all the self-help books, and hike all over Utah.

She offers her target audience 1600+ family friendly recipes online as well as 3 cookbooks including one on sourdough baking. She loves helping take the stress out of dinner time.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

Emailing marketing has been really big for me the last year as google search has gotten so wonky and AI is taking over search results and social media. Being in someone email and writing real emails has been awesome. I have also started including peoples first names when I respond to comment on social media and on my blog as a personal touch. The more that I can do as a real human to other real humans, the better. I try to show up as a real person and I think that matters to people.

Can you talk to us about your experience with buying businesses?

I started blogging about food in 2009 and then moved to more of a business model in 2012. In 2022 and 2024 I purchased other food blogs from friends who were ready to retire and sell their blogs. Buying someone else’s blog was such a great move! I bought their existing businesses in a niche I already worked in and understood. It didn’t take me a lot of time or addition resources to run their businesses because I was already doing it. So not only do I have my main blog but now I have two other blogs that were up and running that I just maintain and they bring in income.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.blessthismessplease.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blessthismessblog/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blessthismessblog/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmMHqHdkC2NeLWEEa0ZtU8A
• Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/BlessthisMessPlease
  https://www.tiktok.com/@blessthismessblog

Image Credits

Melissa Griffiths