Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Am I going to become a "Mommy Blogger"?

Blogging has changed a lot for me throughout the years.

My original blog, started in 2006, covered the drama of my mid-20s: mostly immature, emotionally irresponsible dating and theatrical, melodramatic, passive-aggressive friendship stuff. Plus a lot of drinking. They weren't my finest moments, and that blog certainly doesn't reflect my best writing.
 
In addition (as some of you may know/remember) my friend Jeanna and I also had a joint blog for a while: Two Girls -- Too Many Guys. I kid you not...
 
It was a dating experiment, in which we both joined an online dating site and then documented the dating disasters for the world to giggle about. I'd show it to you, but then I'd have to kill you...
 
Then I got engaged, and I wanted my little corner of the interwebs to become a reflection of my life with Stewart. I spent a fair amount of time rambling about our wedding, and then moved on to the purchase and construction of our new home. In between, there was a lot of stuff about family, friends, Seattle, sports, the great outdoors, and photos of us drinking Coors Light out of Solo cups. Keepin' it classy...
 
Somewhere along the way, I got knocked up.
 
I thought it would be the opposite, but during the months of my pregnancy my readership actually increased a lot. I was blogging like crazy, and somehow found the time to interact with other bloggers like I never had before. I participated in link ups and sponsorships, and developed friendships that sometimes even rivaled my "real life" ones.
 
 
I struggled to post with any sort of regularity, and I could tell my writing was getting increasingly boring and cliché (which my decreasing stats verified). But I was drowning in the depths of new parenthood and couldn't do anything about it. And during the past couple months I've been clutching desperately to a life preserver, and have been left wondering...
 
What is the future of Life As Always?
 
 
I found myself reading a lot more "Mommy Blogs" after Ryder was born. But of course I wasn't going to become a "Mommy Blogger."
 
Was I??
 
The short answer is no.
 
But the long answer is that this is a lifestyle blog. It's all about my life. And now that I'm a mom, that aspect of my life is going to transfer over into everything I do. The majority of my life is now centered on raising my son, and that will be reflected in my writing. But I'm still going to blog about camping, snowboarding, books, cooking, fashion, family, friends, and football... and you'll probably never stop seeing photos of those Solo cups -- I'll just have a kid's grubby little mitt in my other hand.
 
The things you loved about this blog (or at least the things you were used to) should hopefully remain the same.
 
But being a mom has already taught me so much, and I'd love to share some of the stuff I've learned with you here. Parenting is heartbreaking and hilarious, and it causes me to re-examine my life in ways I never thought possible. So even if you're not a parent yourself, please stick around. You may see some changes, but this is still my space and my voice. The reasons you've enjoyed Life As Always are still here.
 
I'm still me, tiny human in tow.
 
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3 comments :

  1. It's only natural that your blog changes over the years and over many experiences! My blog started off as a place to discussing my parenting problems, gathering advice from other parents. Now that my oldest is older, I find myself more secure with my parenting and am just sharing photos, things we did, and more about me. I can see that once my kids are much older, the blog will be something else again. Just go with the flow. I think the bloggers I connect with most (like you) aren't the ones that blog about the same thing all the time. I really just want to read about you and your life, whatever it may be.

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  2. Dude. This is exactly my thoughts on being a mommy blogger!!! It's a natural progression, but it definitely doesn't have to define you. I am still trying to find the groove, but it's there. It may not be "perfect" or as involved as it used to be, but that's ok! :)

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  3. I couldn't agree more that this is just the next natural change for your blog! As you said, it's a LIFESTYLE blog. Part of your lifestyle now is being a mom. To cut out posts about being a mommy would be unnatural, and frankly, it would seem weird. :)

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