I'm So Excited!

Since I'm a parent of small children, I read that title in Mike Myers playing The Cat In The Hat's voice.

What am I excited for? Two things. The first one's awe-some! Starting today, I'm working with two of my best girls on the blog - it's no longer about one Mama around here. Enter Mama(s) Robyn and Lisa. Beginners, eyes on Robyn...oh sorry, I was channeling Jillian Michaels for a minute there. I can't wait for you to meet them. Tomorrow's and Saturday's posts will be devoted to introducing the Mama(s) to the Around the House community. I'm so excited!

Second, the Mama(s) are participating in a 30-day blogging challenge starting today. We will be rocking out the entire month of August.

So it's the start of a brand spankin' new month - what are you looking forward to in August?

Oh Personality - #12WeekBlog Post Week 2

Welcome to the second week of the #12weekblog posts. If you’re wondering what that is, it’s a group of bloggers who are all writing about the same topic every week. The prompts are sent out on Mondays and you have all week to write. Want to join in? Comment on the original post and I’ll get you set up to start!

The prompt for this week:

What personality trait(s) do you value most in yourself? Which do you wish you could change?

The trait I most value in myself AND the one I wish I could change sometimes is that I am orderly. Extremely orderly. I do things in order (my order, the order that makes sense). I follow recipes. I spell and write accurately. I learn the rules of things and follow them (unless I think I can modify to make them more effective). I want to learn the best way to do a new thing and follow the instructions.

            This can be good in that I know where everything is when I need it. I know that my classes are ready to be taught tomorrow because before I leave I set everything out for tomorrow’s classes. I know that the boys’ bags are ready for school tomorrow because I swap out what needs to stay home and refill them with new stuff when we get home (not in the mornings when it’s chaotic). I know when my bills need to be paid and how much money we’ll have at the end of the month because I keep track of that all on my computer.

            Why would being orderly be a bad thing? Well, Daddy is anything but orderly. I joke (not really joking) with him that he leaves a trail of Michael around the house when he comes home and I can tell him exactly what he did and in what order just by following the trail. Because I am orderly and he is not, I feel the need to pick up his disorder (as well as that of two small children). He doesn’t appreciate this because, well, he doesn’t think it needs to be done and doesn’t understand why I feel the need to do it, so why should he thank me for doing something that didn’t need to be done in the first place?

            So there you have it. I’m orderly and organized and I appreciate that in my self because it allows me to do my work without feeling rushed or anxious – I know that I already did what needs to be done. If I weren’t this way though, I wouldn’t feel the frustration at home that I do because apparently I’m the only one that feels the need to be orderly.

How did other #12weekblog Challenge participants answer this prompt? Check out Lisa’s and John’s work below when they send me their links. Want to participate? Let me know!

John writes about congruence and being "good weird" this week.

#12WeekBlog First Week's Prompt

-->

Welcome to the first week of the #12weekblog posts. If you’re wondering what that is, it’s a group of bloggers who are all writing about the same topic every week. The prompts are sent out on Monday’s and you have all week to write. Want to join in? Comment on the original post and I’ll get you set up to start!

The prompt for this week:

Why did you start blogging? What have you gained from it since you started? (Or what do you hope to gain from it)?

            I started blogging because I wanted to gain fame and fortune. I wanted people all over the Internet to know my name and herald me as the most amazing writer/blogger out there. I wanted to make tons of money off my sponsored blogs and get huge companies to send me crap to review. I hope you realize I’m chuckling to myself as I type this. Ain’t no way any of that’s happening…nor did I ever expect it to.

            I started blogging because I love writing, first and foremost. And I had gotten very academic about my writing – it was as if I was writing for work or for publication most of the time and that bored me. I have started at least 10 journals. I find them in random spots of the house, two pages written on and then neglected. I saw some blogs from friends and from companies I liked and thought, “Hey, I can type faster than I can talk so maybe online journaling or blogging may be better.” So I started blogging.

            Initially I was just going to write about parenting and environmentalism in the home because I figured I may have something to offer that “community” (of environmentalist parents). But then I started adding in other topics such as hobbies (like cooking and running) and realized those were about parenting too – you have to (HAVE TO) have something else going on in your life if you’re a parent or you will go insane (or more insane than you already are). Or you’ll be that creepy parent who has nothing to talk about but their kids, and everyone avoids them because they don’t want to hear another word about your damned kids.

            What have I gained from blogging since I started? Two things: an outlet for my writing and a new perspective on blogging. If you read through my stuff you’ll see that it’s completely random topic-wise, especially within the past month. And if you’re wondering why the plethora of posts in the past month, I attribute that to the second thing I’ve gained: perspective on blogging. For a year I would come up with these ideas to write on and I’d think, “Nobody cares about that. Nobody wants to read that.” And I’d scrap the idea and wouldn’t post for-ev-er and nobody seemed to care and it was all good (except I didn’t have a writing outlet). Then I realized something. This is my blog. It’s my space. Readers can choose to read or not to. I have no control over that. If people thought I was posting too often or writing about things they didn’t care about, they could unfollow me or stop getting emails about new posts. Meh. But for the people who stayed (and most did), I can tell you I value your input and your support. I really do. Part of the enjoyment I get from blogging is meeting new people who are interested in what I’m interested in.

How did other #12weekblog Challenge participants answer this prompt? Check out Lisa’s and John’s work below when they send me their links. Want to participate? Let me know!

John's post - Why I write from his blog Like It Matters
Lisa's post - On writing, or blogging as it were... from her blog Mama is a She-Wolf

Pardon Me, Do You Blog?

Are you a blogger in need of ideas? Or do you want to start a blog but don't know what to write about? Have I got a deal for you...well it's not really a deal, it's a challenge. And a fun one at that.

After talking to my friend Lisa tonight who is starting her very on blog space, I was thinking about how it can be difficult to come up with topics to write about sometimes. Some days an idea comes to you easily, and some days so many ideas come to you that you have to write them down so you don't forget (I love the Notes app on my iPhone for that). But some days...you drum your fingers on the desk, stare at the computer screen, and feel..."Duhhhh."

It happens.

So here's where the fun comes in. For the next twelve weeks I will create and send out prompts for bloggers who sign up. Do you have to write about what I send you? Of course not (and you won't get kicked out of the club if you don't). But if you do use the prompt, be sure to send me the link to your blog and I'll post it along with others so that folks can read your "take" on the week's prompt.

Want to sign up but not sure if you can commit to one post a week? Not a problem. Sign up anyway and see what happens. Signing up may just be the motivation to get you writing every week though (ah the guilt...Ha!).

How do you sign up? Easy. Comment on this post with your name, your blog's name, the link to your blog, and your email address. Emails with prompts will go out some time on Mondays (starting 1/21) and you'll have all week to write your post and send me the link via email. Once I get your email, I'll post a link to your post in a weekly post. Can you add in after it starts? Of course! Can you ask to be removed from the email list? Again, of course!

If you use Twitter for your blog, use the hashtag #12weekblog to help others identify a blog participating in the challenge.

Quick! Sign up! It will be fun :)