Saturday, 30 May 2015

Are Blogs Unrealistic?

I was thinking today about my blog and wondering if someone who read it came to my house, would they be surprised or disappointed that the reality was not the blog?


Nope, sometimes, but very rarely! (And it isn't white - are you crazy, white with three boys?!)

I am a melancholic/phlegmatic personality, so my tendency is to wallow, woe is me, etc. I started my blog to keep a record of all the good things and show that I am achieving something in my home life with my children. I don't really want to post the bad stuff.

I can, of course, lose it big time, usually when I have stepped on a piece of Lego for the hundredth time that day. Lego on the floor really pushes my buttons! But hey, I have boys. My life at the moment is mainly about mud. Yep, washing mudding uniforms and football boots, the washing the floor where they have forgotten to take said muddy football boots off before coming inside. It can make you crazy.


I recently read The Homemaker by Dorothy Canfield. Wonderful book. The mother has asked the son numerous times not to tilt the meat pan when carrying it from the table back to the kitchen for washing as all the meat fat tips onto the floor. One day, the children clear the table while the parents sit. Then the mother goes to do the washing up. After a minute, they all hear huge sobs coming from the kitchen. She is sitting on the floor crying, next to the puddle of meat fat. 



Pretty sure we have all had those days, where one more piece of Lego or muddy footprint on the carpet can push you over the edge. 
So rest assured, much as all the blogs we read look beautiful and their children look perfect, they aren't! I think we are all just trying to record the lovely things that happen in our lives and share the moments and activities that bring us joy. 


That is the kind of place I have decided I would like my blog to be; I would like to reflect the positive aspects, as it will help me to reflect on them also.
And I love to read other blogs that are similar, as they help me see all the good there is out there, if we only choose to embrace it. Which is easy to say and a lot harder to achieve. 
It is a journey every day and I have to make a conscious decision to be happy. Sometimes I have to tell myself to smile. It can be hard work being a melancholic! 


So that is why I blog the way I do.
I would love to hear from you. Why do you blog? Do you find blogs helpful to you in your daily life? Are they inspiring, or discouraging if they show a standard that you feel is too high to achieve?



14 comments:

  1. I'm just starting out in blog world. I have just given up my salaried position to be a mum and housewife and live without stress. I would like to document the simple things, small snippets of day that are frugal, simple but that give happiness to me. I guess I am blogging to lok back for me and my children but I have to admit in having wobbles. I don't have a light box, fancy camera or clever editing tools... I have my 3 year old mobile phone. It does the trick but my blog isn't ever going to be polished. x

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    1. I love the look of your blog so far! Simple is better anyway. It has taken me a while of looking around the internet, trying to work out how other people added things to their blogs. When I first worked out a few months ago how to add an automated signature to each post, I was so excited! And then last week I found out how to add Google Friend Connect - I felt like such a tech head!
      I am using a digital camera that is about eight years old, so a real dinosaur! For photoshopping I use www.picmonkey.com. It is a free photo editing tool and really great. You should have a play!
      Look forward to keeping up with your journey!

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    2. Your blog looks great Michelle. Love your background picture and sweet posts.

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  2. I have been blogging for seven years, and I do it to share what's going on in my life and a kind of diary and "parking" place for recipes and photos, so I can find them later!!! The older you get to more forgetful I am!!

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    1. That is why I started my blog too - as a sort of diary and record of our life. It is evolving now as I am adding 'projects' to try and keep me on track to achieving things I want to get done.

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  3. I was thinking about this the other day after you planted the thought of blogging in my mind (which I think I will do but exactly when I do not know). I like positive and informative blogs that are encouraging and/or practical in nature. But most of all want them to be realistic. Some people may live in a perfectly ordered house but I hate it when they make me feel inadequate for not having one. Of course we all want to post positive things and represent our house in the best light but I don't think that means perfection. I need to relate to the person who is blogging. Even the not so positive subject matter can be shared occasionally if it is done to with a message or moral on how to overcome or triumph obstacles.

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    1. Exactly true! That is what I try to do. Sometimes I may post about something bad or disappointing that is happening in my life, but I want to steer towards the positive wherever possible. Hopefully, I am hitting the right balance.
      And I am happy to show my weedy garden and messy corners, as that will give me motivation to get to the 'after' photos as soon as I can!

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    2. And do let me know if you start your blog. I would love to visit!

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  4. I will. I think I will really enjoy being part of the blog community. I guess the only thing that is holding back is my lack of tech know how (which I guess I'll overcome easy enough) and the level of commitment. When I do something I like to do it well. I am a procrastinator with a melancholy personality which at times is very frustrating. I wonder if I would have enough interesting or new things to share on an ongoing basis. Maybe in a few months I'll have my act together, however I feel perhaps it's just one of those
    things you need to dive head into.

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    1. I'm a melancholy too! It is definitely a fun learning curve. When I started my blog, it was very basic - no photoshopping, no followers on my sidebar. It was just the basic template that you get from blogger. I have heaps of help online - there are blogs that are just for blogging! They are full of tutorials for how to add things.
      I always wonder if anyone is interested, but just share what you love and you will find like-minded people out there.
      Also you can start your blog as a practice before you go public with it. So you can play with it for a while.

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  5. Excellent post Jayne and so true, we aren't perfect and are days aren't either, it is so good to know this about each other. Blessings to you and thanks for sharing.

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    1. Thank you, Terri. I love how we are all here to lift each other up, by sharing experiences and information. It is such a wonderful way to connect.

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  6. I had a little breakdown just from exhaustion last week. Too much going. I spent some time home alone and prayed and it helped. I'm definitely not perfect.

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    1. I can totally understand that. I feel like I hardly get to take a breath sometimes. So glad you were able to find some time to pray and reflect on this - that must have been a real blessing.

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