I love writing. I love learning. I love sharing things with people - things I learn, things I enjoy, things I think someone else would enjoy. I love the idea of being a blogger. Full disclosure, this is not my first blog. Many years ago, I ran a blog (which is still published and accessible online) called Casual, Possibly-Nonsensical Ramblings. It had little rhyme or reason and was mostly my brain dumpings about random things, news topics, pop culture, and some creative writings thrown in. But it surprisingly did garner some attention - I was featured on Wordpress’s Freshly Pressed and gained several thousand followers after sharing a letter I wrote in an attempt to process my grief during a hard time. Perhaps I’ll share it again here some day, but I’m not sure I’m ready to resurrect those raw feelings again just yet…
I digress (are you seeing how I landed on the name for my first blog yet?) - I love blogs. They’re so handy for quick info, and they're typically more trustworthy than paid ads by companies if you’re seeking opinions on products or services. But in my usual fashion, I jumped into creating a blog with excitement and then immediately froze in panic. Every thought and idea I had just poofed right out of my brain, but I wasn’t going to give up. I did the most logical thing and went into the plethora of mom groups I’m a member of on Facebook to ask the masses: What would you, fellow mamas, like to see more of, get help with, answers to, or would stop your scroll to ingest?
I got a dishearteningly low response. Call it perseverance or irrational determination (I’m still not sure which), but I didn’t let that deter me. It did, however, keep me feeling stuck in a
rut. The responses I got were mostly typical things such as kid friendly recipes. My brain immediately says “Your kid is a weird eater, and you aren’t an all organic, fully from scratch cooker. You’re a fraud and everyone will know.” And I put it aside in my mind and have since been beating my head against a wall to try to create a good list of topics to write about. Unsuccessfully, might I add…But then I had an epiphany.
I’ve been trying to learn SEO - way over my head, would not recommend - and through the guided set up on the
site editor it recommended a tag line for people to easily discern my content topics in search engines. I tossed around a few things, obviously I already knew the foundation was going to be literacy, self care, and “normal” mommin’. But what is normal momming? What’s a better way to express what that means? And it hit me: I am the Anti-Pinterest Parent. I am not and never will be that picture perfect, apron wearing, home goods baking, DIY everything, seasonal home decor sharing, sitcom mom. It just ain’t in the cards for me, and I’m okay with that. To be totally honest, I almost avoid those kinds of blogs and social media because it often can feel very overwhelming to want to be that “good” and depressing to know it isn’t going to happen. And ultimately, that’s where I fall - in that gray area of doing my best.
Gentle parenting with an occasional “I'm sorry I lost my cool.” Happy meals in the car
because we were running late, starving, and I couldn’t stand the thought of trying to cook. YouTube videos on the tv while I have an extra cup of coffee in the morning. I’m not a good DIY-er, I don’t have the patience of a saint, and I’m a busy average parent just doing my
best. So that, my friends, is what I will bring to you. There will be no lofty, grand, Pinterest perfect depictions of a spotless and seamless life here. I’m offering up a virtual equivalent to welcoming you into my home at any given time to find a half dressed toddler stuffing kinetic sand into the end table drawer with a spatula, 3 piles of laundry in the corner waiting to be folded, the dishes half done, I probably haven’t brushed my hair, and I have 2 different socks on. BUT I’ve got hot coffee, room at my table, and an extra spatula for your kid, too.
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