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Fuzzy
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Joined: March 07 2007
Location: Virginia
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| Posted: Sept 08 2009 at 8:25pm | IP Logged
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It seems like there are so many blogs out there, especially when you go through all the signature lines and you see that little blue line. I love blogs, love blogging, but wonder, how do you decide whom to visit? Whom to share it with? Do you ever feel like "nobody" is reading, or "everybody" is lurking, or what?
Do you write for you? Do you want people to come and share your lives with you? Do you want to be a reference blog, funny, recipe, etc? I know some of you have multiple blogs for that reason, but how do you decide what goes where? Who sees what?
LOL Is this making sense?
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 Fuzzy
Mom to DS 12, DD 10, DS 7, and DS 4, and DD 1!
Fuzzy Memories
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MarilynW
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| Posted: Sept 08 2009 at 9:17pm | IP Logged
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Hi Fuzzy - some of my thoughts
1) I write for me and my family - it is a kaleidescope of our lives - the nearest to scrapbooking I can get - also a journal of thoughts and plans etc for me - I love to write and my blog is one thing I do for myself in my down time. Re homeschooling stuff - it is a very efficient way of storing book lists and plans in one place.
2) I don't write primarily for other people - but I hope that I can be a witness and example of a large Catholic homeschooling family. And if my lesson and organization plans would be able to help someone else that would be wonderful.
3)I did not make my blog public for a while. It sometimes does scare me that people I do not know are lurking - I don't use pseudonyms because the primary reason for my blog is 1) above and I still wonder about making the blog private. The reason I do not is because we have family all over the world and they check in on my blog - my older relatives would be confused with passwords or having to have google accounts
4) I love to get comments but it does not bother me if I do not.
5) I visit only a handful of blogs and it is friends of mine and a few really inspirational blogs(though I will check links on other people's blogs and look at their google reader favorites) - I have always avoided putting any blogs in a "favorites" box or using google reader favorites as I would not want to upset any friends who may feel that their blogs or posts are less important.
6) I avoid having a second blog - because it would increase my time online - something I am trying very hard to decrease - so I lump everything into one!
I am still pondering the whole blog thing - a good friend on this list made me think when she wondered why we need to blog and make our lives so public. Maybe the private blog should be the way for me? Not sure. I have made some very good friends through blogging (that I have met IRL) - and also have had the opportunity to explain and defend our Catholic faith.
Anyway...enough rambling...
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Marilyn
Blessed with 6 gifts from God
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Paula in MN
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Joined: Nov 25 2006
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I blog for me. I don't blog often, I tend to read blogs instead of writing in my own.
I know there are people checking my blog to see if I write about our legal issues. Sitemeter is a wonderful tool.
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Paula
A Catholic Harvest
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Mary G
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| Posted: Sept 09 2009 at 7:14am | IP Logged
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I write for me and mine and to keep things organized ... I type faster than I hand-write so it's just easier for me to journal or talk about our lives, successes, sorrows and failures ... I too, like Marilyn, try to be a "witness" to our Faith and the beauty of the Church.
I have multiple blogs because I have multiple facets to my life ... I can't put all on one as it wouldn't make sense to my pigeon-holed mind.
I have two private blogs ... one a specific record of our daily schooling (in case I ever need to show a paper trail, I can just print it out!) and the other, we just started, for Catie at Ave Maria to record her college experience to share with her family and so we can share with her too ... the kids love it and it's easier than email or letters (and again, a fairly "permanent" record for her later, too).
Reading blogs ... I use Google reader and skim the posts/posters and pick and choose what I'll read ... I too am trying to cut down my time online so this is just easier for me.
Hope that helps!
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MaryG
3 boys (22, 12, 8)2 girls (20, 11)
my website that combines my schooling, hand-knits work, writing and everything else in one spot!
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stellamaris
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Joined: Feb 26 2009
Location: Virginia
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| Posted: Sept 09 2009 at 8:45am | IP Logged
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I love everyone's blogs! I started my family blog to keep my parent's in touch with the lives of the grandchildren, and my spiritual blog to have an outlet for myself. But, wow!, they are hard to keep up on. I just don't have that much time to blog, plus internet access troubles, meaning I haven't posted all summer long! I'm in total awe of you wonderful ladies that maintain on-going blogs full of fantastic and helpful information. Thank you!
As far as which blogs to visit, I just have been gradually clicking on blogs and if I find one I love, I bookmark it. I visit occasionally, as time allows, and consider it to be sort of like taking a few minutes to read a great magazine, but better! I only very rarely comment.
One danger I've noticed is the tendency (maybe just my own) of thinking I should be doing everything on all the blogs--ridiculous, but guilt-inducing. So having noticed that I have this response, I am working on being content with my own life, as St. Paul admonishes.
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In Christ,
Caroline
Wife to dh 30+ yrs,ds's 83,85,89,dd's 91,95,ds's 01,01,02,grammy to 4
Flowing Streams
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Maryan
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| Posted: Sept 09 2009 at 10:41am | IP Logged
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I have quite a few blogs from here on bloglines. I used to visit the blogs themselves, but my time is getting tight. Just the way of things.
I blog for accountability (my family keeps track of me) and scrapability. It's the only record I keep of what we do. I blog about whatever I feel like.
My blog is not published to Google. When I first started blogging, I cared about who was visiting and commenting, but now I hardly ever check my stats page. (I would say never, but Wordpress changed it so stats automatically on my "dashboard.") I don't care who lurks as long as you're not a psycho who would hurt my kids. I like comments, but don't mind if no one comments. 
I did a separate school blog to help me keep school stuff in order. I don't have as many posts there anymore because if the choice is blogging about school or doing it -- I have to choose doing it! 
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Maryan
Mom to 6 boys & 1 girl: JP('01), B ('03), M('05), L('06), Ph ('08), M ('10), James born 5/1/12
A Lee in the Woudes
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SusanJ
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| Posted: Sept 09 2009 at 11:16am | IP Logged
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I keep the kids blog for our family scattered far and wide and since I am not at all a scrapbooker it's the closest I can come. The other blog is just for me to have fun writing. I only keep up with it off and one but I have a handful of close friends who love to read it.
I read blogs through Google Reader of a pretty small handful of people--mostly family and personal friends. But I will ocassionally click to someone's blog after reading a post of theirs. I used to endlessly follow links and lots of blogs on a regular basis but I've cut way back.
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Mom to Joseph-8, Margaret-6, William-4, Gregory-2, and new little one due 11/1
Life Together
[URL=http://thejohnstonkids.blogspot.com]The Kids' Blog[/UR
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Milehimama
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I blog for me. I post things I don't want to forget, that I want to pass on, that I just want to talk about.
I do post family pictures as a journal of sorts, and to keep the extended family updated, but that's not the primary purpose of my blog. I might not post about the kids for days or weeks at a time.
It's kind of just a place to post things going on in my head.
I sub to many blogs in Google reader - I have almost 150 total! Most I just skim; there are a couple I always check first (Common Room, Mommylife, friends IRL). I have sections for Catholic moms, other moms, homesteading, "menfolk" (mostly clergy), politics/prolife, homeschooling, and so on. I'm pretty much the one in my (extended) family that keeps tabs on what is going on all over. I like talking politics, but it's not exactly something I can do with the kids! LOL
I also want my blog to be a witness of a Catholic homeschooling family just living out their life.
My "Food Stamp Challenge" has also helped keep me in budget and accountable, which has been great too!
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Milehimama in Houston
Mother of 11 - 8 Church Militant and 3 Church Triumphant
Mama Says
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mary theresa
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| Posted: Sept 09 2009 at 2:06pm | IP Logged
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Milehimama wrote:
I blog for me. I post things I don't want to forget, that I want to pass on, that I just want to talk about.
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Same here.
I really like this quote:
"Writing can be a creative and invigorating
way to make our lives available to ourselves...
we may discover that the better we tell our stories,
the better we will want to live them."
~Fr. Henri J. M. Nouwen
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Mary Theresa
mother to 3 little girls --March '06, Dec '07 and Jan '10
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Fuzzy
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Joined: March 07 2007
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| Posted: Sept 09 2009 at 9:00pm | IP Logged
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Maryan, does that mean you set it so it won't publish to google? Or is it that it "won't"?
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Fuzzy
Mom to DS 12, DD 10, DS 7, and DS 4, and DD 1!
Fuzzy Memories
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Sept 09 2009 at 9:08pm | IP Logged
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I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum.. I have a blog only so that if I want to join in one of the "fairs" that have been done.. I can write up and upload pictures and all for a post for that.. so the only people I expect to read my blog are those who follow the links for the fairs and occationally I've found it a nice shortcut for others for some information. Instead of me retyping it.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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KC in TX
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Joined: Aug 05 2005
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| Posted: Sept 09 2009 at 10:46pm | IP Logged
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I started my blog to journal our journey in homeschooling, but it has turned into just a journal. I blog about anything and everything.
I also started it right before my husband left for his deployment in 2006. It was a way for him to see pictures of the children and hear what they were doing without the difficulty of sending pictures attached to email.
Now, I'm trying to figure out my blog, but I'll just keep plugging along. It's turned into a great place for my inlaws to keep up with us.
And, now I'm just rambling which is also something I do on my blog. 
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KC,
wife to Ben (10/94),
Mama to LB ('98)
Michaela ('01)
Emma ('03)
Jordan ('05)
And, my 2 angels, Rose ('08) and Mark ('09)
The Cabbage Patch
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: Blogs question
