Subscribe & receive all blog updates straight to your email!

Theta Mom®

Redefining Motherhood

Bring Blogging Back

The New Year is here and many of us are on autopilot, making those New Year’s resolutions and then breaking them on the 23rd hour – and then of course, feeling guilty. Then there are some of us who constitute those long-term goals and resolve to work really hard toward attaining those aspirations. And then there are some of us bloggers who always have separate goals and dreams for the blog.

Typically, this is the time when I would post my own goals and aspirations for my blog and hopefully along the way, inspire you to do some blog housecleaning yourself.

Well, today’s post is a bit different this year.

You see, over the years many have said that my blog has served as some sort of inspiration to other bloggers – whether it ‘s the simple feeling that a reader recognizes they are not alone, feeling a mutual respect and understanding for what I experience, or whether it’s feeling inspired to start that new business or blog. And then there are those who just enjoy coming here because it feels comfortable, like you’re visiting an old friend.

I feel so absolutely grateful that you are still here, that Theta Mom® is still standing and that I am entering my fourth year of this crazy bloggity blog journey. But I wouldn’t be telling you the whole truth if I didn’t tell you that entering blogging in 2013 also comes with some uncharted territory of fear.

Fear that the bloggy world as I know it is changing faster than I can even write this piece – fear that blogging, the kind of blogging that I know and love is slowly becoming a lost art.

Over the last four years, I’ve seen the blog world change and morph and in today’s day and age of ever-changing technology, the bloggers that don’t keep up are the ones who will be lost. Social Media is an absolute testament to that.

Well, some of my fears that creep up from time to time were finally spelled out to me in a recent post. On January 2nd, I read an article on Mashable entitled: ‘Tumblr Now More Popular Google Search Than ‘Blog.’

And there it was, the words staring back at me from that article. I still can’t stop thinking about these words that ring so true and hit really close to home:

“Writing a blog post is a lot harder than posting a status update, putting a funny link on someone’s Wall, or tweeting…The short head of blogging thrives. Its long tail, though, has lapsed into desuetude.”

Isn’t that the case? Can you relate? In my opinion, microblogging has taken on its own form of “blogging” in social media. I find that bloggers aren’t posting as much or as often and even perhaps, with as much eagerness to be here, still truly blogging.

The state of the blogosphere has completely changed. Some of the bloggers who I adore are in Private Facebook groups and posting there more often than on their own blogs – they are sending out monthly newsletters rather than posting regularly, or finding their unique space on Pinterest and Instagram more than their own blog.

Bloggers have become more visual and are writing less – much less.

So what gives? What does all of this mean? What happened to the real, authentic, can’t-get-enough-of-it-REAL blogging?

I think several things happened along the way and many social media platforms that entered the scene certainly changed the game.

When I started blogging, we hardly used photos. Blogging used to be more about real connections and relationships, more than posting an amazing Instagram photo of some dish that was just prepared with a catchy one-liner. Blogging was about real writing, the kind of writing that you got lost in – it was so much more than a Facebook update about the latest rant or photo of your cute kid. Blogging was about community, about understanding and supporting one another – not tweeting 5,000 links a day for the latest sponsored post. With all of the “noise” on Twitter, I can’t think of the last time I had a real conversation there, can you?

I fear that blogging, the real blogging that I have grown to know and love is slowly becoming eaten up in a world of self-promotion, filled with Instagram and Pinterest-inspired users. People want the visual, they want what’s quick and easy and I’m not sure if that fits my own purpose of being here – blogging.

I’m not saying that quality images don’t add value to your blog, they absolutely do. But the old standard of “content is king” I don’t think applies anymore. It’s hard to create community on a blog when others would rather talk on Facebook in a private group or tweet out the latest Instagram photo – and all of the above doesn’t apply to me because I would rather still be here. Blogging.

I’m still here because I believe in why I started blogging.

I’m still here because I love to write.

I’m still here because I can’t ignore the voice that emerges every time I publish a post.

And I certainly don’t have any plan on leaving anytime soon.

But, I really don’t know what the future of blogging holds – all I am sure of is what I want and what I plan on continuing to do here – and that is write with full abandon without the need to fill every post with 5,000 visuals or tweet, pin and update until my fingers bleed because the reality is, I didn’t sign up for that.

I want to bring blogging back. I want to bring real blogging back that doesn’t include a million visuals and self-promotion. At the end of the day, I hope my ability to tell a story will be enough.

Hope

The news has been tough to take this past week and even in the last several months. The Jersey Shore was directly impacted by Superstorm Sandy and the effects were devastating. Then the news that came out of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT was just unfathomable.

It feels as though there has been bad news upon more bad news these days. But, through tough times and tragedy the only thing we can cling onto is hope – hope for good health, prosperity and a better, safer America.

My husband and I drove through our neighborhood last night to show our kids the Christmas lights and we were given a beautiful reminder that yes, there is hope.

Here’s to a safe and wonderful holiday full of love and peace – and here’s to hoping we build a safer, stronger America in 2013.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

xoxo

My Small Words

This is around the time that I usually share my holiday wishes. This is the week that I tell you I’m about to take the week off from the blog to prepare for the festivities and simply revel in the time with my family.

But this year, I am not so much in the Christmas spirit right now. Upon the news from Newtown, CT on Friday, I am still numb.

Instead of Christmas shopping and listening to holiday music, I am grieving alongside 26 other families, alongside an entire community – an entire nation.

Innocence was lost on American soil on Friday, December 14, 2012.

I am weeping as I write this and the reality is, I have no words.

I have no words because nothing I say will change the events that transpired on Friday.

Nothing I say will heal those that are suffering so terribly.

And nothing I say will bring back the souls that perished on Friday.

Nothing.

All I can do is pray.

All I can do is be kind.

All I can do is thank the people in my own community who give their service to my family – our teachers, administrators, police officers, first responders, and the list goes on.

All I can do is hope my children grow up in a world in which they are safe from danger, a world that will never have to bear witness to this kind of tragedy ever again.

Watching children sing “Silent Night” on SNL continues to bring me to my knees.

“Sleep in heavenly peace – sleep in heavenly peace.”

All I can do is enjoy every waking moment I have with my children, the time we have together on this Earth – suddenly, Christmas takes on a whole new meaning.

Go hug your children.

Tell them you love them.

And remember the only gift you’ll ever need won’t be found under the tree – it will be in the eyes of your children.  

And by God, I am certainly blessed to see.

The Easiest Solution for those Kid Masterpieces

So you know I lack some serious cooking skills in the kitchen. I am also not ashamed to admit that my crafty “do-it-yourself-kind-of-projects” are also very few and far between. I may love browsing Pinterest and reading blogs that have some ah-mazing ideas, but for me trying to put them into action? Not so much.

However, I am a former elementary school teacher so I am pretty creative when it comes to some of those things and I do have a few good ideas up my sleeve.

Well, moving into our new home we were fortunate enough to have a room dedicated solely for the kids. They have a playroom which they call their own. It’s pretty much a dream come true because our basement in our last house served as the kids “playroom” as did my living room, family room and the rest of the house they could find a space for their stuff. So you can just imagine what a luxury it is to give them their own space and at the same time, MY space is not cluttered with their 5,000 toys.

Having said that, I was recently inspired to hang some of their art work that they can proudly display. Now that they have their own room, it makes sense to decorate it as such and because I NEVER want to experience the Epic Parent Fail again, this will help. I took the idea from what I used to do many years ago in my elementary school classroom…

Ready for the easiest DIY idea for under 15 bucks that even I can handle?

 

I went to Home Goods and found these cute sports themed plaques that have a knob on the front (they were 3 for $12).

I tied some twine (picked it up at Michaels for less than $2) on each end and hung the plaques up on opposite walls, allowing the artwork to hang in midair (opposed to directly against the wall). I purchased 20 clothespins at the Dollar Store for $1 and once I hung the projects on the twine, it created an instant fun and organized look to display my kids work.

Now my kids can’t wait to come home and change out some of the artwork. They pick and choose their favorites and it gives this Theta Mom® somewhere to store their projects other than the front of the fridge.

Finding a solution to the mounds of artwork and projects that come home daily and not having to sneak past the garbage can to dump out their work?

Oh yes, everybody’s happy now.

A Christmas Wish for My Kids

I had THAT conversation with my seven year-old son yesterday. We had the kind of talk that made me feel like I was super old.

We were discussing his Christmas list and I started to sound like my own mom – telling him that money doesn’t grow on trees and he needs to get a job. Yeah, that and also telling him Santa has many boys and girls on his list, so he can’t be disappointed when he doesn’t get everything he asks for.

Ahem.

The conversation quickly turned to me and about what I had growing up. I was trying to make the point of how lucky he is to have what he has. And of course, he was absolutely stunned to learn that I did not have the Internet when I was his age. His nonverbal expression became even more magnified when he learned more about my childhood…

No honey, I didn’t have an iTouch.

In fact, it wasn’t until I turned 19 years old when I was allowed a cell phone for the first time which we actually called a “car” phone. My parents bought me this phone but I was NEVER to talk on it. Instead, that huge, monster of a phone which weighed near a ton stayed in the glove compartment of my car and was only there in case of an emergency. For the record, I never used that “car” phone, not even once.

No honey, I didn’t have apps. I didn’t have an iPod or an iPad.  Better yet, I didn’t even have a computer.

The first computer I remember in elementary school was a big machine that sat in the corner of my second grade classroom. The only thing we could do on it was type our writing. There were no apps or games. It was like a big ol’ typewriter. That.Was.It.

No honey, I didn’t have the Wii. Or the DS. Or the 5,000,000 other handheld devices that you and your sister have.

The only video gaming system we had growing up was Atari – and it was nothing like what is out there today. My brothers and I would fight over the one joystick we owned which was held together with several pieces of duct tape because it broke nearly every other day. We may have played until our fingers bled, but our lives didn’t seem to revolve around these “things” the way my kids’ lives seem to do today.

No honey, I didn’t have all of those things. But you know what I remember?

Running outside and riding my bike.

I remember building a fort in the woods and catching butterflies. I remember entertaining myself with the amount of toys I had – which to me, was plenty.

I loved my dolls and my fashion plates from Caldor. (Oh-em-gee, remember that store?) I could draw and color for hours with a coloring book my mom bought me from Bradlees. Alright, now I’m really showing my age.

I may not have had nearly half of what my kids have today and yet, somehow, I think my childhood was easier. Life was simpler back then. The sad part is, I think my kids are living in a high tech world of instant gratification and I’m not sure they really understand it all.

And the worst part?

I don’t think they appreciate all that they do have.

Maybe I need to do a better job as a parent to teach them the value of a dollar. And perhaps my kids need a good old walk in the park to realize the gift they have right now – the gift of childhood.

If there’s one thing that I wish was on their list this year, it’s to just enjoy being a kid.

Like it’s 1985.

Now that would be one hell of a Christmas.