When I started my blog in May 2008, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I thought it would be a useful tool for sharing updates with family and friends about Karamea as we awaited her arrival. I was excited to provide a glimpse into our life for friends and family who are far away; or even to give ones who are close the chance to catch up.
I was inspired by a few friends who blog and now more than just a few of my friends have blogs too. Thanks to blogging, I have developed friendships with people who might have otherwise stayed acquaintances. I love being able to see pictures of their lives, read their perspectives and learn what is going on in their lives. Life with kids is busy and even when we get together, there's not much time for uninterrupted conversation. So when I do see friends, I don't have to do too much catching up since they usually follow what we're doing here or on facebook.
What I didn't expect was how much I would personally get out of blogging. For me, it has become 1) a way to process life as it happens and reflect on things and 2) an archive I can easily refer back to. As much as I love scrapbooking, it is time-consuming and expensive. I have only finished Karamea's baby book through 8 months at this point (um, yes, she will be turing 3 (!) in July...), and haven't even started Kaylee's. Except I have. Sort of. I plan on having the blog posts of updates about Kaylee made into a book using Blurb. There are several other options out there as well for having a blog made into book form, but I think Blurb will be the best bet for layout options and appearance.
Here are the other options I have considered:
http://www.blogbooker.com/ (FREE! Makes a pdf file of the blog including pictures, but the examples I saw didn't have much special in terms of layout or design.)
http://blog2print.sharedbook.com/blogworld/printmyblog/index.html
It feels a little silly to say that blogging has changed my life, but there are some ways in which it really has. I am truly thankful for the way in which it helps me connect with others and for the way it has encouraged me to journal more consistently than I ever have. I know that wherever life may lead, I look forward to chronicling our journeys and experiences here.
I was inspired by a few friends who blog and now more than just a few of my friends have blogs too. Thanks to blogging, I have developed friendships with people who might have otherwise stayed acquaintances. I love being able to see pictures of their lives, read their perspectives and learn what is going on in their lives. Life with kids is busy and even when we get together, there's not much time for uninterrupted conversation. So when I do see friends, I don't have to do too much catching up since they usually follow what we're doing here or on facebook.
What I didn't expect was how much I would personally get out of blogging. For me, it has become 1) a way to process life as it happens and reflect on things and 2) an archive I can easily refer back to. As much as I love scrapbooking, it is time-consuming and expensive. I have only finished Karamea's baby book through 8 months at this point (um, yes, she will be turing 3 (!) in July...), and haven't even started Kaylee's. Except I have. Sort of. I plan on having the blog posts of updates about Kaylee made into a book using Blurb. There are several other options out there as well for having a blog made into book form, but I think Blurb will be the best bet for layout options and appearance.
Here are the other options I have considered:
http://www.blogbooker.com/ (FREE! Makes a pdf file of the blog including pictures, but the examples I saw didn't have much special in terms of layout or design.)
http://blog2print.sharedbook.com/blogworld/printmyblog/index.html
It feels a little silly to say that blogging has changed my life, but there are some ways in which it really has. I am truly thankful for the way in which it helps me connect with others and for the way it has encouraged me to journal more consistently than I ever have. I know that wherever life may lead, I look forward to chronicling our journeys and experiences here.
4 comments:
Cool! I just posted last week about why I blog! :)
Diddo! (-: Also I love the Blurb book I made - super easy and really customizable!!! See ya in May!
Ali and Tara: I loved both of your posts about blogging; these thoughts have been brewing for quite some time in my mind and your writing about blogging was the impetus that got me writing about it too! :)
I love that blogging becomes a way to sort of mentally process life. And it's all right there for you to look back through, you can see how you and your family have grown. Pretty cool!
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