SorrelZG Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 I found a blog I was keeping a year ago. I enjoyed the memories of pictures drawn, achievements made, even some of my reflections or ideas, but it was all tainted by the humiliating record of my tossing to and fro, like a wave, with every wind of curriculum (so to speak). I don't recall the reason now but if I was to guess I think this is why I stopped blogging about our homeschool days. I'm surprised I didn't delete it altogether. I appreciate the value of all those memories recorded and being able to share them with others (supposing I know someone who cares) but I am wondering: is there a way to blog without humiliating one's self? Do those of you who blog have it all together? Do you have specific techniques for at least appearing as if you have it together that you would be merciful enough to share? Or does blogging mean humbling accepting the reality that at times you do the homeschooling equivalent of drooling on yourself in public? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 My blog is private and only my mother, brother and the kids' father read it. It doesn't matter what the blog shows of me, they've all seen worse. :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lily_Grace Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 I don't blog about homeschooling. I mean, I do, but I don't. To me, my blog is like a conversation with an old friend. I keep the complaining and worrying light, talk about things that interest me, and share the love I have for my family. The minute I try to turn it into a diary is when I fall down. I don't need my blog to be there to talk about curriculum that's not working for me - I have the WTM for that. And I get the bonus of y'all talking back. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BugsMama Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 I do not have it all together. But, I love blogging. In the last week, I talk about questioning our methods, jumpin ship to a new curriculum, and how Monday was a worst day ever. I call it real life homeschooling, and I've got readers who appreciate it not being perfect. :) link in siggy :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PachiSusan Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 I do not have it all together. But, I love blogging. In the last week, I talk about questioning our methods, jumpin ship to a new curriculum, and how Monday was a worst day ever. I call it real life homeschooling, and I've got readers who appreciate it not being perfect. :) link in siggy :) I love your blog. You are so refreshing and honest. That's how I always pictured my blog to be but I find myself feeling stinted in my writing. I make sure to do the weekly wrap up's on Friday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BugsMama Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 Thanks Susan! That made my day :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butter Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 To someone else who is in the throes of trying to find the right curriculum for their kids, a blog like that is a blessing. It lets them know they are not alone and that they won't screw up their kids by switching around and around. Don't be humiliated. A lot of people go through lots of curricula, but don't talk about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecclecticmum Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 Its a history of events that took place in your house. My blog (and my forum posts) look weird to me when looking back, but it shows how I have evolved through time. I found myself on an old thread and was reading something, and thinking "What? prppphh, no I'm not interested in that" then reading further was like "hmm....actually that seems interesting" and after getting to the end I scrolled back up and realized I WROTE IT. :lol: I suceeded in thinking *I* was an idiot who didn't know what they were talking about, to being convinced.....by *myself* :huh: And I have no knowledge of ever writing anything about it! I looked at similar posts around that timeline of mine and have no recollection of doing or saying those things, nor "Who" I was at that point. :confused1: I was awfully confusing, but it did show how much I had changed in my ways of thinking and how I applied things in our household. Posts from just a year or two ago do not mesh at all with the current day "me". I think its nice to go back over old posts on both the forums and my blogs (yes, I have more than one, for different areas of my life, most are under different "accounts" and blog places as well (although I favour blogger). I don't think I have ever deleted a blog, I just leave them there as records of a different timeframe. Sometimes I'll use them to go back and figure out why something didn't work, or why I didn't like a certain curricula. People learn from others mistakes. Just because you are not Ms-Forum-Poster-Mommy-Blogger-Extraordinaire-who-has-it-all-together-and-whose-childs-art-lovingly-matches-their-drapes-and-is-photographed-for-posterity-with-Nikon-$4000-camera, does not mean that you aren't appreciated as well. Seeing people with similar values fail with a curricula can be ultimately more helpful than looking at the shiny curricula Ms Mommy Blogger pulls off to perfection in between baking and creating a dolls house from straws. Seeing you "flip-flop" between curricula can help others prevent doing the same thing, and they will be greatful to you for it, it can also help you realize where it went wrong. A failed experiment can help other parents realize not everything works out exactly as planned in their "well planned day" and that everyone fails, everyone has a day where their child looks like a scarecrow, and that sometimes you have to "crop" a photo since your children weren't dressed at the time :laugh: Part of the joy of homeschooling and blogging, and life in general is its ups and downs. *Real* blogs (I think) show both the ups and the massively plunging downs, the ins and outs of everyday life. All a "picture-perfect peaches and cream" blog does is make others be turned off, and cause depression spirals in other hs-ing mothers. Truly blogging is baring your soul, and being able to put yourself out there, as you are, everyday, without "makeup and high heels" just you. As for my blog, its pathetic too :tongue_smilie: but only because I have not had time to actually blog. I decided to take a step back from blogging and "listing" things within my signature until I have a rhythm going, so I may not get back to hs blogging for upto a year (I'm trying to now get into blogging about hs related stuff, but won't be blogging about our days for a while, till I feel more centred), perhaps, if this is still the problem with see-sawing, this is a possibility? Stop blogging, take a step back and read through your archives, from the beginning if you can, this will allow you to see from a more logical standpoint how you have evolved and hopefully help you on the road you may be travelling down. :thumbup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Down_the_Rabbit_Hole Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 First of all we all have moments of flip flopping or going with the wind in regards to our homeschooling. I recently started blogging but prior to that I kept notebooks. Several ongoing ones. There is 20 years worth of going to and fro, of curriculum I sung high praises about only a few weeks later walked away from. I have lists of curriculum I plan on buying only to look back at it and think 'What was I thinking". Now instead of notebooks to record the homeschool life here I am using the blog. If you want perfect homeschool stories, read the homeschool magazines. If you want real life homeschool read and write bloggs that are not all sunshine and roses and jump about with curriculum. Each child is different and each child is changing. What looked good or was actually good at the beginning of the year might not be working halfway through. It happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 I never mean mine to make it look like we have it all together. We do okay most of the time, but we definitely don't have it all together. Still, a lot of people tell me that we clearly have it all together from the blog, which is some combination of funny, embarrassing, and nice. I've come to believe that when people read others' blogs that they see in them what they want to see. If you're someone who's looking for ideas, you'll see ideas. If you're feeling insecure, you'll see everyone doing better than you. If you're feeling very secure, you'll see everyone making mistakes or overdoing it! Like Bugsmama said, I blog for myself as much of anything. It organizes my thoughts. It chronicles not just where the kids are, but where my own thoughts about books and education are. And I like lists, so I make lists. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningmom80 Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 Yeah mine is an embarrassment too. I'm like this in all aspects of life though, so people who know me IRL don't think anything of it. Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 I kept a blog through our early days of homeschooling, including some incredible field trips while we were living in several exciting places. I hadn't added to it in a couple years, after our most recent move. A couple months ago, I decided that it just had too much personal information on it. I removed the link to it in my signature and then closed it to outside readers. I'm not convicted or embarassed when I read old posts. But I wasn't comfortable sharing it with the entire world of outside readers. And as my kids hit high school I was more and more unwilling to share details about them. There is a whole world of big data collection about people out there. I don't think you have to feel ashamed about what you wrote at one time. But you also do not owe strangers access to it. If you want to password protect it or delete posts, go for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeindeed Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 We've used different curriculum through the years, depending on what the best fit for us was at the time. I love blogging! My blog is mostly about homeschool, but I also have a "2013 Fun" series, which is about what I am doing for *me.* I am honest about our good and bad weeks. My blog is like an online journey of our lives, and I love looking back at our beginning homeschool years...precious memories! Of course I've grown since then, but I don't feel embarrassed by it. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Michelle* Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 Our blog is a running report of what we accomplish each week, a place for me to mull over and plan our upcoming year, an easy way for our family (all out-of-state) to see what the kids are up to, and a record of milestones that the kids hit. It's nothing fancy. At one point, I got caught up with trying to find an audience. I never felt comfortable with that and abandoned the idea soon enough. Now, I just look at it as a helpful tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 Anyone who has read my blog for any length of time, or looks back over old posts, will see that I am constantly trying new methods for getting organized, new structures, new schedules, new curriculums, changing locations, get big plans for art and nature study and music that never ever come up again, I take months (or a year) to get through one topic of science or history, change tracks in the middle..... I still like having it all in one place. If I look back to last year, I can see that we did in fact make some progress even if it doesn't always seem like it in the short term. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danielle1746 Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 Like when they show pictures of what their floor really looks like after not sweeping it for a week. It's risky, but I think shows more about the person than just presenting themselves as having it all together. Where is this blog? I would love to read it. All the blogs I see intimidate the snot out of me. Luckily, I'm mostly happy in my squalor. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto2Cs Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 Mine is seriously all over the place. Really. And I don't take pics of my house because it is generally pretty trashed right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SorrelZG Posted May 16, 2013 Author Share Posted May 16, 2013 I've enjoyed reading all these responses. Thanks, ladies. I'm going to give it some thought rather than delete it (yet). I looked at similar posts around that timeline of mine and have no recollection of doing or saying those things, nor "Who" I was at that point. :confused1: I was awfully confusing, but it did show how much I had changed in my ways of thinking and how I applied things in our household. Posts from just a year or two ago do not mesh at all with the current day "me". [...] People learn from others mistakes. Just because you are not Ms-Forum-Poster-Mommy-Blogger-Extraordinaire-who-has-it-all-together-and-whose-childs-art-lovingly-matches-their-drapes-and-is-photographed-for-posterity-with-Nikon-$4000-camera, does not mean that you aren't appreciated as Your post cracked me up. I've had the same experience and I had just moments earlier sat stunned before one of those blogs that look like they were shot for a segment in a Martha Stewart magazine. Here I am uploading photos from my dodgy 3GS iPhone camera. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecclecticmum Posted May 16, 2013 Share Posted May 16, 2013 I've enjoyed reading all these responses. Thanks, ladies. I'm going to give it some thought rather than delete it (yet). Your post cracked me up. I've had the same experience and I had just moments earlier sat stunned before one of those blogs that look like they were shot for a segment in a Martha Stewart magazine. Here I am uploading photos from my dodgy 3GS iPhone camera. lol My 3gs broke....so I don't even have that. I have a $100 camera. It turns on, and photos are taken. The End. One thing I truly, seriously ask bloggers out there, is the possibility of transferring their blog, or deleting "parts" instead, especially when they have downloads available. I've been very sad over the number of beautiful free planners and schedules that were available on blogs before I got to it. By the time I can across it, the person had deleted or privated their blog, thus making it impossible to see the downloads. Sprittibee is one person who lost her stuff on Geocities, then apparently her computer crashed. She knows that that unit study planner is her most popular post (and now the links don't work), she apparently has it on her computer now, and if you donate money, she will send you the download. This is what she was doing before, just politely asking for donations for the download, but now she's asking you to "pay" before you purchase without any screenshots as to what it looks like, and holding the download hostage, when she promised years ago to make a new link. There was also a beautiful FIAR planner that can be seen on Pinterest. Many people re-pin it without checking the link...the blog has been deleted. Another pet peeve is when people do more "homemade" style things in paper format, then let it slowly slide into obscurity. The author of Konos Helps! a (from what it sounds like) amazing newsletter by a Konos Mom/Rep, and I really wanted it. She stopped the paper newsletter, but then Konos ETC picked up the "rights" re-bound it into booklet format and sold from their site. The Konos mom who did it disappeared off the face off the internet. The Konos ETC went under, and along with it, their Konos Helps bound volumes, because they never made them into ebook format or more than hand-bound, hand-printed booklets. Its practically impossible to get ahold of those volumes, and if that konos mom had just set up an automatic ebook site, her stuff would be available for ages, and she would get monies...win, win. But now she's disappeared, and the furthest any discussion ever gets in regards to it (other than saying how great it is) is to say "I wonder what the copyrights are on these?" and since only the original owner of it, or someone in power could say, the discussion dies off, because nobody knows. Quite off subject (I think) but just another crazy ramble from me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SorrelZG Posted May 16, 2013 Author Share Posted May 16, 2013 Quite off subject (I think) but just another crazy ramble from me. Oh no, I think it's relevant - more likely to someone besides me but still, it's something to keep in mind on the off chance that I ever blog anything of public value. :D lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakblossoms Posted May 25, 2013 Share Posted May 25, 2013 I totally have it all together. I make all my own bread. My kids always do all their chores. Our homeschool is perfect. We sing hymns to start the day. And, yesterday I knit 12 hats for orphans. Don't look at my blog. It will make you feel really awful. Then you will feel even worse when you realize that you can't afford the $65 rainbow organic panties made by my latest "sponsor". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted May 25, 2013 Share Posted May 25, 2013 I feel the same way about posts I've made here. If you follow my posts since I began, I look like a flake. I can rationalize it away...the curric hopping...but ...but...but... Oh, well. I'm not the only one. :lol: :gnorsi: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByGrace3 Posted May 26, 2013 Share Posted May 26, 2013 I blog and definitely don't have it all together, and I try to be really fair about sharing that. I think it's important to be real and honest in blogging. No one has it all together--really, no one. I wrote a post once about the illusion of reality in the blog/Pinterest world--A Dose of Reality in. Pinterest World. http://onemagnificentobsession.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-dose-of-reality-in-pinterest-world.html My blog is to be helpful...I like to share our journey hoping what I am learning and going through or creating for our homeschool might help someone else. I share lot of parent fail and schooling fail moments...I think being real and honest is helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junepep Posted May 26, 2013 Share Posted May 26, 2013 I never know what I want to do with my blog, I'll be very active with it for a few months and then wander off and get sucked into some new project or activity. I doubt that anyone could read through my blog and think that I've got everything together but I enjoy puttering around on it. I really do enjoy sharing the materials that I've thrown together for our homeschool, and links and sometimes a bit of whining about how we're stuck and I'm not sure what to do, or how I've just now found the best curricula ever!! LMAO It's all good in the end, and I've found that it's nice to have a reference of where I was at a given point. I don't diary and I don't even keep up the blog that well because I'm so easily distracted, but it's still nice to look back at what's there despite the acute embarrassment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.