do you ever find a blog that makes you jealous/ forlorn/ envious?

[butterflymommy]

I am not a jealous person so "forlorn" is probably a better term for me. Every so often I come across a blog where the mom has such a seemingly perfect life, clean house, and well educated children that I feel like crud on the bottom of someone's shoe.

 

I recently stumbled across a blog kept by a woman living in SIngapore. Not only does she have time to take and upload countless pictures of her life, but she makes them into cute montages with flowers, borders, and so on. My girls would LOVE for me to do something like that but I wouldn't even know where to begin and I'm not organized to do it anyway.

 

Her apartment is spotless and the streets, shops, and schools in SIngapore all look immaculately clean. Everything looks so orderly and neat. The other students in the school always look well behaved and quiet. Her child has tons of enrichment programs including weekly science programs (I wonder if they use any of the books HSers here use?) and lots of art, foreign language & dance classes (that the mom neatly tabulates in her blog).

 

Meanwhile I live in a city that is known for being filthy, my kids have never been enrolled in art, dance, or science labs, and the kids in their school could use some heavy duty sedatives. :glare:

[Isabella]

I saw this on facebook, and I think this is why we often feel so inadequate.

 

 

Also, if she lives in Singapore, it's highly likely that she has a housekeeper/cleaner - even a cook. So I'm sure if you had those things too, you'd be able to do all those wonderful things!

[Jean in Newcastle]

I would assume an apartment in Singapore might not have the square footage we are used to in the U.S. She may very well have household help. All my friends in China and Hong Kong have help and while I realize it isn't the same country, it may be similar there. The kids probably are well behaved and quiet because of how the school system is run. I can't tell you the culture shock I felt when I had my first student in the US tell me "no" when I asked them to do something after having taught in Japan! Many of the kids I taught in Japan who has a similar glut of enrichment programs had almost no free time and were very tired. Singapore has one of the highest child suicide rates in the world, though that has dropped some in recent years. And of course, everyone cleans up for blog pictures.

[dangermom]

Well,her life isn't that perfect;; shemight even have awful problems you don't want.Blogs arenot reflections of real life.

 

That said, I have an acquaintance/friend whose blog I stopped reading for my mental health. She's a nice person and has been through a lot, and I don't envy her. It was just this one thing--she likes to plan trips and vacations, which is nice,but she has a tendency to say "I really needed a break,so we took this trip!" About once a month. Look, by all means enjoy your vacations--just don't tell me you NEED them. I haven't been on a vacation with my husband in years! He hasn't had time off in like 7 years.

 

I am much happier if I don't see her posts, and she is much easier to like. So--don't look at blogs that make you feel bad, and don't think they're real anyway. Theyr'e more likemagazines.

 

Sorry about my typing. On a tablet and the space bar doesn't work right.

[butterflymommy]

I would assume an apartment in Singapore might not have the square footage we are used to in the U.S. She may very well have household help. All my friends in China and Hong Kong have help and while I realize it isn't the same country, it may be similar there. The kids probably are well behaved and quiet because of how the school system is run. I can't tell you the culture shock I felt when I had my first student in the US tell me "no" when I asked them to do something after having taught in Japan! Many of the kids I taught in Japan who has a similar glut of enrichment programs had almost no free time and were very tired. Singapore has one of the highest child suicide rates in the world, though that has dropped some in recent years. And of course, everyone cleans up for blog pictures.

 

All good points!

 

And yes she has a full time maid, and takes pictures of her too. :tongue_smilie:

[Janie Grace]

I read this today and thought it was a good perspective.

http://www.relevantm...ur-perfect-life

 

ETA: And YES, by the way. Ann Voskamp's blog makes me feel that way. Everything she does is so. darn. meaningful. :p

[Hen]

not really, though there are two blogs of moms who both live in the East in old farmhouses, lots of kids, homeschool and yes, I found myself pining a bit after that sort of life...but I got over it, and I know their lives aren't perfect, and the East is Cold!!!

 

I take it all with a grain of salt, we only see the nice things posted, it's not their whole lives. I try to take what I like from the blog, like one mom does a lot of nature crafts with her kids and I try to maybe do a bit more of that, but no, I'm not jealous.

 

I have a friend in Singapore, and I visited her there, and yes, it is very common and not so expensive to have live-in help there. And yes, the city is very clean, but that is also the culture there.

[PachiSusan]

Yes. It's one of the reasons I struggle with my blog. I'm told that I am "too honest" at times and then I get comments saying that I'm too "Christian" to be real. You just can't win.

 

It's also one reason I stopped doing the artsy pictures and started just using my iPhone camera. Real. Gritty. Crappy quality pictures that catch the day as it happens.

 

Don't compare yourself to anyone and these blogs won't hurt you as badly. Take the value out of them that you can, and leave the rest behind.

 

You are the only you in this world - and that alone makes you infinitely valuable.

[NorthwestMom]

HelenJane has 2 blog posts that helped me reframe this problem:

 

1. Solutions for a Painful Internet: http://helenjane.com/2012/05/07/mom-2-0-presentation/

 

2. (This is the best, I think) Healing From Painful Comparison: http://helenjane.com/2011/04/13/healing-from-painful-comparison/

 

I really do use the Who? Why? Now what? method to help myself grow to what I want to be.

[KrissiK]

Sometimes. But then I have to realize that I don't blog about the garbage in my life.nobody wants to read about that. Plus, it wouldn't be very nice to my kids if I told the world how rude and disrespectful they are. I try not to misrepresent my life on my blog, but I don't post the bad stuff. Also, some people do misrepresent their lives on their blogs (like they do in real life), so I just take what they say with a grain of salt and don't go back there again.

[stripe]

I was just looking at a blog of a man who seemed to live in Malaysia, and he had a blog post about how his VERY young kids (under 8) have gotten caned in school (like three times in a month or so) for making mistakes. He was not particularly happy about it, but neither was he so outraged as to, for example, storm the school and demand it stop. He seemed to think the caning was mostly symbolic and an attempt to motivate via fear (which were making one child lose sleep and cry extensively). I found it rather depressing. The rest of his blog was nice enough.

[texasmama]

Most blogs make me feel this way. lol So I avoid them. :D

[TravelingChris]

IF it brings a bad side of you out, don't do it anymore. Jealousy or embitterment aren't good qualities.

 

oh and PachiSusan, I don't know whether I have visited your blog, but I love looking at beautiful photos. If anyone is criticizing you for taking nice ones, they are the ones with the problem, not you.

[unsinkable]

if it's a mommyblog...no. I find they make me uneasy. The most popular ones verge on exploitation.

[Dandelion]

I've felt that way too sometimes. But then I realized that people generally put their best face forward on blogs. We see what they want us to see. Most people don't share their biggest problems, struggles, or unhappiness on their blogs. They might share minor issues here and there just to *keep it real*. But a blog doesn't generally give you the whole picture.

 

And yes, some people do intentionally misrepresent their lives on their blogs. Maybe their reality is so painful that the blog becomes their escape to a perfect life they've created in their minds.

[Ecclecticmum]

Yeah, but I do know most of them (having somewhere mentioned, possibly in small print on their sites) admitted to just shoving stuff out of the picture with their foot :laugh: after having too many people admire their houses.

 

I do like the ones with nicer photos, but again, I find out these are taken with 400-4000 nikons. I'd rather spend that money on field trips and fun.

 

As for the "perfect homeschoolers" I admired, these people have usually gone through either one of two scenarios. They are hiding their behind the scenes life (I thought one family was uber perfect until I found her son does end up clocking his sister on the head with the remote and that no matter how waldorf lifestyle supposedly is, if they are fighting with remotes they are watching tv *gasp* rofl) or they have been through umpteen years of homeschooling and are finally blogging near the end of it, when they worked everything out, so you don't see the process it took to get there.

 

I have lots of pics of my children doing many messy activities in my albums...but you don't see the mess left afterwards. I also have lots of cloth diaper pics with cute home photoshoots in various woolly leggings/soakers, pretty outfits....but you don't see what the kids are wearing on an everyday basis. Most of their everyday wear has unremovable stains from various lots of those messy crafts, they wear two odd socks, they choose their own clothing which means sometimes I'll have my 4yo wearing one of my dresses for the day. And they can't seem to keep their clothes on and streak through the house. I have pics of my dogs with their beautiful shiny coats and whilst they do (somwhere) have that beautiful fur and sparkling eyes, most of the time they are covered from head to toe in dirt because they like to dig holes in the bare garden and sleep there during the day. You see cute pics of our cats being all sweet, washing each other, hugging, but you don't see them at 2am when they decide to make fire alarm sounds and chase each other through the house, knocking stuff down as they go. Nor will you ever see a picture of my bathroom....we use the bathtub as a clothes hamper and the bathroom/laundry/toilet all-in-one is just big enough to fit one person, so no room for clothes hampers.

 

As others said above, you are just seeing the higlights of those peoples lives, what they decide is worthy to blog about. Put a cam on them for a couple of days and you would see a different story.

 

As for me, I'm known to count pyjamawear as everyday wear. Its comfy. :lol:

[MFG]

I just saw this on Pintrest and it seems relevant.

http://pinterest.com/pin/424253227367359357/

[Heather in Neverland]

Yes, Singapore actually IS that neat and perfect. However, it is also one of the most stifling places I have ever been. Zero individuality. And the pressure to succeed and be the best at everything is intense.

 

I don't really read any mommy blogs (I mostly read theology blogs) but I don't go on Pintrest or watch HGTV or the Food Network for the same reasons.

[Heather in Neverland]

 

ETA: And YES, by the way. Ann Voskamp's blog makes me feel that way. Everything she does is so. darn. meaningful. :p

 

 

This made me actually laugh out loud. I thought it was just me. My life is superficial and meaningless in comparison.

[elegantlion]

No, blogs are a slice of life, some about as real as reality TV. There are some blogs I enjoy, but they do it full time, they are very open with their life (not a homeschooler) and no way would I want to blog that much.

 

I have some blogs I enjoy with beautiful photos, but most of those women are actual photographers. They have way more invested in their equipment than my $100 camera.

 

I've also recently realized some blog articles are not written by the blogger, although they seem to be. I write online content and a recent assignment (which I didn't choose to do) was writing for a mommy blog. They would use their name as we sell the rights with the article. I've seen other bloggers do that, but it was the first one I've seen from a mommy blogger. I felt oddly negative about that for some reason.

 

So caveat emptor, you never know what is real or not on the Internet.For instance, I am not an actual lion.

[lorisuewho]

I want to start a blog of homeschooling photos. One photo will be a nice close-in shot of the beautifully laminated workbook cover I just created and bound. I might photograph it with a vase of flowers behind it. Then the next shot would be of the full dining room table where we homeschool with all the books jumbled all over the place, and in the background you would be able to see the paper scraps, crayons, and rubbercement glue spill stain on the carpet.

 

I would do this each week. Take a real but fake shot, followed by the real-life-everyone-get-a-grip shot.

 

I have trouble believing that all those fantastic photos of creative and lovely things spread to all aspects of a person's house and life and soul.

[I.Dup.]

Yes. Resolved2worship on xanga. God bless her, but she makes everything look SO perfect (including glamorous pictures of herself in every, single post). Ugh.

[freesia]

I think it is so easy to compare ourselves and find ourselves lacking. I think some of it is the longing for a dream we have to be real.

 

For instance, before I married and had children I dreamed of being the calm, together, mother of a large family (6 at least). We stopped at 4 because that was our (my!) absolute emotional limit. While I CAN be calm and together sometimes, I am nowhere near my "dream". Every mother I know often feels overwhelmed. Yesterday, a new mom came to skating. She had about 7 children and looked so calm and together. For a minute it ran through my head--oh, look at her, she has all those kids and is so calm, why couldn't I do that? Then I laughed at myself bc I don't know ANYONE who has it all together. But, I want so much for *together* to be possible, kwim?

[DianeW88]

No, blogs don't depress me. I find them fun and inspirational, There is usually something I discover from somebody else that I want to try in my own life. Seeing how people work out projects, crafts, meals, decorating, etc. in their world is always a catalyst for me to do something similar, or even one step better, in my own.

 

My next project...pulling the carpet off my steps and painting the bare floor...is something I got from several different blogs, Houzz, and Pinterest. I'm so excited to do it in my own home!

 

I'm grateful to all those people who show me their awesome lives on their blogs. They give me a blueprint to make my life awesome, too!

[PrincessMommy]

I read this today and thought it was a good perspective.

http://www.relevantm...ur-perfect-life

 

ETA: And YES, by the way. Ann Voskamp's blog makes me feel that way. Everything she does is so. darn. meaningful. :p

 

Funny! Ann Voskamp's blog was the first thing that popped in my head! I never go there and I certainly never read her book.

 

Yes, I sometimes feel a bit forelorn or envious... but usually those kind of blogs make me feel like a failure.

 

I have a blog, but I seriously doubt I make anyone feel any of those things - at least I hope not!

 

 

ETA: I usually steer clear of those types of blogs (Ann Voskamps, A Hen's Life) for that reason. I enjoy reading blogs, but I know the kind that inspire me rather than deflate me.

[LibraryLover]

I cannot read Soule Mama. The few times I tried, I felt like the mother equivalent of Mengele. (Jealous, forlorn, or envious are not the words that come to mind, fwiw.)
 

[Dandelion]

I cannot read Soule Mama. The few times I tried, I felt like the mother equivalent of Mengele.

 

I'd never heard of Soulemama so I just checked out her blog. On her About SouleMama/FAQ page, I found the following, which speaks exactly to the topic of this post (and I thought she put it beautifully - especially the second paragraph):

 

----------------------------------------

How do you do it all?

I don't. There are many things that I don't do, in order to do the things that I love. I work a lot at night when my children are asleep, and now, with Steve home with all of us during the day, I have dedicated work time. My studio space is fairly organized, so that when I do have time to craft/write, I can get right to it, rather than hunt around for things I need. And because my actual crafting time is so small, I've generally thought about what I'm going to do throughout my day, and when the time comes, I can bust it out. Kind of the less time = more productivity theory. But beyond that - I think it's really about the seemingly small, but time-consuming choices we make. Having a super clean house isn't important to me. Making things is. I'd rather spend an hour in front of my sewing machine than the television. And so forth.

 

Most importantly, please do remember that what you see on a blog is not 'all' of a person's life. For me, my blog is a place of daily peace, a reminder of family joys, and a celebration of creativity. Know that there are as many messes in my house as yours, 'raised voices' from time to time, and frustration and sadness and struggle, too. But for me - this blog space has always been about trying to find and focus on the joys - the everyday beauty and moments of bliss that we have together as a family. It's my hope that it can serve as a reminder and an encouragement to me - and perhaps to you, too - to savor such moments.

[Heather in Neverland]

Yes. Resolved2worship on xanga. God bless her, but she makes everything look SO perfect (including glamorous pictures of herself in every, single post). Ugh.

 

Um, wow. Is she for real? It doesn't look like real life at all. It looks like a catalog for a children's clothing boutique. It doesn't make jealous. In fact, it creeps me out a bit although I can't really explain why.

[butterflymommy]

Sometimes. But then I have to realize that I don't blog about the garbage in my life.nobody wants to read about that. Plus, it wouldn't be very nice to my kids if I told the world how rude and disrespectful they are. I try not to misrepresent my life on my blog, but I don't post the bad stuff. Also, some people do misrepresent their lives on their blogs (like they do in real life), so I just take what they say with a grain of salt and don't go back there again.

 

Maybe that is my problem... I tend to post/ blog mostly about the garbage! Though I try not to get to the point where I would embarrass or anger my kids (too much).

 

Sometimes I come across a blog where the mom's life seems perfect but she's also good at acknowledging imperfection in herself and her world. Those are the really tough ones to take because you can't dismiss them as being fake.

 

Like I said, I'm not a jealous person, but I certainly can feel forlorn and frumpy.

[LibraryLover]

I'd never heard of Soulemama so I just checked out her blog. On her About SouleMama/FAQ page, I found the following, which speaks exactly to the topic of this post (and I thought she put it beautifully - especially the second paragraph):

 

 

 

I'm sure someone can come up with a few good arguments for Pinterest as well. I don't go there either. :) People I love enjoy both of these sites, and that's OK. :)

[justamouse]

If you are in any way feeling less than, blogs will exacerbate that.

 

I liked the way one favorite blogger put it--why glorify the ugly? I have enough crumbs/dog yark/laundry in my own life. I don't want to commiserate, I want to look up. And, even if we are blogging about laundry/dog yark/ crumbs, I don't want to see pictures of it. If I wanted to see it, I'd look at my house.

 

(I dont' like Voskamp's blog because I cannot stand her writing voice.) But I think she IS that introspective and she thinks that much and that is who she is--it's not a persona she puts on for the blog. I'm betting she's an INFJ. :D

[Dandelion]

I'm sure someone can come up with a few good arguments for Pintrest as well. I don't go there either. :) People I love enjoy both of these sites, and that's OK. I just don't. :)

 

 

Oh, I'm not disagreeing with you. I just thought it interesting that she addressed the very issue that we're discussing here, so I thought I'd share what she posted in her FAQs. I've only skimmed her blog so I really don't have an opinion of her one way or the other. And, I don't do Pinterest either. ;)

[butterflymommy]

Yes. Resolved2worship on xanga. God bless her, but she makes everything look SO perfect (including glamorous pictures of herself in every, single post). Ugh.

 

 

I just looked it up. Wow. That one is so over the top I don't even know what to think.

[JenniferB]

Why do I have a morbid curiosity to tempt myself and read one of those blogs now to see what happens?

 

I don't read blogs much anymore. This raw blog, No Longer Quivering, snapped me out of several harmful mindsets, one being that there's a formula "out there" for a perfect home life, parenting style, homeschooling method, etc. That blog helped me to start thinking for myself.

 

I don't usually feel the urge to read about someone's perfect life anymore, or to find a formula to have my own perfect life. We just *are* now. I like to focus on peace and operating from a place of rest of soul. Reading those blogs might rile me up, maybe not though. *Shrug.*.

[Dandelion]

Um, wow. Is she for real? It doesn't look like real life at all. It looks like a catalog for a children's clothing boutique.

 

 

I just did some googling, and apparently her kids are models for the Hannahkate clothing company. You can see some photos of them on their home page. She talks about their modeling in a few of her blog posts.

 

I had never heard of her either and her blog does seem a bit over the top. The photos are gorgeous though.

[Jean in Newcastle]

These sorts of blogs are like magazines, complete with articles and staged photos. I don't expect magazines to portray "real life" but I do get inspiration from them. I treat these sorts of blogs the same. I don't have the stamina, desire or money to put on parties that take hours and hours of preparation. But they are pretty - just like a magazine photo shoot of the perfect garden party or living room decor.

[LibraryLover]

Oh, I'm not disagreeing with you. I just thought it interesting that she addressed the very issue that we're discussing here, so I thought I'd share what she posted in her FAQs. I've only skimmed her blog so I really don't have an opinion of her one way or the other. And, I don't do Pinterest either. ;)

 

 

 

She's created a dreamland, down to the muted colors in every photo. Good for her. She is working hard at making a living, I am sure she is a lovely mother. She has written some nice books. I've always had little Ball jars on tables, filled with dandelions and wild flowers, given to me by little hands with dirty fingernails. I just don't have the talent to make it look that magical. lol My world is a bit louder, a bit more technicolor. I can't fuzz everything over into perfection, no matter how lovely the moments in my life. I do/did enjoy SWB's blog, pix. I enjoyed that old vid showing the messy art supplies in her dd's room, the dog who looks like he sheds like a demon, & the China-made & polyester- stuffed bacteria etc. :)

[LibraryLover]

I just did some googling, and apparently her kids are models for the Hannahkate clothing company. You can see some photos of them on their home page. She talks about their modeling in this blog post: http://resolved2wors...f-regular-life/

 

I had never heard of her either and her blog does seem a bit over the top. The photos are gorgeous though.

 

 

 

That did nothing for me. lol

[LibraryLover]

If you are in any way feeling less than, blogs will exacerbate that.

 

I liked the way one favorite blogger put it--why glorify the ugly? I have enough crumbs/dog yark/laundry in my own life. I don't want to commiserate, I want to look up. And, even if we are blogging about laundry/dog yark/ crumbs, I don't want to see pictures of it. If I wanted to see it, I'd look at my house.

 

 

 

See, I like the crumbs. I don't think it's ugly, I think it's real. I do love how blogging has allowed women to share what they love, and their talents. There is something for everyone.

[fairfarmhand]

No, blogs are a slice of life, some about as real as reality TV. There are some blogs I enjoy, but they do it full time, they are very open with their life (not a homeschooler) and no way would I want to blog that much.

 

I have some blogs I enjoy with beautiful photos, but most of those women are actual photographers. They have way more invested in their equipment than my $100 camera.

 

I've also recently realized some blog articles are not written by the blogger, although they seem to be. I write online content and a recent assignment (which I didn't choose to do) was writing for a mommy blog. They would use their name as we sell the rights with the article. I've seen other bloggers do that, but it was the first one I've seen from a mommy blogger. I felt oddly negative about that for some reason.

 

So caveat emptor, you never know what is real or not on the Internet.For instance, I am not an actual lion.

I work at the same place as elegantlion and whew! Does it make you feel jaded about web content. Is that MD giving medical advice REALLY an MD? Or is she just an underpaid content writer who researches and writes credibly? There's no way of knowing!!!

 

One day I'm going to create a blog "Real World Homeschoolers--Homeschooling for the rest of us" I'll upload pics of the science projects that NEVER worked the way the book said, the pics of my son with yesterday's breakfast on his shirt and boogers in his nose. Maybe I'll even post videos of my teen mid-tantrum. That will probably make you feel much better!

[PachiSusan]

I work at the same place as elegantlion and whew! Does it make you feel jaded about web content. Is that MD giving medical advice REALLY an MD? Or is she just an underpaid content writer who researches and writes credibly? There's no way of knowing!!!

 

One day I'm going to create a blog "Real World Homeschoolers--Homeschooling for the rest of us" I'll upload pics of the science projects that NEVER worked the way the book said, the pics of my son with yesterday's breakfast on his shirt and boogers in his nose. Maybe I'll even post videos of my teen mid-tantrum. That will probably make you feel much better!

 

I posted a few of those. This year our science experiments just sucked!! I know we followed the directions they gave us, but "No boom!!"

[Lang Syne Boardie]

I just had a look at that resolved2worship blog, and read the Easter party thread.

 

If I am speechless it's only because what I would like to say is quite pointed and harsh, and would probably devastate that woman if she ever dropped by here and found us all talking about her. So I will refrain from comment except to just say I hope she'll rethink the whole experiment.

[TravelingChris]

I didn't like the photos on resolved2worship. I don't like muted colors and like one of the other posters said, it just seems strange. Another one of the blogs mentioned here had a whole lot of pictures in horrible snow from a few weeks ago. Umm. no, I can't get envious of bad weather (which snow is to me). And, all the blogs of people with little kids either make me wistfully remember when I had littles, or make me think about potential future grandkids, or the most frequent response for me, a 50yo long time homeschooling mom who is finishing teaching her youngest, is to move on.

 

I don't have any problems with pinterest. I have been using it to find examples of ornamental plants I may want to use in the future. I also will probably use it to for getting some recipes and maybe some decorating ideas for when we want to redecorate parts of our home. It really works the same as using magazines and clipping articles, except in digital land. I don't get depressed looking at BHG or Southern Living so why would I get depressed looking at nice plants on pinterest?

[elegantlion]

I work at the same place as elegantlion and whew! Does it make you feel jaded about web content. Is that MD giving medical advice REALLY an MD? Or is she just an underpaid content writer who researches and writes credibly? There's no way of knowing!!!

 

One day I'm going to create a blog "Real World Homeschoolers--Homeschooling for the rest of us" I'll upload pics of the science projects that NEVER worked the way the book said, the pics of my son with yesterday's breakfast on his shirt and boogers in his nose. Maybe I'll even post videos of my teen mid-tantrum. That will probably make you feel much better!

 

 

Or the child who knows "no" and eats all day and moans that he can't read while he's eating. Or the shelves filled with curriculum you never finished, but are too ashamed to try and sell. Or the blog post, "Do you know how long it's been since your child changed clothes?" or "How we spent last Friday watching Doctor Who instead of schooling." Last one, true story - at least one episode was highly educational and classical . It had me dying laughing as I brought out the Cambridge Latin book (one we didn't quite finish). (ducks back into the cover of anonymity)

[G5052]

It is all in how you view it.

 

I've enjoyed Pioneer Woman's blog ever since she announced here that she was starting it, but she's not living my life at all, and I enjoy it just for what it is. I'm not a groupie and don't follow her every move. Having household help, a huge house, and a limitless budget for travel/cooking/decorating, etc. etc. isn't my world. I enjoy what she does though, and look there once and awhile to see what's up. Same with a few recipe blogs that I look at now and again. When I'm feeling uninspired, I look.

 

And same this with Pintrest. I enjoy the education ones, but stay off of the cooking and household ones. I work and homeschool, and the time to be creative is limited. I take almost the same thing every time to church events, and I cook about the same thing every month at home.

 

And Facebook. Ugh. I didn't last there. It either told me more than I wanted to know about my friends, or it made me feel left out and sad.

[I.Dup.]

Um, wow. Is she for real? It doesn't look like real life at all. It looks like a catalog for a children's clothing boutique.

 

 

Right?? And how she shows off her gorgeous self and 10-inch waist in every post? Gah!!!! She talks all the time about women not being judgmental, I guess because she has experienced that quite a bit (umm, I wonder why, LOL)

[Lady Florida.]

No, I don't.

 

if it's a mommyblog...no. I find they make me uneasy. The most popular ones verge on exploitation.

 

Also, many mommyblogs are a business. Either the person is making money from the blog, or they hope to make money from it. In order to make money by blogging your life, it pretty has to exclude the mundane.

[PachiSusan]

No, I don't.

 

 

 

Also, many mommyblogs are a business. Either the person is making money from the blog, or they hope to make money from it. In order to make money by blogging your life, it pretty has to exclude the mundane.

 

I must be really naive. People make money off their Mommy Blogs? I know they do when they have products...Eye opener.

[GWOB]

When I first started homeschooling, some blogs would send me into tears. Why were my kids not as perfect?! Why didn't I have huge color-coded spreadsheets? Why couldn't I create this beautiful unit study from scratch?

 

Then I wised up. I saw a few bloggers posting their woes over here. I realized they weren't perfect people. One in particular sticks out. This woman has written books about homeschooling. She has a pretty large web presence. She made me feel like a bit of a slacker. Them I noticed her oldest kid was 8. Eight?!?! Maybe this is super snotty of me, but how can you write books about homeschooling when your oldest kid is only 8? I quit reading blogs after that.

 

If I ever had a blog, it would be called "Keepin' It Real". I'd post pics of the laundry pile currently occupying half my couch. My kids would be in their pjs in every poorly-taken iPhone pic. The failed science experiments would be photographed next to my booze collection. Posts would be titled like "We did math and watched The Princess Bride. That was a full day!" Basically, I would be the blog Mommas read whenever they want to feel better about themselves.

[PachiSusan]

If I ever had a blog, it would be called "Keepin' It Real". I'd post pics of the laundry pile currently occupying half my couch. My kids would be in their pjs in every poorly-taken iPhone pic. The failed science experiments would be photographed next to my booze collection. Posts would be titled like "We did math and watched The Princess Bride. That was a full day!" Basically, I would be the blog Mommas read whenever they want to feel better about themselves.

 

That's what I *hope* my blog is. I am really trying to keep it real and use it as a record of what we really do. I'm the first to admit that I'm not perfect. LOL