Meet My Pet...His Name is Peeve

Please don't collapse from shock that I am posting three days in a row.

I can't believe it myself.

But, I didn't want to give "Anonny" any more air time on MY blog.

So in my last post, I referenced two of my blogging pet peeves. I thought it would be fun to elaborate and add a couple more.

Number 1. Listen up, if you have Word Verification, TAKE.IT.OFF.NOW. You won't get spammed. I promise. I have received one spam in almost two years. Big deal. It takes the fun out of leaving a comment when you have to type "xyxoodoasmnhwjixijlsihatewordverification" 10 times because the "m" is actually two "n's" and the "w" looks like two "v's." OFF.NOW. Right after you read this.

Number 2: Comment moderation is nothing but comment jail. TAKE.IT.OFF.NOW. When I first started blogging and didn't know there was such a thing, I left a comment on someone's blog, and it kept disappearing after I hit publish. After the fifth, yes, the fifth try, I realized that my comment was waiting for the blogger police to release the handcuffs and set it free . All five comments subsequently showed up in the comment section. Same thoughts. Different wording on each. Yeah, not one of my finer moments. Again, I have been blogging for almost two years, and yesterday was my first ANONYMOUS comment that was unpleasant. And I left it there. For "Anonny" to look like the stinker he/she is.

Number 3: Lots of content that cause the page to load slowly. Please get out your dustpans and tidy up your sidebar. If not, I will come do it for you.

Number 4: Blogger itself is not a good word processor. As a matter of fact, it sucks as a word processor. And don't get me started on the comments I type that I lose once I hit publish. You know the ones I'm talking about. The ones that fall into oblivion....not comment jail...into oblivion. And it's never the quick ones that disappear. It's the long witty thoughtful ones that disappear causing me to leave short and less witty ones because I didn't remember what I wrote the first time. ARRGGGH. I just don't understand why they don't publish sometimes. Wait, is that Blogger or Internet Explorer's fault? I don't know whose fault it is, but it bugs me. Alot.

Number 5: Please, please, please, I beg of you, if you mean "lose," don't spell it as "loose." That drives me bonkers. Seriously bonkers. Spell check will check for spelling not context. That is like fingernails going down the chalkboard or the squeak of styrofoam for me.

Things I didn't mention that can be construed as pet peeves are:

Advertisements on blogs. I go back and forth on this one. I haven't put them on either of my blogs because it feels like I am inviting you over for a diet coke with a fresh lemon wedge and pimping you out in the process. I like the feeling of inviting you in because you are my "friend," and I enjoy your company. Not because you can give me something. Like cash. Cash that could pay for a MacBook. Or a new chair. Or a new camera....Well, maybe ads aren't such bad idea. My husband constantly teases me about revving up the ad engine so he can retire. Oh honey, we have a better chance of earning a living with you on the golf tour than depending on my blog to support us. I have a loyal audience, but it ain't that big. Now you just keep on, keepin' on... at that office of yours.

Music on blogs. I used to have music on my blog, but then I realized I was turning the volume off when I was on my own blog. Music I liked. Music I picked. Then I realized that you may not like my music, and I may not like your music. So I dumped it and turned the volume off. I don't care if you have music or not because I don't know if you have music or not. However, I will tell you that after my kids play a round of Webkins and the volume is high, I know who has music and who doesn't...yeeeeyowch that comes in loud and clear. And to those who won't read a blog because they have music, I say turn.down.the.volume. It's that easy.

Sooooo...

What are your blogging pet peeves? And for those of you with ads, do you make money? Or do you earn a cup of coffee at Starbucks once a month?

Just curious.

Cheating Again

Ok...I know you all are as sick of looking at my right eye as I am, so I thought I would put up a quick post of something I've seen floating around the blogosphere. I took this 4 question test which supposedly determines what type of blogger I am. I'll let you decide if it is accurate or not because apparently I am:

Your Blogging Type Is Thoughtful and Considerate

You're a well liked, though underrated, blogger. You have a heart of gold and are likely to blog for a cause. You're a peaceful blogger - no drama for you! A good listener and friend, you tend to leave thoughtful comments for others.

What's Your Blogging Personality?

Okay, let's report in everyone. What type of blogger are you according to this very scientific test?

How much do you blog daily?

I am very curious about how much time other people spend blogging, either reading them or keeping their own. Since I don't think people will answer honestly in the comment section, I set up the poll in my sidebar.

Will you play, purdy please?

All you lurkers can play too because I know you're there. And I love ya;)

Blog Cheating...Again

I've been cheating lately.

Cheating when I blog.

Cheating by asking YOU all questions instead of sitting down to take the time to compose something of substance.

I have three great posts written in my head. They have been written in my head for weeks now. But, it takes me sooooooo long to compose my posts that I just haven't been able to sit down and write them without feeling guilty about not tending to other things. And, since I am only blogging in the evenings these days, it's hard to keep up with all my blogging duties, write alot, and get to bed before midnight.

So today, I am cheating again. Cheating because it is 8:31 in the morning, and I am quickly posting this before I get sucked into it for the next hour or so. And cheating because I am going to ask you all another question. I was curious how long it takes YOU to write a post. Posts like should take me fifteen minutes. It won't. I guarantee it. Most of my posts take a minimum, yes, a minimum of an hour and most take up to two hours. I write, edit, re-write, edit...blah blah blah. That's why I can't post everyday. Between managing Blog Around the World (which I thoroughly enjoy doing), reading all your great blogs (which again, I am woefully behind on doing), and writing posts here, I could be parked in my office chair, behind my laptop twelve hours a day watching my butt get bigger. Yeah, that's a problem. I seriously started back on the treadmill this week just in case I might be going on a trip somewhere in the near future. I don't know where. Someplace.

We've established that I am freak who likes to iron, but am I the only freak that takes that much time to compose a post? And if you don't have a blog, what's stopping you?

Just curious.

PS...It is now 9:02 am....which means it took me 31 minutes to type this post. I rest my case.

Blog Parenting

I've discovered that blogging can in fact facilitate good parenting.

Work with me people.

For instance, let's just say that the Mommy blogger in the house had to get "some work" done this past weekend, and the eldest daughter of said Mommy blogger was hungry for lunch.

Hmmm.

Mommy Blogger says to Little Red Riding Hood daughter, "Just one minute."

A couple of minutes pass.

Daughter says in dramatically whiney voice, "Mommmm, I'm sooo hungry."

Mom replies while typing away, "Just let me finish typing this one last thing."

A couple more minutes pass.

Daughter cries, "Mom, you said you'd make me lunch an hour ago."

Mom says while still typing away, "What do you want?"

Daughter says, " PBJ, strawberries, and chips."

Mom says, "I'll be right, there," with no intention of stopping.

Daughter says, "You keep saying that."

Mom says, "You know where the PBJ and bread is, don't you?" while still typing.

Daughter says, "Yeah."

Mom says, "Then you can make it yourself. You're old enough."


Daughter says, "How?"

Mom says, "Get a butter knife, spread the PBJ, get some strawberries from the fridge, grab the chips from the pantry and get a napkin," never once looking up from the keyboard.

Daughter says, "What about my milk?

Mom says, "You can get it yourself. Just be careful."

Daughter says, "Oh. "

Wow. That was easy. Mommy Blogger never had to leave her laptop or stop typing, and daughter was proud she made lunch all by herself.

And that my friends is how you teach your children to fend for themselves independence.

I call that "blog parenting. "

Now my son wants breakfast. Sheesh, does it ever end?

Let me finish typing first.

If you don't get it, you don't get it

And I'm tired of explaining it.

Explaining what? Explaining what this blog or Mommy blogging is in general to people I know in real life that don't get it.

Explaining to people, yes, the same people that I told back in February 2007 that I started a blog to post pictures and stories about our family, that, hello, they were always asking for.

Explaining to people that I am related to by blood or that I've known most of my life.

Explaining to people I thought would be interested or cared.

Explaining to people who, in the end, just can't be bothered.

Yes, the same people who take the time to forward emails instructing me to act quickly in the next 10 minutes or I will explode into pieces, grow another boobie, lose all my teeth or other such nonsense that requires me to cut and paste the URL from Snopes.com explaining yet again, that I didn't follow the instructions, and I still only have two boobies because that email is bogus...egads, I hate that.

Alas, people who still can't be bothered no matter how many times I plastered my URL in their faces.

My mother told another relative recently to click on my blog to see what's happening in our lives and to see pictures of the kids, blah blah blah.

That's when I knew my own mother wasn't reading regularly, and I told her that the relative would be disappointed. Because as most of YOU know, yeah total strangers, this blog is more about me now. I stopped telling stories and posting pictures of my kids awhile ago.

"Oh," she said, "Why?"

"Because none of you were reading it, Little Red Riding Hood got mad, and I began to enjoy just making this a creative writing (and I use that term verrrry loosely) outlet for me."

Then recently one of my friends in real life (FIRL) who hadn't logged on in awhile, logged on. She asked me who all of you were.

Me: "I don't know."
FIRL: "You mean you don't know any of these people."
Me: "Nope." Well that's not entirely true. Some of you are people I actually know.
FIRL: "How did they find you?"
Me: "I don't know. The spider effect of the internet, I guess."
FIRL: "Wow. "
Me: "Yeah, it's crazy and fascinating at the same time. They are people from all over the world that I've never met, people whose actual voices I've never heard, people who I wouldn't recognize on the street, but they are people who I find extremely interesting, smart, funny, inspiring and who are experiencing alot of the same things as wives and mamas that I am. "

FIRL: "Oh. Ooookay."

Yeah. Whatever.

She doesn't get it.

And I'm done explaining it.

Mommy Blogging - Being Content

I realized yesterday that I didn't mean to tickle this post with an appearance of the Green Eyed Monster, because he is mean, spiteful, and jealous. Honestly, I have yet to encounter that in the blogosphere. What I really wanted to address is one of the dangers of blogging: comparing yourself to others and becoming discontent. So, go get your diet coke with lemon. You'll need the caffeine to stay awake. This is gonna be long.

Have you ever clicked on someone's blog and left thinking, wow, I wish I could write like that or I wish I had that kind of insight, or I wish I could be as deep thinking as that, or I wish I was that creative or I wish I was that kind of mother, or I wish I had that kind of family or I wish I could cook like that, or I wish that I could pull out Bible verses like that, or I wish I was really that selfless, or I wish that I had that kind of blog design, or I wish I had that many readers, or I wish I had that many comments, or I wish, I wish, I wish? Or have you fallen into the trap, as I have sometimes, of believing that everyone else is the perfect mother, perfect cook, perfect wife, or perfect whatever? Then I wonder if she yells at her kids like I sometimes do. Or I wonder if her kids are watching TV right now like my son is while I crank this out. When you are done reading those blogs, are you left feeling unworthy, discouraged or discontent? Be honest! Because I have been there, done that. And everytime that it's happened, I have wanted to quit blogging. Why? Because I felt like I wasn't good enough, smart enough, witty enough, or had enough to offer for anyone to keep coming back. And I began to question why I was even "wasting" my time doing this.

Then I realized what was happening.

Stupid satan was whispering his stupid lies to me, and I was falling for it hook line and sinker.

Thoughts that I'm not creative enough, spiritual enough, or good enough started to creep in. Maybe I should be more spiritual in my posts, maybe I should take better pictures, maybe I should do this, maybe I should do that. Maybe I'm boring. Maybe this is a waste of time. Maybe I don't have anything that good to offer. Maybe I should quit. Wow, was reading other blogs starting to affect how I felt about myself as a Christian, a mother, a wife, and a person ? Well, yeah, it kind of was. Whoa. Timeout, Debbie. Take a deep breath. You know what you need to do.

Drop it off at the feet of the Lord, and pray about it. And that's what I did.

My prayer was, "Lord do you want me to keep at this blogging thing, because I'm really not as spiritually articulate as so and so, and I'm not as eloquent as so and so, and I'm not as creative as so and so, and I'm not as smart as so and so"(and my blog isn't as pretty, oh wait, yes it is because I have a fairy blogmother ;) "Is this blogging thing okay with you, Lord? Is it something you want me to continue doing? And more importantly, please stop me now if it isn't edifying to you because I don't want this to be a place that I would be embarassed to take you."

That simple little prayer turned into a great big answer later that day. Yup. My sitemeter blazed to the most hits I had received to date. I don't even remember what post it was. I just know it blazed all day. Yet again, that great big God of ours showed me that what I thought was a silly request about a silly hobby wasn't silly at all. He does care about the little things I care about, and he does want to bless me in this. But most importantly, it was a reminder that I can't fall into the trap of feeling badly because I'm not more like so and so. That is offensive to Him because he made me exactly who I am as spelled out in this blog, and I don't know how to be anyone else other than that. If I pretended to be otherwise, I would be a phony. That spike in my sitemeter was His way of encouraging me to continue in the direction that I was going as a simple blogger out to have good, clean, silly fun. What you see is what you get, and I am this way in real life. As a result, I can honestly say, I am now "blogger content."

Now about you. I have clicked on a couple of blogs over the last few months that are wistful about who they are as bloggers and are suffering from the "I-wish-I-was-more-like-so-and-so" disease. Or "no one likes me because I don't have any comments." Please don't do that to yourself. It will rob you of your joy. Let me assure you that each and every one of you has something to offer. Keep blogging for the creativity, for the therapy, for the connection, for whatever. Don't stop because that last blog you read had 5 jillion comments, and you have one. I blogged for a year with almost no comments or readers on over 300 posts. Find a way to be content with who you are. You'll find your audience because there is an audience for every blog. Sign up for SITS. Heather and Tiffany found a brilliant way to connect like minded bloggers with each other. When you are the featured blogger, you will be queen for the day, and I promise that more than a few people will be inspired by what you've written, by who you are and will want to come back. It's a slow and steady build sometimes. Just don't get discouraged...stay true to who you are.

My takeaway from this part of my blogging journey is that I have to be content in who I am as a blogger, just as I have to be and am content with who I am in my life, so that blogging remains fun for me. The Lord helped me turn my feelings of inadequacy into a deeper appreciation of your spiritual, personal, and creative gifts as I've continued to read your words. And, I will rest in knowing that the Lord sent me your way to show me something He wants me to learn, or to laugh about, or to think about, or to be convicted of, or to shake my head at in awe, or to encourage you in words as prompted by Him as so many of you have done for me. Afterall, isn't that connection and encouragement the point?

Oh, and one last thing, remember that behind every blog you read, there is a human who is an imperfect being with an imperfect life. And guess what, she probably yells at her kids and eats Froot Loops for dinner.

Mommy Blogging - Time to get caught up

Betcha thought I was done with my Mommy Blogging series, huh? Nope. I have a couple more things to address before I close out that issue. If you are new here, I started a series a couple of weeks ago in honor of my, gulp, 400th post. I have woven my way through:

*why and how I got started,

*my process of going through a literal and figurative blog facelift (I started with a different title, a different look and a different purpose)

*how blogging relationships fascinate me and how birds of a feather blog together

*the importance of comments and lurkers

*how this "hobby" can become addictive if we aren't careful.


Whadja say? You missed all that? Well, would you look a that. I've linked all my past posts below. Here's your chance to get caught up. Put the kids to bed, get hubby comfy in front of some Man TV like Deadliest Catch (that's what my husband does when I am busy scrawling out this nonsense) get a snack, a glass of wine, or a diet coke with lemon, or a glass of water, or an alka seltzer, or a pepto bismol or whatever and get caught up. Then come back so that we can talk about blogging and the BIG OLE Green Eyed Monster. I'll be waiting. Now run along...


Mommy Blogging - How I Got Started

Mommy Blogging - A Complete Facelift

Mommy Blogging- Birds of a Feather

Mommy Blogging - Comments and the "L" Word

Mommy Blogging - Do I need a 12 Step Program?

Getting a Fix

This is how one woman's blog addiction was exposed. The names have been changed to protect the innocent; however, I do have her permission to tell this story. Although she doesn't have a blog of her own, she reads them and knows what's blogworthy. Even she admits this is oh so good. Let us commence, shall we:

Me: Last Wednesday, I write my post about blogging addiction.

Friend in real life otherwise known as Mrs. Friend IRL: Leaves a comment at 10:38 a.m.

Me: I pickup The Princess at school on that afternoon and notice her teacher isn't there at the door to release the class as she usually does.

Me to The Princess: "Did you have a substitute today?"

The Princess: "Yes, Mrs. Friend IRL subbed today."

Me to The Princess: "Oh, was she there for just the afternoon?" knowing in the back of my head that she'd left a comment that very morning.

The Princess replies: "No, she was there all day."

Me: In my head...doing the math...comment at 10:30ish...oh you know where I'm headed with this one...

Me to The Princess: "What did you have for specials this morning?"

The Princess: "PE at 10:30."

Me in my head: Ohmygosh, ohmygosh Mrs. Friend IRL got a blogging fix during a break at school. Bahhahahhaaha. That.is.hilarious.

Me to Mrs. Friend IRL via email: What were you doing reading my blog while you were supposed to be edumakating The Princess? BAHAHAHAHHA BAHHAHHAHAHHAHA. I wouldn't have known otherwise if you hadn't left the comment when you did. BAHAHAHAHA

Phone rings at my house.

Mrs. Friend IRL: "I can't believe you busted me."

Oh yes I did, and the irony of it happening on a post about bloggers addiction was brilliant.

I'm still laughing, and so is she. I think.

Whatta move!

Whew, this has been a tough move. Picking up and leaving behind your beloved old blogspot is a not for the weak of heart. First you have to make the decision that is best for your family. Do you stay in the small town with your last name on the mailbox, where everyone knows all your bidness and drops in whenever or do you move to the gated community where you need a password to gain access thereby controlling who visits you? I didn't want to go to the gated community nor did I ever consider it, so I opted for something in-between. I dropped the name on my mailbox and moved to "the blogger burbs." A place where you can stay anonymous for the most part but still hang with your homies. After making the decision, I had to find a new place in the blogger burbs and hope that there wasn't someone living in it. That proved to be a tad difficult. I tried to move to "thisisthelife.blogspot.com" but some pimply faced, squeaky voiced (well I'm not certain, but I am imagining he is) teenage boy owns it. He appears to have only lived there briefly. This is what he left behind: And I quote (well, actually, copied and pasted):

...Well, today I signed up for blogger. I got tired of diaryland so fast, and scribble got boring. So, we're gonna try this for a while. Hope it all works out. I havent wrote in my online journals in a long time. School started a few days ago. It's ok. I hate my italian teacher though. Yuck. Atleast me and Chris are in the same class. Chris is my good buddy. What a man, what a man, what a mighty strong man. I'm tired. "The sea is foamin' like a bottle of beer. The wave is comin but I ain't gonna fear. I'm waxin' down so that I'll go real fast. I'm waxin' down because it's really a blast. I'm goin' surfin cuz I don't like your face. I'm bailin' out because I hate the race of rats that run round and round in the maze. I'm goin' surfin', I'm goin' surfin'!" - Weezer

That's deep stuff folks. To answer him, it looks like blogger didn't work out for him because he "havent wrote" or posted in almost EIGHT YEARS. It's been so long that that his friend Chris who he claims is "a great man" was probably his "best man" and now has kids of his own quoting Weezer. Give it up already, will ya, whatever your name is. I wanted to put in an offer to take it off his hands, but it appears he hasn't lived there since September 2000. And it looks like he only lived there for, ummm let's see, one stinkin' day. Eight years ago! I asked Blogger to evict him, but they couldn't. Nope. Can't do it until he decides to relinquish it. So irritating. After that, I had to check with the real estate agent for another address and happened upon this really neat place called "thisisthelife-dmn.blogspot.com." I "settled" last Friday. And since you are reading this, that means you received the "change of address" notice. It appears that many of my "old friends" and even some "new friends" have found me. That was the one thing I was worried about. But leaving a forwarding address at the old "spot" seems to have worked so far. I have had lots of visitors stop by today for a diet coke with lemon and say "Hi." Well, no one has really said "Hi." They've just done drive byes. (Is that how you spell it?) A couple of people have stopped by the old place only to find it vacant. I did leave the electricity on so that I could see how much usage there is, but I gotta admit it's a little lonely over there right now.

Now that I've moved in, you'll have to pardon the dust. I am doing a little re-decorating. I like things tidy and pulled together and that sidebar has been bugging me. So I contacted my fairy blogmother, Darcy, who squeezed me in between jobs, (shhhh, don't tell) and is designing me some fantastic new closet space for all the crap lovely things that are stored over there. I have to do some purging, but it will look so purdee when it's done. That fairy blogmother of mine really does make dreams come true.

So it's time to update your address books, your blackberries, your strawberries, your whatever-berries you use to link your bloggy friends with my new address. What's that you say? You've never linked me? Well what are you waiting for? I'll link you...if you just tell me who you are!

CHANGE IN BLOGSPOT ADDRESS

Hi all,

In an effort to unwind some of the personal information I have out there in this great big blogosphere, I am changing my blogspot address to the following effectively immediately:

http://thisisthelife-dmn.blogspot.com/

Please update your blog rolls, links, and/or your readers if you have me on one.

It's best this way. Now I need to go through old posts and change my kids names....You know to something catchy like "The Prince" and "The Princess." Not sure what I will call my husband. Maybe "The Man"....Whaddya think?

Blogging Interrupted

It has happened. My life has gotten in the way of blogging this week. Have painters here. They painted half the house. I hated the color. Started shaking. Started panicking. Started to cry a little. Started to panic more. I have 20 foot walls in my foyer and family room. This is a big deal. This is gonna cost me. Called my husband. "It's ok, sweetie." Thank you Lord for a husband who loves me no matter what. Started going through the color samples again. Started painting large swatches all over my walls. Got so desperate that I was asking the painters for advice. Not such a good idea. But they assure me all is ok. Picked new color. Bought more paint. Helped daughter with school project. Painters are coming back today. Also, I am watching my neighbor's wee ones in the midst of this, but that is a good thing because my son has been bored out of his mind with this paint fiasco I have been consumed with. Now he has someone to play with today. This weekend is a soccer tournament and party. It is going to be one million degrees. Poor girls. Poor me. Gotta go get my daughter ready for school, now. Sorry I am talking like a robot. I will resume my Mommy Blogging journey soon. I need a diet coke with lemon.

Meanwhile, go vote below. Trish is in the lead, but I want to keep it that way.

Mommy Blogging- Do I need a 12 step program?

When do you “it”?

Ha…how many of you went “there?” I mean when do you blog?

I do it whenever I can and not feel guilty which is usually when the kids are at school, but oh wait, I do feel guilty because that is when I should be doing something else like laundry or cleaning the house or one of my million house projects or running errands so that I don’t have to take away time from them when they get home from school. BUT, now that my son is out of pre-school, my mornings have been spent playing Trouble, Monopoly Junior and hitting all the parks in the neighborhood. I have tried to sneak a peak or two while he gets his morning dose of Little Einsteins and Higglytown Heroes...or just before I pick up my daughter from school or whenever I am on my way out of the bathroom. And in two weeks, when my daughter is out of school, blogging in the morning may not even exist. Oh wait, I might have to work that into our morning routine. Recently, because I don’t really watch TV, I have been blogging in the evening or late into the evening, or into the early morning which causes me to be tired and grumpy and ready for a Red Bull at 9 am because a diet coke with lemon just won’t hack it. So if I wrote a comment that you couldn't quite understand, you now know why.

Where do I blog? Well, would you look at that, I have a picture of it:

However, I have been known to bring the laptop into the kitchen or up to our bedroom. But that doesn't happen very often.

How do I blog? In my mind ALL.DAY.LONG.

Since I started blogging, it seems like I look through everything with blogger's lens. I'm always looking for that next great blogworthy moment. I look at any situation or event or you name it with three thoughts in mind:

Is this good enough write about? Yes. No. Maybe.
Can I make it funny? Usually.
Can I take a picture or find a picture? Pretty much always.

But then here's the reality: Everything ends up good enough to write about, like the day I fell into the toilet when the seat was left up. Everything can be made funny, you know like how my first name has one foot in the Name Cemetery and is ready for burial with all your grandmother's names. And everything can be brought to life with a picture from a camera, you know like the day I left those leftovers out, or put the Cheerios in the fridge. Yeah my bloggers lens is always on, always looking and never descriminating. That is why I can tell you about the crack in the potty seat or laugh at myself when someone called me a "Grandma" or admit that I accidentally stopped my neighbor's mail. Oh, and if you are new over here in my slice of the blog world, I have a diet coke addiction that has caused me to do some, well, blogworthy things ;)

Speaking of addictions......

Hi, my name is Debbie and I, uh, mmm, let's see....oh I'm not going there....

How many of you wake up wondering if anyone left you a comment over night? How many of you log on first thing in the morning to check and see if anyone left you a comment over night? How many of you sneak visits to your "laptop friends" during the day when you’ve told the kids that you were done? Do you say something like “I need to check email” or “I need to check the bank balance online” or “I need to IM Daddy to find out when he is coming home.” Or how many of you have let your kids watch one extra TV show because you had to type that one last thing? How many of you have skipped doing laundry or chores to do your "morning rounds?" How many of you consider your "laptop friends" to be real friends?

Raise your hand if you are trying to cut back. Raise your hand if you can't. Raise your hand if you don't want to. Raise your hand if you are looking for a twelve step program. Raise your hand if you don't think you need one. Guess what? We probably do.

When, Where, How, and Are you addicted?

Mommy Blogging- "Commenting and the "L" word"

Ok, so, I promised to tell you what happened as a result of a comment. But, you'll have to wait just a tad bit longer for that.

Because we need to talk.

About comments.

And about L ... L ...L ...ugh, I can't get the word out of my keyboard ...L ...lurking. There I said it. Now I need a shower.

As a result of making "friends in my laptop" and the whole spider web thing that happens in blogging, I have been extremely taken aback by the increased traffic I have enjoyed over the last few months. I am not an attention seeker, and I don’t have the desire to be the most clicked on site on the planet. I enjoy having a following of people who like to interact by sitting down behind their computer with their beverage of choice, clicking over for a visit and letting me know they were here and vice versa. I'm not gonna lie girls! Who doesn’t love comments. They are like little presents left behind by the blogger gremlins. There is nothing more disappointing than taking two hours to type, edit, re-type, edit, re-type and publish a post only to receive no feedback especially when you know someone is there. I don't care if you hate what I said, or agree with what I said or tell me as one commenter did that she didn’t think she liked me because she thought I seemed “too perfect, too smart, and too funny,” (although I have to admit that one stung for a couple of days) I still like feedback. I always try to read the blogs of those people who take the time to read and comment on what I've written. Whenever I visit a blog, I almost always leave a comment whether or not I ever go back. Give your fellow bloggers some love will ya. If you are a blogger and complain about not getting enough comments well then let me remind you of the unwritten blogger promise. Yeah, you know what I’m talking about, but you just won’t admit it: It’s the “I'll comment on yours if you comment on mine,” blogger promise. (I told ya I was going to talk about things we think about but won't admit.) But you know what, you really need to have that exchange if you are in it to build relationships. If you are in it for glory or comment stock piling or to become the blogarina of the decade, then you will be insincere in your commenting and people like me will sniff it out and never return the favor. I can't stand phonies with transparent motives.

Having said all that, my discussion of Mommy blogging wouldn’t be complete without acknowledging my bloggy friends who read what I have to say but never leave a comment. I am not going to use the “L” word because we all know that it gives me the creeps. But, I just want you to know that I know you are there, and I appreciate your “repeat” business. My favorite stat on my statcounter is “Multiple visits spread over more than one day” next to the IP address. (Don’t worry, I have no idea who anyone is and can’t track you down). But, seeing that always makes me smile. I’d rather have less traffic and repeat "bidness" than lots of “one and dones.” Because if you come back, then it means I'm doing something right, and I do appreciate every click I get, even the silent ones.

Now, let me tell you what happened as the result of a comment....

Last week, I left a comment on someone else's blog about the middle school I attended in San Antonio, Texas and the high school I would have attended had we not moved the summer before ninth grade. Shanan from All My Kids 123 saw the comment, clicked over to my blog, left me a comment that she went to that same middle school and high school around the same time. We exchanged emails, and as it turns out, she went to elementary school with my younger brother, hung out with my NEXT door neighbor, dated one of my brother's best friends in high school and is still close friends with his two other best buddy's from back in the day. Oh yeah, let's queue it up girls: "It's a small world after all. " Yes, six degrees of separation exists even in the blogosphere. But you'll never know unless you put yourself out there. And if you don't, that's ok, too.

Because I have been heavy on words and light on pics for the last few days, I decided to tag on a little show and tell to this post. My new bloggy friend Shanan (All my Kids 123) posted about this cool giraffe print purse she bought new on Ebay which I drooled over and decided I must have since it wasn't very expensive. This one is similar to hers, not exact, because I decided that would be kind of weird. So $24.99-and-a-$5.00-off-shipping-coupon-later, I ordered one up and it will be arriving in the next week. Love it. And the moral of the story is that I got this cute little number all because of a comment she left that sent me to her blog!


Next Mommy Blogging topic: When, where, how, and do I need a 12 step program yet?

Meanwhile, do you have any fun stories about comments left on your blog?

Mommy Blogging - Birds of a Feather

If you are just joining us, I am weaving my way through my journey over the last 15 months as a Mommy blogger. This is my third installment...

So two posts ago, I left you with serendipity making an appearance. Who the? What the? Trust me, you'll understand.

When I began blogging, I was looking to tell my story, in my words, and in my way without censorship, eyerolls, or judgment. You may still do that, but I can’t see you. So we can still be friends. And, maybe, just maybe, I could provide with a laugh or two. But what happened along the way was that I have become fascinated with your words and your lives. Over the last few months that I've started reading other blogs, I have been amazed and awed and inspired by all the talented, smart, creative women I have “met” in the blogosphere.

And this is what has gobsmacked me in the face, or more appropriately, in the heart:

I have grown to genuinely care and appreciate your uniqueness and your talents and who you are as people behind those words. Whoa. Kinda weird. Hello, you live in my laptop... not supposed to care.

But, I do.

I admire how so many of you have been transparent with struggles ranging from stress, marital problems, infertility, depression, illness, loss of a child, loss of a sibling, etc. You are the world at large. Only you are pouring out your hearts to strangers and blessing so many other women who may read your words while living with the same struggles and realize they. aren’t. alone. That's it in a nutshell. We aren’t alone. I can’t tell you how many times, I’ve read something one of you has written and said, "Oh my gosh, I feel the same way.” Who knew. You are women that I have been praying for even though I have never ever heard you utter a word or wouldn’t know you if we cut each other off in traffic. I find myself thinking about you during the day just as I do my real life friends. As a matter of fact, this is how one such instance played out for me this week:

Me: Standing at the kitchen island cooking thinking, hmm, I still want to paint this island so that it looks like furniture. Gee, I wonder if Sissy has posted the pictures of her kitchen island fauz glaze project. Gee, I wonder if "Sissy" is her real name? I'll just let this simmer a minute while I go check, about the project that is. Run over to the study. Click on her blog. Voila there it is. Read, comment, and then resume cooking. C-RAZY.

Then I had a good chuckle because this is someone whose life and heart I probably know better than probably most of my closest friends right now and vice versa. Why? Because we are apt to be more forthcoming and transparent behind the screen of a computer than we are face to face. Even with strangers. Especially with strangers. How freakin weird is that.

I have also realized something else this week. Something so obvious:

Birds of a feather flock together even in the blogosphere.

Think about it. Don’t you consistently read the blogs of people you would be friends with in real life? Whether it is someone’s sense of humor, or beliefs/values, or interests, or stage in life, or other non-descript quirk that I can relate to, I can say unequivocally that I feel connected to the women behind the words that I make a point of reading during my “morning rounds.” I can tell you that each of you are like one or more of my real life friends. The only difference is that you read my blog! And after reading all your comments, I'm am not alone in that area...more about that in my next installment.

I've noticed something else. I don’t gravitate to the blogs with 5000 readers because to me it is like going to a big party. I hate big parties. I'm a let’s-have-a-couple-of-people-over-for- steaks, my-homemade-cheesy-scalloped- potatoes,-strawberry-spinach-salad-and-molten-lava-chocolate-cakes- with- a-nice-bottle-of- wine-out-on-the-deck-kind-of-gal. And yes, you are invited. But that’s just me. I do read the Nester because I have been reading her blog since she had something like 10 readers.

Just about every blog I click on has something to offer. Some aren’t my cup of tea, others leave me wanting more, and others are well, you know, they’re trying. I think all of us who blog enjoy the writing aspect of it as it satisfies a creative need and is a non-threatening way to make your voice heard. But at the end of the day, the blogosphere brings all of us mommies, mommies-to-be, and mommies in waiting, who sometimes feel like we have lost ourselves in the lives of kids, jobs, and laundry, together for a brief moment or two, (or hour or three or more) with people we wouldn’t otherwise meet because of proximity. Oh sure, I have friends here that do that for me, as well. But I love getting to “know” people around the country and Canada. And I love the community of Christian women I've gotten to know. I am more bold about my faith, and my walk with the Lord in this space than I am in real life. But, I have also learned so much about the Christian life from many of you. I cannot tell you how many times I have clicked on one of your blogs and have known immediately that the Lord was sending me there for a reason as he either wanted me to be convicted of or reveal something to me. That is so humbling and exciting. No matter how much traffic you get, rest assured, when you are "doing as unto the Lord," your words are being used as Divine instruments. That is something I truly wasn't expecting when I started this whole blogging thing. God is so good isn't HE? He even uses this vehicle to further HIS kingdom in a mighty, fun, and creative way.

Now that I have established relationships with so many of you across North America, I often wonder if we met in person, would it be the same or different? Would we enjoy each other's real words as much as we enjoy each other's written words? I would like to think so. I honestly believe that all of you are sincere and genuine people as I can usually sniff out the phonies, and I don't "hang" out with them in real life or here. I'd like to think that if I were ever in Georgia, Washington, Colorado, Iowa, Indiana, Texas, Pennysylvania, Canada, Idaho or wherever else you are, that I could look you up and hang out. And likewise, if you were to ever visit the Nation's Capital, I'd leave the light on. Just give me fair warning so I can tidy my house, prepare a fabulous meal, and get my hair restored to it's natural color if I am in between appointments ;).

Okay, enough sap... my next installment is about "Comments and Lurkers." Speaking of which, you won't believe what happened to me this week as a result of a comment....

Meanwhile, do you think we would ruin a good thing if we actually met in person?

Mommy Blogging - "A Complete Facelift"

If you are just joining me, I am taking you on my journey as a "Mommy blogger." Yesterday, I told you how I got started. Today, I am going to tell you about getting a literal and figurative "facelift."

At this point, I sent the link to friends and family letting them know that I had set up this blog and was going to regularly post pictures and stories, since, hello, they ALWAYS asked. This would also feed my creative side as I don't think I'm too shabby of a writer and can make things interesting now and then, not scandalous, just interesting. At least I think I can, oh wait, maybe that's why NONE OF THEM WERE ACTUALLY INTERESTED or even bothered to click on the URL. Whoa. Didn't see that one coming. I think a few of them tuned in once to say, oh “that’s cute.” Cute. Cute. Cute? You’re kidding right. To this day, my father has only read my blog a handful of times and that is when I have begged/ directed him to look at something in particular about the kids. However, he does find the time to send me hoax emails once a week that I have to send back with the Snopes URL showing him it’s bogus. Sheesh. Where's the love. But, thanks to a about a dozen or readers all of which I knew but, ahem, weren't related to by blood, I pressed forward and resolved myself to the fact that this whole endeavor was really a legacy for our family, and I was fine with that. I wasn’t going to beg anyone to follow our story if they weren’t interested, including my own family and best friends. Besides, I enjoyed writing it even if I was writing to myself....and my husband and Veronica, and Lauren, and Courtney and Trudy, and Kathy and my brother-in-law Barry and my two sisters-in-law.

Eventually, in keeping with my almost physiological need to re-decorate on a whim, I decided this past January that I wanted to change the name and get a "facelift." In talking to my now 8 year old daughter about a new title, she suggested I name it “This is the Life” since it was about, well, our life. Wow. She was able to capture the essence of something so esoteric in a split second, after I had been struggling to come up with anything catchy let alone meaningful. So I, obviously, ran with it. I then contacted Darcy at Graphically Designing about the facelift, and a week later I had my current format. (Whew, glad I knew Darcy when she had no queue...now you have to wait months because she is in such high demand.)

As a result of the facelift, and as I began to read/comment on other blogs, I started getting more traffic. Yikes. Who are you people? And how did you find me? Complete strangers were tuning in to see what I was writing. It was a little weird at first. Why are they interested in me and my kids when none of my closest family or friends should be and aren’t? Ah, who needs family! I have new friends, wink wink. You all live in my laptop, but who cares. So, let me give a shout out to IP Address 123-456-78900 from Timbucktu or IP address 98-7654-321 from Kalamazoo. I have no idea who you are, but I love the words “Multiple visits spread over more than one day” next to your IP Address. That means "you like me, you really really like me" or you think I'm a train wreck and can’t help yourself. Been there, done that myself.

Moving right along…

During the whole nine months that I blogged under “Woven and Spun,” the focus was our life, and stories and pictures of the kids etc. Unfortunately, that started becoming a problem with my daughter.

She hated it. I mean H-A-T-E-D it.

It began to be a point of contention for her because she felt that every aspect of her life was a bloggable moment or a photo op to complete strangers. Well, yeah it is, was, and what’s wrong with that? As a result, I cannot tell you how many pictures I have of the back of her head or pictures like this:

Nothing like cooking in Mommy's boots.

Her daily question became a string of plaintive pleas:

“Mom, you aren’t going to put this on your blog are you?

“Mom, this better not be on your blog.”

“Mom you didn’t put that on your blog, did you?”

Well, maybe, sorta, kinda, I did.

But then one day she saw I had posted something that she didn’t want posted and lost it.

That is when I realized her protestations had merit, and I needed to respect her desire to keep her life private, after all, this is my hobby not hers. (That is why I haven't posted anything about her 8th birthday last week.)
As a result, I was kind of forced to change the focus to well, me and the craziness that runs through my brain. Ah lucky you. I do continue to sprinkle things in about the kids but only after I have Lindsey’s permission. Kyle could care less. And, I have decided to keep a separate private electronic journal for me and Bob to add to that I will have made into a book.

So, as blogging for me began to evolve into something other than an electronic scapbook, my favorite friend serendipity made an appearance, taking me completely by surprise….


Meanwhile, do your closest friends and family read your blog?

Mommy Blogging - " How I Got Started"

Hi. My name is Debbie, and I am proud to be a Mommy blogger. If you are reading this, you probably are too. I’d like to welcome you to my 400th post. Yes, that is 4-0-0. Four Hundred. Four-Zero-Zero, and if I knew any language other than slang English or could remember roman numerals, I would translate 400 into something more interesting. Alas, I don’t, so you are stuck with 4-0-0. So pedestrian, I know. Anyway, in preparing for my big 400th post, I knew I wanted to talk about the evolution of my blog and blogging in general, but it turned out to be 5 pages, single spaced in a Word Doc. Uh. Hmm. Not gonna work. You all can’t be that interested in me to stick around in one sitting for that nonsense.

But then it happened!

While dipping my feet into a vat of HOT WAX during a mani/pedi this morning, I had a brainstorm! I would break down my observations and thoughts on blogging into different topics that I know all of us think about or have thought about or don’t want to admit that we have thought about. Then while getting the hair ripped off my eyebrows, I realized the genius in my idea. If I do this as a series, I will have enough blog blather for a week! Oh clap, clap. I'm so smart. Then I realized that my eyebrows were burning and grabbed a mirror to make sure I didn’t look like the Joker.

Betcha didn’t know that I’d been blogging long enough to have 400 posts. Well, I do, and I have. Eons ago in blogger time, ya know way back in February, 2007, I started with a simple blogger template and a blog titled “Woven and Spun.” Today, I have a customized blog with a title that is the brain child of my daughter, and the whole thing looks and sounds nothing like it did 15 months ago. Here’s my story:

Prior to December 2006, “blog” had a negative connotation to me because the only knowledge I had of a blog was reading the uproarious stories in "The Washington Post" about a young woman who worked on Capitol Hill whose so called “blog’ became infamous for chronicling her (use your imagination) escapades with certain Hill staffers. Blogs eww ick. Blogs baaad. Blogs evil. Wait. Blog? What exactly is that? So I looked it up back then and learned that it’s the words web and log smooshed together to make weblog or blog as we know it today. (Can’t you imagine those tech boys dreaming this stuff up in their free time? Yeah, I make fun of them now. But the likes of Mr. Google and Mr. Ipod/Apple/Mac are laughing all the way to the bank driving their Ferrari’s, wearing their rolexes, and getting ready to jet off to the island they own in the jet they own.) Then I started reading my friend Courtney's blog which turned out to be an electronic journal of their lives and made for interesting reading. After about six weeks of reading her story, I had my light bulb moment, only this time hot wax was not involved. “Hey, I can do that! And what a great way to keep friends and family updated with pictures and stories of the kids.” So 15 seconds later I signed up on Blogger, and another 30 seconds later I was the proud owner of my own blog. All in under a minute? Really? Just like that? Yup, just like that. Gulp. Now what?

So, I titled my brand spanking new blog on a day I was particularly reflective and titled it “Woven and Spun” after my favorite Nichole Nordeman CD. I felt that title would be illustrative of our lives as it is so carefully “woven and spun” by our Heavenly Father. Then I did what all of you who blog probably did when you first started, I announced to my friends and family that I had set up this way cool website as a way to keep them current with the kids and our happenings including pics and stories. Yup, here's the URL, folks. All you have to do is click on it. Yippee! A built in audience! Seemed logical to reach out to them, after all, they were the intended audience. Right? Then something happened that I didn’t expect...


Meanwhile, how and when did you get started blogging?

Gotta question for ya

How long go do you plan on doing this? Blogging, that is? I keep wondering how long I can keep this up. Reading, writing, making "my rounds" each morning like I'm a doctor or something. Well, isn't checking in on your laptop friends just as important? I keep wondering if we are going to go "through the change" together...oh that'll be good...bunch of crazy mommies who turned to their imaginary friends for a moments peace in 2008 and wrote about it, will be hyper hormonal a decade or so later and still turning to their imaginary friends for a moments peace, as well as writing about it. (Well for me it will be sooner) Something tells me that is an Alanis Morrissette song waiting to happen. So when do you plan on calling it quits, pulling the plug, signing off? And what does that even look like? I mean do you just hit "delete" blog and disappear into the blogosphere, forever, never to be seen or heard from again. Or have you ever even thought about it. Or is this just one more thing that only my weird brain conjures up?

Sunday Morning, May 25:
Oh No! I just got home from church and popped in to see what you guys had to say if anything, and I realized from the comments to this point that you all think I'm quitting or thinking about quitting this bloggy thing. I really appreciate the kind words as it made my day, but I think my words got lost in translation as I was just wondering out loud if you had ever thought about when and under what circumstances you would throw in the towel, if ever. For the record, I 'm not leaving nor have I considered leaving the blogosphere to this point. No sir. I have too many unimportant things to tell you. ;)

Woven and Spun?

"When life had begun, I was woven and spun" is a verse from one of my favorite songs titled "I Am " by Christian singer/songwriter Nichole Nordeman. (If you don't have one of her CD's stop everything and go get one. She is brilliant.) The song is a reminder that only a heavenly Father could create us, and that He is the only one that can sustain us...He is the "I Am."