Some Thoughts on Blogging

It has been radio silence. I know.

I've been doing a little blog-soul searching. It seems sometimes like the blogging community has become about getting big. Growing numbers, readers, followers. Search engine optimization and scheduled postings and treating your blog like a job.

But for me, for now, my blog is not a job. 

My blog is a hobby. My vocation is marriage and my job is motherhood.

I started this blog in earnest as a way to keep my mind alive, and as a chance to practice writing. That's what I want to keep doing.

Right now, my focus is going to be on quality, not quantity. My goal is a post or two a week, but I'm hoping to make those count. More thoughts on faith. More reflections on motherhood. Perhaps some foray into deeper waters. Less pressure to write about the day-to-day. That's just not my gift, and frankly, I have neither the time nor the desire right now to do that.

I still want to clean the blog up. Make it look nice. Take it seriously, because I want it to be something I'm consistently proud of. So that will be happening in the next while.

For family members and others who are here for cute pictures of my kids, I'm going to try to be more active on Facebook and Instagram, since I'm not going to be saving all my pics for the blog. 

Meanwhile, I'm back. :-)

Currently, Vol. 5

Joining A Mama Collective and Natasha for Currently.

Thinking about . . . Blogging stuff. I love my little blog, and I love being able to share myself in writing, which is the way I share myself best. I find myself wondering about what more I want (or don't want) out of the blog. I have no interest in changing my content to gain readers or fit formulas or maximize hits or whatnot. That's not why I write, and I can never write if it isn't authentic (or assigned!). I also have been contemplating watermarking (or otherwise identifying) my pictures. I'm juuuuuust starting to toy with graphics (because it's fun!). I'd, in theory, love to use more good pictures (and fewer iPhone pictures), but who are we kidding. Most of my photography these days is on my always-handy iPhone, which better allows me to capture those fleeting moments in my kids' lives. And as worthy and uplifting a hobby as blogging has been for me, my vocation to that of a wife and mother. I don't want this to take away from that. Don't worry, family, the blog isn't going anywhere. I'm just thinking about stuffs. :)

Reading . . . I finally jumped on the bandwagon and read The Fault in our Stars and, I hate to say it, but meh. I found the whole thing painfully predictable, and as if they were trying too hard to make me cry. I choked up maybe a little, but I actually found myself relating more to the parents than the star-crossed teens. How lame and grown up of me. I actually got to the end, and thought, "Wait! What! Where is the profound truth or dramatic tears I was waiting for?!?" Maybe I need to go back and reread the end or something.

Loving . . . Back to School season! Even though I'm not going back, and Clare still has some time, my heart gets all twitterpated seeing school supplies and backpacks and clothing ads. And my Facebook newsfeed is starting to feature more and more First Day of School posts. Ahhh!!! Since we really don't know where we'll be 3 years from now, we haven't made any decisions about schooling for our kids, but I loved school. I still love school. I love learning. I truly hope to pass that along to the kiddos, whatever decision we make. And Charles and I both love school/office supplies, so I assume that my kids are genetically predisposed to the same.

Thankful for . . . family time this weekend. Saturday, we were able to go to the park and then grill brats for dinner. Sunday, in spite of splitting Mass to accommodate Clare's lingering cough, we were able to get out for the evening, making a lap around the mall and getting pizza.

Planning . . . I'm all about meal planning lately. I have a serious desire to stock pile all the meat and all the non-perishables. Right now, I'm planning and shopping for two weeks at a time (with at least one quick trip to the store for fresh foods like milk and produce), but I'm wondering if I could make a month work. Maybe once we have a better feel for Charles' (ever-changing) schedule I can give it a go.

Dreaming . . . of a giant pantry, chest freezer, and space to create the food-prep/meal planning world of my dreams. Alas, maybe someday.

Praying . . . a special intention for a dear family member. And, as is so often the case, my heart turns to Psalm 121.

My first ever graphic. Proud of myself.

7 Quick Takes, Vol. 55

After my week-long blogging hiatus, I'm back for my weekly 7QT fix. Joining Jen, of course.

1. Charles finished up the working portion of his rotation of nights in the ER, and now has a little time off. Which, paired with a leeeetle too much time watching NBC's glorious mornings of covering allll the figure skating, has left me slacking on the ol' blog. Where did the week go, exactly?!? Anyway, we are enjoying knowing that we have another lovely week off ahead of us before he hits the OR for his next rotation. Plus, that week includes Spring Training Opening Day, and we're excited for a little fun in the AZ sun (and to take advantage of Spring Training while we can!). Sorry in advance to our fellow lawn sitters if you're joined briefly by a squirrley 19 month old. And sorry everywhere that's neither AZ or FL. We may well be joining you soon enough.

Amazing what 12 months does to a kid!!

2. Which leaves me with the subject of temptation -- I want to try to not fail at Jen's blogging challenge, since I only made it to 5/7 last go 'round, and it would be a good chance to make myself actually write a couple of posts that have existed only in my head, buuuuuut . . . let's be honest. I'll probably at least try. I guess I'll let you know officially tomorrow.

3. So, I wrote about Valentine's Day last week. It's noteworthy mainly because Clare thought it was the best morning ev-ah. Charles came home with flowers and the morning was full of cards and presents and family time. So, bien sur, I'm prepared to photo dump.

Texting this was as close as I got to sending out the real deal

Tea with Daddy

Opening presents with Daddy

Her very own "fla-wows"

4. #3 was a two-for-the-price-of-one, let's let honest.

5. February in Arizona means it's time to get your planting on, lest it get too hot and fry your tomatoes. We're only doing tomatoes and peppers this year, but Clare thought planting them (ie "gahw-den-ing", ie throwing potting soil everywhere) was the best activity since Valentine's Day morning.

6. This is my new favorite picture of the Bear. She got a bunch of new "dwesses" this weekend, and spent most of Sunday ob-sess-ed. I was trying to get a cute shot of her carrying them around, but ended up with this one instead.

Dresses, dirt and mischief. That's Clare for ya!

7. I can't believe how close I'm getting to the end of this pregnancy! 34 weeks!! Things are getting really, really real. I've most definitely reached the random lumps from random baby parts stage of bump-dom. My cousin blessed me tremendously by handing down her son's baby wardrobe, so now Mr. Man has the closet of a real fashionista -- never mind that he's sharing said closet (and dresser) with his sister. (I think there should be an implied ewwwwwwww, even though I suspect these two will be partners in crime.) Anyway, I never got around to updating last week with a pic, so you get two weeks worth of comparison shots today! Lucky you!

Have a lovely weekend!!

I Don't Whine Well

I'm not good at whining. I'm not writing this as some sort of blog-wars crown of nonsense. I've said before I love lots of blogs out there -- some whiny, some picture-perfect. I like honesty and realness, whatever that is to you. And for me, that's not whining. I have never been much of a complainer. Even when something is off, I'm more likely to mention it as fact than a "woe be unto me" kinda thing.

All of that is to remark on how much lame, embarrassing whining there was in yesterday's post. Believe it or not, I edited it heavily and tried to make it neatly tied up in a less-whiny bow, but . . . whiny nonetheless.

Apropos of nothing -- Clare and her puppies (and Daddy)

7 Quick Takes - Vol. 26

Linking up with Jen and the other Quick Takers.

1. Charles' graduation is officially one year from yesterday! 364 days. Not that anyone is counting or anything. We're going to this year's graduation later this morning -- Charles is really excited, and I'm being a good wife. Needless to say, next year will be a very different story.

Via

2. Yesterday, he rocked (I can say that because he felt good about it, which is rare for him as a test-taker, so I am confident saying as much) his professional exam. I'm a proud wife, too.

3. Meanwhile, yesterday was one of those mornings. I hadn't slept well because Charles was in Philly for his test. The baby woke up early, clearly with teething problems, since she was crying and pathetically holding her mouth. So sad. I thought I had a chance to get her back to sleep when the sprinklers for the back yard started -- and one of the drip ends blew, sending water allllllllllllll over the patio for a 4-or-whatever minute cycle. When that was done, we were up. I was glad for coffee. Leaving it at that.

Random baby pic to break up the talk-talk-talk

4. Grace has this cool link-up of people's favorites posts from their own blogs. I spent a lot of my waiting-for-hubby-to-get-home time last night reading through the entries. It's gives a real feeling of what a blog and person are about when you see the favorite posts. I linked this one, which I actually just hit publish on yesterday, but am proud of. I also thought about this one about Mother's Day and this one about motherhood. I don't know. I feel weird being publicly proud of my writing. Not all of it, certainly. But some of it.

5. I love the goal-setting energy of the 30 Under 30 lists that I've seen popping up around the ol' www. I would consider it, but that ship has sailed. 30 Under 40? 40 Under 40? Is 40 really the next milestone? Does 40 seem this old to all early 30s types? Cue existential crisis.

6. Do you ever get to Take 4 or 5 or 6 (or 2 or 3) and, running low on ideas scroll through your camera/phone to see if you have any unblogged photos to use as filler? Just me? Okay. That didn't just happen.

Any-way, a couple of weeks ago, we harvested our first tomatoes of the year. We aren't 100% happy with the quality, but we're happy to have them. We made some beginners mistakes that we won't repeat. All of that said, there is some real pride in food that you actually grew. Yourself. *happy sigh*

7. I don't know if you've been following Dweej's saga, but she needs prayers, so if you're willing, I know she'd appreciate it.


Have a most lovely weekend!

7 Quick Takes, Vol. 25

1. I didn’t post 7QT or 5 Faves in the last week. I needed a little link-up/blogging break. I didn’t have much to say, so I decided not to say it instead of spending time filling the screen with my blathering. But now, I’m ba-ack! Even if it is already Saturday. I only have nominally more to say, but I’ll say it, by golly!

2. Charles is D.O.N.E. done with his 3^rd year. No more rotations or clinic days or anything. He says he won’t “feel like it” until he finishes board exams in the next month or so, but since they aren’t required for promotion, I say he’s done. 4^th year, bring.it.on.

3. My chatterbox’s discernible vocabulary has expanded to include “Dada,” “Mama,” “Baybee,” “Puhpee,” and “’appy ‘appy ‘appy” (always in triple). At least to our ears. It might not be particularly exact, and she will.not.do.anything. on command. Ever. Because she’s that kind of kid (funner toddler or teenager?). But she is a verbose genius.

Deciding how do style her locks.

4. I seem to be using a lot of emphatic periods in this post. Reasons? None in particular. Grammar strike? Perhaps.

5. I’ve been horrified by all the tornado terror in the last few weeks. Inhumane if you aren’t, I guess. Natural disasters are, to me, much more frightening that most anything. I mean, no human is in control. *shudder* Scary stuff. I’ve been sending up lots of prayers for those affected.

6. In the last day or so, Clare suddenly discovered how much of the kitchen she can access by opening the doors. Did you know that you can open doors that don’t have hardware on them? I was sort of hoping she’d never figure it out. Anyway, this is her “helping make dinner last night.” Her contribution? Air, slobber, and some Cheerios/stuff on the floor. Mmmm . . . doesn’t it make you hungry?

7. Um, it’s June. That’s means July is in a month. That means it’s summer. That means . . . I have some plans to get in order. Where did the time go? I keep asking, but seriously? Where did it goooooooooo?

Speaking of going, go ye off to Jen’s to read more thoughts from more people, many of whom got their acts together to post on Friday like good bloggers.

7 Quick Takes, Vol. 15

Linking again today. What else is new lately? This time, I'm predictably linking up with Jen and the rest of the 7 Quick Takes regs (after 15 rounds, I've decided to count myself in that group). Content of my very own coming soon, I promise.

1. *10 day old Top Chef spoilers if anyone still cares or is unspoiled*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Sorry, sometimes it takes me awhile to get around to watching things, so do unto others and stuff. Anyway, this seems like an appropriate reasonable good enough place to vent about something as trivial as the Top Chef finale. Even though I preferred Brooke, Kristen was clearly a talented chef and worthy winner. Whatever. What annoyed me was the head to head "rounds" format of the finale. When the time was ticking away and they were still on the fourth course, it became increasingly clear that there wasn't time for a fifth course, so Kristen, with her 2 courses to 1 lead, was going to win. That's just not the way I want my TV ruined. HARUIMPH! Moving on . . .

2. Oh, Anonymous, I subsequent you, too. I know you're not a robot or anything. We'll live and love together forever scamming selling iPhone cases. It will be beautiful. I know it.

3. Speaking of comments, I feel like it's been said a million times, by other people whose blogs are read by looooots more people than my little blog, but please, please, please (with sprinkles and a cherry) make sure your email address is connected to your comment so that I can respond to you instead of my not-bff "noreply-comment." K? Thanks. (And thanks to Grace for the stolen tutorial. And thanks to the persons from whom she stole it.)

Mmmm....sprinkles...

And if you prefer not being replied to, know that I really, truly appreciate your comments all the same.


4. I expected a lot of things from Clare learning how to crawl. Clumsiness was not one of them. It seems like she is constantly hitting her head on something. I guess I always thought it was more of a fall down and hit your head thing than a lift your head up and hit your head thing.

That blurry little head is just looking to get bonked...

5. I've been referring to Clare as a diva-in-training since she held her hand in front of her face throughout her entire ultrasound (to the point they struggled getting some of her head/face measurements),

Please, no pictures! I'm not wearing any lipstick!

but this pretty much seals the deal.

Tongue? Nail file? Not 16? Oh my.

6. In an effort to not waste three ugly overripe bananas, I made banana bread the other day. Given the whole Lent thing, I went with this recipe, instead of the numerous, yummy chocolate-including things I found alllllllllllllll over the internet. I'm not a huge banana bread person (thus the chocolate temptation), but this came out well with just the right amount of banana.

7. Yesterday morning, I made sure to snap a sweet picture of Clare with her Piglet lovey that we I've re-named Piglotta to capture this sweet phase of her life. And to remind myself that she does sleep sometimes when I need that bolster.

All Instagrammed and stuff, 'cause I'm that mom.

Hap-hap-happy to the Friday!