As a busy homeschooling mom of three, I'm lucky to manage keeping everyone cleaned, dressed, fed, educated and entertained, plus keep house and shave both legs on any given day. I had no idea what I was getting into when I created a blog. I mean, I love this blogging thing, but come on! It is like a whole other job and I've got no more room on my plate. I'm finding myself up late at night trying to cram in html code deciphering, research and networking and so on. I love visiting and reading other blogs, but I could get lost for months in the blogosphere. There is soooo much information out there I feel like I'm on the verge of being sucked into a vortex. My eyes are bleeding. And everyone around me is screaming for attention.
Don't get me wrong, I love the creative outlet and it's fabulous fun. I also love meeting other mom bloggers and making new friends. Heck, just "talking" with other grown ups during the days does wonders for the psyche. But seriously, how do you get it all done? When do you blog? How many times per day do you post? How do you keep all the butts wiped, the laundry from taking over the house, the dog fed, the hubinator happy and download your photos, update your blog, twitter, stumble, comment, kirtsy and get some sleep?
I'm an all or nothing kind of girl. I hate to do anything half-way, so I'm driven to improve my site, beef up my content, grow my readership, hone my voice and try to avoid neglecting my first and most important responsibility: my family. As a former advertising girl, I can easily see how writing, editing, design, self-promotion and PR could take up a 40 hour work week. And that's just for one blog. Some people have two or three??!
I've been bitten by the bloggy bug and I don't think I can turn back now. But, I'm feeling torn between getting back in touch with my creative, professional side and keeping grounded in my mommyhood-wifedom.
So, how do you other mom bloggers manage? The good, the bad, the wacky...I want to hear it all.
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Woah! Put the brakes on kid!
Between being a wife, mother, and home-educator, you've already got A LOT going on! So, I'd figure out what it is about the blogging that you get the most out of, and try to make room for *just* that.
Me? I like writing. I kept a pen-and-paper journal for over ten years (starting at age 15). It helped me TREMENDOUSLY, both emotionally and as "a writer"... I'm not published or anything, I mean just being able to communicate effectively with the written word.
I started my blog because my friend had one and kept raving about it. Then, I moved away from that friend and started writing weekly to keep in touch with family and friends. Then, because I enjoyed writing, I started doing it more. For me, a daily habit (in the evening, as my means of unwinding) is generally the easiest to keep up with.
Through out the day, I'll "write" my post. Sometimes I go on a writing spree, and I'll "schedule" the posts to go out on different days to spread it out. Other times, I blog only when I feel like it.
Personally, I like to know other people read what I write and I appreciate their feedback (ie: comments and phone calls), but I've come to realize that even when I don't get it, I still benefit from and enjoy the actual writing.
Lately though, I've been reading and commenting more than writing on my own blog. I've been nursing an injury and just don't feel like much is "going on". Also, I recently made a post that generated a lot of political debate in my comments... actually more comments than any other post, and yet it wasn't exactly "happy", so, I've noticed I've backed off a bit.
Basically, I don't beat myself up over keeping or maintaining my blog, I just post when I feel like it, and I enjoy the act of writing (can you tell by this MAJOR run-on thought stream?)
So. You have to ask yourself, what is it that you enjoy about your blog, and how can you do more of that?
Hope this helps! :D
PS: I found you're blog through your GREAT tagline about the village raising your children on the Cafe Mom Happy Homeschoolers List.
Thanks Suzy! I think you make a good point about prioritizing what is most meaningful to you about blogging and setting limits. Like most moms, I think I struggle with giving too much of myself away and having too little left. It's a dance, I suppose, a delicate balance between needing to be the best Mom we can be, and needing to carve out a place of our own in this world. I don't want to miss the precious fleeting moments of childhood, but I also don't want to watch them walk out the door to college and realize my whole world is going with them.
Thank you for taking the time to leave an insightful and thoughtful comment!
Don't worry about it too much, just let it grow and evolve naturally. I started blogging on myspace, moved on to blogspot, and now have my own URL. But I never could have made it to my own URL without help from a professional web designer (my blog friend Summer, her button's in my sidebar, she's very affordable), and my sister-in-law who is a professional webmaster. There's no way I dare to touch anything now!
I think every blogger goes through certain phases of trying to figure out who they're blogging for. An audience? Themselves? Their family? To earn money via ads and reviews? Personally I go back and forth between blogging for myself and blogging for an audience, I get different things out of each.
Blogging for an audience I feel hones my writing skills more and keeps my mind sharp. Blogging for myself is easier and allows me more freedom, and makes my blog more of an extension of myself.
The great thing about a blog like this is that you have the option of changing your mind as often as you like. Readers will come and go, no matter what you do. Good luck!
Take it slow, take it easy, and have fun with it. I promise - it will come. It takes time. Like was said above, find out what you like about blogging and go after that.
You DO have a ton on your plate, girl.
Thanks Carmen. You are right that I need to slow down a bit and relax...not easy for me to do ;p
I am having fun with this but wish I could devote more time to it.
Thanks for your encouragement. It means a lot.
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