This blogging stuff is great fun. I've met a huge amount of
interesting people along the way. I just love it. I read a load of blogs myself
and I enjoy the social side of it, albeit it being mostly in the social media
sense. A couple of months ago I attended the Irish Parenting Blog
Awards and finally got to put some faces to names, and names to blogs. It's been a
really positive addition to my life and I'm super grateful for all that it has
afforded me. Real friendships have come from following someone's blog. It's
very cool.
Now that I am back working a day job I am finding it a bit trickier to find a sense of balance. Midweek is generally just an oblivion of packing, organizing, sorting, tidying and feeding people. It's busy but it's working out well and the week flies by. As soon as the weekend comes along it's family time. We like to go out for brunch and pretend that it's relaxing when in fact Billy is going through a phase where eating out is NOT a good time. We'll browse some shops, hit the park, that type of thing. I'll also spend a fair chunk of the weekend talking about how I can't wait to relax and then using every spare moment to do housework which has inevitably built up during the week. The clothes washing. It's at the point where it's bigger than me. I just can't keep on top of it no matter how much I try. So yes, weekends are for family time and cleaning.
So when does one fit in the blogging? Pre-baby and even pre-toddler I seemed to have a lot more time on my hands to just whip out the laptop and write a blog post during the day. Pre-work I would blog during Billy's nap-times once the house had been somewhat tackled. So now I'm back in work, spending my evenings keeping the little man smiling and packing up for the next day, and there just isn't as much disposable... time. Then there is the added fact that I recently spilled water all over my laptop and it is now in a state of sort of half-dead where it only works if it's had a sleepover in the hotpress the night before. But don't dare to turn it off or let the battery run out or you'll be right back at hotel hotpress for another night. This means that even the nights where I manage to sit down with the intentions of writing, I could end up wanting to throw my laptop at the wall because it has decided not to work. This happened three times this week. I'd say it's a broken record at this stage, and I'm sure Peter is loving my very vocal displays of frustration.
So yes, I'm trying to establish a balance. Or a feckin' computer that works. Something along those lines.
There are some bloggers who write every single day. A new blog post every evening. I just don't know how they do it. It's obviously what they enjoy, but how do they find the time to do it? I follow these blogs myself and enjoy reading them. I'll never be willing to give up every single evening though. No matter how much I love writing.
And this is where this post is really aimed at. The internet. My absolute shameful addiction to it's wonders. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the latest obsession - Snapchat. I do it all. My phone is rarely more than a hand-grab away from me. And sure it's grand, we live in the era of technology. It's a good thing. There is the flip side of it though. Conversations are dying because we're half listening to our friends and partners when they speak. We are nodding absently as we scroll through a feed on one of our social media platforms. Meals aren't being enjoyed at their best moments because we just have to take a photo of the food first. I do this every single time. I'll continue to do it too.
It's got me thinking though. I have been really wanting to read this book in a bid to help our little Billy sleep better. I charged up the Kindle, downloaded the book, and couldn't wait to begin. Billy was in bed (for now, says you) and it was the perfect time to relax with a cuppa and start reading the book.
But do you think I could?
First I scrolled through Snapchat, watching every single story of all the people I enjoy following. Then I had a little flutter on Facebook. Sure it would have been rude to neglect Instagram at that stage. Before I knew it I was wall-falling, couldn't keep my eyes open, and I had to go to bed. This happened three nights in a row. I just couldn't put my bloody phone down and read the fecking book. That is a sad state of affairs.
And what are we doing? We're reading about other people's lives. Don't get me wrong, I love it. But not at the cost of living my own life.
This is really for my own accountability. It's good to be aware of these things. Sure we're all the same these days when it comes to our phones and the internet, but I want to try and find a sense of balance. I absolutely love writing whether it's here on my own blog, writing blog posts for Family Friendly HQ or writing articles for Easy Parenting. It's my thing. I really truly enjoy it beyond words. I also love reading though.
So it's time to find a sense of balance and try to breathe a bit of fresh air in to my current phase of life. I'll be blogging, reading, social networking and snapping away far more than I probably should, but I will also actively be giving myself permission to just just ditch the phone and read my book, watch a tv show, or participate in actual real life conversations.
But of course, some moments just have to be snapped for the 21st wall of fame. You are welcome son!
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