I've come to the realization that I have a serious addiction to cameras and taking pictures. I need help. I would like to blame this blog, but the truth is that I've always been this way. There has been more picture taking since the blog came into existence. For example, I would never have taken pictures of my books, beer, food, etc. before. But I've always been a madwoman when it comes to my kids. I want to have great memories, for them to see all that they did. However, it's getting in my way of living in the moment. I mean look at my last few posts! I have about 100 pictures in each of them! It makes us look like crazy busy freaks when really we are quite relaxed. Anyhoo, wish me luck....in my effort to cut back.
Oh! One more thing! Do any of you feel like blogging gets in the way of your life? I kind of want to quit, but I don't (sidenote: I am going to start scrapbooking which is not going to help my camera addiction). What got me thinking about this is the fact that in the morning I drink my coffee and read blogs. While I do this, my kids watch cartoons. I don't really have anything against t.v. and cartoons (everything in moderation). What I hate are commercials. My kids are all growing out of their shoes and so we've been trying to decide what new shoes to buy. I wanted Eaden to get new dinosaur shoes (like her old ones that she LOVED), but now she wants fu*&ing Skecher Twinkle Toes. NOOOOO! I will not let my kids be influenced by these damn commercials. So I'm cutting out any cartoons with commercials. But should I get her the shoes, lol? I'll probably just take her to the thrift store and see if we can find something.
Blogging seems to be giving me all of these complexes. Maybe it is unhealthy.
Oh! One more thing! Do any of you feel like blogging gets in the way of your life? I kind of want to quit, but I don't (sidenote: I am going to start scrapbooking which is not going to help my camera addiction). What got me thinking about this is the fact that in the morning I drink my coffee and read blogs. While I do this, my kids watch cartoons. I don't really have anything against t.v. and cartoons (everything in moderation). What I hate are commercials. My kids are all growing out of their shoes and so we've been trying to decide what new shoes to buy. I wanted Eaden to get new dinosaur shoes (like her old ones that she LOVED), but now she wants fu*&ing Skecher Twinkle Toes. NOOOOO! I will not let my kids be influenced by these damn commercials. So I'm cutting out any cartoons with commercials. But should I get her the shoes, lol? I'll probably just take her to the thrift store and see if we can find something.
Blogging seems to be giving me all of these complexes. Maybe it is unhealthy.
I know what you mean about puctures and blogging. I take hundreds of picture daily and
ReplyDeletedo not see that ending. As for blogging, that's a different story. I have thought often of quitting since it sucks away so much of my time, but then I would miss everyone. I do not have any neighbors so this is my way of socializing during the week. Still not sure what to do. xx
I feel your pain. I keep telling myself I will only take pictures of projects after the fact. Not while she is doing them. It hasn't really worked. I just don't really take pictures afterwards. I have been cutting back with the blogging. Why don't you give yourself how many times a week you can blog. Like once a week. I have just finished putting my first year of blog into a book on Blurb. It took forever, but we will have memories in print now. I am still still blogging but I have also cut WAY back.
ReplyDeleteShoes: No answer for you. I especially hate cartoon character apparel. I have a hard time not getting my daughter what she likes too.
I love taking lots of pictures, and of silly things like food and random piles of toys found in a corner. I have always taken that kind of picture. I find that taking pictures *helps* me to be present, in the moment, even if it is through a lens. Like how Ann writes (of A Holy Experience) of taking pictures of a dish of grated cheese, and trying to capture the moon running over the fields. Beautiful ordinary. It hones my eye for what is art, and reminds me of the joy in the everyday. It's the same with writing about what we are living right now, little snippets of time, focusing on them, seeing them as a gift.
ReplyDeleteAs for adverts, I watch them with my children and point out the manipulations they are using. (Why is this being aimed at boys/girls? What stereotypes are they telling you about who you are allowed to be? Do you really think this can make someone truly happy? Does it really look like that in real life, will it really work like that? How long will it last? What is different between that and random other example? Look how they are using the name of the character to sell something that is honestly just cornflour goo, that we could make in our kitchen!) We talk all the time about screen techniques and colouring images and so on, about how the formula advert is all grey and dark and washed out when talking about "wonderful breastfeeding" and then when it says "you are ready to MOVE ON from breastfeeding" and all the colours glow and come to life?! That advert is Jenna's pet hate. When she has friends over she sits there doing the same: "Look at that, they're telling lies about this toy by making it do that!"
I enjoy your blog and seeing your little one's adventures. I use to sit my little girl in front of the tv so I could clean. Blogging is such a creative outlet but it does take some time, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteI could have written this post myself :) Several times a month I just want to burn the blog down. I get overwhelmed with it sometimes, but then I stop and think about the blogs that I love to read and how sad I would be to lose those connections.
ReplyDeleteAnd, you know my camera is an appendage, haha!
I like the idea of the blurb. I imagine I'll do that someday :)
I always worry that my blogging time is cutting into my family time/ mama time. I now try and write my blogs at night, after the kiddos have gone to sleep and just schedule them for the next day.
ReplyDeleteAnd, I do let Finn watch movies and tv sometimes, but I just borrow tv shows from the library so that there aren't commercials. The only time he gets commercials is when my hubby watched football... and then we catch him singing the jingles to insurance commercials and other other sorts of ridiculous thing. It is amazing how easily they are influenced!!
I've only been blogging a year, but I find it fills a creative outlet. My background is in journalism. To have a way to publish something that I write without the hours of a daily newspaper schedule and be able to write exactly what I want to write, it's such a luxury. As for television, I struggle with it as well. My little kids watch PBS and On Demand shows without commercials. My older kids have moved into the Wizards of Waverly Place and American's Got Talent but we set pretty strict limits (most of the time ;) Kids mimic what their parents do - my husband and I aren't big TV watchers. Also, I have to give my librarian plug (and I see you're a librarian as well!) if your kids see you reading, they will too. We do a lot of reading.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean!!! I would blame my blog, too, but I was a big geek about it before as well. Which is funny because I have s super funky old camera that my kids have run over and whacked on teh floor a zillion times, so it's not like I have terrific pictures to begin with! ;)
ReplyDeleteI have pictures of dandelion blossoms and chokecherries and jam jars from years ago, before I even knew blogs existed. But I do make an effort every morning now to NOT take pictures of my breakfast, and just eat it instead!!! ;)
PS - PBS is pretty much commercial - free...it only basically advertises itself! ;) I watched PBS pretty often when I was pregnant with Eli and didn't feel like moving for hours and hours... ;)
ReplyDeleteI'd miss you if you decided to stop blogging! I understand wanting to divide time with being able to read and catch up on others, and spending time with your family. I usually read in the morning when I am having my breakfast and off and on through the day when I get a chance. Sometimes I don't get a chance to read for a day or two, but it's nice to see friends waiting.
ReplyDeleteHow about PBS?
thanks y'all. i guess i'll stay :-) i think i figured out the cartoon thing. we do watch pbs, but eaden always wants to watch tom and jerry and scooby doo (which have commercials). so i'm going to get those cartoons on dvd from the library. i don't want to take cartoons away from my kids. as long as they don't sit around watching them all day, they're fine. it's like the computer. if i don't spend the whole darn day on it, i'm ok. some parents i think who ban tv for their kids and then spend all day on the computer themselves...i mean it just doesn't make much sense.
ReplyDeleteI HATE when people judge me so I don't want it to sound like I'm judging people...i guess i am :-( I think taking tv away is a fine choice, i'm just not going to do it. sometimes when we talk about what we do it sounds like we're judging others who don't do something the same way. there are so many right ways of doing things...i think.
ReplyDelete...sticking a sock in my mouth.
ReplyDeletei totally agree with you statement .. sometime when we talk about what we do it sounds like we're judging other who dont do something the same way ... i struggle with this. and it has prevented me from writing things on my blog that i really believe in but dont want to come off as judgmental.
ReplyDeletei block out time to blog/look at others blogs and it helps keep it under control. i use my babys first morning nap to check blogs, then i write at night after he is asleep. sometimes i dont follow this rule very strictly, other times i do. that said, i am new to writing a blog.
we are all figuring it out bit by bit and doing the best we can! i enjoy your blog!
(i apologize for some spelling errors in the above comment. i did not proofread ..)
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean. I find taking pictures is part of living a creative life (not trying to sound like an a** here) and expressing myself. Your kids will be happy they have them. Also I think a camera can often help me to see.
ReplyDeleteBlogging can be fun, but I find breaks help. I love looking at blogs and get lots of inspiration from it, but I am finding I have to do it in spurts or I can suck away a lot of time!
I know what you mean about the commercials-I get so irritated at being seen as a stupid consumer by these companies. We don't have cable so that make it easier as the antenna is always on the blink so we barely get any stations besides PBS. Like you I get other cartoons from the library or Netflix. Everybody has to figure out what works for them. I often find that for me, what's "right" changes from moment to moment.
Good luck to you! I would miss you if you left for good though. ;)
You can take a break if you need too.We'll keep stopping by to see when you come back. As for reading other blogs you could set a timer or take a break from that too. A couple of other ideas- you could get up earlier then the kids so you could read a little and not rely on the TV or you could read certain blogs only on certain days.
ReplyDeleteBlogging should be fun and when it's not stepping back is needed. Your family, and joy and peace in your heart are more important then any blog.
I dislike commercials too so we don't do TV here just DVD's though even they have some advertisment.Grrr... It's hard not buying kids things they like. Sometimes I give in to the characters and sometimes I don't. If I know a particular item will annoy me or worst drive me insane there is no way the kids get it.
PS nothing I worte is meant in a judging way so I hope none of it comes off that way.
ReplyDelete