7 Months of Blogging: What I’ve Learned

You are reading my my 30th post! I began my blog as part of a New Year’s resolution to start writing more, and unlike many failed resolutions in the past, I’ve stuck to it!

I’ve always enjoyed writing, but in recent years had not made it a priority. I could blame work and kids, but in reality, I just wasn’t very motivated.

In the past, I’ve also been rather hesitant about sharing my work. Making my writing public and setting a self-imposed deadline to post once a week was the best thing for me to do to help kick-start my writing and my confidence.

After seven months, I am so thankful that I started this blog. It has made me write more than I have in years and taught me much about myself and my goals. 

•  It is hard to keep up with it.  For instance, this was supposed to be “What I Have Learned During SIX Months of Blogging,” and by now it is more like 7 1/2 months of blogging!

•  It is time consuming. MUCH more time consuming than I thought it would be. I obsess over every post, every paragraph, every sentence, and every word.

This summer I am starting to realize how much time I am spending writing, revising, and editing, and I am having a harder time balancing writing time with kid time. I’ve been trying to do one new thing a day with the kids (My Experience Trying One New Thing a Day with My Kids), and well, me sitting and writing while they play in the playroom could only be considered new for one day…

•  I don’t have the tech savviness to actually make a living doing this. I barely can figure out how to put a picture in my post. Okay, that’s exaggerating a bit, but when I tried to add the Pinterest button to my photos, it truly was like a 48 hour endeavor.

•  During weeks that I write more, I feel like I’m not as good of a parent. My kids watch more episodes of Lion Guard than is probably good for them and do not get as much of my attention. I am in constant turmoil about this since last year I resigned from teaching to spend more time with them.

However, writing and seeing a completed piece on my blog (or published elsewhere!), gives me a sense of personal satisfaction, which in turn makes me feel more worthwhile and happy. That does make me a better parent.

It’s all about finding a balance, I suppose. Like most things, some weeks I am better at this than others.

•  There is a whole community of bloggers – funny, inspirational, and positive bloggers. I wish I had been more into reading blogs when my children were younger – I would have felt less alone. I may have laughed at my children’s antics a bit more, as well!

•  My priorities have shifted. I know longer care if my house is a mess, and walking through my kitchen pretty much guarantees that you will crunch on something left behind on the floor.  When I have a free moment while the kids are coloring or playing stuffed animal school, I don’t waste it on housework anymore. I write.

•  I write about dinosaurs … a lot.

•  It has made me focus more on the small moments. This is probably the number one reason I will continue blogging. Without making a concerted effort to write, I may never have paid particular attention to my son’s fascination with flowers (Daffodils and Dinos) or noted my daughter glaring daggers at me during library story time (Story Time at the Library).

Ironically, I enjoy and find it easier to write about these smaller moments than the larger, seemingly more significant ones. I feel there is a message here. Something about not letting the little moments pass by. But, I don’t want to be too cliché…

The future of my blog:

I will continue to write.  I enjoy my self-imposed deadlines for the most part, and I like having “work” to do that I enjoy. “Work” that lasts much longer than the floor I cleaned only hours ago but is now covered in a sticky  mess of yogurt.

I will probably slow down on the frequency of my blog posts. My aim is to continue to write weekly, but try to get published more on other sites or publications. I am thrilled that starting my blog also opened up other avenues, and I finally had the courage to send my work out into the unknown to get accepted or rejected. There have been both, and that’s okay.

Lately, there are some ideas swirling in my head and an itch to perhaps start a bigger writing project down the road. I’m not ready to commit to anything yet, but I’m hoping with the return of Fall and a more orderly schedule, I can start writing a bit more seriously again.

But for now, I’m feeling a pull to slow down as the lazy days of summer come to an end. More time is needed to not only soak in the sun, but also bask in the smiles and giggles of two children who I love more than all of the words in the world.

MY BLOG IN A NUTSHELL

• First post (and my inspiration for the title of my blog!): I Said SMILE!
• Number of posts: 30
• Most viewed posts: Saying Goodbye to My Son’s IEP and Disney: What The Kids Will Remember
• My favorite post: Would Nighttime Yoga Help Calm My Children?
• One I wish more people had read: Story Time at the Library

So, a question to my blogger friends: How do you balance your writing and family time? How often do you write a post? Any advice for this blogger who fears she might be losing her motivation?