One Year

Since I officially became a blogger :) (as opposed to just a blog reader!).

This is a big accomplishment for me.  I started blogging one year ago today.  In that year, I have published 189 posts which averages to about 3.6 blog posts a week.  I aim for 4 posts a week, but during my first trimester with baby #2, I was lucky to get out two a week.  I read blogs for at least two years before I decided to start my own.  I blog in my free time, which is practically none.  With all of my life changes, I sometimes have to pinch myself to believe that I have been able to keep my with my blog.  I love reading blogs and writing my own blog just as much as I did a year ago, if not a little more. 

These are the things that have worked for me while blogging.  First, I am doing this for myself.  That is the most important thing.  Sure, I love that my family takes the time to read this blog and I like to talk with them about it, but ultimately this is for me.  This has essentially become Emma’s baby book.  I feel like I am able to capture things as they happen and rather than trying to put them in a book (remember, I hate paperwork), I write them down on the blog.  Second, I don’t really care whether my posts are timely.  It took me a month to blog about Christmas and half a month to blog about Emma’s birthday party.  I still haven’t blogged about Thanksgiving, and I still need to blog about our day trip to the arboretum that happened in October.  This is real life.  Sometimes, I am able to post timely and sometimes I am not.  I don’t beat myself up about this if I miss something.  Third, I don’t feel like I have to post every day (obviously).  If I am posting 3 – 4 times a week while working full time, being pregnant and still being present with Emma- then I am proud of myself.  Fourth, having a smartphone and photosteam on all of our Mac products has been time/life/blog saving.  Once we download the pictures to Wes’s Mac- I just wait a couple of days and they will all be on my photostream.  Then, I choose what pictures I want to use for the blog and I send them to myself and save them to my PC.  Then, I upload them to the blog when I am ready to write about that content.  My smartphone allows me to look at my photostream and email myself from anywhere.  When I was pumping at work, this is when I did a lot of blog brainstorming/picture sending.  I never thought I would say this, but I miss that time in my life sometimes.  However, I do not miss my pump in the slightest.  Fifth, I don't typically proofread my blog posts (as if you couldn't tell :)).  I mostly just write stream of conscience and I think you lose some of the authenticity by going back and editing your content.  And mostly, I just don't have time to do to proofread.

To sum it up- I try not to over think my blog and just keep things simple.  Ultimately, I am really proud of myself to keep up with it in the manner that I have, and I know I will have these memories to cherish forever.          

I have heard that life changes once you have two kids :) I am hoping to be able to keep up with the blog while putting my family first.  If the blog ever becomes a distraction to my family, I will give it up gladly- but for right now, this is how I am making it work.

Now to only have the time to put this blog into a book using blurb.  I have heard great things about this and can’t wait to try it out- when I find the time :).