Why do you Blog?

I am still ever conscious of the fact that I haven't really blogged much this whole year!
Does it bother me? Yes a little.
If so then why aren't I blogging much? I really don't know!

Seems I went off line after my op last year and when I finally found my feet again it was just as our world came crashing back down with news of my husbands imminent operation.

Blogging is always in the back of my head but just not as much as it use to be.
I have been looking at all the blogs I follow and looking to see what they blog about. News, current affairs, life, pictures, children, craft to name a few.

It made me take a look back through my blog to see what I had been blogging about?
Turns out it was all about family, mainly because I started my blog to keep my parents and extended relatives in foreign lands (or was that that I was in the foreign land and they were at home?) informed of how the boys were growing and what we had been up to.

I then realised that because of blogging I always had the camera with me. I was always taking pictures. I captured everything we were doing just on the off chance there might be something I wanted to blog about.

So with taking time out in the last almost a year, I have come to realise 1 major thing......?
I don't have my camera with me nearly as much and I think I am missing out on capturing what is going on in my boys life!

I have come to realise also that maybe I was blogging as a way to keep my boys childhood as a vivid memory, something that they can look back on and remember.
Maybe I need to change my focus on why I am blogging and look at it from a different angle.

Maybe I have to remember that I am not only blogging for me, I am blogging for the memories it will give my boys when they are older.

With that said, I need to take the camera with me more, I need to be capturing all of our life more just in case there is something worth blogging about!

Reason

I am a firm believer that things happen for a reason.
Somewhere there is a plan and whilst some things may happen unexpected I do believe if it was meant to be then it would have been.
If it didn't work out then there was a reason why it was not meant to work out, usually because you go on to do something much better.

Take my job for instance.
I got turned down for a job I applied for last year.
This year I got a new job, different company but doing the same sort of thing in a round about way.
However the person that turned me down for the position is now someone who I work with occasionally. So whilst she gets to maybe see that I probably wasn't right for the first job she now gets to see what I am capable of and how with a little bit of guidance and teaching I may have been perfect for the job if given the chance!

For some reason, which I can not explain, last night I decided to check Blogger.
The address is on my tool bar and when ever I am on the internet I see it but I just pass over it.
Last night I felt I needed to view it and this in turn lead to me reading a post over at Notes on Paper.
The post was all about getting into blogging more and how to increase the posts you write.
Now we are not saying that everyone has to write 30 posts a month, just that if you are currently writing 2 posts a month and you would like to increase to 4 posts a month then this post may help you to identify some ideas on what you could write about.

Suddenly I have a series of posts to read to assist me with getting back into blogging.
It is almost as if Julie was writing this post just for me, as an encouragement, a teaching or just a gentle prod in the tummy to remind me that I can do it and here is some help along the way.

Now I have to go off to study and plan. See what is happening in my world that I can utilise and then come at this with some degree of force.

Catch you soon

M.I.A

Everyone goes here at some stage, I know because you see this post appear on everyone's blog at least once a year!

Yes I have been Missing in Action, but it has been for a cause not because I just couldn't be bothered.

As many of you know, I am currently obtaining my Bachelors of Nursing. I now have 1 essay to complete and my time is done.
Yes I was away last week completing my 2nd to last essay for my degree, so I have a really valid excuse for skipping away from the land of blog.
Then of course it was Father's Day here over the weekend so we skipped away to our caravan for a family weekend of relaxation.

But never fear, I am back and raring to go....!

New Zealand Blogging

I have been involved with blogging since 2005, just after my 2nd son was born.
I saw an article in a baby magazine that talked about blogging and why people were starting to blog. It went on the explain one or two of the different hosts available to blog via and it must have taken me a few weeks before I finally jumped in.
Unfortunately I only managed a few posts and then stopped for about 9 months, life just took over as I had a 2yr old and a new baby, but when I came back I came back with a vengeance and have been blogging on and off since 2006.
I started because my parents and in fact all my family were overseas, well no, they were all at home, I was the clever one sucker overseas. This way they were able to see what was happening with the boys without me filling their in box with emails that they didn't want to see etc, with blogging they could catch up when they wanted to.

In the beginning there were not a huge amount of blogs out there, when you found one you liked it was easy to catch up on what the person had written as most blogs were only a year old.
I do love going back to the beginning of someone's blog and reading about them and what they started with, if you are following someone it is nice to get a little better acquainted with them.
As much as I love the States it was always a shame I could never find too many blogs, if any by others here in New Zealand. I would always read about blogger's catching up with each other at meeting places etc.
How I wished there were more blogger's here.

And suddenly there are, daily I am coming across more blogs of people living in New Zealand. It is fun to read blogs by people experiencing the same life around them as I am, not because we are a like but because we live in the same country.
It is fun to come across blogs that are doing swaps and give-aways etc in New Zealand, no more of this 'would you like to win/swap this fabulous item but oh sorry no international entries!' 

So the world is getting bigger, the local world is getting even bigger still.
My list of blogs that I follow is creeping higher and higher, I may have to be ruthless and cul the list again soon, as I must be logical in the amount I follow, but then hey who's checking!

If you are new to this blog and just started following me then welcome, it is lovely to have you to here.
If you are checking me out because I have just starting following you then I hope I am suitable for you and that you might consider following me too sometime.
If you are just stopping by because you stumbled this way whilst surfing around one evening, then welcome too hope you stay a while.

Who ever you are, welcome, come in, grab a coffee hot chocolate and pull up a chair, lets make it last a while.

Too Much

Have we all done too much?
Have we all blown the budget? On time that is not money!

Several of the blogs that I follow, who all also took part in the A to Z Challenge during April, seem to be on mind overload at present and are not blogging!

And yes we have had a busted computer and I mean real busted. I just lost all my contact details for my life. Everything else was backed up, pictures, clip art, meeting minutes etc but not the emails and contacts! Also lost all Microsoft Office programmes so have had to repurchase and reload.
So I have not had the ability to download the camera let alone add a picture to a blog, but I just don't seem to be able to get into the mood to write a post or even add the picture now that I have the ability to use.
However I have lots to blog about, Alex playing soccer, our trip to Auckland a few weeks ago, my recent mail Art package that arrived and also my first ever giveaway.

So with so much to blog about I am hoping that by maybe writing this post about so many of us being away with a mental mind block then maybe I will feel like I have broken the tie and will now get back into blogging, although I do have an essay due next week for my degree and I have a little bit of rewriting to achieve before next Wednesday.
However once this essay is handed in I will only have 1 paper, yes that reads 1 paper left to complete and I will be an official degree holder and you can bet your bottom dollar I will be at the graduate ceremony next Feb 15 with bells on.

So please, who ever is listening to my little pray, please put my blogging mind back together, please let me have the inspiration to get back into writing something on this computer, I would really appreciate it as I have deadlines to achieve and a mental mind block really doesn't help those at all!

Doctor Visit

Don't worry all is well, apart from the computer which is sick.
We took it to the doctor on Saturday and we are waiting for the diagnosis any day now.

So please bear with me during this time as I am only really able to blog from work, and having just had 2 days off then it feels like I have been away for ages!

Catch you soon

Update Post

If you have missed it I am currently taking part in a blogging challenge....A to Z Challenge where you blog from A to Z throughout the month of April. It is such fun and I am enjoying it, have met some super great blogs along the way and made some wonderful new friends.

It is just what I need actually because I have been sick and we are not just talking a few days in bed or on the couch we are talking that I am on day 10 now and things are about 60% better.
As mentioned here and then again here I thought I was getting dizzy due to my blood pressure being low, turns out that was maybe just a little cover for the real problem.
I saw the doctor and my bloods were all back and good, no worries there. However he did not like the extra fluid in my ears so decided that I had a balance problem due to too much fluid so put me on decongestants to help dry up the fluid. These did nothing, with the exception of making me realise that I was allergic to the drug!
So 2 days later, when I finally succuumbed to the illness and gave in and lay on the couch and just didn't move, I went back to the doctor. Saw a different one this time, just coincidence, but he decided that I had Vestibular Neuritis, a viral infection that effects the inner ear and makes your balance go totally out of whack.

I have no energy, I can't concentrate, things keep swimming in my peripheral vision and the rooms spins regularly.

My father has told me that he too has suffered from this in his time and so has his sister, my aunt. So is it hereditory? Or just chance?
At the moment I hope it is just chance because another attack of this, that could knock me out of action for 4-5 days, would be my worst nightmare come true.
All websites I read talk about recovery being anything from 1-3 weeks!
Good job, to an extent, that I am on holiday next week with the boys due to school holidays, but not so good a job because this is not how I wanted to spend my week off, sitting on a couch half the day resting!

So thank you to all my new blogging friends I have made over the last week. It is fun to read what you are writing about. I have laughed, I have learnt and I have agreed with you on many things.
I look forward to catching up more during the month of April and then on throughout 2012.

F is for Favourite Sites

Do you have any favourite sites you are visiting at present.
Sites that are not part of the A to Z Challenge?
Sites that you are following and love catching up with everyday?

I think all fellow bloggers will admit to one or 2 sites that they regularly check up on, it is after all the nature of blogging.

Over the years my sites have changed. I guess we move with the times.
I do have a page on my blog especially for my Blogging Buddies and I was quite surprised the other day when I took a look to see how up to date it is to realise that there are some on there that I have actuially stopped following!

Owlhaven - she writes about the sane woman's guide to raising a large family. Her 10 children, 4 natural and 6 adopted. She writes about money saving tips etc and what the family are up to.

McNulty Quads - Welcome to quadville, how life is going with 4 at once

365 Photos - she gives out a word each day and you show a picture of your interpretation of it. I have to admit that I am not taking place in this, but it is fun to see what words are coming up each day!

A few others I am following are all to do with cross stitching, them showing what they have currently made. I am trying to get back into my stitching so love gaining inspiration from these lovely ladies when they do a show and tell session.

I love following blogs, especially when you take a random moment to check out people that site is following to see what other wonders you can find to view.

Happy Blog Surfing all.

Blogs of Note

Do you ever take the time to visit the 'Blogs of Note' on the dashboard?
Occassionally I do, although I have to admit to having not looked for the last year or so!
A few weeks ago I actually took another look and I found some great blogs to read.

How about this one 366 Random Acts of Kindness. A guy based in Chicago, US who is taking a journey to give back through random acts of kindness every day of the year.
Some of the things he has done are so simple, others are a little bigger and only special to the city he lives in, but it sure does make you think about all the little things we could be doing to help others just because we can not because we have to. Almost like a pay it forward situation although in this instance the payment is just that feel good factor of having helped others in some way.

Do you have chickens or are you considering having chickens, then maybe you might want to check out Tilly's Nest a blog a Cap Cod family of four have put together to detail their journey as they keep backyard chickens. They offer creative solutions, handy tips, helpful information, recipes (yes even recipes for chicken) and just plain chicken talk. There are 8 chickens in the family and they all have names from Tilly (Head hen), Feathers, Autumn, Dolly, Sunshine and many others.

The last blog I came across was a challenge, a challenge that runs just through April, so actually still time for you all to consider whether you would be interested in joining in. The Blogging from A to Z April Challenge is about writing a post for 26 of the days in April (every day except Sunday give or take) but following the letters of the alphabet as you post. So start with A and head towards Z.
This looks interesting and I have already starting thnking about my posts for April. What am I going to write about, am I doing a picture post, am I following a theme? So many options and so little time.

So there you have it, my take on the blogs of note that I have found interesting. I do so like it when people recommend blogs to check out. The blogging world is so wide and wonderful and I am always looking for new things to read and check out.

Summertime

Christmas is over, the New Year has begun and the sun is finally shining.
So my blog needs to reflect that so a new design to keep it bright and alive.

Now I just need to start planning a new background and title banner for Autumn / winter.
It is never ending!

Also last night we took the boys to see the local national cricket 20/20 game that was being played between our local team and one from the South Island.
The weather cooperated and we had an awesome evening, although sadly our team lost (which Ben found devestating! Such a sentimental old fool, he shead a few tears!)

However as the game was packing up I saw someone walking through the grounds whom seemed rather familiar to me. I soon realised that in fact it was Dee from dee*construction I have never met her before but decided I couldn't miss the oppotunity to meet a fellow blog so raced over and introduced myself.
So to Dee, it was lovely to put a face to the blog and meet you, if only for 2 mins.
Have a great weekend

Loving Gmail

Last week I told you how I managed to screw up with my gmail account I set up just for this blog, well all is working well now and I am loving it.
I am loving being able to reply to people when they ask me a question, being able to just comment back on a comment they have left.
It definitely opens up the blogging world to me with the people who are following my blog.

It has been lovely talking to you all and getting know you all more.

Have a great day

Email Address

A couple of months ago I thought I would get clever, well a little more than I currently am.
However it looked like it backfired on me slightly big time.
You see I decided to set up an email account for my blog so people could contact me via it if they wanted, what with privacy and everything I decided I wanted a seperate one just for here and then keep my personal one just for me.
So I ventured where all others have gone before and created a gmail email.
Having had success I changed everything on here at blogger so all comments went to that as well as my personal account, all good so far.

However I then had trouble with the password and after a few weeks of this I gave up and left it alone for a little while, although I was still silly enough to leave all my blogger correspondences going to it! (duh). However that little while unbeknown to me turned into months and today I finally remembered what I had done and went and ventured forth into the world of my gmail email account. The password was sorted and it wasn't too painful obtaining access.

Well low and behold I had mail, lots of mail (102 actually) and no it wasn't spam either.
I had all the comments people had left me, which luckily I have read as they go to my personal email as well but I also had lots of comments back from people where I had commented on their blog, so sorry I missed them guys.
I also had 1or 2 companies wanting to do giveaways on my blog. Now I am not often sure about companies getting in touch but having seen several other blogs post about how they had "morning tea shouts" on so and so company and "how about winning this free thing" so and so was offering. I did often wonder how they managed to score these lovely giveaways?
Well now I know, you need to check your email connected with your blog more often and then you might never know what could come your way.

So I am back up and running with this blog only email and look forward to being more in touch with you guys.
Maybe, you never know, I may have a giveaway or 2 at some stage before the end of the year and yes I would include all my lovely friends from overseas in this.

Online or Offline

I got introduced to blogging via a magazine would you believe?
There it was in a parenting magazine back in 2005. It was an article about keeping your family in touch when living many miles away and the nature the internet was now playing in keeping families in touch.
It listed and wrote about many different forms of communication and I quite liked blogging.
So 6 years later I have my blog, that has moments of input and other moments of being ignored, but everyone can relate to that!
I am a self taught blogger, everything that has been done to this blog has been done by trial and error, another thing we can all relate to. Sometimes I will see something done on someone else's blog and then I will try and work out how they did that, or even get my compter savvy husband to look at it and see if he can't help me out.
I have managed to change the template and layout myself using the Cutest Blog on The Block page and even managed to make a heading picture to match the theme.

I am sure there are a few other things I could do to make blogging easier and exciting things I could add to the blog but for now I am happy.
However the other day I did come across Windows Live Writer.
Now has anyone else used this, is anyone else using this as their way of writing their posts?

I have always just logged into blogger and written it there and then, sometimes saving it to draft to publish later when I have time to add pictures etc.
I am aware that you can email your posts in but haven't set this up or even contemplated it yet.

So does anyone have anything they can tell me about Windows Live Writer, I have worked out that it is about writing a post for your blog offline and then you can save it or upload it to blogger.
It states that it is easier to use and friendlier, although having just written a post in it I didn't like the line spacings. It is like writing in Word and on that part I found it easy to use, I added a picture and yes that was easy to do from the computer although Ican't say I played too much with the positioning of the picture.
I do like that you can preview how it will look once published without going online as well (because it has downloaded the blog template you use when setting up your system)

However I am still trying to understand the advantage of using it, apart from you are offline?
Really useful for me when at the caravan because we have to pay for internet over there and it is $8 per hour and of course writing on blogger online soon eats up your money, so usually I write in Word and then copy and paste to blogger and then quickly format prior to publishing, means I am not using too much time online.

Would just be interested to know if anyone else uses it and how they have found it and whether they have any user tips for newbies like me?

Yippee

Some people get excited over the silliest little things in life and I am no exception.
I am all happy and excited because ...........wait for it.........?

My followers has gone from 6 to 9 in the last 24 hours.
Yea for me.

Hello to you all, you are most welcome and I do hope I blog about something that interests you and that you don't get too bored.

Leave a comment everynow and then, love to hear from you.

Now I feel all cosy and warm that I have some new friends.

Blog Surfing

Due to Blogtoberfest I am blog surfing my way around the world.
It is addictive sometimes.
You go to one blog, they mention something about another blog, you are interested so open that blog in another tab, then you follow something they mentioned that was to do with the first blog you went to and suddenly you are 4 blogs down and can't quite remember what it was you were looking at that was so interesting!

I have just been checking out this blog Rocking Chair Reflections and came across this post she wrote about life after her husband had passed (he passed 4 yrs prior to her writing this post). It is not sad in fact it had me laughing so much I had to read it out to my husband.
If you want a giggle for 2 minutes then click on over to here and read for yourself.

I can well imagine that sadly anyone who has lost someone obviously goes through this at one time or another. Even 4-5 yrs later!

Blog Name

What is in a blog name?
Not much I am sure but the owner of the blog may tell you otherwise!
How did you name your blog?

My mother is always stealing posts from my blog for hers, well when I actually remember to blog that is!, so I decided to steal an idea from hers. Fair is fair mum!

Anyway, her post was about how the name for your blog came about?
Why did you choose the name you did, why is the address what it is? Have you changed it since you started the blog all those years ago?

My blog is called 'Life Today' and it is exactly that, a blog about life today.
I think I chose my address with blogspot before having a title for the blog, thus the reason it is different, but it is amazing how many people's url address is not the same as the blog title.
Have I changed the title at anytime? No

I can't say I have ever really thought about changing it....maybe on the odd occassion when I come across someone else's who has a super cool name for their blog and I wonder why I didn't come up with something super cool too. But for the most part no.

What about you?
Any interesting story behind your blogs name?

Leave me a message if you have so I can come over and read your story.

Blogtoberfest

Come on guys, have you got something to say, want to check out others in the blogging world?
Then join in with Blogtoberfest and see what is happening out there in the world of blogging.

I have been lax in my blogging this year, seems to have not been high on my list of things to achieve, although I do keep coming up with the posts to write and the ideas I just never seem in the mood at the end of the day to sit in front of the computer and write them!
That may change now as I am changing jobs this weekend and as of Monday I will be at a desk job for a year rather than in a clinical setting with hands on.
I may not know exactly what I am doing for the first week, but at least when I have 5 minutes I can always blog or at least write out the post for fine detailing in the evening, which if the post is already written then adding the pictures and possibly the odd link is not too difficult to do whilst watching tv in the evenings.

So Blogtoberfest, here I come, I will have 31 posts this month.

On a very happy note.......

Today is my Aunty and Uncles 50th Wedding Anniversary.
Yep, 50 years of wedded bliss together.
There is a big party at their house today which will be a great family get together.

Congratulations to all.

Hamilton Bloggers

Are there any Kiwi Mummy Bloggers out there in the Hamilton area.
If so leave me a comment, would love to come and visit you.

Comments

Here is my blogging question.....?
How do I reply to people's comments?

I have noticed that when I leave comments on others blogs (they are usually blogspot like me too, not just wordpress) they email me a reply to comment or say thanks.
I would love to do this to some that comment here, but I don't know how?

Anyone know any little secret they are willing to share with me anytime soon?

Posts and Pictures

Sometimes I find that I get so far behind in the posts I want to add to the blog.
I find that I end up writing a list of all the subjects I want to cover. This usually equates to pictures to add as well.
So I can keep track whilst writing the posts, I make a list of the posts I am writing and which pictures go with them. Then I list the pictures so I don't have to keep searching for them. Makes posting a little quicker as well.

Thought I might just show you a quick peek at the latest sheet I am working off of:

As you can see, just 1 or 2 wee pics to add!