What Moms Want To Know

WFMW Cures For Writer's Block

This post is, obviously, not about children or family, but since I blog about both, I think it pertains to this blog.  Since starting this blog, one of the biggest challenges I have faced is writer's block.  I have found a few ways to overcome it.

1) Simply Write
I have found that when I just sit down and write, new ideas emerge.  I jot them down in my notebook when I think of them so I don't forget them.  But it seems like one idea just merges into another and another.  So far this is the best solution I have found, to just begin writing.

2) Read
Read books, magazines, blogs, just read everything.  Just opening your mind to other's ideas will help inspire you.  It will also make your actual writing better. (I used to tell my students this all the time... the best readers are usually also the best writers.) 

3) Pay Attention To The World Around You
It' s used so much, I suppose it's cliche, but I'll say it anyway, "Write What You Know."  Whether you are a stay-at-home-mom or a working single girl, you have a unique way of doing things.  Pay attention to what those things are, and use them in your writing.  The other week, I was trying to come up with something for WFMW and I realized I had come up with ways to make living in a two-story house with a young child easier on all of us, so I wrote about it.   

4) Take A Break
If you have been sitting at your computer for an hour and nothing great is coming to you, get up.  Go for a walk.   Cook diner.  Play with your kids.  Sometimes a change of scenery is all you need. 

5) Quit Pressuring Yourself 
Oh, how hypocritical of me.  I am the world's worst at putting unneeded pressure on myself.  But, I have found that when I am able to relax, my writing flows much more freely.  

For more tips, head back on over to WFMW!

My Foray Into Blogging (Blogging Series Part 1)

I am a relatively new blogger.  I started this blog about three months ago and am thoroughly enjoying it.  Currently, I am simply trying to build content, learn all that I can about blogging, and slowly build traffic.  I have found all three to be much harder than I ever anticipated. 

When I began this blog, I knew that one day I would like to write a series on blogging, but felt that as a newbie, I had no right to do so.  However, I have since decided that it might be fun to document this learning experience.  I hope that there are newbies like me that might benefit from it, and that I may  learn some things in the process.  I have already learned quite a bit, so I am not beginning this series from a place of total blogging ignorance, but from a place where I know that I have much more to learn.      

I'll start with why I began this blog.  I taught middle school for seven years before having my son and becoming a stay-at-home mom.  While both jobs (and being a SAHM is a job) require skill, intelligence, and patience, they do not always challenge the real thinker in you.  (In other words, I felt like my brain was slowly decomposing.)  Anyway, as an English teacher, I enjoy writing and as a mom I enjoy kids, and so the opportunity to start a Mom Blog just spoke to me.  So I thought about starting a blog for a year jumped right in.  And I'm glad I did.

I have learned so much in the past few months.  My brain is slowly returning to its previous state, and I feel that my writing skills are slowly returning to where they once were.  I am trying new recipes (so that I have something to post about) and looking for new activities for my son and I (so that I have something to post about). So all in all, I think my family as a whole is benefitting from this little blog.

I have several more post ideas to continue this series, as I constantly learning about and discovering new blogs that teach me more everyday, and plan on sharing them in the days and weeks to come.  

Why I Say No To New Years Resolutions

I don't make New Years Resolutions. And I don't feel guilty about it.  I just feel no need to do so.  Over the past few days, while reading all that is to be read out there in the Blogosphere, I started to think that I might just be the only person in this world that does not make resolutions.  I started to wonder... why is that, is something wrong with me?  Am I just that unmotivated?  After my time spent in self-reflection, I have come to the conclusion that no, nothing is wrong with me (I know you are as relieved as I am, *smile*) it's just who I am.  And I thing I've narrowed it down to the three main reasons I feel no need to make promises to myself I know I will more than likely not keep.  

Why Wait?
I generally pay pretty close attention to how I spend my time and money.  When I see something that is not right, I try to change it, right then.  I don't want to wait on until I change the calendar on my pantry door to play more with my son or follow our budget more closely.  I just do it.

Simplify.
Right now, it seems like everything I see online or on television is talking about simplifying your life But simplyfying my life is something I have always done.  I have never felt the need to say yes to every question that comes my way, (in fact, I should probably say yes a little more often) my house is uncluttered, (thanks in part to this) and I devote most of my time to my family.  I feel like my life is pretty well simplyfied and saying "no" to things like New Years Resolutions keeps it that way.

I Don't Set Myself Up For Failure
How many times have you made a New Years Resolution and not followed through?  When I was younger, I would always make a resolution to save more money or read my Bible every day and I would never follow through.  I never really made me feel like a loser, but it didn't make me feel exactly great about myself either.

What I do find myself doing this time every year, without really making a conscious decision to do so, is evaluating my life.  I tend to thing more about where I am and where I want to go.  It just seems like a time so ripe with possibilities that it's hard not to think ahead, to what all those blank boxes on my 2009 calendar will hold.  One of those days will be the birthday of my second child, one of those weeks will be spent playing in the sand at the beach, but which days and weeks they will be.... I am not so certain. 

So, I plan, I wonder, I take into account how I've spent my life thus far and what my life will hold in the future.  No resolutions involved. 

Top 5 Posts For 2008

Although this blog is still in its infancy (it's almost 3 months old) I have had some posts which received a good bit of attention.  The top five...

Keep Your Toddler Entertained While Running Errands

Beanless Chili Recipe

Cold Lunches/Finger Foods For Toddlers

A More Agreeable Toddler

6 Ways To Save Money