I want my children’s childhood to be full of memories of a mama who was by their side, playing with them, laughing with them, reading to them, cooking with and for them. Not a mama with a face glued to a computer screen.
~Stephanie, Keeper of The Home in her article Pro Mom, Not Pro Blogger
Are you a mom blogger? Then you must read Stephanie’s article.
Her article put into words things that have been on my heart for a long time. While I try very hard to keep my blogging time in balance, I admit that all too often I spend far too much time in the online world and not nearly enough time doing the things that count.
I try to carve out and stick to a 2 hour time frame per day Monday-Friday to do bloggy stuff. That may seem like a lot to some, but have you ever tracked how much time you spend online? It is easy to lose time and you may be surprised that you spend much more time than you thought.
If I stuck to my 2 hours a day Monday-Friday, that would be 10 hours per a week. 40 hours per month. 480 hours per year. Figure a regular work week as 40 hours per week. If I translate that into my time spent online, I figure I am losing 3 months per year with my family. I admit that there have been times I have spent more than those 2 hours online so I am sure that 3 months is a fairly conservative figure. A lot can happen in the lives of my children in 3 months. Is blogging really worth missing that time?
As Stephanie says, blogging is a career because “let’s face it, when blogging requires this much of you, it’s more than just a hobby”. How many of us stay home to be with our children, yet are caught up in the career world right in our very own homes through blogging? How many times have we not read that story, played that game, or pushed our children away to finish one more post, answer one more comment, ask one more question? I know I am guilty of it more than I’d like to admit.
What does this mean? I am not really sure. I have a lot to think on. A lot to pray about. Some decisions to make and some priorities to refocus. Perhaps you do to.
My mantra has always been don’t be so busy building a blog that you forget to build a life.
I think it’s time I take my own advice.
Have you counted the cost of the time you have spent on the computer, away from your children, your husband, and your duties as a homemaker? Is it worth it?
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{ 9 comments }
Because of Stephanie’s article (and my over packed life) I have gone to reruns on my blog till after Christmas. I want to spend every minute of this season with my family. I am hoping to come back with a new approach to all of this! Thanks for the great post, Kim
the inadvertent farmer´s last blog: Cookie Tuesday
“don’t be so busy building a blog that you forget to build a life.” This is priceless!! I love this post. A while back you posted about time tracker in firefox. And it has done wonders for me knowing just how much time I’ve wasted. A real eye opener!!
Oh boy…both Stephanie’s post as well as this one really speak to my heart. I too spend too much time online (blogging specifically). My hopes have been to build a diligent readership so that I could share what God has placed on my heart, but though I feel called to both, I have neglected my first calling and priority…mothering my children. I’ve gotten to the point where I’m still blogging, just a bit less and though I’m still sharing what God gives me to share, I’m happy even if only one person is touched by it. It’s been a tough thing to accept…I’m a writer and it’s what I love. But I love my family more.
Thanks for your post.
Kelli @ SustainingCreativity
Kelli´s last blog: Wordless Wednesday: Emma’s baby sling…
Great post! I bet most of us are guilty of spending too much time blogging. I try to do it when my daughter is at school & when she was home more (pre-school) I would do it when she was in bed (naps or nightime). Even so, I try to set a time limit. Time can really slip away from you. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and helping keep the idea in the forefront of my mind.
Debra´s last blog: Retail…
Excellent thoughts. Thank you for sharing this.
This is just a confirmation of what was already going on in my heart after I read the Keeper of the Home post. I talked to my husband last night and will be making a few changes to my blog – thankfully the Lord showed me this before getting too caught up in blogging and it became an obligation.
Kimarie @ Cardamom’s Pod´s last blog: Wooden Toys Giveaway
It’s interesting to see this subject being addressed now when I’ve been thinking along the same lines. While I definitely plan to keep blogging I have had to set some definite limits on the time I spend on it. I was beginning to see that I’ve been neglecting some important areas so that I could spend time at the computer.
For now my main time to blog is from between 10pm and midnight. I need that time at night to enjoy the quiet after a busy day and blogging helps me to organize my thoughts and clear my mind for the next day.
Rose´s last blog: Cooking Up a Storm
Oh amen..there seems to always be a balance struggle. Something I know I need to do is set a schedule and time limit for blogging and stick to it. Period. I so agree that we need to be building our lives more than we build our blogs. Oh this is so important. I tweeted your post and am going to go read Stephanie’s. Thank you for being bold to speak up!
Christin´s last blog: {A Homemade Christmas} Framed Photography
I read Stephanie’s post and now I read yours. I’m a little mixed. I’m trying to decide whether to take my newish blog to the next level, then I get posts like these in my reader. I guess we all need to hold each other up in prayer.
Jennifer´s last blog: Planning for A Joy-Filled 2010: Priorities
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