mommablogsalot

Snagged this meme from Tina @ Antique Mommy who was tagged by Dawn @ My Home Sweet Home. It’s not very often I see a meme I haven’t done and this one just broke into my circulation of “blogs I read” (at least, I haven’t noticed it before) so I thought I’d hop on now while it’s hot! Okay fine, so I’m addicted to memes – but it’s Saturday and I’m feeling meme-tastic, so why not? It’ll be fun, I swear.

1. How long have you been blogging?

Okay fine I know you all already know this, 6 months, started in March of 2008 – but I’ve been keeping an LJ since like 1997. I swear the other questions are better!

Any advice to beginners?

Get involved in the blogging community and comment – the best way to get readers is to be a reader, and to leave comments. Memes are a great way to jump into the blogging pool, but it’s easy to get sucked into all of them, so unless you love them to pieces and don’t care about being “that girl who’s always memeing” then use discretion, unlike me, and pick and choose your favorites. Another thing I’ve recently started doing is keeping a little list of blog topics for the week – this includes all the memes I want to do, so I can see what my week looks like, what days I might have less to blog about – and it lets me write down ideas before they disappear.

2. What are the good things blogging has brought to your life?

Community, laughter, support, friendship, and a great place to practice my writing and keep in the habit of writing often.

3. What would you consider the pitfalls?

The time-suck it can cause – I started joining all these communities and spending so much time reading, blogging and surfing that I was (okay am) doing little else. I’m just starting to crawl out of this. You have to be careful not to take on too much – for instance, twitter, useful and addictive though it is, is really too much for me. I’m on hiatus from that one for now.

4. Tell us about your blog name. Ever think of changing it? If so, to what? Why?

I think my name is pretty self explanatory – I’m a mother and I blog – A LOT – just check my archives if you don’t believe me. I’m a machine. I think about changing my name all the time but if I do, it’ll need to be amazing – I don’t want to be changing it every other month – that’s what subtitles are for. And layouts. I am always thinking though of possible ideas for the perfect name – catchy, fresh, memorable and wholly me – with theme possibilities and tie ins and awesomeness. If I find that name, you’ll all be sure to find out quick!

5. Knowing what you know now, was starting a blog a good thing for you? Why or why not?

Without a doubt – I mean it did kind of suck me in for awhile, in a bad way, but once you learn to manage yourself a bit and roll with the punches, blogging is a blast and it keeps me alive, and energized. It’s my happy thing that’s all mine apart from reading books and like playing PackRat on Face Book, etc. It’s like my self-made job that I can wholly love because it doesn’t pay me (yet? ::knock on wood::) and I’m doing it for myself. My husband likes that I blog too, in a way, because I think I’m happier doing it than I was before I picked it up.

6. How do you think blogging, bloggers, or the blogosphere has changed since you started?

I doubt it’s changed too much in just 6 short months, but I mean, 6 months ago none of you had heard of me – and now I’m like a household name, am I right? lol I have no idea. You tell me – has anything major happened in 6 months that wasn’t here before?

8. Ultimately, what would you like your blog to accomplish for you or others?

I want to chronicle my life, and create a place that is uniquely me. I want to share my thoughts and ideas and I’d love my blog to be one of those “must reads.” Maybe I’ll start my own fresh meme idea or a fun column on something different? I don’t know, we’ll see…

Who are you? Really?

1. Name something or a few things that bug you and expound. We want your unfettered opinion(s). Shouldn’t be blog related.

I loathe ignorance, discrimination, and pigheadedness. I dislike people who talk on the phone while riding bicycles; people unable to accept change and new information whether it relates to politics, war, religion or parenting. I don’t like it when people beat others down for having different opinions – especially the whole Working Mom / SAHM war, the Nursing / Bottle war, etc. I think people should support each other and accept that everyone is different and not everything will work for everyone.

2. Tell us about one of your best childhood memories.

I loved traveling with my grandmother when I was a kid (heck I’d still like it today if we traveled together now – but these days it’s me traveling with my kid…). She used to take me all over New England and the surrounding states, visiting historical places and doing different things. She loves to show her grandchildren new things, expand their horizons and spend one on one time with them. She is like the world’s greatest grandmother in so many ways – exactly the way I hope to be someday with my own grandchildren… you know lightyears from now.

3. Describe your perfect day.

Wake up not early but not late to a nice breakfast with my husband and son. Peruse a newspaper and talk about the day. Decide to go for a ride to somewhere a bit further away from our normal stomping grounds – stopping to visit a new bookstore or gift shop of some kind. Discover something new. Have dinner in a new restauraunt – love it. Come home and snuggle up with a movie or a good book. Fall asleep when we’re ready.

4. Do you have a hobby that you love?

I love reading – I read all the time and always wish I could be reading more. I also love to bake and cook a bit, but for some reason I really don’t like cooking in my kitchen at this apartment – it’s something I’ve been trying to overcome for almost a year now with varied results. I manage to make dinner but almost never bake here – because you don’t need to bake so I don’t. But I miss it.

5. Tell us the best and the worst thing about being you.

Worst things first? I worry a lot – like a LOT and I’m very big on procrastination and also planning – so I’m always thinking about the future and dragging my heels in the present. And worrying. Also I eat too much and constantly get concerned that nobody really likes me and they all just tolerate me, hoping I’ll leave soon…

Hmm… the good? I have a really cute son and successful husband. We get lucky a lot – things tend to work themselves out for us in the nick of time. It probably helps that I’m always planning so when now does get here I’ve usually been ready for ages even if I wasn’t doing anything. I think I’m pretty smart and I have a few amazing friends that make me feel blessed and lucky every day.

6. What’s the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you? We want all the details.

I’m not really that person – things don’t outright embarrass me really. Some things are uncomfortable and awkward but then they’re over. I wish I had some great embarrassing story but nothing comes to mind. Stories that should embarrass me? Maybe, but they didn’t…

7. What blog related thing bugs you?

spam comments, wondering why nobody read that scintillating post you wrote back when… I hear trolls suck, haven’t had one of those yet ::again knock on wood::

Personal stuff:

How old are you? 25
Married? Yes
Children? 1 son
If so, homeschool, private, or public? toddler, not yet in preschool
Favorite season? I like all of them – I like changing seasons, transitioning from one to the other
Favorite past time? travel, reading, mothering, blogging & photography (and sometimes cooking)

Favorite color? blue… or green… or red… or pink…. or yellow…

Favorite movie? Gone With the Wind
Favorite song? ‘A Day in the Life’ by The Beatles

Mac or PC? Mac all the way
Dog or Cat? I’m more of a cat person, but allergic, so we’ll probably have dogs instead
Salt or Pepper? salt – it brings out good flavors when used with discretion. pepper just irritates me.

Vanilla or Chocolate? chocolate obviously

Diet Coke, Sweet Tea or Evian? Sweet Tea of those three

Steak, Chicken or Shrimp? chicken for sure

* * * * *

I don’t like tagging people – I think memes should be free for all – haha – so if you are reading this and thinking, “omg this one looks good,” then you’d better get writing. Here are your marching orders:

1. Write about 5 specific ways blogging has affected you, either positively or negatively.
2. link back to the person who tagged you
3. link back to this parent post
4. tag a few friends or five, or none at all
5. post these rules— or just have fun breaking them

For the complete list of questions, or to see an example of how to do this meme properly, go visit Dawn – according to Tina, Dawn’s is all the rage with awesome. And if you do the meme, come back here and leave a comment with a link so I can read all about you.