Here we are at the end of another year. It went fast, didn’t it? It was a big year for my family. I have written about a lot of it here on this blog. Oh, this blog. What to do with this blog?
I am not sure where I want this blog to go in the new year. I have to think on it. I think that blogs need some kind of direction. My blog has been more of a journal of my everyday life. Every now and then I go back and read it. It is entertaining for me. I feel like I may have good things to say, but who am I? Why would anyone care to listen to me rant and rave?
Which reminds me. I finished Greg Gutfield’s new book The Joy of Hate. While it was good, it was basically an entire book of his opinions. That is fine. He has a couple of TV shows and for some reason this gives him more power to get his opinion heard. I am not saying that I didn’t agree with him most of the time, but he was preaching to the choir. The people that are going to read his book are the people that agree with him, and so what? His book changes nothing. I read the entire book thinking to myself “what is his point?”. It was an entire book of opinion columns about different topics. It reminded me a lot of my blog only I am a lot less popular and not nearly as witty.
What is my point? Or is the whole point of my blog not to have a point. Just write about whatever strikes my fancy for the day? I could do that, but I think that I want some direction. I have written in the past about our homeschooling journey, my new gluten free diet, my faith, and my family. I think the time has come for me to move past the homeschooling aspect of my blog. Homeschooling blogs are fun when the kids are young. You can post cute pictures of them doing fun, creative things. My kids are past that. I could take a picture of them writing their English essay, but who wants to read that? There is nothing romantic about homeschooling in the high school years. It is dirty, hard work and most days I want to quit. Not the stuff for a blog.
I have also thought about continuing my Chemistry series on this blog, but I have a couple of problems with it. First, it is a lot of work. (I salute you, Donna Young!) Secondly, I am a homeschool mom that has used the book twice. People that come to this blog are looking for a quick fix. There isn’t one. They will read my stuff and move on. I am not a big name in the homeschool world. (not even a little one!)The fact is that people want to hear their information from someone with more credibility. Before you think I am having a pity party, I am not. It is the truth. My feelings remain uninjured, but I think my time can be spent more wisely in other pursuits.
So now that I have decided that homeschooling is most likely out, I look at my new gluten free life. This is something that I think that I could do. My husband tells me that I am becoming “crunchy”. Hah! Not really, but there are a lot of things in my diet that I am changing. I could write about this personally. There are many, many wonderful gluten free blogs out there. I don’t think I could compare myself to them, but I could continue writing about my journey. For myself.
I enjoy the Nailed it or Failed it Challenge. It is fun. It gives me something to write about that is outside of myself. Plus it is a good way to poke fun at some of the stuff that is on Pinterest or try something new that I wouldn’t have tried otherwise. That makes blogging fun.
I do love having this narration of my life. I look back at some of my old posts and I am so thankful that I wrote about the time I spent 3 hours in a tow truck with a real cowboy because I would have forgotten the details. I am glad that I have a running time line of Freckle Face’s toe-walking journey. Many of the posts that I have were really for me, and it is good that they are written down. Life moves quickly, and it is so easy to forget the details that give it all its color.
For me, my blog is about my life. It is my family journal. It is our online scrapbook. And that is especially evident when I create my Blurb book each year. It tells about the things we do, our life experiences, my crafting, my traveling, whatever I feel like sharing about.
Don’t even think about quitting, that’s all I can say. I would like to read more about your GF journey, I find it very interesting.
A lot of the stories I tell are just for me, too. To remember the silly things the kids did, or the crazy things that come out of their mouths. I would never remember all the details without blogging. Plus also, I enjoy the community of bloggers – other weirdos who go thru the same struggles. I like reading about the day to day of people’s lives, it makes me feel connected to other humans who don’t require me to cut their dinner up.
If you want to read a good book that is better than “A Joy of Hate” read ” The Marketing of Evil”. This book covers all the bases and even though we may know about what is going on it is an eyeopener to see what leads to what is going on.
Blogging is not about the others who read you so much as it is about journaling your experiences for you and your family!!!! I used to think much the same thing but now I write for me, many times it is just for the perspective of getting my thoughts in order and taking a step back from my life…..Don’t give up, this is more important than you may realize just yet…..I read your blog because I care about you and your struggles and need to connect with other mom’s just like me……
Thanks for the shout-out. =) My website is a tremendous amount of work. I don’t how I do it. … I love it.
The way I see it, a personal blog should be a journal of one’s interests mixed in with the remarkable moments of one’s life. I think you are doing it right!