A Bumpy Start to 2014
The colder days with no school were passed with cookie baking, elaborate fort building, books, cards, movies, searches on pinterest for "boy crafts and activities" and lots of time in our PJs in front of the fire (ooo, and the premiere of The Bachelor + Downton Abbey). It sounds dreamy, but we all started to suffer from a little cabin fever by the end of it. I recently read this book (really liked it!!) and just started this one. I must be on a young adult fiction kick.
All that time spent at home got me thinking a bit about New Year's resolutions (which I typically don't make) and blogging (why I really do it, what I want for this blog in the year ahead). A reader (hi Paula!) recently left me a comment saying I seem to have a good handle on how I manage my phone/ipad/computer use and balance social media, that it doesn't interfere with me being a present and good mother. That if all of it had been available when her children were little she fears she would have been a distracted mommy. It got me thinking, am I distracted? Do I really balance it well? I know I like to think so, but how often do I jump on Instagram in a day or quickly check email or scroll through Pinterest? How often am I holding my phone when one of my children starts a conversation or asks for my help? Do they ever feel like they are interrupting me and my phone/computer/fill-in-the-blank device? Am I balancing it all as well as I should? Honestly, I think I am not. So, this year I'm making a more conscious effort. I'm only going to check email twice a day. In the morning and at night. Nothing is so urgent it has to be addressed immediately and if it is, I hope it comes via a phone call! I did sign up for unroll.me and it has been a life changer in managing all my email subscriptions, of which there were over 300. As for IG, I'm going to only check my feed in the evening, even if I post pics earlier in the day. I think these two things will force me to keep the phone out of hands reach at all times.
As for blogging, I've given some thought as to why I continue to do it. I love the way blogging forces me to seek out the beautiful moments in life, it makes me want to capture them on film and in words whether it's about family or food or home. I appreciate joy in the simple things and see beauty in everyday moments more clearly since I've been a blogger. It's a big bonus that others want to read about it and allow me to share on a weekly basis. So, 2014 will likely bring much of the same on this blog, but I'd love to know if there are topic areas you would like me to cover that I haven't in the past. I'm taking suggestions!! I'm planning a kitchen essentials post (by request from my IG friends) later in the month. Feel free to add anything else you would like to hear about in the comments and I'll see if I can work it in.
I hope your 2014 has gotten off to a great (food poison-free) start!