It’s Friday and time for BYOC – Bring Your Own Crazy! A couple of questions we answer to get to know each other better and to give our blogging brains a break. Copy to your own blog and enjoy!
This week Draz’s questions are going themed…as in they are all about blogging and just to throw you off – there are more than 5 this time!!
1. When did you begin blogging? Do you plan to do it a long time or do you think you’ll stop after a while?
I started a family blog years ago, probably like five or so, both as a way to keep my husband’s family up to date with the cute things my kids did and also as a way to “write stuff down”. Every time I would call my mom and tell her something funny one of the kid’s did she’d say… write that down so you don’t forget… So for a while I had a bunch of pieces of paper with cute things on them floating around, but of course they are not together and of course who knows if I’ll ever see them again. So began the blog. Then I started this one a couple of years ago. I suspect I’ll always do it. I find it helpful to get my feelings about all manner of things out there – not to mention this community is so much more than I ever, ever expected was possible!!!
2. What do you enjoy more - blogging yourself or reading other’s blogs?
Oh… hmmmm. It completely depends on my mood. Sometimes I’m in a selfish blogging mood and I just need to get stuff out there in order to help me process it and other times I love the give and take of blogging (who knew that was even possible?). Where one idea will show up on someone’s blog and I’ll add my thoughts on the topic and someone else will add theirs and so on and so on. And other times, like last night for instance, I was completely in a reading mood. I was reading some blogs way back from the beginning.
3. What’s the biggest thing blogging has taught you? Biggest surprise about blogging?
The biggest thing it’s taught me? hmmm. I guess that would be the biggest surprise. That I could actually, just through blogging, get to know and fall in love with so many wonderful people. I suspected there would be helpful people out there when I started this blog, but it never once dawned on me that so many of you would become like family to me. I truly have this whole group of women that I completely love and completely trust and love that was far more than a surprise – more like a shock to the system – but man, I just could not be more grateful about it!. I feel truly blessed to have found this community!
4. Have you met any other bloggers in real life – solely because of your blog or theirs?
Yup. I attend the BOOBs event inChicago
This week Draz’s questions are going themed…as in they are all about blogging and just to throw you off – there are more than 5 this time!!
1. When did you begin blogging? Do you plan to do it a long time or do you think you’ll stop after a while?
I started a family blog years ago, probably like five or so, both as a way to keep my husband’s family up to date with the cute things my kids did and also as a way to “write stuff down”. Every time I would call my mom and tell her something funny one of the kid’s did she’d say… write that down so you don’t forget… So for a while I had a bunch of pieces of paper with cute things on them floating around, but of course they are not together and of course who knows if I’ll ever see them again. So began the blog. Then I started this one a couple of years ago. I suspect I’ll always do it. I find it helpful to get my feelings about all manner of things out there – not to mention this community is so much more than I ever, ever expected was possible!!!
2. What do you enjoy more - blogging yourself or reading other’s blogs?
Oh… hmmmm. It completely depends on my mood. Sometimes I’m in a selfish blogging mood and I just need to get stuff out there in order to help me process it and other times I love the give and take of blogging (who knew that was even possible?). Where one idea will show up on someone’s blog and I’ll add my thoughts on the topic and someone else will add theirs and so on and so on. And other times, like last night for instance, I was completely in a reading mood. I was reading some blogs way back from the beginning.
3. What’s the biggest thing blogging has taught you? Biggest surprise about blogging?
The biggest thing it’s taught me? hmmm. I guess that would be the biggest surprise. That I could actually, just through blogging, get to know and fall in love with so many wonderful people. I suspected there would be helpful people out there when I started this blog, but it never once dawned on me that so many of you would become like family to me. I truly have this whole group of women that I completely love and completely trust and love that was far more than a surprise – more like a shock to the system – but man, I just could not be more grateful about it!. I feel truly blessed to have found this community!
4. Have you met any other bloggers in real life – solely because of your blog or theirs?
Yup. I attend the BOOBs event in
5. Does your blog have a general theme as in one topic or do you cover everything and anything?
Well… in theory the theme is being banded, but… I’m not so sure that’s really all that true. I suspect I’ll always come back to that and in fact, I’m planning to (starting immediately) make it a little more about that – or at least bring that part of my life back to the forefront. But… I’m me and well… I’m a scatterbrain and I will always throw out there whatever the hell might be on my mind. Sometimes I sort of feel like I’m sitting on my deck with a bunch of friends are we’re all swapping stories about life – the good the bad and the ugly.
6. Are you public or anonymous? Whichever you are – do you ever wish you were the other?
well… can I say a little bit of both. My real name is not Read, though it is my middle name (oh and this weekend my mom went back to swearing that it was because my dad thought I was going to have red hair. She was adamant enough about it that I’m convinced she believes that is the true story – I’m not sure I believe that’s the true story, but now I’m thinking of coming up with a new story about it). I’m only a little bit anonymous and it’s because I haven’t told my mom or most of the rest of my friends and family about my band. And as you know I’m in the process of switching the names of my husband and children from their real names to their new fake names.
And well… sure, sometimes I wish I was totally anonymous and sometimes I wish I was totally out there – so… I’m just never satisfied, am I?
7. What’s your best blogging advice for a new blogger?
well… two things. 1) be yourself cuz it’s just too damn hard to be anyone else and the people you will find and connect to are people the real you wants to find and connect to – you wouldn’t be able to find those same people if you were trying to be something you’re not. And 2) if you are wanting to join a blogging community – read and comment on other’s blogs. It’s the best way to let others know you even exist.
8. Does anyone in your real life read your blog/know its address? Do you wish they would or wouldn’t?
My husband knows it and my sister knows it – and of course my friend Farrah and there are probably a couple of others like that. Occasionally I wish my husband and sister didn’t know about it, but that’s usually fleeting. Much more true of my husband as he latches onto things very easily and what I might have spewed out one day when I was in a mood will become the bible as he knows it. But… it is what it is, and I try not to spew about him on here, but instead choose my words more carefully knowing he’ll read them later. I don’t always succeed, but hell, I don’t always succeed in person either so hopefully he can live with that.
9. Do you enjoy blogging or do you view it as a chore? How often do you blog?
OMG I love it – though sometimes I get bogged down feeling like I haven’t been good or funny or prolific enough and that will shut me down for a while. Where did my funny stories go? It’s not like my life has changed all that much… But, then Jason will do a little happy dance and I remember to blog about it and I feel okay again.
10. Do you tell people in your real life that you blog? Or keep it a secret?
Oh everyone knows I blog and if pressed I will refer them to my family blog which I will occasionally still update. The other one is connected to FB and I only put stuff on there that is both cute and noteworthy and also not offensive to anyone I know on FB. Like I can’t put the Jason happy dance story on there because one of my in-laws might tell my MIL about it. When I went to Chicago I debated coming up with some elaborate story about how I knew all these people but ultimately decided to just say I know them from blogging and when asked the theme of the blogging group I say it totally varies – which I think is true even if it could also be a bit of a lie.
I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!!!
7. What’s your best blogging advice for a new blogger?
well… two things. 1) be yourself cuz it’s just too damn hard to be anyone else and the people you will find and connect to are people the real you wants to find and connect to – you wouldn’t be able to find those same people if you were trying to be something you’re not. And 2) if you are wanting to join a blogging community – read and comment on other’s blogs. It’s the best way to let others know you even exist.
8. Does anyone in your real life read your blog/know its address? Do you wish they would or wouldn’t?
My husband knows it and my sister knows it – and of course my friend Farrah and there are probably a couple of others like that. Occasionally I wish my husband and sister didn’t know about it, but that’s usually fleeting. Much more true of my husband as he latches onto things very easily and what I might have spewed out one day when I was in a mood will become the bible as he knows it. But… it is what it is, and I try not to spew about him on here, but instead choose my words more carefully knowing he’ll read them later. I don’t always succeed, but hell, I don’t always succeed in person either so hopefully he can live with that.
9. Do you enjoy blogging or do you view it as a chore? How often do you blog?
OMG I love it – though sometimes I get bogged down feeling like I haven’t been good or funny or prolific enough and that will shut me down for a while. Where did my funny stories go? It’s not like my life has changed all that much… But, then Jason will do a little happy dance and I remember to blog about it and I feel okay again.
10. Do you tell people in your real life that you blog? Or keep it a secret?
Oh everyone knows I blog and if pressed I will refer them to my family blog which I will occasionally still update. The other one is connected to FB and I only put stuff on there that is both cute and noteworthy and also not offensive to anyone I know on FB. Like I can’t put the Jason happy dance story on there because one of my in-laws might tell my MIL about it. When I went to Chicago I debated coming up with some elaborate story about how I knew all these people but ultimately decided to just say I know them from blogging and when asked the theme of the blogging group I say it totally varies – which I think is true even if it could also be a bit of a lie.
I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!!!
3 comments:
Good one... I agree on the advice of commenting if your a newbie! So here's my comment. LOL.
Babe - I love you too. And your last couple of postings blew me away...so much that I didn't comment. Your bravery and willingness to self-evaluate is inspiring to me and so courageous and something so many refuse to do - and settle - and I love that love yourself and your life and your boys enough to do more than that....even if it hurts.
I love your blog... blog forever. :) We have to spend more time together next year at BOOBs, I felt robbed of my Read time!
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