My Blog Story

I was intrigued by Chilihead’s challenge to record the history of how I became a blogger. Since I had to really think to remember how this all began, I decided getting it on paper for posterity was probably a good idea.

1. How did you start blogging?
My father-in-law has a webpage for his various business ventures and personal interests. When the babies were born and I was so sick, it became a lifeline. Prayer warriors were kept up to date on our fledgling little family via his posts. After the dust settled from our rough start, he continued to post pictures of the kiddos periodically so folks could see the blessing of their answered prayers.

After the trio's 1st birthday (you know, when I was sleeping again and had the energy to even consider doing anything besides just keeping our family alive) I decided I wanted a website. I loved the idea of keeping interested parties updated on us without flooding their inboxes with pictures they may or may not care to see. I intended for it to be somewhat of a newsletter.

Once I started, I realized it could double as a digital baby book of sorts. I am NOT AT ALL crafty. As a result, the beautiful baby books I had purchased before the kiddos were born sat completely empty on the shelf. (Where they remain now 3 years later!) Posting quick pictures and short memories for out-of-town friends and family was a lot less intimidating (and less expensive) than cropping, pasting, and having to otherwise be crafty.

2. Did you intend to be a blog with a following? If so, how did you go about it?
Absolutely, positively, no! I was actually so naive getting into this. I really never dreamed people I did not know would read/follow our family. I commented on the blogs of a few real-life friends and the networking began. I have truly made some terrific friends in the blogosphere. I once laughed at people who "met" on the Internet...now I get it. I love that the pretense and small talk is dropped and you can get right to the heart of the matter with folks. Although I am aware of the dangers this anonymity this offers, with appropriate caution, this medium has been an incredible blessing.

3. What do you hope to achieve or accomplish with your blog? Have you been successful? If not, do you have a plan to achieve those goals?
I want to glorify God and remember the beauty of this time in our life. I have bad days and A LOT of not-so-wonderful moments...but I want my blog to be the place at the end of the day where I sit down and intentionally recount the lessons and the blessings. There is plenty of negative in the world. I am not in denial about our hard days, nor do I EVER want to misrepresent my life, I just think life is more pleasant when we focus on the positive rather than perseverating on the hard stuff.

4. Has the focus of your blog changed since you started blogging? How?
Absolutely. I didn't write anything but photo captions for the first year. One day I wrote an observation about motherhood and the lessons I was learning. Perri encouraged me to keep writing. The rest is history. The feedback from folks who read the blog is such an encouragement to me to keep putting myself out there. I never realized there was such a need for Moms to encourage each other "in the trenches" to not lose sight of what really matters. This has become a ministry for me and a tremendous source of encouragement and accountability.

When I started writing it was for my family. Then, it became therapeutic and suddenly what was quite private and anonymous is now very public and personal. Having anonymous readers was one thing, but running into readers at Kroger is really intimidating. It is like that old middle school dream of showing up only to realize you forgot to get dressed. I have a LOT of lurkers ( around 800 hits a day and generally less than 10 comments) so I can get pretty insecure. Why is everyone so quiet? Do they agree, disagree? Are they judging me?

5. What do you know now that you wish you’d known when you started?
I am so thankful that this has unfolded the way it has. The only thing I wish I had done differently is protected our identity a little more. I was not thinking years ahead when I started writing. Going back and undoing names and other identifying info has been very labor intensive.

6. Do you make money with your blog?
No. Unless you count the money I am saving in counseling and scrapbooking supplies. :-)

7. Does your immediate or extended family know about your blog? If so, do they read it? If not, why? Yes, they do. My Mom & sister comment sometimes. Most of my close friends that read it send me e-mails or call with their comments.

8. What two pieces of advice would you give to a new blogger?
In 7th grade, my two "best friends" stole my journal and read its contents to people I wrote about (angry with, crush on, etc...) I learned the hard way what my Mom had tried to tell me: If you don't want it read, don't write it down. Remember once you write it, it is out there.