I’m really glad I’ve blogged through Gabe’s childhood because it’s so fun to share those posts with him. Last night when we were lying in bed getting ready to read a story before bed, I mentioned how Snoopy used to be his very best friend.
He asked to see a picture of himself holding Snoopy when he was a toddler, so I went to my blog to find one. I ended up reading him blog posts from his toddler years as a bedtime story and he loved it. Perhaps he’ll turn into a narcissist having my memories of him read to him like a story featuring himself, but for now, it’s such a delight to share with him.
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If we rent a house in Massachusetts, will my blog name be a lie?
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Decisions are hard. How can I make decisions more easily? I’ve tried reading Decisive, but don’t understand how I can easily put it into practice for stuff like, “Should we stay at this hotel or that one? Should we go this route or that one?”
I think I like to keep my options open and be spontaneous. But that is a little trickier with kids, yeah?
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I started using a service that allows comments to move to email. You might have noticed this already – it’s called Postmatic. I love it because I comment on blog posts all the time and forget to go back to the website and see if the author responded.
I also like being able to comment more easily on other blogs I read: I get an email with the blog post, reply to the email and it shows up as a comment! And then if someone else replies to my comment, I get an email and can just reply again and it magically appears on the website as a comment!
If you want to see how this works – you can sign up to get post via email in the sidebar (or in the footer if you’re on a mobile device).
I know what the internet marketing expert say – people are moving off of individual’s blogs and onto social media platforms. But there’s something special about visiting blogs and reading more long-form thoughts and updates on the lives of people I care about instead of just the cropped, hyper-edited, perfect Instagram photo (haaaa, no. Not mine. But other people.).
(How funny is it that BLOGGING is seen as “the good old days” compared to the noisy chaos of Twitter , Instagram, or Pinterest?)
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I’ve been wanting to hire a business coach for a while* and decided to take a leap and enroll in Cathy’s mini coaching session for next month. Next month also involves 2 weeks & 2200 miles of traveling (OH to MA to NC to OH), so it might be crazy of me.
I took all of 2014 off of purchasing e-things (e-courses, e-books, no digital learning products of any kind because I was consuming more than I was producing and I needed an inspiration break!)
*No eye rolling! I work alone and need someone to bounce ideas off of. Mike does a great job (and since he’s a counselor, he has great skills), but I also need someone who’s had experience working for themselves.
Katie says
I saw a counselor for my anxiety for awhile and one thing we talked about is how much energy I spend on indecisive panic cycles for really unimportant decisions (like picking a hotel). One thing she did was to assure me that there’s no right or wrong choice sometimes and if I did make the wrong choice, I’m capable of fixing it. And really, what’s the worst that could happen. (Bed bugs and death, actually.)
I don’t know if this helps, but good luck!!
Ashley says
I like that. Sometimes it feels like SO much is riding on little decisions. But then, as we know from experience, we can totally change if it turns out to be wrong!
Like when we drove to Wisconsin and ended up having to stay at a different hotel along the way because of a snow storm. Solutions!
Nora says
Wait, what? Blogging is considered old and out? Well, I’ll just be old-hat, then. (Even though I have to actually BLOG to be considered a blogger…
that’s an issue/story for another day.) I love the email reply function for commenting; I love visiting blogs and etc., but ever since the demise of Google Reader I am super old-school and actually visit each blog I love, in a browser via my favorites list, not knowing if they have updated recently or not so now that I get an email when you post, it means I’m clicking to your blog less (making for more meaningful stats, maybe?) and I am comforted (yes, comforted) knowing that I’ll know when you’ve posted.
Jesabes says
I’m all about keeping my options open and being spontaneous. I hate to commit to things – I’m so introverted a full calendar stresses me out, so I keep everything as a “maybe.” Then if I feel like doing it (which I often do), instead of having had a full afternoon on the schedule bumming me out for a few days in advance (negative) I’ve spontaneously taken advantage of an opportunity for fun (positive). But it’s not OK to always leave things hanging! Sometimes it needs to be scheduled!
Ashley says
Yes! I love seeing people, but plans CAN make me feel claustrophobic. It’s so weird.
Jess says
Blogging IS old-school! But! I feel like it’s having a resurgence! (Of course I’m primed to feel that way because I have just… resurged?) But I DO miss my blog and Twitter doesn’t have the same archiving power and, well, I’m back, and coming back has reminded me about the beauty of comments, and it is lovely! It is! It’s just different from Twitter somehow. In a good way!
Ashley says
Blogging being “old” makes ME feel “old.” Compared to this newfangled Snapchat business, I guess blog posts take more time and attention to both produce and consume. But I think it’s worth it! :) (Happy to see you posting again!!)
Holly says
I go back and forth about blogging about my kids … I blogged most of Topher’s early years, then stopped when he started preschool, then started again. I love having that record, and even though I try to keep up with photo albums, project life, etc. it’s just not the SAME. I’ve been blogging for half of my life now, it just seems more natural to me! I purposely didn’t blog much about Ellie when she was teeny tiny (because I wasn’t blogging about Topher much!) and I didn’t document much anywhere else, either :(
Ashley says
Yes! Unless I actually blog, I don’t do a great job keeping track of things they do. I’ve been meaning to write down the cute things Gabe says for years….Oops.
Kelly says
Aw, I love that you read Gabe posts about him as his bedtime story. I could see Max liking this as he loves watching videos of himself on my phone. Kiddos love themselves, it’s normal :P
Blogging can be out all it wants because I am like you and want to hear all about what my blog friends are up to and it can’t all be told on social media!
Ashley says
I think it makes him feel cared about, you know? Like I’ve been writing about him for years! :)
lindsay says
Oh I hope blogging is having a resurgence!
Always enjoy your posts, Ashley. Thanks for sharing. I remember when my brother moved cities and his blog name became a lie. You wouldn’t be the first….
Ashley says
Oh, thanks for saying that. I appreciate it! :)
I guess 8 years of having a non-lying blog name is a good run, right?