This summer has been tough. I have written several posts about it: you can read all of June’s posts in case you missed the chaos of this summer. The hardest part for me is the blogging part. I can’t get caught up. I can’t write the way I want. I can’t sit and read the blogs I love to read. Last summer I didn’t know what I was missing. I wasn’t a part of the blogging community. This summer, I have made connections and found women that I care about and care what happens in their lives so I know what I am missing. Call me strange but I love tuning in to see what is going on in their worlds and sitting at the computer reading and sometimes chatting is the equivalent of meeting for coffee and catching up. I wanted to put links to all of the blogs that I read daily but my link button isn’t working (I have bought Word Press for Dummies and have scoured the SITS site and am working on being a better WP user because what I do know how to use, I love).
The other thing is this…it is hard to write in this heat (104 yesterday, 103 and rising today). I haven’t experienced this much writer’s block since I was in college having to write term papers. I don’t want to be a “Negative Nelly” or a “Sappy Sally” and right now, I am either or on any given day. My power is back on and really, I am thankful. My air conditioning is on its last leg and the thermostat is broken so it won’t let me change the temperature lower. Instead, the air will only kick on when it gets to a certain degree in the house which I am certain is 110 degrees. So…while I am thankful for the air…my face is melting off making it hard to write ANYTHING!
Contrary to what it might look like, it is rare that I have longer than ten minutes at my computer on any given day to write anything anyway. I email, check Facebook, or go on Twitter (Have I mentioned how much I love Twitter these days?) from my phone while waiting in carpool lines, drive-thru lines, doctor’s offices and at baseball or basketball games (only when my kid isn’t playing). I’m not good enough to blog from my phone and I miss it.
What about you bloggers? How has summer changed your blogging habits?
For those that don’t blog, has summer made something hard that is normally easy for you? Are you not able to do something that normally you loved to do?
Thankfully, I have Mama Kat’s Writing Prompts to help me along. Linking up with her today:
I am a stay at home mom, married to my college sweetheart, Leo. We have four kids, Nico, Tommy, Isabella and Gia. We have a son, Rocco that is an angel in Heaven.
So glad you have power back! Hang in there with the writer’s block thing! Taking some time for yourself and your family is ok too!
You got through!!! YAY! Love seeing you here! I hope the writer’s block thing goes away soon.
Oh, I totally get this! Especially if you didn’t have power. YIKES. The summer seems so carefree and lazy, but really, it’s just a mess of trying to entertain the kids, and keep everyone from being grumpy all day, and on and on.
Greta recently posted..Read To Me #iPPP
It IS a mess of kids’ stuff and grumps! Glad you can relate!
Yay for power back!
It’s okay to write less. Summer is a slow blogging season anyway, so what better time than to live life, then write about it later?
Alison recently posted..I Am A Ruiner
Whew! I have to get out there and start living but it’s so damn hot! I still laugh at the title of your post b/c it could be mine on any given day!
I totally agree with Alison. I have been online less and outside more this summer. Still trying to balance the two because I am going to BlogHer in a few weeks, and want there to be good content on my blog for new readers to discover after the conference. But I love Alison’s line of living life, then writing about it later.
JD @ Honest Mom recently posted..A New Kind of Mom Guilt: Do You Ever Feel this Way?
So jealous that you are going to BlogHer! Can’t wait to hear all about it. I need to work on getting out there and living. I’m a little at a stand-still.
The summer tends to be slower in the blogging world anyway. Plus, you should be living life rather than writing it. Take a break. Enjoy it!
I know what you mean though. I have a hard time catching up too. But you know what? I’ve learned to mark all as read in my reader. I skip posts if I can’t get to it all. I feel bad sometimes, sure, but my family and my life need to come first. It’s okay if you don’t read every single post!
I’ve noticed you on twitter a lot more now and I like that!
Kimberly recently posted..Not Supermom, Just Normal
I didn’t think I’d like Twitter as much as I do but since I am a night owl, it’s a great time to catch up.
I really do have to push myself to leave this house for more than just baseball games and trips to Target.
I know what you mean about wanting to tune in and keep up with people. I feel like I’ve been out of it this week too, but we’ve had something going on like every day this week.
Also, the only time I really get the chance to read or blog is when I’m nursing Baby M or the kids are taking naps and this week I have been taking a nap myself when they do { I know that’s terrible isn’t it}!
Oh I totally love being able to check Facebook and Twitter from my phone. I’m still trying to get the hang of Twitter.
Erin recently posted..Our visit to The Children’s Museum
That is NOT terrible at all! We have to remember that even we moms need to catch up on sleep. If we are tired, we are crabby and a crabby mommy is not fun for anyone.
I think “twitter” is going to break me…It’s too much…I am going ot be an unproductive slug…Yesterday, I looked at all the bloggers you are following and wondered how you read them all?
First of all, I LOVE that you are commenting on the actual blog and second, I LOVE that you are on Twitter. I read a little at a time and now you know why it is taking me so long to get through that book. Twitter makes me more productive if that is possible. I know more news stuff now more than I did before it. I don’t have time to read the paper or even watch the news but little blurbs here and there I can handle.
I know this summer has been ridiculously difficult for a lot of people! I can’t imagine losing our power in that kind of heat. Ours goes out a lot in the winter, but it’s a whole lot easier to warm your body up than it is to cool down. Don’t be too hard on yourself about losing some blogging momentum though. Summers are typically verrrry slow online because so many of our routines are turned upside down!
Kat recently posted..And Then He Was Five
It is a relief to know that I am not alone in this. I’m not sure why this summer is so much crazier than normal but I am definitely having a hard time catching up. Thanks so much for the comment and the prompt. Love seeing you over here! Made my day!
This is my first summer to blog as I’m a new kid on the block. When I started blogging last fall my husband lived 1200+ miles away, I was laid off from my teaching job (which I didn’t mind), and i had 2 kids in school all day. Now I’m living with husband, have 3 kids home ALL DAY (and they haven’t made any friends yet) and I’m working. Like you I can only get online in bits and pieces or i just don’t have the mental energy to form sentences so I hang out on twitter.
Robbie recently posted..Miss or not?
That’s probably why I have been on Twitter more than I used to be, now that you mention it. This has been a crazy summer.
I promised myself that for the summer break I would try to write more consistently, but between kids, heat and hormones, it’s NOT easy! I do love the writing prompts. They help a lot. Another thing I’ve tried to do is write something, just for me on Mondays. I’m trying to take the focus of my daily life…
Jennifer recently posted..My Top Ten cheap date night choices
Thanks so much for visiting and commenting! Thank goodness for the prompts these days. It just seems that lately the more I try and catch up, the more I fall behind. I’m wish I could have a summer break from the summer (or a less hot break). Heading over to check out your place!