Seriously. I mean when do you find time to blog? There are thousands upon thousands of bloggers, twitterers, facebookers you name it online. Many if not the majority of those are made up by us... MOMS. When do we find the time to blog in our child rearing, housecleaning, husband pleasing, carpooling kind of days?
The next question, of course, is: Does it affect your life adversely?
I like to blog in the morning. I'd do it first thing but a) as most of you know I don't like to get up any earlier than I have to and b)there's too much to do to get myself and the kids ready for the day. So I've been finding that I do most of my online reading/blogging after I've taken E to school. O and J or sometimes just O set themselves up either to watch a show or play outside.. most of the time. Now I prefer them not to watch t.v. but hey, if it gives mommy a half hour then what's so bad about that? Right?!?! Wrong? See my dilemma?
Blogging in the evening. Well that's tough. I work 4 nights a week and the others I often do get a post in now and then but once the kids are in bed that cuts in to my time with Hubby. Yeah, I know. I actually want to spend time with my husband. Crazy, huh? Now he's fairly understanding but too much time at the computer could start to make him feel a little neglected. It helps that he has his own laptop so while we mutually spend time pursuing our own interests for a little while that helps. But what's so great about this social networking if it cuts us off from the social networking going on around us? So I try to limit my time blogging at night. I even blogged a little from work. I'm the boss, I can do that. But then I don't get any projects done and I'm not carrying my fair share of the workload.
So that leaves me during the day. The problem is when I blog or read other blogs I tend to forget about the house. I may have all sorts of wonderful ambitions to get organized, clean, bake cookies etc but then the siren call of the blog starts to call. My baby is sitting on the table behind me. I glance over my shoulder, no, I'm going to resist temptation. I am going to play with the children. Another glance over my shoulder. My baby looks so lonely. Okay.. I'm just going to check my email for ten minutes. Rats, just junk mail. Might as well check for commenter's. Oh, I haven't logged on to SITS today. Oh look at the cute photo Giveaway Addicted Mommy posted and it goes on and on. Half hour goes by, I'm due to pick E up at school and I haven't even started the laundry. All my positive ambitions are gone, I'm suddenly figuring out ways to compromise so I can get a little more blogging/reading in.
So does it affect my life adversely? Some days I'd have to say yes. Some days, I get too into it and the rest of my life gets neglected because of it. Some days I even get a little grumpy at my kids (gasp) because I just want 5 more minutes to write my astounding, thought provoking, awe inspiring post and then I'll play but they don't want to wait for 5 more minutes so mommy can finish her masterpiece. Some times, I might even yell (the horror) or shoo them away. (bad mommy) This doesn't happen every day but I still feel bad when it does.
My husband starts to get that glazed look every time I mention a post I had read on somebody else's blog. Only the most amusing or the most horrifying can spark any sort of interest. Blogging had begun to dominate my conversation with real people. Kathy B? Who's that they ask.. oh a bloggy friend. (Cause we all have to admit, Kathy's adventures give us all fodder for table conversation. If you haven't read her go, NOW and read the archives like this one "Does This Stuff Happen to Anyone Else") I have to catch myself because non bloggers have absolutely no interest or no clue how interesting (and addictive) blogging can be. I talk about bloggers as if they were friends in real life. They are all friends but again, nonbloggers don't get it. Making friends online? How odd.
On the other hand, blogging has allowed me to connect with a bunch of great people, see more things than I would never have gotten to see and expand my horizons in what can be described as a very narrow path of my life at this point. Meeting other bloggers has me striving to be more positive, less nagging, less whiny in my life.
So let's keep it in perspective, please. Right now, I'm looking for an open blogging time slot that keeps everybody happy. I may just have to get up early cause I AM not giving up my blog.*stomps foot* The children.. well.. just kidding. But as my favourite saying goes... "if mommy isn't happy, no one is happy!" so I must continue to evolve and grow and find a way to make it all work.
When do you find time to blog?
I usually do it when ever I have enough time to actually sit down and think about and write a post. The computer is always logged onto Twitter here and I will update that just randomly thoughout the day since that doesnt take much time of thinking to it. I will have to say that I dont have enough time everyday to sit down and write a post.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, thanks for the shout-out! I loved it! And it's not even my birthday :)
ReplyDeleteHere's how I blog:
-I have a notebook that I carry with me everywhere. Anytime I get an idea I write it down.
-There is usually something top of mind, so whenver I get a spare minute (waiting in the carpool line at school, whatever!) I start writing on my top of mind topic.
-By dinner I usually have a fairly fleshed-out post and I'll grab 15 minutes and type whatever I've got so far.
-Many nights hubs and I plop ourselves in front of the tv. I just bring my laptop. By now I'm just wordsmithing so I can handle the distractions.
-The next morning I get up 30-60 minutes before I need to and finish it up.
Sorry for the loooong post :)
You're welcome Kathy. I like the notebook idea.. that's a good idea. I have to admit since I've discovered "scheduled" posting it's helped out a lot. This way I get an idea today but I can post it next Wed..
ReplyDeleteI keep journals with me. In the car, my purse, all over the house like KBexclamationpoint. And then I wake up around 4:30 during the week, go through ideas and blog until my kids get up at 7. And I try to catch up on my blog reading at intervals of downtime. Because by the end of the day, I'm wiped!
ReplyDeleteck is a maniac! DO NOT get up at 4:30!
ReplyDeleteYeah, no I will NOT be getting up at 4:30. OMgosh.
ReplyDeleteUgh, I have a tough one with this too. It seems like I'm on this computer all day long, either reading, writing or commenting! My poor neglected kid! I have to tear myself away from my computer so I can give him some attention! And forget about my house. It's a mess!
ReplyDeleteI've found that the best thing for me is to read and comment while my baby's taking a nap, and writing my post when the husband and baby are both asleep. Needless to say, I am a very exhausted blog addict.
I blog in the am with my coffee at my side and the kids in the family room. I try to keep my posts short and sweet so it doesn't take too much time!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh..I'm so glad you stopped by my blog because I was able to come here and visit yours!!
ReplyDeleteEverything you wrote could have literally ben typed by my fingertips!!!!! See, right NOW, I could be doing something productive!! Granted, my computer(s) have be on during the day because the kids do their schoolwork, but I have to discipline myself when to get off!!
But, what does work is that I get up before everyone else and try to catch up on my blog comments (replying). Also, my posts are done in advance so I don't have to worry about that. However it does take so much time to follow up on comments... a couple of hours at least!! Ay yi yi!!!
Anywho..you have a wonderful Mother's Day, and if you can think of a good plan, let me know! LOL
I keep a pad and pen with me at all times to jot little notes down any time something funny or interesting happens that find to be blog worthy. I usually blog when the little twins go down for a nap while the big twins play or watch a movie. And then I do most of my blogging in the evening after all the kids are in bed. I write a lot of draft posts from the notes I have and save them. Then I can go back to them whenever I have the time in the evening to clean them up. I almost always have something in the works ready to go.
ReplyDeleteAs far as commenting and reading other blogs, I also do that mostly in the afternoon while the kiddos nap or the evening after their bedtime. Sometimes I do let the housework go and I ignore my husband sometimes because I need to lose myself in something and I truly enjoy reading other blogs and feeling connected with the outside world!
I'm so glad you asked this question because I needed that info myself. Right now, I get up early and stay up late, but I need to implement the notebook idea, cuz so often when I sit down at the computer I come up empty.
ReplyDeleteSee what happens when I have no time to comment. I miss the good comments. I blog at naptime. I worry about the day I give it up. When my husband's not in town, I do tons of reading at night after the chores, which comes after the boys bed time. I second the notebook, because it keeps you from having writers block.
ReplyDelete